Afghan Star 1: A TV talent show
The Documentary Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 21 August 2019
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Sahar Zand is in Kabul for the finals of Afghan Star, a TV talent show that is on the front line of the fight to keep music alive in Afghanistan, following the years of the Taliban regime, when music was banned. She hears from a singer who has been targeted by extremists, meets one of the Taliban’s senior figures to explore the reasons behind the cultural conflict, and follows the votes as the TV audience chooses between the two young finalists. Afghan Star is much like any other TV talent show – except that its context is a war zone.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | It's Nauru's the Persian New Year here in Kabul. |
| 0:09.0 | It's Nauru's, the Persian New Year here in Kabul. |
| 0:13.0 | It's a time for celebration, for families to come together, |
| 0:16.0 | and it's also most definitely time for watching the finals |
| 0:21.0 | of the Afghan version of the X-factor. |
| 0:23.0 | Afghan star. |
| 0:25.0 | For the past 14 years, much of Afghanistan has come to a standstill. |
| 0:29.0 | The streets are silent, |
| 0:30.0 | as everyone within the reach of a television |
| 0:32.0 | wants to find out which singer will win the only TV |
| 0:36.4 | talent show in the country. |
| 0:38.9 | This year, the two finalists are the 19-year-old boy Wacin and Wari and the 18 year old girl Zahra Elham |
| 0:46.8 | Afghan star has never yet been won by a woman but will history be made this year? |
| 0:53.0 | The host is about to announce the winner. |
| 0:57.0 | As usual with this kind of program they really like to build up the tension and to keep it going for a long time. |
| 1:10.0 | Tandy se Perusira. And the winner is, and this if it was it ah, |
| 1:14.0 | Bahana me bara. |
| 1:16.0 | He, k, |
| 1:17.0 | what casique. |
| 1:19.0 | And the winner is... |
| 1:21.0 | Lai that the water point, nope, he's still dragging it out. So look while we're waiting let's explore the background to all this. |
| 1:30.0 | It's a story of courage in the face of constant danger, a story of heroic women defying religious |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.