Introducing: Afghan Star, hosted by John Legend

In Afghanistan, a cultural revolution was televised through a musical talent show, and this is its story.

To purchase original Afghan Star artwork visit www.awastudios.com/afghanstar — proceeds go to support The Noor Initiative, who are on a mission to ensure every Afghan girl has access to education and opportunity.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Once upon a time in Afghanistan, the Taliban band music.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Radios were smashed, instruments burned, people buried their televisions and
cassette tapes six feet under and for five years there
was silence.

Speaker 1 (00:24):
But one man, Daoud Sadiki, refused to bow down. He
risked his life to join an underground network of people
smuggling music and movies around the country.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
Moving a VCR from one house to another house, moving
a TV. It was kind of like you moving a
track full of drugs.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
And when the Taliban regime finally found, Daoud helped kickstart
a revolution, a revolution in the form of an Afghan
version of American idol called Afghanistan.

Speaker 4 (01:04):
I was a celebrity of the country.

Speaker 3 (01:07):
Everywhere I was like on the skies.

Speaker 4 (01:17):
It was something new, like never before in the history
of Afghanistan.

Speaker 5 (01:21):
There was performing between all the insecurities and all the
explosions and all the disappointment. That was a light in
the darkness.

Speaker 6 (01:35):
Asthma Bolajourny, the Asthmaso bolajourn.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
Over the next decade, Afghanstar taught millions of people how
to vote. It bridged ethnic divide and became a platform
for women to fight for equal rights. It was a
symbol of the new Afghanistan.

Speaker 4 (02:04):
Freedom and freedom feels very good. It was a lightning rod.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
I think it was called Devil's Star by some people,
and those people were hell bent on crushing the show
and everything it stood for. If you asked the Taliban member,
what would you change the most in Afghanistan, people would
say Afghanistan.

Speaker 4 (02:31):
And they actually sat on this TV show that my
head should be cut off. And whoever that cuts off
my head and brings it to them, they will go
to heaven.

Speaker 1 (02:44):
So the Afghanistar team were faced with a choice save
their show and use pop culture to fight off the Taliban,
or flee the country and save themselves.

Speaker 6 (03:03):
As my John oh.

Speaker 4 (03:08):
Joy, we cannot let them win. We cannot let the
darkness come over us again. We have to fight back.
We have to fight back with music. That's how we
can fight.

Speaker 1 (03:23):
I'm John Legend. Listen to Afghanstar on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 6 (03:32):
Manos a la John for