Kite Runner 5H KLB

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 5

words that come to mind
when you think of Afghanistan?

The Kite Runner

Time period 1960 - 2000

Setting: Afghanistan

The Kite Runner

Author: Khaled Hosseini 

• Afghan-American
• Born in Kabul, 1965
• Moved to USA, 1970
• Practices internal medicine
• His first novel 

The novel

• published in 2003
• First Afghan novel to be written in English. 
• Over 9 million copies sold worldwide. 
• Translated into over 25 languages. 
• Is on the list of "Banned and Challenged Books" 
• Graphic details, sexual violence
• The film was banned in Afghanistan. 
• The child actors left Afghanistan for safety reasons. 

abc7.com

www.bbc.com

Afghanistan

• Landlocked (Pakistan, China, Iran, etc..) and mountainous
• Modern country in 1960s and 1970s -> no headscarves, women went to school, art, music, fashion shows
• Always an interesting country in bigger conflicts for power 
• Soviet-Union supported coup d'etat
• Soviet Union attacked from the North and took over Kabul
• Afghan president that listened to the Russians
• Chaos in Afghanistan - Russia soldiers didn't know what they were doing there. Thought they were fighting against the USA. 
• Struggle for power in Afghanistan - Taliban won - Islamic republic -> 9/11 -> war in Afghanistan -> Bin Laden ->  Taliban  surrenders after fighting from US etc -> new government
• after 20 years-> US troops withdraw-> government collapses-> Taliban is back in power

Important Background Information

Very mixed population: 

• 22 languages (Dari and Pashto officially recognized in consitutition)
• Sunni and Shia Muslims
• Racial conflicts
• The Kite Runner: Pashtuns and Hazaras - differences in religious beliefs, cultural practices, social status, physical appearance. Pashtun majority race and ethnic (Sunni Muslim), Hazara minority race (Shi'a Muslim). Hazaras were also discriminated against because of their looks. They are the weakest and poorest race in Afghanistan, easily subjected (onderworpen), insulted (beledigd), tortured (gemarteld) by Pashtuns.
• Kite Fighting is one of Afghanistan's national outdoor sports. 

The Kite Runner

the author

Khaled Hosseini

Any idea now what the title means?

Timeline of what has happened in Afghanistan

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan

See next slide

www.pbs.org