A virtuoso brings Afghan music to life away from the Taliban

Homayoun Sakhi closes his eyes and strokes his rubab, a wooden string instrument inlaid with mother-of-pearl. “I feel like I have my Afghanistan in my hands,” says the musician who plays the music from abroad, considered a sin by the Taliban. • Read also: Taliban and members of Afghan civil society speak in Oslo • Read also: Afghanistan: EU restores "minimal presence" in Kabul Met by AFP in London, Homayoun Sakhi, one of the most renowned rubab players in the world, is suffering from the effects of jet lag after arriving from California. He came to perform at the Barbican Center for a support concert to raise funds for his native country. Afghanistan is in the midst of a humanitarian crisis and its rich culture has also been threatened since the return to ...

On the eve of talks with Western diplomats, the Taliban broke the ice on Sunday in Oslo with members of Afghan civil society during discussions focusing in particular on human rights. • Read also: Afghanistan: talks with Westerners in Norway will "change the warlike atmosphere", according to the Taliban Led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban delegation - the first to visit Europe since their return to power in August - met behind closed doors feminist activists and journalists in particular, at the Soria Moria hotel , on a snowy hill near Oslo. One of the feminist activists, Jamila Afghani, spoke of “a positive meeting to break the ice”. "The Taliban have shown goodwill," she said in a message to AFP. "Let's see if their deeds will follow th...