French war photographer Sandra Calligaro has spent nearly two decades documenting life in Afghanistan, witnessing the country's hopes rise and fall under changing regimes. Her latest photographic series, "Afghanistan: In the Shadow of White Flags," captures the resilience of Afghan people, particularly women, living under Taliban rule since the group's return to power in August 2021. The work reveals life continuing behind curtains and darkened windows, despite severe restrictions imposed by the Taliban government.
Calligaro's journey to Afghanistan began when she was 25 years old, initially intending to become a war correspondent and experience what she called "the great adventure." However, she eventually shifted her focus toward documenting the lives of ordinary people trying to survive amid complex conflict situations. Rather than showing graphic violence and chaos, she deliberately chooses to capture moments that allow viewers to connect with her subjects on a human level. "To reach an audience, they need to be able to relate, and it's not through ultraviolence that people recognize themselves in an image," she explains.
When the Taliban seized control of Kabul on August 15, 2021, establishing an autocratic regime, Calligaro arrived in the Afghan capital just weeks later. She describes the calm and shock that had settled over the city during those early days of Taliban rule. "We knew the Taliban would eventually return, but we had almost gotten used to this threat, and suddenly they were there and we weren't prepared," she recalls. "The Taliban we had been trying to photograph for ten years, but unsuccessfully because they were hiding, were there. We were stunned, bewildered."
The photographer took advantage of this unprecedented access to create portraits of young Taliban fighters, who had become the new faces of Afghanistan's political upheaval. These images form part of her broader documentation of the dramatic changes sweeping the country. For four years now since the Taliban reclaimed power, Afghan women have been systematically disappearing from public life. As Afghan writer and journalist Mursal Sayas recently described the situation to France Inter radio, Afghanistan has become "a big prison for women."
Under Taliban rule, music, poetry, and singing have been banned entirely. For women, the restrictions are even more severe and suffocating. Women are prohibited from speaking in public, effectively silencing their voices. They cannot show their faces or move freely through public spaces. Despite these harsh limitations, Calligaro's photographs manage to capture life that persists and resists behind closed doors and covered windows.
The photographer's work focuses particularly on documenting what happens away from public view, where women remain confined but continue attempting to live their lives despite overwhelming restrictions. "All the young girls I photographed wanted us to show their reality, so they wouldn't be completely forgotten and so we could continue talking about them," Calligaro explains. Her images serve as a testament to the determination of Afghan women who refuse to be erased entirely from existence.
Calligaro's photographic series "Afghanistan: In the Shadow of White Flags" received the prestigious Françoise Demulder Prize in 2024, recognizing excellence in war photography. The exhibition is currently being presented from August 30 to September 14 at Hotel Pams as part of the Visa pour l'Image Festival in Perpignan, France. The festival is one of the world's most important gatherings for photojournalism and documentary photography.
Beyond the current exhibition, Calligaro continues to engage in discussions about documenting global changes and conflicts. She is scheduled to participate in a roundtable discussion titled "Telling the World in Transition: New Perspectives" at the European House of Photography on September 18. These forums provide opportunities for photographers and journalists to share experiences and discuss the evolving challenges of documenting conflict zones and human rights situations around the world.
