1 week Ago By Naqibullah
The public’s lack of enthusiasm for books and the cold market for reading in Afghanistan have their own underlying reasons, which must be examined. One of these reasons is that in Afghan society, reading books has not yet become a collective value, a general habit, or a widespread practice. Many people, especially in villages and remote areas, due to the absence of libraries and difficult access to printed resources, have little contact with books and reading.
This cultural gap has posed an obstacle to the intellectual development of the country. Although in major cities—especially Kabul, Herat, Balkh, and Badakhshan—book exhibitions and literary gatherings are occasionally organized, these events are mostly symbolic and do not have a significant impact on the general level of reading. To address this crisis, first and foremost, scientific and research institutions must take action and implement effective measures such as promoting a culture of reading among various segments of society, especially students and teachers, holding seminars to identify the roots of this problem, and providing strong support to writers.
Moreover, for the implementation of this plan, academic institutions must first organize research programs for students and specifically guide them toward credible resources, so that the culture of reading at least becomes common among the educated class of society. Unfortunately, nowadays, almost all student projects and research are limited to copying from external websites. The students’ lack of inclination toward reading and their reliance on unreliable internet sources reflects the painful reality that the current educational system, which should serve as the driving force for a culture of reading, has failed to fulfill this responsibility effectively.
In fact, every academic institution, beyond just education and teaching, should dedicate one of its primary missions to promoting research outside the university environment and encourage the younger generation toward independent reading, so that the crisis of intellectual poverty may loosen its grip on the new generation and society can move toward intellectual development. Another major reason for the lack of reading and public support for books and authors in Afghanistan is the people’s economic situation. Widespread poverty and the struggle to meet basic necessities leave little time and motivation for engaging in academic, reading, or cultural activities.
Although in history and in our current era, we have examples of individuals who, despite dire economic conditions and lack of material resources, managed to pursue knowledge with passion and leave behind memorable legacies, it must be noted that such cases are exceptions. The reality is that if people’s economic conditions are poor and they live in poverty—when stomachs are empty and minds are occupied with material and economic concerns—people generally find little opportunity for contemplation and reading. Broad intellectual development in societies typically occurs when people have fewer economic worries and can dedicate part of their time to intellectual and cultural matters.
The lack of cultural and educational infrastructure—including well-equipped libraries, cultural centers, and bookstores—is itself a major barrier to promoting reading and supporting writers. Over the past two decades, during the dark period of the Republic, had the millions of dollars been spent on scientific infrastructure and the promotion of scientific culture instead of spreading corruption and nonsense, today’s situation would have been different: many provinces in Afghanistan would have at least one active library. Instead, today we see that while people search for luxury goods in stores, the valuable works of thousands of authors gather dust in bookstores and experience the worst market conditions.
The printing industry has become one of the most expensive industries in Afghanistan, and books are still not a purchasing priority for the public, because on one hand, people cannot afford them, and on the other hand, the collapsed economy has stifled people’s passion for books—and ultimately, the cost of purchasing books remains extremely high. Firooz Ahmad Ebrahemi.
