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More and more travel vloggers are betting on visiting Dangerous Destinations in the West, such as Afghanistan. There are even those who show the daily life of the Taliban.
A growing number of travel youtubers is venture into Afghanistanportraying the country devastated by war and again in the hands of the Talibans in a different light.
Among them is the 28 -year -old Canadian Youtuber Nolan Saumure, who entered Afghanistan from Pakistan last summer. Your goal? Show what he calls “The other side of Afghanistan” – A land of natural beauty, warm hospitality and unexpected camaraderie.
No canal do YouTube Seal on Tour, where Sum up more than 650 000 subscribersIt shows a overwhelmingly male social life – which Sauumure describes as a “sausage festival” – as a consequence of the restrictions that the Taliban imposes on women. Youtuber also shows moments like riding a pedal boat or slaughter of a goat, refers to.
Throughout his trip, he interacts with members of the Taliban, whom he and other vloggers call “talibros”, Sometimes helping them with smartphone applications like Duolingo. Saumure also devalues the warnings of Western governments on danger in Afghanistan: “We only rely on what other travelers say.”
However, even he recognizes the deeply rooted problems of Afghanistan. “I saw oppression firsthandwomen cannot enter certain parks and the laws of modesty, ”he admits. “It’s a delicate subject. I just wanted to say, ‘That’s how things are here’ instead of forcing my beliefs. ”
This involvement with Taliban is common among youtubers who seek to portray the country beyond the sinister narrative of the western media. Videos with titles like ‘Afghanistan is not what you think!‘They attract millions of views, painting an image of a misunderstood nation.
Saumure is just part of a wider trend of normalization of the Taliban regime. British traveler Miles Routledge – who went to Afghanistan after seeing the country on the world’s most dangerous list of countries – was retained in Cabul after the United States withdrawal in 2021, but described his experience as positive, claiming that saw movies and played xbox with talibans.
Another popular vlogger, known as Arab, has a channel with 1.8 million subscribers and presents itself as an adventure traveler. Your videos include “Young Taliban training me for the war” and “I spent 7 days living with the Taliban.” This type of content feeds curiosity, while raising criticism for potentially normalize an extremist regime.
A headquarters for tourists
Afghanistan is eager to attract tourists and have actively promoted its tourist industry. Government data suggest that 14 500 foreigners visited the country Since 2021, mostly men.
British travel vlogger Carrie Patsalis spent 10 days in Afghanistan with a local guide and argues that avoiding countries due to its governments is more harm than well. “Avoid these places Harms the economy and the Afghan peoplewhich may not even support the talibans, ”he says.
Not all content creators focus on controversial interactions with the talibans. Harry Jaggard, a 27-year-old British vlogger, has seen his series about Afghanistan becoming its most popular content. Although he met members of the Taliban, he made an effort to highlight the ordinary citizens, calling them “some of the more hospitable people I met“And it emphasizes that” a government and its people are two different things. “
