Heading for the Kabul chapter of AA

Posted by Lianne Gutcher at 13:27 on 25 May 2010

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I've been meaning to blog about the series of articles in the international media describing the Kabul party "scene" but, frankly, I've just been too hungover.
 
The first story slipped out on the National Post at the end of January entitled The surreal side of Kabul by one Heidi Kingstone. Time followed up in April with a story called Kabul nightlife: Thriving in Between Bombs. Ms Kingstone popped up again later that month with a piece on the Huffington Post, inexplicably titled Village People. (Just in case my alcohol-addled brain had missed something I asked BF1 New York Gal, why? Both were stumped. "Maybe because they think Afghanistan is nothing but dirty little villages?" posited BF1. She got on a bit of a roll: "Or maybe they think we party like the Village People. YMCA baby!" ... "Or maybe because it takes a village to raise some f@#king booze in this town.")

But what really drew ire was a piece by news-producing Kate, 37, in the Sunday Times: Where to party in the world's war zones. 

Opening paragraph: "As the sun goes down, the devout turn their minds to prayer, but for the international crowd of journalists, diplomats, NGO workers and mercenaries, the weekend is all about chasing alcohol."
 
She goes on to depict Kabul expats as a bunch of sex-obsessed, culturally-insensitive binge-drinkers who sit round telling war stories.
 
Actually, I am a sex-obsessed, culturally-insensitive binge-drinker but I have many fine friends who are not and they are a bit weary of being made to look like they are by reporters who show up just long enough for a dateline (to steal a phrase from one of the Js) and who, in Kate's case, don't have the decency to use their full names. (Interestingly, though, both Heidi and Kate refer to Kabul 'It" girls and share a similar bias against brunettes. Just saying'.)
 
BF1 left a comment on the Sunday Times web site but the moderator didn't see fit to publish it.
 
"The Kabul section of this article and sensationalist and inaccurate," she typed with angry fingers. "The writer portrays all expats as vapid, culturally-insensitive, oversexed drunks, which is unfair and untrue.  The article seems to be written by someone who's spent very little time in Kabul and doesn't actually know much of anything about life there (especially as evidenced by her calling the food at L'Atmosphere "excellent"!)."
 
The Time reporter isn't based here, Ms Kingstone is London based, and who the hell knows who or from where Kate is. I have high regard for the Time reporter; I've never met the other two. Actually, I probably have; I was just too pissed to remember.
 
There are many inaccuracies in Kate's story but my favourite is the reference to "Old Etonian types who throw good parties. They love fancy dress and threw a hilarious "tarts and Taliban" party. Most people came as Taliban - it was easier to get away with the costume because of the security restrictions."
 
Kate doesn't seem to know who threw the party so fudges it and name drops. It wasn't Rory Stewart. Also, as one of the two tarts at the party, can I say the choice of attire was nothing to do with security restrictions; it's just really hard to find a decent pair of nipple tassels in this town.
 
Shortly after, an American newspaper got on the bandwagon and phoned up NYG, who works for an NGO, for a quote for a similar article. NYG explained: "despite all the parties and debauchery (real and imagined in these pseudo journalistic pieces), working in Afghanistan can be a tad stressful. Things sometimes blow up and people we know sometimes get kidnapped or killed. A lot of people came here, as Pollyanna-ish as this may sound, because they cared about what was happening. But, sadly, things have gone horribly wrong. After eight years, lots of empty promises and billions of dollars spent, an average of two afghans get executed every three days by criminals or insurgents, more than half of Afghans live in absolute poverty, a child will die every other minute largely due to (very easily) preventable causes like diarrhoea and a woman will die every half hour because of pregnancy-related causes. If this was your day at the office, dare I suggest you might need a cocktail too?"

Two other perspectives on Kate's piece can be found at Dry Mouth and at change.org.

Meanwhile, I am off to the Kabul chapter of AA. I am looking into sex therapy too. Though I fear that by cleaning up my act I might jeopardise any potential ascendancy as a Kabul "It" girl.

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