Afghan Artist Farhad Darya Weeps For His Homeland In ‘Tired Soil’
Renowned Afghan singer and composer Farhad Darya has released a new song, Khaake Khasta (Tired Soil), to mark the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s control of Afghanistan.
Renowned Afghan singer and composer Farhad Darya has released a new song, Khaake Khasta (Tired Soil), to mark the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s control of Afghanistan.
Announcing the release, Darya said not all stories can be told in words, which is why he has “wept Tired Soil.” In a message to his audience, he urged: “Watch it, feel it, share it, forgive this tired soil, and let us not lie to ourselves or to our land.”
Darya described the past four years under Taliban rule as a “bitter journey,” saying both he and the Afghan people have endured the exhaustion of their country.
The lyrics were written by Suhrab Sirat, a Balkh-born poet now living in exile. The song likens Afghanistan to a stranded and abandoned boat, portraying the exhaustion, heartbreak and displacement of its people. It describes today’s Afghanistan as “an old wound, a fresh wound, and the pain of a hundred battles.”
The release coincided with the Taliban’s own celebrations of their fourth year in power, a period marked by bans on music, singing and artistic expression. Since 2021, the group has removed the Faculty of Fine Arts from Afghanistan’s higher education system, outlawed the broadcasting of music, and arrested and tortured dozens for performing. Hundreds of musical instruments have been destroyed under their rule.
