A Country With No Music? It Has Happened . . .

No music in an entire country?

It has happened.

Under the Taliban in Afghanistan, a mother could be imprisoned for singing lullabies to her baby. There was no music, no art, no poetry.

How did the arts survive?

A more basic question is 'How did the people of the country survive?' What would life be like in a land with no art, no music, no literature?

Andrew Soloman, who writes for The New York Times and others, went to Afghanistan to find out. He told the story recently on NPR's story-telling program, The Moth. It is riveting and is an utterly engrossing, frightening, and illuminating story.

While the audio file for his story may no longer be available on The Moth's site, it's worth checking because this is a story you'll want to hear.

And, if you can't find it there, here is a good summary from Sergio Gonzales' blog. It's an amazing story.

Life without music would be like life without food or air, wouldn't it?