Blogs / Pashto Mashto
Talking Dari (1): The Road to Turkestan
Today, we continue our little series with important Afghan-language expressions that are useful to describe political situations in striking accuracy. read more »
posted: 08-09-2010
Afghan Encounters in Europe or: How My Grandma Saw King Amanullah - Part 3
In the third and final part of a little series, Thomas Ruttig takes you on a journey in G.H. Wells' time machine, back to Berlin in the year 1928 when Afghan King Amanullah visited the German capital as first head of state after the end of Kaiser Wilhelm's monarchy. Read how the King drove the Berlin 'tube', what he got as a present of honour and how the Berliners made 'Ullemulle' - and I am sure this nickname was meant to be friendly - their King of Hearts. read more »
posted: 30-08-2010
Afghan Encounters in Europe or: How My Grandma Saw King Amanullah - Part 2
Thomas Ruttig takes you on a short trip on Afghan traces in central Europe, this time encountering Afghanistan's cultural heritage saved from looting and destruction and shown at a museum in Germany's former capital. read more »
posted: 28-08-2010
Afghan Encounters in Europe or: How My Grandma Saw King Amanullah - Part 1
Summertime, vacation time. But an Afghan analyst finds it difficult to get away from his chosen subject even then. Sometimes, even pure chance leads him back on track – as on a short trip through Switzerland and Germany. Travel notes from Thomas Ruttig. read more »
posted: 27-08-2010
Talking Pashto (1): One-Liner of the Week
Today, we start a little series with important Pashto expressions for field use. It is meant to complement the electronic translation computers handed out to the international forces which - reportedly - contain useful phrases like: "Lasuna porta!" (Hands up!), "Mulla Omar cheri dey?" (Where is Mulla Omar?) and "Hawayi maidan kum taraf dey?" (Which way to KaIA?) read more »
posted: 01-07-2010
Afghanistan in World Literature (II): Dr Watson Sent Packing
With part II of this series, we present a few pieces of colonial literature, featuring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Rudyard Kipling. This part, of course, is clearly not exhausted yet. read more »
posted: 25-02-2010
Afghanistan Bird Watch
The most underreported Afghan story of January 2010 already has been identified: One of the world rarest birds has been spotted in Badakhshan. read more »
posted: 13-02-2010
Afghanistan in World Literature (I): Only One Came Home from Afghanistan
A not too serious Essay: It wasn’t always the case that Afghanistan was a household name around the world as it is today. Before 1979 when the Soviet invasion suddenly brought Afghanistan to everyone’s attention, even world-class writers would rarely touch upon Afghanistan at all. A few exceptions will follow in this series. read more »
posted: 08-01-2010
Pashto Mashto – what’s that? Read it!
The following blog starts our new non- but not a-political blog category called Pashto Mashto. It will not deal with daily political affairs but with issues related to Afghan languages and, more generally, culture(s). read more »
posted: 07-01-2010