The Golden Age

of Afghanistan

Vocabulary

Video

Transcript

This was Afghanistan 50 years ago!

A land where women’s rights were at part with Western nations.

Afghan women had the right to vote in 1919, a year after women in the U.K.

There were no restrictions on women’s education, mobility, movement and clothing.

 
And the 1960s saw Afghan women in politics.

Anahita Ratebzad was one of the first women to be elected to the Parliament of Afghanistan in 1965.

Democratic Organization of Afghan Women was also setup that same year for women’s empowerment.

By the 1970s, over 60% of women made of the student population in Kabul University.

 
With foreign investments in the 1950s and 1960s, Afghanistan soon saw modern buildings emerging.

Tourism pick up in the 1970s as Afghanistan was know for its gardens, architecture, mountains and friendly locals.

 
The progress in that era came to a halt in the 1970s, due to bloody coups and invasions, reversing all steps toward modernization.

Afghans often refer to the period between 1963 and 1973 as their country’s “Golden Age”.

Questions

Politics. Fifty to sixty years ago, Kabul, Afghanistan was very traditional and conservative. True or false? Did all women wear hijabs, niqabs, chadors and burkas?

Restaurant, Cafe, Bar. In Afghanistan, women never had the right to vote or serve in government. Is this right or wrong?

Education. Fifty years ago, were most (93%) university students men?

Buildings. Did Kabul only have old, historical and traditional houses, mosques, bazaars and palaces fifty years ago?

Government, Bureau. No foreigner visited Afghanistan in the old days. Is this correct or incorrect?

School, College, University. Did Afghanistan continue to modernize, globalize and become like America?

Clinic, Hospital. Are most Afghans ashamed of the 1960s and early 1970s? Do they hate this period?
 
 
 
Road, Street, Boulevard. I am surprised and shocked by this video. Yes or no?

Bridge, Tunnel. What is your impression of Afghanistan? What do you associate with Afghanistan? What comes to mind when you think of Afghanistan?

City Center, Plaza, Public Square. Has your city or country changed over the decades? Have your or your parents, grandparents or great-grandparents experienced profound changes during their lives?

Airport, Airfield, Runway. I have visited Afghanistan. True or false? Do you know anyone who has been to Afghanistan?

Shop, Store, Market. Would you like to visit Afghanistan? Would you like to live there?

Factory, Manufacturing Plant. What might happen in the future?

High-Tech, Tech Sector. What should governments and people do?