THE ARTIST'S STATEMENT
Pat Monaco
I traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan to do photography in 1984 after receiving an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. I previously traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan in 1963 and 1970.

The first stop on this journey is Peshawar, a dusty frontier town in the northwest frontier province of Pakistan. Peshawar is just 18 miles from the Khyber Pass and beyond is the border with Afghanistan. The two countries share much - tribal affiliation and many languages, attitudes and beliefs .

From Peshawar I was sent to Chitral in the mountains of the Hindu Kush. There I met the mujahedeen from the group Jamiat-i-Islami. One group of eleven who were fighting the Soviets. They greeted me with some suspicion but always with kindness and consideration. We drove from the headquarters in Chitral by Russian jeep into the mountains to their overnight camp.

Much of my time in Peshawar was spent waiting to be taken “inside”, meaning inside Afghanistan. While I was waiting I visited many Afghan refugee camps. My favorite place to visit was Andersher Bazaar. Here many Afghan as well as Pakistani shops sold old tribal jewelry. I became friends with a seller who was the head of the IRC in Peshawar. He became my contact to visit the various hospitals and the organization Doctors without Borders who were going regularly to the border of Afghanistan to collect wounded.

The dire situation in Afghanistan and northern Pakistan is one of the greatest tragedies of our time. The profound indifference of many countries threatening the stability of the world.

I returned to Peshawar in 1988 and again waited for 2 months to be taken “inside”. Each time I was assured that it would be too dangerous. This time, I took a side trip to Darra Adam Khel where weapons of every sort are made or repaired by hand. The dealers would step outside their shop door and fire off what ever gun they chose to demonstrate.

In 1992, after the Soviets left Afghanistan, I returned and was able to travel into Afghanistan with my friends from the Jamiat-i-Islami. Again we traveled in a Russian jeep. This time I had a body guard. We drove over the Khyber Pass and passed through the border into Afghanistan - with no visa and no stopping. Except to take a photo, I was not allowed to leave the jeep. It was a very exciting moment. It was only because of my mujahideen companions that I was able to get through this border. We arrived in Jalalabad just in time to see an execution, but again I was not allowed to leave the jeep, not even covered in a burqa. I was taken to a secret hideout somewhere along the road from Jalalabad. We spent our nights in empty buildings that showed signs of war. Food was scarce and we often had only bread and melon.

Being with Afghans and the people of northern Pakistan is much like I imagine the wild-west. My goal was to capture the essence of the people and the frontier; to capture their humanity and pride. It was not always easy to do this. There were many restrictions which I found very frustrating. Yet I loved the people on both sides of the border.

I was able to fly into Kabul and travel into central Afghanistan in 2003. I stayed briefly with the family of one of the mujahidin I met in 1984. Afghanistan had changed little from my first visit in 1963. In 2007 I traveled to Pakistan and into Swat valley, a place I had first visited in 1970. The only sign of change is that there are no women on the streets. This area has always been very strict in the traditional sense and now the exclusion of women seems far more absolute.

The situation in Afghanistan and northern Pakistan is one of the greatest tragedies of our time. The profound indifference of many countries threatening the stability of the world.

Pat Monaco
Between Borders:
Photos of Pakistan and Afghanistan



June 12 to July 31 2010
Artist's Reception
Saturday, June 12     6 to 8pm

Patricia Monaco grew up in Walnut Creek, California and now lives in Oakland. She studied Anthropology and received a BA degree from UC Berkeley.

After two trips by road through the Middle East to India in the 1960s and 1970s she decided to study photography. In 1984 she received a grant from the National Endowment for the Visual Arts for her images of the blues in Oakland and the Mississippi delta.

With the grant she went to Peshawar, Pakistan to go into Afghanistan to photograph the war against the Soviets.

Since 1984 she has been documenting the Afghan people and their struggle.

Patricia has exhibited in many shows, including the Dallas Museum of Art and the Oakland Museum Collectors Gallery.

e-mail: cameltracks@yahoo.com

http://patmonaco.blogspot.com/
 

Maps of Afghanistan and Pakistan:
click to enlarge

These awesome maps are from geology.com.

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