Massoud, the Undefeated Soul
Hiromi Nagakura
My relationship with Afghanistan began in 1975, when I visited the nomads to stay with them. I first met Massoud in 1983. In my book, “Crawling on the Ground” I wrote: “When I heard that the heroic figure who led the stubborn Afghan guerrillas was a young man of 29, I really wanted to meet him.” Coincidentally, I was 29 at the time. “I wanted to show the world what a young person of the same age was thinking, what his sufferings were, and where he could find happiness in the midst of war.”
Preview
After a tough trip to the Panjshir Valley taking 12 days to reach Massoud’s stronghold in Afghanistan, I finally met Massoud. In broken Persian, he explained that he wanted to tell the world about the war in Afghanistan as seen by Massoud. When his passionate speech was over, Massoud smiled and just said, “Tashakol” (thank you). I was eventually allowed to live with Massoud and stayed there for 100 days. I was impressed by Massoud’s character and distinction, and took pictures of everyday scenes and warfare. After my first trip, when I spent 100 days with Massoud, I visited Afghanistan frequently, in 1988, 1990,1992, 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2000. Over a total of 19 years, I spent nearly 500 days with Massoud. When I told him that I wanted to invite him to Japan, he smiled and said, “I cannot go alone. I will have to bring all my comrades… There will probably be 70 of them.” But he was struck down. Massoud was an ordinary young man who loved poems and reading; he would say: “In the future, I want to study again, at University and work in trade, importing things that make Afghans happy. This might happen, if I survive.” He was killed in 2001. When watching him, I gradually saw what Afghanistan people loved and what things had to be protected. In 2002, I worked with an NGO assisting a primary school in the Panjshir Valley, to help share the dream of Massoud who always spoke of the importance of education.
