Chilling with ‘Taliban bros’: How influencers promoting Afghanistan tourism is dangerous

On August 15, 2021, the country of Afghanistan fell back into the hands of the Taliban after the United States pulled out of the country. Since then, the Taliban-led government has been erasing women from public life in Afghanistan.

Women in the country are banned from hearing each other’s voice; the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice also mandates that they cover themselves in public at all times. Additionally, they are forbidden from praying loudly or reciting the Quran in front of other women. They are prohibited from looking at men they are not related to by blood or marriage and vice versa and so much more.

But with the return of the Taliban, there’s another notable change in Afghanistan — tourism is booming, with several content creators from the US, Europe and other parts of the world flocking to the country, despite warnings from government about the dangers of doing so.

But what’s driving this trend? Why are tourists willing to risk it all to visit Afghanistan? And why has this sparked heavy criticism?

Flocking to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan

There’s a video online showing three men, apparently hostages, kneeling in front of a group of five Taliban fighters holding AK-47s. One of the turbaned figures recites an Islamic greeting, then warns: “We have one message for America.” He pulls off the hood shrouding the face of one of the “prisoners” — who promptly grins, sticks up his thumb and declares: “Welcome to Afghanistan!” The video then cuts to a montage of waterfalls, azure lakes and mountains, plus the occasional camouflaged tank.

The video created by @iampocoloco is one of a fast-growing band of social media influencers posting largely favourable content about the Taliban’s brutal, misogynist emirate.

There are many such videos on TikTok as well as Instagram posted by social media influencers, who share scenic footage of the country’s rugged landscapes and centuries-old culture, often with the aim of challenging global narratives about safety and gender oppression.

For instance, there’s TikTok influencer Zoe Discovers, who has told her followers that travelling through the country and meeting local women has given her “the best experiences”.

There’s also Margaritta, a 33-year-old travel influencer from Germany. Speaking to NBC News about her travels, which she undertook last May, she said that she “felt fantastic,” and was “treated like a queen”.

When asked about the strict laws on women, she said that she viewed them as a sign that “women have value, and they are valued as precious”.

And she’s not alone in this feeling. British travel vlogger and tour guide from Liverpool, England, Zoe Stephens also told NBC News, “All we see of the women in Afghanistan is shapes behind burqas. “But when I got there, I realised that … there’s a lot more nuance to it.”

Australian influencer Chloe Baradinsky also courted controversy when she posted visuals from Afghanistan, captioning them as: “Overall it has been an incredible experience, everyone we have met has been very kind to us and we feel safe.” In other videos, she can be seen touring striking mosques, visiting vibrant markets and feasting on local food.

There are also dozens of male influencers, who have shared videos of them ‘chilling’ with members of the Taliban. One such influencer is Nolan Saumure, a 28-year-old Canadian. In his video, titled ‘Afghanistan Has Too Much Testosterone’, he said it’s “all dudes, bro-ing the f**k down. It’s a complete sausage fest in here.”

Keith Sinclair, another male influencer, also told CNN that his expectations from Afghanistan were “blown out of the water”.

In fact, influencers like these have bolstered tourism numbers in Afghanistan. According to Deputy Minister of Tourism Qudratullah Jamal, the country saw nearly 9,000 foreign visitors last year — with 3,000 tourists in the first three months of this year.

What is even more surprising is that many of those who visit Taliban-controlled Afghanistan come despite warnings being issued. For instance, the US State Department, the British Foreign Office, and other EU governments have issued advisories, urging its citizens to avoid even essential travel to Afghanistan.

Economic gains and boosting image

Don Broussard, 33, an African-American who lives in Houston, who goes by @thebeardedbackpacker on social media, explains why influencers are willing to undertake this deadly trip.

In UnHerd, he’s quoted as saying that the reason is economic. According to him, Afghanistan has attracted a lot of interest, so posting videos there is a good way for an influencer to build a bigger following. This, in turn, means higher income — once a content creator reaches a level where their posts can be monetised, it’s possible to make $1,000 or more from a single, popular clip.

Meanwhile, the Taliban allows for it or even encourages it as a way of improving their international image. Curt Jones, a 28-year-old, who has been travelling from Newcastle to Australia, said that the Taliban wanted as many influencers to visit as possible: “In fact, I met very few tourists there who weren’t creating content. The Taliban’s assumption was that almost everyone was.”

A ‘white-washing’ of the Taliban

However, these videos and influencers have been criticised for ignoring the realities on the ground and even glamourising a nation where women live under a ‘gender apartheid’.

Internationally renowned Afghan activist and scholar Orzala Nemat, currently a visiting fellow at the London-based think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said that the surge of foreign influencers in Afghanistan was deeply concerning.

“What we’re seeing instead is a curated, sanitised version of the country that conveniently erases the brutal realities faced by Afghan women under Taliban rule,” she tells NBC News. Further commenting on videos showing Afghan women smiling, she adds, “This should never be confused with contentment or consent to the current reality. This is not cultural exchange; it’s neocolonial tourism dressed up as adventure.”

Nazifa Haqpal, a British-based Afghan researcher, also echoes similar sentiments, saying these videos are “dangerous and distort the truth”. “The truth under the Taliban’s cruel rule is dark, bleak, and ugly,” she told RFE/RL. “Unlike journalists, YouTubers are not bound by impartiality or professional ethics, which makes it easy for the Taliban to manipulate them.”

Afghan women also state that foreign tourists are playing into the Taliban’s hands and whitewashing their suffering. “Conditions for us are worsening with each passing day,” Arezo, a young woman in the central province of Bamiyan, told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi.

Taliban’s crackdown on women

For many, the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan has pushed back women’s rights and progress. As early as March 2022, Afghan girls were banned from attending secondary school, and women nationwide were refused access to university education.

Women have also been prohibited from working for NGOs or the United Nations, nor can they hold any public sector jobs. They have also been banned from public spaces like parks and gyms, and can’t enter bathhouses. And they are forbidden from reciting poetry or singing in public.

In fact, since the Taliban takeover, nearly 100 edicts have been issued against Afghan women restricting them and erasing their existence from public life. As Zahra Nader, an Afghan journalist who leads Zan Times, an independent news outlet, was quoted as saying, “Women in Afghanistan have been deprived of their basic human rights.”

Even the UN noted this week that women are experiencing “total exclusion” from Afghan society. “The Taliban is closer than ever to achieving its vision of a society that completely erases women from public life.”

Manizha Bakhtari, ambassador of Afghanistan to Austria, put the whole situation in the right perspective. In a Fox News report, she says, “While Afghanistan is breathtakingly beautiful, beauty should not blind us to injustice.”

“Travel should open hearts, not close eyes.”

With inputs from agencies

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