Afghan Video Shorts | Reza Sahel

Before setting himself on fire, Tunisian fruit seller Mohammed Bouazizi had complained bitterly about the visible pleasure police took in subjecting vendors to one indignity after another from fines to harassment to theft. He found it impossible to make a living. This short explores the challenges of fruit sellers in Afghanistan.

Searching For A Path | Reza Sahel

Searching for a Path - Full Version

The streets of Kabul are clogged with pushcart vendors of every sort. After the fall of the Taliban, the vendors were left in peace, as there were few cars on the streets. Now they are beaten by the police and chased from corner to corner – unless they pay a bribe. Fruit selling is the product of choice in the fall season. In the summer they rot too quickly in the 105˚ heat. It’s not a profitable living, but in a country with 40% unemployment, the choices are slim.

Will these vendors’ children still be facing the same limited opportunities when they seek employment? 13 min.

Reza Sahel is from Ghazni province and lives in Kabul. He works as a freelance photo-journalist with BBC online and also works as a cameraman for Nagar TV on spot and feature news. Reza is a multimedia trainer for NAI in cooperation with Internews, and is a founding member of Third Eye Photography.