Steve filmed "Afghan Girl" twice in 1985 and 2002.
On November 9, 2016, Afghan President Ghani held a welcoming ceremony for a refugee woman named Shabat Gula in the Presidential Palace in Kabul. "I welcome her back to the embrace of the motherland." Ghani gave an impassioned speech, while Shabat always stood blankly on the side. At the end of the ceremony, Ghani handed over a key to the apartment to Shabat. He told the media present: "I hope she leads a dignified and safe life in her home country."
The story begins with a photo
Since the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in late 1979, decades of endless wars have caused thousands of people in Afghanistan to be displaced and become international refugees. Shabat was one of them and one of the luckiest. When most of the refugees were still unable to return to their homes, she not only returned to their homes, but also accepted such an honor, becoming one of the few Afghan women who own their own real estate. And all of this stems from a cover photo published in the US "National Geographic" magazine in 1985. Shabat Gula is a Pashtun from Afghanistan. He lived in a small village in Nangarhar Province in eastern Afghanistan since his childhood. At the age of 6, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, and the war quickly destroyed people's peaceful lives. Shabat's mother soon died of illness during the war. In order to avoid endless bombings, his father took his brothers and sisters into the cave, then hiked barefoot to the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and finally sought asylum in a refugee camp in Peshawar.
In the late 1970s, Steve McCurry had just walked out of campus and was practicing photography in India. He wanted to become a photographer. On the eve of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, 29-year-old Steve was in northern Pakistan. He disguised himself as an Afghan and entered Afghanistan. As soon as he crossed the border, he witnessed the large houses and several schools that had just been blown up, and Steve was shocked by the sight before him. At that time, Afghanistan was experiencing national civil strife, and the real storm had not yet arrived. Steve believed that the tragedy that occurred in this country surrounded by mountains should be known to the world, so he recorded everything he saw with a camera. He sewed precious film into his clothes. After leaving Afghanistan, these photos of him appeared in The New York Times, Time Magazine, and Paris Pictorial. Steve McCurry began to make his mark in the press.
These photos kicked off Steve's career as a documentary photographer. During the Afghan War, he went to war zones many times to record the battle. He won the Robert Capa Gold Award for Best Photo Reporting in 1980. By 1982, the Afghan War had become a routine headline news in the Western media, and Steve had also become the chief editor's preferred photographer for reporting on the war. In 1984, the then National Geographic magazine was planning an article about refugee camps in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area. "National Geographic" found Steve, hoping that he could take some photos for this feature article. Steve gladly accepted the invitation and went to Pakistan's northwest border area from August to November to visit most of the refugee camps in Peshawar.
Steve was wandering around a refugee camp called Nasir Bagh. He heard the voice of a young man in a tent and realized that it was a girls’ school. He peeped inside and asked the teacher if he would allow him to go in and take some pictures. The teacher agreed. When he looked around the group of students, he noticed a child with piercing eyes in the corner.
The girl looked like she was still in her teens. She was a little shy and nervous, but her turquoise eyes were so bright that she touched Steve's nerves as a professional photographer. But Steve was not in a rush to shoot, he was rejected for fear of frightening the timid girl. There were about 15 girls in the tent. They chased each other and squabbled. The tent was full of laughter. So, Steve took pictures of some other more lively girls first. When he felt the girl relax a little vigilance, he walked up to her and prepared to take pictures of her.
To Steve's surprise, when he was about to press the shutter, the surroundings suddenly became quiet. At that moment, the light, the composition, and the look in her eyes were all right. Steve later recalled: "This is a very powerful force."
The moment the shutter was pressed, the two completely different worlds of Steve and Shabat were connected in series. The photo recorded Shabat's true reaction at the time, showing a mysterious mixture of subtle perseverance and fragility. Everyone has a different interpretation of the power shown in this portrait, and people even call it the "modern Mona Lisa." In short, for countless audiences, she showed the beauty of toughness in adversity, and she represented the suffering in war and the indelible nobility of human nature.
Shabat's portrait photo caused a worldwide sensation as soon as it was published. This photo became the most successful work of National Geographic and Steve. Almost no one can call this girl's real name, and they don't know her life experience. People generally call her an "Afghan girl." "Afghan girls" have become a symbol, showing people that in a seemingly peaceful and prosperous world, there are still thousands of girls struggling in wars. "Afghan girls" attracted millions of people around the world to start paying attention to the issue of Afghanistan. Afghan refugees have received more assistance from civil society.
The fate of the "Afghan girl"
However, Shabat's life did not change immediately because of this photo. People are concerned about the entire group of "Afghan girls" rather than the individual in the photo. Shabat has no idea what is happening in the outside world. She still continues to struggle in the refugee camp, ignorant of her impact on the world. At the age of 16, she married under the arrangement of her relatives. After marriage, Shabat gave birth to four children, one of whom unfortunately died young. She and her husband stayed together and stayed a lot. Her husband lived in Peshawar for a long time and supported her family by baking bread, while Shabat had to stay at home and take care of the children. Both of them suffer from asthma and hepatitis, and they are unable to treat them.
Steve became famous for being an "Afghan girl". No matter where he goes, the topic that people talk about most with him is this photo. Everyone often asks him about this girl. Asked a lot, and Steve himself began to wonder what the girl was doing: She should have grown up, is she married? Are you still living in a refugee camp? Is she still alive? With all kinds of questions, in 2002, Steve came to Peshawar again with a film crew from National Geographic, hoping to find "Afghan girls".
After arriving at the refugee camp, the film crew first showed the photo to the tribal elders and camp managers, hoping to get some clues. The news spread quickly. Several women came forward and claimed that they were the girls in the photo. It was obvious that they thought they could get some benefits from it. One of them looks a bit similar, but it is difficult for everyone to be sure, after all, 17 years have passed. What is suspicious about this woman is that her eyes are dark brown, and the green eyes of the "Afghan Girl" are too impressive. Steve still remembered clearly that there was a small scar on the girl's tall nose, and the nose in front of him was short and flat, and there was no scar.
Steve found a Pakistani journalist, Rahimura Yusufzai, who was also from the Pashtun tribe, and he might be able to help find a job. The film crew and Rahimura interviewed hundreds of people. In the meantime, they heard rumors that the girl was dead, or possibly killed. Just when Steve and his team were desperate to give up, a man claimed that he not only remembered the girl, but also knew where her relatives lived. He said that the girl is still alive and is now married. Her relatives live in a very dangerous place in the border area. If they find her, they should be able to find her. He agreed to help the film crew find it, and everyone was full of hope again. More than 10 hours later, a blue-eyed woman appeared in front of the film crew accompanied by her family.
Out of respect for local customs, the female members of the film crew first contacted this woman. For the first time, everyone knew her name was Shabat Gula. Although everyone thought she was the girl who was looking for, to be on the safe side, in addition to comparing photos, the film crew decided to use some scientific methods to identify it. The film crew first asked the forensic experts of the FBI to conduct an identification through facial recognition technology, and the identification results confirmed the identity of Shabat. In order to further confirm, the film crew also found the inventor of iris recognition technology, Dr. John Dougman of Cambridge University. However, one major obstacle that needs to be overcome is that iris recognition can only be achieved by scanning a real person, not a static photo. Dougman only has two sets of photos taken in 1985 and 2002. After making a series of adjustments to the iris recognition software, Dougman finally came to the conclusion that Shabat Gula must be the "Afghan girl." This recognition process has also become a classic case of the practical application of iris recognition technology.
With the consent of Shabat's family, Steve can finally meet her. Steve was full of excitement and relief, but only a brief conversation between the two. Steve showed Shabat a photo of her back then and explained the impact of this photo, but her reaction was just a little cold and awkward, and even a little confused. Shabat said that she still remembered Steve because this was the only time in her life to be photographed, and Steve was the only foreigner she had ever contacted. Magazines, newspapers, and television do not belong to her world. She lives in isolation, except for her husband, children, in-laws and local friends, she has no contact with the outside world.
Thanks to the efforts of the film crew, Shabat took off his veil and allowed Steve to take pictures of her again. The new photos appeared on the cover of the April 2002 "National Geographic" special. Shabat appeared on the cover of "National Geographic" twice, but this time the "Afghan girl" looked haggard and vicissitudes of life.
Left: When he was young, Steve wanted to be a photographer, recording everything he saw with his lens. Right: In 2002, "Afghan Girl" was again published on the cover of National Geographic magazine.
Although the "Afghan girl" made Steve and National Geographic famous, Shabat and her family did not benefit. So, what they want to do for Shabat this time. At the request of Shabat, Steve bought a sewing machine for her. Shabat hoped that her daughter could gain a skill. In addition, Steve and National Geographic also arranged medical treatment for her and her family. However, within a few years, her husband passed away due to illness, leaving her alone to support the whole family. Fortunately, before the death of her husband, National Geographic funded the pilgrimage to Mecca for both of them. This is a dream of Shabat’s life.
Later, "National Geographic" decided to create the "Afghan Girls Fund" to provide education opportunities for young Afghan women. In 2008, the scope of funding was expanded to include boys and was renamed "Afghan Children's Fund." Steve has been working hard to do something for the Afghan people. He said: "When I look into the eyes of Afghan children, I see strength and enthusiasm, dignity and perseverance. Life there is cruel and ruthless, but they still use tenacity and humor. Feeling accepting the challenge.”
After living in Pakistan for 30 years, Shabat has long regarded his hometown as his hometown. However, at the end of 2016, Shabat was arrested for using forged identity documents and faced a maximum of 14 years in prison and a fine of US$5,000. Possession of forged identity cards is a common practice among the 1 million undocumented Afghan refugees living in this country. Because only if they have an ID card, refugees can start a normal life. Because of his popularity, the arrest of Shabat quickly attracted the attention of all parties. The Afghan government and international humanitarian agencies have put pressure on the Pakistani government. Under pressure from all parties, Shabat was released after only 15 days of imprisonment and received treatment during his imprisonment. Afterwards, Shabat and her children finally returned to their motherland after a long absence under the arrangement of the Afghan government.
Today Shabat lives in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and receives the same treatment as a national treasure. Not only did she own her own house, the government also gave her a certain amount of living expenses and medical expenses every month, and Shabat also got the chance to go to school for the children as she wished. Most areas of Afghanistan outside the capital are still facing conflicts. There are still millions of refugees residing overseas to make ends meet. Not all refugees can change their lives just like Shabat because of a photo.
