A young Pushtun named Naseer Afridi, singing of peace and love:
“If you hit me with stones, place a gun to my head, I’ll greet you with a flower in return. I am Pakhtun.”
So touching are the resilient smiles of the displaced Pakhtun children in Naseer’s music video that an American woman sitting halfway across the world contacted him about how his song Za Pukhtoon Yam (I am Pakhtun) gave her peace. She thanked him profusely for pushing her to learn about a people of whom she was previously unaware.
When Naseer began his music career, he didn’t predict that the lyrics he wrote in his bedroom in Islamabad would impact someone so geographically and culturally distant from him. He was simply frustrated by the lack of experimentation in the Pashto music industry and decided to rebel against its stagnant state.
His ambition of revitalising Pashto music led him, in partnership with Shahab Qamar as the guitarist, to form the first Pashto rock band in 2010, ‘Naseer and Shahab’.
Since then, the duo has progressed from learning through YouTube videos and producing music independently to performing last month on Coke Studio Pakistan month, the country’s most popular television program of music.
“I want to push people to realise the importance of breaking free from their shells and creating something original. I deliberately experiment with accent, tune, and lyrics. Yes, I face criticism for how unconventional my music is, but I believe in change. Culture is dynamic and constantly evolving. Pashto rock is my way of contributing to an evolving culture.” He says.
Following in the footsteps of ‘Junoon’, which introduced the world to Sufi rock in the 1990s, the band ‘Naseer and Shahab’ is attempting to break new ground by experimenting in Pashto rock. The traditional Pakhtun instrument rabab has been replaced with the electric guitar to pull a much larger crowd, while the Pashto lyrics offer a change full of freshness to mainstream Pakistani audiences.
Music is arguably the most effective medium of cultural exchange because it invades hearts, inspires minds, and transcends borders which is why Naseer Afridi and Shahab Qamar are driven by the prospect of cultural exchange.
Shayna Cram, an American public diplomacy officer at the US Consulate General in Peshawar, sings in multiple languages and recently collaborated with Naseer on a Pashto song, titled Za na manum (I don’t accept).
The song rejects stereotypes about Pakhtuns that portray them as terrorists. Considering the frequency and severity of terrorist attacks in northwest Pakistan, it is important to highlight the consequences that Pakhtuns themselves continue to face; Pashto rock is one way to open up channels of communication and bridge the region with other parts of the world.
The band’s upcoming projects include their first English track with animations. After producing songs in both Pashto and Urdu, this next project showcases the duo’s eagerness for further experimenting.
“I don’t want to be tied down to one locality,” quips an enthusiastic Naseer.
