''Afghan Girl''...Then and Now
She is Sharbat Gula, she was born in 1972 and married at the age of 13, she had since become a mother to four children.
- Steve McCurry, the American photojournalist renowned for his iconic 1984 photograph "Afghan Girl," featuring Sharbat Gula on the left, also captured another portrait of her in 2002, as it was when she reached the age of 30 that she reunited with McCurry.
Steve McCurry is an American photojournalist born in 1950. His lens focused on Sharbat Gula, a twelve-year-old girl he encountered in a refugee camp, who tragically lost her parents in a Soviet helicopter attack. Following the devastating incident, she, along with her grandmother, older brother, and younger sisters, embarked on a perilous journey, fleeing on foot over snow-covered mountains.
Though Gula had a vague memory of someone taking her picture, she lived at home, oblivious to the fame her face had garnered worldwide. However, the compassionate National Geographic team utilized charitable donations to cover medical expenses for Gula's family and expressed their sincere wish for her to lead a peaceful life in Kabul after their departure.
Now, additional years have elapsed. Kabul, once more, has become a center of conflict, and the oppression faced by women seems to have intensified beyond its previous state.
She is Gula at the age of 47:
She still carries the same light in her eyes. With her widespread recognition in Afghanistan and the arrival of the Taliban, she made the decision to relocate to Italy.
"I had the freedom to choose - she admits - when the Taliban arrived I understood that it would be difficult for me to stay: I am too well known in Afghanistan. Several governments have offered us help: I chose Italy because I had heard so much about it, about the place but also about the people. Everyone said that you Italians are kind and welcoming. I only knew that Italy has done a lot for Afghanistan. And I decided to give it a try."
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The photo brought about countless complications for Gula, to the extent that she would have much preferred not to have been captured on camera. At that time, she was just a child, and the idea of being photographed strongly repelled her. In Afghan culture, it was not customary for women to be the subjects of photographs. Unfortunately, she had little control over the situation, leaving her with limited options.
Now residing in Italy, Gula can provide her children with the education they would never have had in their country of origin. Additionally, she has made the empowering decision to find her own voice and pursue the education she was once deprived of.
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