Inside Kabul

Lesson objectives

1. To explore the current situation in Afghanistan and its impact on people's lives
2. To reflect on life in non-democratic regimes and refugee camps
3. To discuss gender equality and women’s rights

Raha and Marwa grew up in Kabul and were close friends until the Taliban's violent return to power in the summer of 2021 separated them—one chose to stay, while the other fled. Set several months after the events that shocked the Western world, this animated short captures their parallel lives: Raha witnesses her homeland sinking into a deep crisis under a brutal regime, while Marwa endures monotonous months in a refugee facility with her husband, awaiting news about their future. As children, they had heard their parents' stories about life under Taliban rule in the 1990s; now, that history is repeating itself. The film is enriched by authentic audio diaries from both young women, who are trying to hold on to hope in a world that shattered overnight.