Sundays, Aug. 6 - 27 at 11 p.m. on KPBS 2 / Stream now with KPBS Passport + Encore Mondays, Aug. 7 - 28 at 7 a.m. on KPBS 2. In this series we look at the past 40 years of Afghan history through the individual perspectives of men and women, who played a decisive role or had a unique point of view on these events, to understand the journey of this nation from paradise to hell. In the early 70s, Afghanistan seemed a paradise for hippies in search of uncontaminated beauty, cheap drugs and exotic adventures. Women had more freedom, and people lived in peace. Yet, under this surface, the country was at a cross road: between East and West, Islam and Communism, modernity and tradition.
In "What We Left Unfinished", Afghan-Lebanese-American filmmaker Mariam Ghani discusses the forgotten era of Afghan Communism and its ties to arts, culture and propaganda. Interview by Emran Feroz
In 1979 the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to install a puppet regime; they were defeated after a 10-year fight against rebels armed by the CIA. Now, the Kremlin's failure to install a puppet government in Ukraine has exposed weaknesses in its military.
The vlogger Little John Khan made a name for himself telling tall tales about the history of “small countries.” Now, as young Chinese drift leftward, he’s taking his channel in a more overtly anti-imperialist direction.