A week in Kandahar

I came to Kandahar last Monday - for a couple of days, but have ended up staying a week. Thankfully, at my fourth attempt to fly from Kabul airport the weather was fine and the plane left as scheduled. I have come to work with our programme staff here to make sure all is ready for a big project we are setting up in a couple of the districts of Kandahar province.

Even if you live in Kandahar you don't really get to know the city well at all. There are a limited number of places where UN international staff can travel to - UN offices and guesthouses, the airport and its neighbouring ISAF (Canadian) military base. Security is tight here, and with good reason, over the last year there has been stark increase in suicide bombers - and in fact on my first morning here, our movements were restricted due to a suicide bomber blowing himself up close to one of the main UN offices in the city.

The journey into town from the airport takes approx 40 minutes. This is pretty much all that I have seen of Kandahar. And contrary to what you might expect, you do see women walking in the town - a sight that you don't see in Gardez in Paktya province in the south-east. However, in contrast to Kabul, you only see women in Kandahar in burkas though many in different colours - rather than the blue that is seen in the media.

I had lunch on the roof of the office with my Afghan colleagues when the weather was warm last week. The traditional way of eating is to sit cross-legged on the floor with plates arrayed on a plastic sheet in front of the diners. Two of my colleagues here are engineers and are known by the honorific title Haji - meaning that they have completed the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. They have long beards and underneath the traditional turban have shaved heads, presenting a different picture to the usual style of Afghan who works for the agencies of the international community (clean-shaven, jeans-wearing). And they are a reminder that one shouldn't judge by appearances. It is satisfying to work with these men - as it gives hope - these men blend the traditional ways of Afghanistan with working with an international organisation ('infidels' to some) in the hope for a brighter future. And not only do they work for an international organisation which sometimes is risky in itself, but also they travel to some very unsafe areas, therefore putting themselves at risk, just by doing their job.

Over lunch our conversation turned to the wearing of the burka. They (all men) were very clear when they said that they wearing of the burka is more of a cultural issue, rather than a religious one - and that before the Taleban times, women did not wear burkas in Kandahar. Therefore, why have not women cast off the burka now that the Taleban are no longer in power....? It seems to be an issue of safety. The politics and the security situation of Afghanistan, especially in the south and east are in a state of flux. Given the changing regimes here and the fact that your life is lived in the glare of your community, women especially, play it safe. Hopefully the time will come when the women do feel safe enough to leave their houses without having to wear a burka.

I'm writing this sitting outside on the veranda of the UN guesthouse overlooking a small garden. The sun is warm on my face and though I can't see the traffic on the other side of the regulation UN 2.8m high perimeter walls I can hear the residents of Kandahar driving with one hand on the horn, as is the Afghan way. And I have just been given a vase of flowers by one of the gardeners. I do like Afghanistan.