THE KITE RUNNER Arizona Theatre Company Play Guide 1

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THE KITE RUNNER Tajiks ETHNICITIES The Tajiks are the second largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, thought to comprise about 25%-33% of the Afghan population. They are mainly Sunni Muslims. Although they live throughout the country, larger populations are concentrated in areas including Herat Province (along with the border with Iran) and in Kabul. In Kabul, Tajiks comprise a large percentage of the middle and upper middle classes, are well-represented in government and business jobs and tend to make up the bulk of the educated and wealthy classes in Afghanistan. In rural areas, the Tajik people tend to be herders in more mountainous regions. Tajiks also have their own state north of Afghanistan, called Tajikistan. Although Tajiks have some tribal divisions, they are not as pronounced as the divisions within Pashtun society. The word “Tajik” itself is of Turkish origin, meaning “non- Turk,” and was used for many centuries to simply denote any Persian-speaking people in Central Asia. Some Tajiks will define themselves by their regional affiliation, but most tend to view all Tajiks as a fairly cohesive group. Most speak Persian or a dialect of Dari (an Iranian language). Some non-Tajik Afghans have a tendency to classify any Dari speaker as Tajik. Costume Design Sketch for Young Amir by designer Kish Finnegan Hazara The Hazara are the third largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. They comprise about 20% of the population. They are also arguably the most widely oppressed ethnic minority in Afghanistan. Much of this oppression is a result of their affiliation as Shiite Muslims, in contrast to the more populous Sunni Muslims throughout the country. As the Pashtuns expanded their influence during the 18th and 19th centuries (and thus expanded the dominance of Sunni Islam), the Hazaras were pushed further into the margins of Afghan society, both figuratively and literally. They can now generally be found in the agriculturally barren Hazarajat region of Afghanistan. Lowell Abellon in The Kite Runner. Photo by Kevin Berne. The Hazarajat is located in central Afghanistan and is home to the largest concentration of Hazara people in the nation. There are no major cities in the Hazarajat; the main forms of Arizona Theatre Company Play Guide 16
THE KITE RUNNER ETHNICITIES economy are farming and herding. In general the Hazarajat is a very neglected area. There is little infrastructure or basic services available to the Hazara people of this region. Because of the difficulties of life in the Hazarajat and the lack of economic opportunity there, many Hazaras have migrated to cities such as Mazar I. Sharif and Kabul. In the 1960s, an estimated 30 to 50 percent of Hazara men migrated from the Hazarajat to the cities. There they were (and still are) generally employed in low-wage jobs and tend to occupy the lowest socioeconomic classes. The Hazaras have not passively accepted their oppressed status, however. In the 1960s and 1970s, many Hazaras united in an attempt to organize for greater rights and opportunities. During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, the Hazaras battled the Communist government for control of the Hazarajat, and maintained a greater level of selfdetermination than many other areas of Afghanistan under Soviet rule. In the 1980s, an agreement was reached between the Afghan government and the Hazaras that they would live independently within Afghanistan in exchange for a peaceful relationship with government forces. However, the Taliban were ruthless in their persecution of the Hazaras, most notably perpetrating a massacre in the city of Mazar I. Sharif in 1998 that killed over 8,000 people, of whom the overwhelming majority were Hazaras targeted because of their religion. -written by Laura Farrell-Wortman, dramaturgical intern PASHTUNWALI Pashtunwali literally means the way of the Pashtuns. It is the rules, regulations, laws and moral code of the Pashtun tribes which have protected the world’s largest tribal society for over 2000 years. Pashtunwali is evident in The Kite Runner through Baba’s protection of Ali and Hassan and through the hospitality of Farid’s family, who fed Amir as their guest, even though the family could not afford to feed themselves. Costume Design Sketch for Ali by designer Kish Finnegan Pashtuns are generally Sunni Muslims and are organized by tribal society along family, clan, sectional, and tribal lines. Each section has its own Rinabeth Apostol, Barzin Akhavan and the company of The Kite Runner. Photo by Kevin Berne. chief, or malik, and the most powerful clan often provides the chief of the tribe. Although the tribal system has undergone changes, traditionally chiefs have to be successful Arizona Theatre Company Play Guide 17
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