Dubbed the Afghan Elvis, Farhad Darya may be the only man in the most conservative country on earth who can reduce an audience of women in headscarves to a screaming, waving, whistling throng.
In a country where women enjoy few rights and music was banned under the Taliban until 10 years ago, Mr. Darya is an icon for millions and his popularity was clear at a rare, top-security, women-only show in Kabul.
Despite the excitement, Thursday's gig, shrouded in secrecy due to fears it could be targeted by the Taliban, was a thousand miles away from a typical concert in other parts of the world.
Several hundred women, from students to middle-aged mothers, swayed as the 49-year-old Mr. Darya performed but they did not dance due to the presence of television cameras. Women dancing in front of strange men is taboo in Afghanistan.
One even dared to shout out: “We love you!” halfway through — a standard greeting for male rock stars around the world but exceptional in a nation where female sexuality is a highly sensitive topic, even in relatively sophisticated cities like Kabul.
“I've always told everyone he's my dream man — he sings so good, his personality is so high, it's great,” said one excited fan, 18-year-old student Meetra Alokozay.
Mr. Darya, a U.N. goodwill ambassador described by the organisation as “one of the best role models” in Afghanistan, held the concert to spotlight a campaign against domestic violence, which is still widespread here.
It was the latest in a series of ecstatically received free performances he has given across the country.
He told AFP that he hoped the event could be an outlet for fans and help people outside the country realise there was more to Afghan women than “ burqa , chador , suffering, sitting next to the kitchen”.
But he also argued that music in Afghanistan is about far more than sheer entertainment. His song “Kabul Jaan” (Beloved Kabul) was the first song played on Afghan radio after the Taliban were ousted by a U.S.-led invasion in 2001. It contains lyrics like: “I'm a voice for my poor people/I'm an old ruba b [a lute-like musical instrument] singing songs of sorrow to my friends”.
Although Mr. Darya moved abroad in 1990 and currently lives in the United States, he spends much of his time in Afghanistan and is alert to the threats that come from 10 years of war. After one of his concerts last year in the western city of Herat, 13 fans were wounded by a bomb outside the venue.
