Afghan Traditional Sport BuzKashi

Afghan Sport Buzkashi:

The Persian word buzkashi (goat grabbing) is the basis of the name of Afghanistan’s national sport and passion. It is played on horseback, and may have derived from Afghan equestrians hunting mountain goats. A favorite Afghan pastime, buzkashi reflects the values of the country: strength, courage, and horsemanship. “The ancient game of buzkashi is part of Afghan life and is offered as a primer to that end. It has little to do with politics but much to do with the spirit of the place.”

Traditional buzkashi matches involved two opposing teams on horseback, generally composed of ten members, each of which tries to get control of and transport the headless carcass of a calf or goat into a circle in front of judges or across the goal line). Games are often played on Fridays, the Afghan weekend, but may span several days. Rules introduced by the Afghan Olympic Federation, and the modernization of the game in other Central Asian countries, have brought more structure to the sport.

In 2012, the Afghan Film Project produced a 28-minute movie entitled Buzkashi Boys, directed by Sam French and produced by Ariel Nasr. A Los Angeles Times article by film critic Betsy Sharkey claimed, “Even boys who seem to have no future have dreams in director Sam French's wrenching portrait of an Afghan street urchin and his best friend, a blacksmith's son. Watching the daring Buzkashi riders race their horses for control of a dead goat in the brutal tribal sport, the two friends begin to question the confines of their lives.

French shows exceptional intelligence and sensitivity in capturing the spirit of youth and the weight of duty that test the boys. Their intensity and confusion is matched by Kabul's, a dusty, dramatic backdrop for this tale. The young stars, Fawad Mohammadi and Jawanmard Paiz, are exceptional.

Together they create a different truth of Afghanistan — impoverished boys with rich imaginations, who dream of horses and heroes not shaped by war. It gets my vote; it won my heart.”Buzkashi Boys was nominated for an Oscar in 2013 (Best Live Action Short Film), and won three awards in 2012.351 Afghans also play other sports, such as soccer (which they call football) and basketball. Cricket is also rapidly growing in popularity, picked up by Afghan refugees living in Pakistan. Other sports include rugby, baseball, kite flying, volleyball, golf, handball, boxing, Taekwondo, track and field, bowling, and skateboarding.

Source: ANALYSIS OF AN INTERVENTION