The mannequins of Wagner mercenaries from Afghanistan deserted and fled to Norway

It’s a bizarre sight: the plastic-wrapped heads of female mannequins in Afghanistan. Her clothes do sparkle and sparkle. But the plastic bags and tin foil placed over the dolls’ faces are a stark contrast to this glamour.

Reason for this parade: The clothing traders (did not) give a face to the non-violent resistance against the Taliban in order to draw attention to the precarious situation of women and girls.

Since the takeover of power, Afghan women and girls have been exposed to discrimination and exclusion because of the strict interpretation of Sharia. Girls are banned from schools and women are forced to wear burkas. The radical Islamic Taliban continue to restrict women’s rights. Only recently did the Taliban order a ban on women from college.

beheading mannequins

Not long after taking control, the Taliban began asking clothing merchants to cut off the heads of mannequins. The reason: the faces of the dolls are idols and in violation of the strict interpretation of Islamic law. The request was in line with the Taliban’s goal of keeping women out of public life.

But the clothing merchants took to the barricades.

They complained that they had to damage the expensive mannequins – and that they could no longer properly present their clothes. The Taliban obeyed – at least to some extent. They changed the regulations: heads don’t have to be cut off, just covered.

These are the results:

The striking dresses are mainly bought for weddings, which are traditionally celebrated separately by gender. Especially under the Taliban, weddings are one of the few occasions for social gatherings.

But are the colorful dresses still being bought at all – or have they been exchanged for black capes? Bashir, a clothing store owner, told AFP that his income has been halved since he came to power.

This is not only due to the restrictions on women, but also to the collapse of the Afghan economy, which has plunged a large part of the population into extreme poverty.