Home to King Amanullah, the reformist Afghan monarch of the 1920s, Darulaman Palace has been transformed by conflict from the most splendid building in Kabul to the archetypal relic of war; a collapsing but still magnificent ruin. Royalty and politicians have been replaced by refugees returning from Pakistan, military Observation Posts, and desperate children. The grounds are now a play area for those whose parents cannot afford to send them to school. Devoid of toys and safe recreation, the children play on destroyed vehicles in lieu of climbing frames and sift through the detritus of war, oblivious to danger.
Home to King Amanullah, the reformist Afghan monarch of the 1920s, Darulaman Palace has been transformed by conflict from the most splendid building in Kabul to the archetypal relic of war; a collapsing but still magnificent ruin. Royalty and politicians have been replaced by refugees returning from Pakistan, military Observation Posts, and desperate children. The grounds are now a play area for those whose parents cannot afford to send them to school. Devoid of toys and safe recreation, the children play on destroyed vehicles in lieu of climbing frames and sift through the detritus of war, oblivious to danger.
These children are often seen as ‘cute beggars’, chasing new faces in the hope of loose change. They are rarely seen as children, individuals, facing an uncertain future in a country far from peace. These photographs are part of a project exploring the lives and characters of boys and girls whose existence is superficially unrecognizable as that of a child. Underneath the fierce, sometimes brutal, competitiveness the children’s characters remain undefeated by circumstance. Vital, varied and complex, they stand as a testament to the resilience of children and the universality of childhood, even where such a concept is barely conceivable.