Re: Electronic media and cultural sensitivities
I find it quite heartening that a country that had been pretty much written off in the late 1990s has made such remarkable progress in the last 12 years. The media comprising of 80 television channels alone seems like a* huge *step forward from the dark days when media, entertainment and even sports were all banned.
Along with growth of electronic media, there are other unmistakable signs of even more encouraging progress. Millions of girls are back in schools in Afghanistan. There are female entrepreneurs and legislators. The GDP per capita, though still low, has grown manifolds in the last 12 years and the economy is finally back on track. Afghanistan also just concluded the first phase of a largely uncontroversial presidential election that saw very high voter turnout, underscoring the confidence people have in democracy.
Full credit goes to the peaceful Afghan majority who, with the help of their American and other Western allies, have managed to turn the tide in their county for the better. And though, as in many developing counties, there are challenges and poverty, the country seems to be alive with positive possibilities and brimming with hope that just wasn’t there prior to 2001. I, for one, am optimistic that things will continue to get better.