“My birth was hailed not by a single star, but by many bright lights that burned briefly in the night sky before falling to earth. The invasion of the Russian troops – the Suvari as we called them – heralded a new era for Kabul, and I was to grow up not knowing our land under its own rule. The Suvari paved their way into Afghanistan; they built the airports where their planes would land, they laid the roads that led their troops through Kabul. They say that minutes after birth, a baby is colonized by millions of bacteria. That’s how it was for me. I took a breath of freedom, before surrendering to occupation.”


Extract from ‘Swimming Pool Hill’ – included in the showcase