Beautiful Pakistan

Since this is the last post for this class I want to end it on a lighter note. After discussing the people, culture, religion, and geography for the past 6 weeks, I let my mind wander to what it would be like to actually visit these places. Even though the US State Department has issued travel advisories for Americans visiting Pakistan due to the increase in violence from the Pakistani extension of the Taliban, the opportunity to visit such a place would be amazing. This youtube video is a sort of slide show from the BBC's documentary Saira Khan in Pakistan. If you search "saira khan pakistan" you can watch segments from the documentary itself.

Stones into Schools

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/un_photo/3864262063/

Young girls prepare for their exams in Afghanistan.

In class we were given the question, "What insight did you gain on Afghanistan, it's people and its culture after reading the book?"  What surprised me the most was how much the people thirst for an education.  My initial feelings towards the people of Afghanistan, and that entire reagion really, was that education was not a priority.  That they are 'simple' people, with few needs or wants. I realize now how ignorant this sentiment is. But I am hardly the only American who thought this way. The way the media portrays Afghanistan as simply a war zone, which it certainly has been for the past 3 decades, but I never knew how culturally diverse and rich Afghanistan is. The media ignores the people and focuses on the tragedies.

After reading Greg Mortenson's Stones into Schools, the follow up book to the wildly popular Three Cups of Tea, I have gained a better understanding of the Afghanistani people.  When I really think about it, it makes sense....as an American, receiving an education was just a given, and largely taken for granted. In Afghanistan, generations have lost out on opportunities for receiving an education due to decades of war. Without the opprotunites that come with an education, young men and women are much more likely to strap a bomb to themselves in a crowd because they have nothing else to look forward to.  As Greg Mortenson has demostrated through his schools, education opens up new doors for the young people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, but more importantly it gives them hope for the future.

"Three Cups of Tea"

Question number 3 of our handout from class on Thursday poses the question, "What do you think of the "one cup of tea at a time" philosophy? So you think Mortenson's vision can work for lasting and meaningful change?"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/simontaylor/3036367868/

Call me an idealist, but I really do think it can work.  What impresses me the most about Mortenson is that he works within the context of Pakistan's cultural context and Islam. He doesn't impose, he doesn't accept US government funds, he doesn't try to convert, he has no hidden agenda. This middle-of-the-road approach for a developmental  NGO (non-governmental organization) is rare. For example, lets compare Greg Mortenson with economist Jeffrey Sachs.  Sachs' current project of the Millennium Villages (a part of the UN's Millennium Development Goals) throughout Africa pour millions, if not billions, of aid into desperately poor African villages. He saturates a chosen village with aid; providing everything from chemical fertilizers for farmers to clinics providing immunizations. However, the sustainability of such methods of development are highly debatable. Since the Millennium Development Goals do not expire until 2015, we will have to wait to see the results of Sachs' project in Africa.

Mortenson on the other hand, has a rather simple goal: provide change through education.  Give the youth of Pakistan and Afghanistan (particularly targeting girls) the opportunity for a well-balanced, non-extremist basic education and they will excel. Not only is this approach much cheaper than Sachs', it has proven to be sustainable, which is a huge accomplishment within itself. I have to applaud Mortenson for his rather different approach to development, and moreover I respect the risks just one man has taken to radically improve the lives of future generations within one of the most geopolitically volatile places on Earth.

Pakistani Street Food

Since we have been exploring the food of Pakistan within a the more formal setting of a kitchen and restaurant, I wanted to explore the street food of Pakistan.  To really eat like a local, particularly within an urban center, you go to the street vendors. Can you imagine New York City without its hot dogs and pretzels, Athens without its gyros, or Hong Kong without its dim sum?  Street food is food that's fast and so much more delicious than fast food. The street stalls also provide a crash course in the culture of a foreign place. Exotic smells, sounds, and sights overwhelm your senses as you attempt to decide which stall to visit first. 

Popular options offered in Pakistan, particularly within Lahore, from street side vendors are Hareesa (mutton or beef with rice and other grains and spices), Chicken Tikkah (chicken marinated in spices and yogurt then baked in a tandoori oven), Daal Chawal (a spiced lentil dish), Biryani (a rice based food mixed with spices and meat), Phajje ke Paye (a type of goat stew), Haleem (a dish made of wheat, lentils, meat (usually mutton or beef) and spices)....the list could go on for much longer.  


Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/story?id=118416&page=1

Mehndi

I wanted to give some quick background information about mendi, or henna tattoos, since we will be doing them in class this week.  Derived from the henna plant, or the lawsonia inermis, the leaves are dried, crushed, and then sifted for the best quality.  The powder forms a paste when mixed with water or lemon juice.  For thousands of years henna has been used as a dye for the skin and hair, but also for its medicinal qualities as well.  When applied to the skin in beautifully intricate designs, it is called mehndi. Henna derived from the plant does not form a true black color, but can range from cherry red to brown to orange.  When the paste is applied to the skin, usually through the tip of a cone for more precise application, the longer it take for the paste to dry the longer the 'tattoo' will last.  To call it a 'tattoo' is misleading because unlike real tattoos, mehndi will only last from a few weeks to a few months at the most.  It is also applied on top of the skin as opposed to underneath it. Often used for festivals and wedding ceremonies, mehndi can range from the very simple to extremely intricate.
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/meneaja/1813827628/

A rather simple mehndi.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hennasooq/3108376412/

Getting a bit more complicated.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hennasooq/589215469/

Mehndi on the feet.

Mehndi does not follow a specific template, but is drawn free hand for the most beautiful and inspired results. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hennasooq/3965674097/

This extremely intricate mehndi reminds me of lace.

Whose War Is It?

This video is a bit long but it presents us with quite a lot to think about. After watching it you can't help but feel tense. According to the prime-time news show 60 Minutes, Pakistan is on the verge of a militant Islamic take-over.  That factor mixed with 100 Pakistani nuclear bombs, sets a very grim outlook for the US and Obama's administration.

This video was posted over a year ago in February of 2009, but as of today Taliban influence has only grown relatively little within Pakistan, but their networks of alliances outside the country has grown according this New York Times article from May 6, 2010. As American drone attacks continue to disenchant Pakistani nationals with US policies, spreading a growing sentiment of anti-American feeling among locals, along with little trust in the government in Islamabad, the Pakistani Taliban is exploiting this recipe for a perfect storm.

Something I found very interesting from this video was how President Asif Ali Zardari admitted that the expanding Taliban grew of out denial by the Pakistani government. The Taliban's network of underground tunnels visited in the video, took years to build, therefore the Taliban was left to its own devices for many years.  Obviously there are many more reasons the Taliban was able to arise and now thrive in Pakistan, but they are too complex to get into for this blog. However, I cannot help feeling this video is somewhat biased, not necessarily wrong, but I think it lacks some perspective.  It talks about how the Pakistani government has failed, but what about the American government? How can such a seemingly rudimentary group, such as the Taliban, remain so elusive for the most powerful military in the world?

This post turned out a little more grim than I intended, so I'm just going to stop here, but I would really like to hear about what you think of this video and what the other side of the story may be.