In Afghanistan - a country where bad news is more the rule than the exception, 2015 was a particularly violent year. Anti Government Elements (AGEs), such as the Taliban and ISIS, continued to gain territorial ground across the country at the expense of significant Afghan casualties. According to the latest UN report (UNAMA February 14, 2016), 2015 saw the highest number of civilian casualties, reaching a new record of 11,000. Children continue to be some of the most prominent victims, being recruited into radicalised groups to conduct ongoing terror attacks on their communities and countries. In the hundreds of thousands, record numbers of Afghans are fleeing the chaos, risking their lives to illegally enter Iran and Turkey with the goal to continue to Europe. But amid the fear and violence, youth who also make up more than half of Afghanistan’s population continue to hold on to hope. Afghan millennials who were born between 1980, the first year of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and 2001, the beginning of the US-led military intervention, demonstrate great resilience and hope. When I first began to meet these Afghan millennials - some of the best and brightest of their generation - they were optimistic almost to a fault. Determined to bring their beleaguered but beloved country into the light, 2015 has put their commitment to the test. Rather than making every effort to leave and seek asylum in Europe, the secular youth captured in ‘Born In War’ have stayed and strived to transform their war-torn country into a more secure and prosperous place to live. This series depicts a generation that has known only war and documents a subculture little known beyond its borders. These millennials are a light that flickers in a land so full of darkness. Many of these young men and women feel that their generation has found its voice, and it is important for the world to know it exists. ‘Born In War’ captures a courageous generation that fights for every strain of light in the midst of constant conflict. (2013-16)
