Korea and the rebirth of Bamyan
By Zahra Hussaini
Afghanistan has been seen as a nation of war and conflict for decades. It has suffered from civil war and ethnic tension for years and there is still an ongoing armed conflict where dozens of people are killed on a daily basis. Signs of war persist in the capital city, public buildings are heavily fortified and guards armed with automatic weapons seem to be everywhere.
Despite the obvious challenges, the country like any other nation on the earth, has its unique history, culture and beauty which shows a different aspect of the Afghan landscape.
Bamyan, the central region of Afghanistan, is the place where some of the most ancient carvings can be found, where the tallest Buddha statues in the world once stood, and it was just in 2001 when the statues were destroyed by the Taliban after being declared idols. An event that shocked the entire world!
Bamyan Province which is mostly mountainous with little agricultural land is the main tourist attraction of Afghanistan. Besides that, the province unlike many others is an abode of hope, peace and tranquility where people can freely move without fear of explosions or missiles hitting them.
Bamyan was named the cultural center of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) for 2015. The news spread hope across the province as it expected to attract more tourists. Despite the positive vibes and hopes for having more tourists, the number of international tourists decreased as compared to previous years and this was not what the Bamyan people had expected.
In recent years the UNESCO office planned the reconstruction of the Buddha statues but there has been no significant improvement so far. And it seems that the reconstruction process will require a long period. At the same time local people are not hopeful, claiming that it is impossible to rebuild the statues the way they were.
But In 2016 UNESCO announced the construction of the Bamyan Cultural Center, which was initiated by the generous financial support of the Korean government. And the news once again spread positive vibes.
The site is under construction and local people are extremely excited about it because the Bamyan Cultural Center will be more than a cultural hub, it is a major move to preserve the cultural and historical heritages of Bamyan and it has the potential to attract more national and international tourists which would have economic benefits for people living in the province.
Bamyan people have been oppressed during their entire history and less has been done to improve the living conditions of these people who are the poorest yet the most open-minded and positive people you can find in Afghanistan. The Bamyan Culture Center is a ray of hope for young Bamyans.
Korea has supported Afghanistan in many ways, various training centers funded by the Korean government are providing professional training for young Afghans to learn the necessary skills required in technical fields. Beside that a number of soybean factories have been established to assist poor families suffering from malnutrition.
But this time, the generous support for the Bamyan Cultural Center is widely appreciated by young Afghans and some people call it the “rebirth of Bamyan” as it can improve the overall image of Bamyan locally and internationally.
Korea has been actively funding various projects all over the world through its official humanitarian assistance and has played an important role besides other U.N. members to eliminate poverty and to achieve the U.N.'s sustainable goals.
Zahra Hussaini (hussainyzahra@yahoo.com) is a student at the University of Ulsan.