Radio Free Afghanistan: A Twenty-Year Odyssey for an Independent Voice in Kabul [9780063299801]

Overview

From Time 100 honoree Saad Mohseni, the deeply moving and surprising memoir of resilience and the attempt to build a truly independent media company in contemporary Afghanistan.

Saad Mohseni, chairman and CEO of Moby Group, Afghanistan’s largest media company, charts a twenty-year effort to bring a free press to his country after years of Taliban rule, and how that effort persists even after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

In the heady early days of the American occupation, Mohseni returns to Kabul—a pivotal moment in modern Afghanistan history—which he had last seen as a child before the Soviet invasion. Casting about for ways to be involved in the dawn of a new Afghanistan, Mohseni makes what seems like a quixotic decision to leave the comforts of a career in international banking to start a Kabul radio station with his three siblings. This unlikely venture quickly blossoms into a burgeoning television empire, bringing Mohseni and his family and employees into sometimes uncomfortable contact with everyone who has a stake in the country—from the government of Hamid Karzai to White House officials. Moreover, their radio and television networks soon become a necessary beacon for millions of Afghans, who rely on them not just for independent news but for joyful pleasures like soap operas and Afghan Star, a beloved national singing competition in a country whose previous rulers had banned (and would again ban) music.

Mohseni’s position at Moby affords him unique insights into this extraordinary yet troubled country, the youngest in the world outside of Sub-Saharan Africa, and his powerful account of journalism in a conflict zone captures the spirit and resilience of the Afghan people—notably the hundreds of men and women still working in Moby's Kabul office today, who, once again under Taliban rule, create programs, report the news, and educate the public.

Radio Free Afghanistan is a stunning, vibrant portrait of a nation in turmoil, poised between despair and hope.

This gripping account goes behind the headlines to reveal the human story of a nation’s fight for its own voice.

• A Free Press Under Fire: Go inside the unprecedented effort to build Afghanistan’s largest independent media company against a backdrop of war, political intrigue, and the return of Taliban rule.
• Insider’s Geopolitical Account: Gain a unique perspective on the American occupation, the Karzai and Ghani governments, and White House policy from a media CEO with a seat at the table.
• Culture Against Conflict: Discover the surprising story of creating beloved, culture-shifting shows like the national singing competition Afghan Star in a country where the Taliban had once banned music.
• Unshakeable Afghan Spirit: Witness the profound resilience of the Afghan people, particularly the brave men and women who continue reporting the news from Kabul today.