'The Office' Style TV Show Hits Afghanistan
To most people, when the word “Afghanistan” is mentioned the concept of being able to openly criticize the government does not come to mind, unless followed up with the phrase “punishable by death.”
However, post-9/11 Afghan society has been making great strides toward a working democracy and citizens have known greater personal freedoms now than under the Taliban. There is no better sign of a budding democracy than a media not afraid to challenge power holders. With its new television series titled, “The Ministry,” Afghan citizens are able to participate in mocking their own government.
The show is Afghanistan’s version of the U.S. and Britain’s comedy show “The Office,” which pokes fun of incompetent managers in an office environment. In the Afghan version, the show is set in a fictional “ministry of garbage” in Hechland (which translated from Dari to mean “Nothing Land”). The main character (otherwise known as the Afghan version of Michael Scott) is the loveable but incompetent leader of “The Office,” Dawlat, the head minister.
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The mockumentary style television show “puts a satirical spin on some serious issues such as corruption, drug trafficking and nepotism,” according to Reuters. The first episode premiered on Afghanistan’s TOLO TV this past Thursday.
The trailer for the show features the same dry wit that Americans have come to love about “The Office.” In the opening scene, Dawlat begins to speak of his rise as a minister.
"Let's just say that no one's talent and ability goes unnoticed for too long," says Dawlat, sitting at his desk with a cheap, tacky colored map of Hechland behind him.
"And by God's grace, I have both talent and ability."
The minister is played by 65-year-old Abdul Qadr Farokh, according to Reuters. Abazar Khayami, senior producer of the show, issued these comments to Reuters regarding the somewhat revolutionary comedic style in Afghanistan:
"We'll see how open [Afghans] are to this style of comedy. If you look at the United States and Europe, they are always poking fun at the government but to do that here we really don't know what to expect."
"No one thinks there is anything to be concerned about."
The Afghan government has, for the longest time, been riddled with corruption. National Television and Radio broadcasting services were created in 1974, but were shut down when the Taliban came to rule in 1996. With NATO’s invasion after the September 11th attacks, the media has seen restrictions lifted and has gradually exercised more freedoms. That being said, it is still illegal for anyone to produce anything contrary to the tenets of Islam.
Despite advances, the country still has a long road to travel in regards to personal liberties and free press. Reporters Without Borders, an international non-governmental organization that advocates for free press issues, ranked Afghanistan in the top ten percent for countries with the least free press.
“The Ministry” show aims, or at least makes the public aware, of the widespread corruption within President Hamid Karzai’s government. The trailer features clever bantering between Dawlat and his feminist secretary as she reads to him 190 demands that his cabinet members have made:
"The first member of parliament needs 10 armored vehicles for his safety. The second member of parliament wants you to authorize his drug-trafficking business," says the secretary.
"The third Member of Parliament wants to hire his father-in-law, brother, brother-in-law, and cousins," she continues.
Transparency International, an organization that combats corruption, named Afghanistan as having one of the most corrupt public sectors in the world, following only Somalia and equal to Myanmar.
Producers told Reuters that while the show was inspired by “The Office,” they did not copy the show.
"We wanted to make this a more relevant show that touched upon political issues happening in Afghanistan at the moment," said Trudi-Ann Tierney, senior manager of drama at Kaboora Productions, which made the show.
Hopefully, “The Ministry” will prove to be a valuable asset in the fledgling democracy.
