The yellow fields of Ukrainian corn abruptly give way to the yellow fields of Russian corn.

A well-guarded Ukrainian checkpoint marks the geographical border, but formalities are impossible on the Russian side. The buildings that once housed the passport control and customs offices lie in ruins. 

Ukraine’s swift occupation of large swaths of Russia’s Kursk region last month surprised the world and gave the battered nation cause for pride after months of bad news from the battlefield.

“Now the Russians know that we can attack them in any position,” says Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksii Dmytrashkivskyi, in Sudzha. But “the Ukrainian army needs a lot of forces to hold on here,” he acknowledges.  

History will judge whether this bold, cross-border gambit will pay off in the long run. For now, the immediate challenge is administering territory that Ukraine says it plans to occupy only temporarily.

One month into Ukraine’s military occupation of Russian lands, the center of Sudzha shows limited signs of life aside from a few older cyclists. Smoke drifts lazily from the charred carcass of a brick administrative building across the street from the Russian military draft office, which is now a pile of blue-and-gray rubble.

Dominique Soguel

A Ukrainian military spokesperson, Col. Vadym Mysnyk, stands in the destroyed town center of Sudzha, Russia. Local residents “think we are Nazis or devils with horns,” he says.

The mangled remains of a statue of Vladimir Lenin stand nearby, the pedestal covered with large photographs of the destruction wreaked on Ukrainian cities since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Fresh flowers adorn a nearby World War II memorial. With the tables turned, occupying Ukrainians find themselves making their case to local residents who remain in Sudzha.

“When civilians lament the level of destruction here, we show them these pictures of what has happened to Ukrainian cities,” says military spokesperson Col. Vadym Mysnyk, leading a pack of journalists on a cross-border tour. Their feet crunch across broken glass and debris, and armored vehicles stand by for quick evacuation. 

“But we try not to destroy anything, not even the memorial plaques in honor of Russian soldiers killed fighting this war,” he adds. “These are their memories. Sooner or later, we will leave this territory, and they will decide what to do with it.”

Ukrainian forces, he stresses, are making provision of food and medicine to local residents their top priority. Then come efforts to show the local population that Ukrainians are not the monsters of Russian propaganda. “They think we are Nazis or devils with horns,” Colonel Mysnyk says.

Ukrainians expected to stay “a long time”

A crowd of Russian men gathers outside an abandoned orphanage now being used as a shelter for around 40 civilians. A pile of wooden planks lies by the entrance; the windows need protecting from Russian drone and missile strikes, which still threaten the town.

“Nobody was prepared for this,” says Oleg, a skinny handyman with a black ponytail. Like others interviewed, he gave only one name. “It was a complete surprise.”

He knows it all really started in 2014. That was the year Russia annexed parts of Ukraine. Now that the situation is reversed, Oleg is resigned to the fact that Sudzha will be a front-line town – without electricity or the materials needed to rebuild. In the face of uncertainty, he trusts no one and avoids expressing an opinion on either Russia or Ukraine.

Dominique Soguel

Russian handyman Oleg stands outside an abandoned orphanage that is now a shelter for civilians living under Ukrainian occupation, in Sudzha, Russia, Sept. 5, 2024.

“We expect these territories to become a gray zone and Ukrainians to stay here a long time,” he finally volunteers. “We hope that common sense will prevail over this absurdity. The experience is surreal. The grannies here have absolutely no clue what is going on.”

Most of the residents sheltered inside the orphanage are advanced in age. Some lie in bed, weighed down by illness and sorrow, barely able to care for themselves. Others are in better physical shape, but homeless. “There is no sense in staying, no future here,” says Zoya, whose home was destroyed by a Russian missile after the Ukrainians took over the town.

She hopes to be evacuated to Ukraine along with her granddaughter, who is due to finish high school. “It’s been a month, and my nerves have been on edge since Day 1,” she says, sitting on her neatly made bed.

Colonel Mysnyk says the Ukrainian military is ready to evacuate civilians either to Ukraine or to Russia as soon as the order is given. But so far, efforts to engage Moscow in negotiations to open a humanitarian corridor to Russia have been fruitless.

Also in limbo are approximately 400 prisoners of war who are now being held at various detention facilities in the border region of Sumy, in Ukraine. The Christian Science Monitor visited one site holding some 60 men, including six Russian border guard officers and dozens of young conscripts with little fighting experience.

Dominique Soguel

Zoya sits on her bed in a shelter for civilians left behind in territories captured by Ukrainian forces, in Sudzha, Russia, Sept. 5. “There is no sense in staying, no future here,” she says.

One of those detainees is Denis. The Russian junior sergeant says he was still undergoing training when he was deployed to the Kursk region with orders to neutralize a small group of Ukrainian insurgents. “We were not told it was a full-scale offensive operation,” he says.

“In a nutshell, the Russian army completely failed strategically and organizationally; the Ukrainian army advanced very quickly,” he adds.

Is operation about more than morale?

In military terms, the Kursk operation has brought some tangible benefits beyond morale-boosting optics, Ukrainian analysts say, but it has not necessarily changed the course of the war.

It created a buffer zone and lowered the risk of attacks on the border region of Sumy, where air raid sirens sound day and night. It destroyed road and rail junctions, disrupting Russian supply lines. And it gave Ukraine control of Sudzha, a key transit point for Russian gas exports to Europe, an important card in future negotiations, says Ukrainian analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko.

“We have proven that Ukraine can conduct military operations in Russian territory and that the red lines the Western community is afraid of do not exist,” adds Mr. Kovalenko.

“One of the goals of this operation is to create proper conditions for a larger Ukrainian counteroffensive in 2025 and territorial swaps in the near future,” he says.

Dominique Soguel

Russian prisoner of war Denis sits on a bunk bed in a detention facility in the region of Sumy, Ukraine, Sept. 6, 2024, after being captured in the region of Kursk, Russia.

But in the meantime, Russian forces in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine have been making steady advances toward the strategically important city of Pokrovsk.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insists that the Kursk operation is achieving all its aims. And Ukrainians in uniform – from the top military brass to the lowest-ranking soldier – are resolute in their belief that victory against Russia is both possible and necessary.

The operation has “demonstrated the resilience and surprise capabilities that define the Ukrainian army,” says Guillaume Lasconjarias, a military affairs expert who teaches at Sorbonne University in Paris. Tactically, it has reduced the area from which Russia can launch missiles against Ukraine and “restored hope” at a time when “military aid is again a question mark.”

But it is still difficult to judge what Ukraine has truly gained.

“Has there been a real movement of Russian troops ... to plug the gaps in the north?” Dr. Lansconjarias asks. “Has this permanently slowed the advances in the Donbas? Probably not.”

Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

Vice President Kamala Harris (left photo, Aug. 7, 2024) will square off against former President Donald Trump (right photo, July 31, 2024) in a presidential debate Tuesday.

The last presidential debate upended the 2024 election. This one could prove just as consequential.

When Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump meet onstage Tuesday night for their first – and possibly only – debate, it will give Americans their first side-by-side comparison of their choices for president.

Ms. Harris arguably has the most at stake. Americans’ opinions of Mr. Trump are firmly established after nearly a decade on the national stage. But many voters are still learning about Ms. Harris, who suddenly ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket after the previous debate drove President Joe Biden from the race. And they’re still deciding whether they like and trust her enough to put her in the Oval Office.

“Everybody knows Trump at this point,” says Todd Graham, a presidential debate expert who coaches debate at Southern Illinois University. “This is a big opportunity for Vice President Harris to showcase herself for the first time in front of everybody on the same stage as Trump. I would say it’s crucially important.”

Risk and opportunity for Trump, too

Mr. Trump’s performance could matter greatly, too. He’s capable of delivering sharp rhetorical jabs – his 2016 primary campaign rise was aided by his cage-match takedowns of opponents on the debate stage. But other performances have been uneven, with overly aggressive, bullying behavior hurting him in the polls both in 2016 and 2020. His June debate performance against President Biden was far from stellar, but was overshadowed by the president’s inability to articulate basic points. Mr. Trump has shown a lack of discipline on the campaign trail in recent days, attacking the women who have accused him of sexual assault as liars, and promising again to pardon his supporters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

“This will be the defining event for Kamala Harris. And Donald Trump can either distract from that, or help define her in a way that advantages him in the campaign,” says Brett O’Donnell, a GOP debate coach who worked for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign in 2024.

The debate, hosted by ABC News, comes as polls show a tied race in the states that will determine who wins in November. Not surprisingly, both candidates have sought to downplay expectations. 

“I’m going into very hostile territory in a debate with ABC,” Mr. Trump said Friday in extended remarks to reporters in New York City in which he didn’t take questions. “ABC is the worst of everybody. They’re the nastiest. They’re as bad as you can be.”

Ms. Harris and her team have repeatedly described her as an “underdog” in both the race and the debate. Democrats also point out that Mr. Trump has much more experience in presidential debates – not to mention decades spent as a fixture on TV.

“There’s never been a presidential candidate who’s done more presidential debates than Donald Trump. He has experience doing them, and he plays well on camera. That’s why his biggest career achievement is running a reality TV show,” says Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson.

The swing voters who won’t be watching

Many of the voters most likely to decide the election probably won’t be watching it live, Mr. Ferguson adds, but will form their opinions based on what breaks through in clips and headlines afterward. Undecided voters tend to be less politically engaged, and many are just starting to tune into the election. 

“The conversation that will matter the most is the one people have the morning after the debate with their family members and friends,” he says.

Ms. Harris’ campaign unsuccessfully sought to change a rule about candidates’ microphones being muted when it wasn’t their turn to speak. Back when President Biden was still the candidate, his team had pushed for this rule, thinking it would keep Mr. Trump from talking over him. Instead, Mr. Biden’s at-times incoherent remarks wound up on full display in the June debate. Ms. Harris’ team seemed to think keeping the mics on might expose Mr. Trump’s bullying tendencies while giving her a chance to fact-check him in real time – but they lost that fight. Tuesday’s debate in Philadelphia will also take place without an audience.

Harris’ uneven track record in debates

Ms. Harris has had a mixed record when it comes to debate performances. Her best moments have come when she’s used her well-honed prosecutorial skills to go after her opponents. She made a national name for herself grilling Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, leaving now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and then-Attorney General Bill Barr stammering for words in response to pointed questions.

When Ms. Harris herself has been attacked, however, she has wound up parsing words, growing defensive, or awkwardly trying to laugh off serious questions. This year, she has so far shown herself to be a much-improved candidate since her ill-fated first presidential run, but she has yet to be tested with many tough questions. The campaign has granted just one sit down TV interview in the month-plus she’s been the nominee.

“She had some good moments – and some learning moments – from the 2020 campaign,” says Brian Brokaw, a former Harris adviser who was involved in her debate prep during her statewide runs in California for attorney general and Senate. “One thing that has been consistent throughout her career is: She has consistently improved significantly.”

The high point of Ms. Harris’ 2020 presidential run came when she eviscerated her future running mate, Mr. Biden, on the debate stage, calling him out for working with segregationist senators to block school busing. She personalized the moment with a memorable line about how she had been part of the second class to integrate in her school system – “that little girl was me.”

But in another primary debate she was rattled by an attack from then-Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who pummeled her record as California attorney general on incarceration rates. Ms. Gabbard is now backing Mr. Trump, and helping him with debate prep.

Ms. Harris held her own during the 2020 general election debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence – a debate that is likely remembered by voters, if at all, for the fly that settled on Mr. Pence’s hair for a full two minutes.

On Tuesday, she will almost certainly try to get under Mr. Trump’s skin. He has made a number of missteps since she entered the race, most notably when he questioned, at an event with the National Association of Black Journalists, whether Ms. Harris really is a Black woman. 

Republicans are hoping Mr. Trump will keep his focus on policy issues, and avoid personal attacks that could turn off swing voters.

“The advice I’d give to Donald Trump is, I would write four words at the top of my pad: weak, failed, dangerously liberal. And everything I said in that debate should be to support proving those four words about Kamala Harris,” says Mr. O’Donnell. “Anything else I would not say. I wouldn’t attack her personally.”

Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters

Outgoing French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal (left) and newly appointed Prime Minister Michel Barnier attend the handover ceremony at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, Sept. 5, 2024.

Faced with uncertainty over the future of his government, French President Emmanuel Macron has tapped a new prime minister renowned for his experience finding consensus and working across political and ideological divides.

But both men face a long road ahead to find political success and acceptance by French society.

Last Thursday, Mr. Macron named Michel Barnier, a conservative lawmaker and former European Union negotiator for Brexit, as his prime minister, sixty days after calling snap legislative elections that have left the country in political gridlock. Mr. Barnier will look to form his new government in the coming days, ahead of an Oct. 1 deadline to reach a major budget deal that can fend off EU warnings about France’s spiraling public deficit.

But he is faced with the daunting task of leading a country on the edge of political crisis.

On Saturday, thousands of people took to the streets across the country in protest of Mr. Macron’s choice of Mr. Barnier, who is a member of the conservative Républicains party. Protesters said his selection doesn’t respect the results of July elections that put the left-wing coalition, the New Popular Front, ahead of both Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and Mr. Macron’s Renaissance bloc. The far-left La France Insoumise, the most extreme member of the NFP coalition, has called for Mr. Macron’s ouster in what they say was a “stolen election.”

With France on the brink of being ungovernable, all eyes will be looking to its new prime minister to seek the same sort of compromise and cooperation that he did when negotiating a Brexit deal with the United Kingdom.

“Mr. Barnier is going to have to perform an incredibly difficult balancing act and I’m not sure he is the person to do it, or if the right person even exists, given the current state of parliament,” says Douglas Webber, professor emeritus of political science at the INSEAD business school. “France has found itself in an unprecedented situation where no political party has a majority. And there is no handbook for how we move forward.”

Backed into picking Barnier?

The atmosphere at protests in France this weekend couldn’t have been more different than it was in the country just two months ago. The NFP’s surprise win at the legislative elections on July 7 brought celebrations in the streets and a renewed sense of enthusiasm for the future of France.

Michel Euler/AP

Demonstrators gather under the statue of Marianne, a symbol of the French Republic, during a protest responding to a call from the far-left party leader who criticized the appointment of Mr. Barnier as a power grab, in Paris, Sept. 7, 2024.

“I was so stressed about what was going to happen,” says Marine de Royer, a Paris resident who protested over the weekend. “I remember the absolute relief I felt when we learned that [far-right leader] Jordan Bardella wasn’t going to be prime minister.... But now it feels like the far right has still won.”

There were hopes among the left that Mr. Macron would choose Lucie Castets, a Socialist, as his prime minister, after her name was put forth by the NFP at the end of July. But Mr. Macron is under no constitutional obligation to name a leader from the winning coalition at the legislative elections.

Many observers say he was backed against a wall – particularly by the far-right. The National Rally, along with lawmakers from right and center-right parties, were expected to use a vote of no confidence to block Ms. Castets, as well as other rumored candidates like Bernard Cazeneuve and Xavier Bertrand.

While the NFP could still vote against Mr. Barnier, their weight alone would not be enough to push him out. Meanwhile the far right, which holds the second highest number of seats in parliament, has said they won’t block Mr. Barnier.

That, alongside his list of credentials, made Mr. Barnier an ideal choice for Mr. Macron. He has served as a minister under Presidents Jacques Chirac, François Mitterrand, and Nicolas Sarkozy – two conservative, one socialist. Mr Barnier’s pro-European stance could please the left, while his support for stricter immigration controls will help him with conservatives. In 2016, he headed the EU’s Brexit task force.

“Barnier is a good choice in that he has a proven track record of mediating between conflicting groups,” says Hall Gardner, professor emeritus of political science at the American University of Paris. “The left is saying [to Macron], ‘now you’ve betrayed us’ and they see someone from the center right who doesn’t support their issues. But I think Barnier will make an effort. ... He has a broader vision than just France. He sees the bigger picture.”

“Can Barnier govern?”

While the choice of Mr. Barnier may make sense on paper, it’s of little comfort to French voters, many of whom feel they went to the ballot box this summer for nothing.

“Macron should have chosen someone from the left. We feel betrayed. Why did we vote?” says Cécile Drouet, who protested in Paris on Saturday. “Can Barnier govern? I don’t think so. He lacks the ability to bring the French together and restore confidence in politics.”

Mr. Barnier’s first major challenge will be forming a government that doesn’t immediately collapse. While the NFP won the July elections, they fell short of an absolute majority, leaving France with a hung parliament. Alongside his newly appointed finance minister, Mr. Barnier will have to tackle the budget, which will involve drafting a bill by Oct. 1. Economists advising the government say France needs to cut its public deficit by over €100 billion ($110 billion) in the next seven to 12 years in order to avoid a debt spiral similar to Italy.

France’s new prime minister also has to convince the French people that he has what it takes to unite the country, not divide. Many on the French left worry that the country’s prized social security system is at risk, while others want the retirement age brought down from 64.

While it’s still early days, Mr. Barnier seems to be willing to offer an olive branch to his detractors. On Saturday, he made his first official visit to a public hospital in Paris, to discuss the pressures on healthcare workers and a lack of resources. There, he said that politics existed not to perform miracles, but to promote progress.

“France is in a state of extreme fragility and the level of divides we’re seeing is a real threat to democracy,” says Roger Sue, a professor emeritus of sociology at Université Paris Cité. “As soon as Mr. Barnier forms his government, he’s going to have to answer a lot of questions.”

When patients arrive in the sun-dappled courtyard of Alive Medical Services, an HIV clinic in a modest brick building on the outskirts of Uganda’s capital, they are greeted warmly by the staff. Posters – one featuring the smiling face of musician Alicia Keys – offer upbeat, judgment-free advice for HIV prevention and treatment. 

The message is clear: Being HIV positive is nothing to be ashamed of. 

Now, the clinic is turning its proud defiance of stigma to another illness, mpox. Since the beginning of 2024, neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo has reported nearly 20,000 cases of and 600 deaths from the viral disease, which is similar to smallpox. 

Highly visible, poorly understood by the public, and often transmitted through sexual contact, mpox is in many ways a perfect storm for generating shame and fear in communities where it spreads. 

But now, those same communities are drawing on lessons from past public health crises – including the coronavirus, Ebola, and HIV – to fight stigma and fear, and in doing so to help stop the disease’s spread. With mpox recently declared by the World Health Organization a “public health emergency of international concern,” those lessons have global stakes. 

Arlette Bashizi/Reuters

Christenvie Kalimba, whose two children are undergoing treatment against mpox, discusses their progress with health workers at the Kavumu hospital in the South Kivu province of Congo, Aug. 29, 2024.

To be clear, East African public health experts say, stopping mpox first and foremost requires adequate access to care and treatment. But it also demands compassion and inclusion.

“We’ve learned the importance of empathy” in disease outbreaks, says Dr. Pasquine Ogunsanya, Alive Medical Services’ founder and executive director. That means “treating our clients with love and dignity, and clear communication and community involvement.” 

“Without fear”

Living in a displacement camp on the edge of Goma in eastern Congo, Solange Kavira Kavake wasn’t sure where to turn for help when she began to feel unwell.

The mother of four tried doctors and traditional healers before eventually being diagnosed at a local hospital with mpox, a disease she had never heard of before.

Unbeknownst to Ms. Kavake, she was living at the heart of an outbreak of mpox, the disease previously known as monkeypox. Congo is no stranger to the disease, which was first recorded in humans here, in 1970. Mpox most recently made headlines in 2022 and 2023, when it infected more than 87,000 people globally. 

That strain of mpox is largely sexually transmitted, and although its numbers are on the decline, it continues to circulate. Meanwhile, the current outbreak, which began in Congo late last year, is linked to a new, more virulent form of the disease. To date, this new strain has been found in five East African countries, Sweden, and Thailand. 

During her month at an mpox treatment center, Ms. Kavake learned that the disease was often passed along by close contact with a sick person. When she left the hospital, she became determined to help stop that chain by encouraging people to practice good hygiene.  

“We were told to become messengers,” she says. “When I see someone who is sick, I tell them to go to the hospital without fear, because I was treated well.” 

Arlette Bashizi

Solange Kavira Kavake, who recently recovered from mpox, poses for a portrait in front of her tent in the Muja camp for displaced people near Goma, Congo, Sept. 5, 2024.

That kind of grassroots sharing of knowledge is essential for stopping any virus, says Dr. Suudhi Bamutya, manager for epidemics and preparedness at the Uganda Red Cross Society. That is particularly true for mpox. Because the illness is highly visible and can be spread through sexual contact or by eating the meat of contaminated animals, it carries increased risk of shame and secrecy, he says. 

“Public health interventions being put in place will not be effective if there is stigma,” Dr. Bamutya explains. To date, Uganda has only 10 confirmed cases of mpox, but that could change quickly. Therefore, he says the Red Cross has enlisted local leaders and educators to spread messages about hand-washing, social distancing, and the importance of visiting a doctor if you become ill. 

A pivotal moment 

Indeed, how mpox is managed now will be crucial to determining how widely the disease spreads, experts say.

Already, it is moving across the region’s borders, carried – as was HIV before it – by long-haul truck drivers. 

Neighboring Burundi has already recorded more than 1,000 confirmed or suspected cases. Isolated cases have also been confirmed in Kenya and Rwanda, and experts say it is likely there are also additional cases in the region that have not been reported.

With the situation shifting fast, up-to-date and clear information has often been hard to come by for doctors, activists, journalists, and community members alike. That, in turn, makes it more difficult for authorities to communicate clearly and effectively with communities affected by the disease. 

Open, frank dialogue is essential, experts say. Sitting in her Kampala clinic, Dr. Ogunsanya says her country’s globally lauded success in containing HIV is proof positive of that. The walls of her office are lined with awards and memorabilia from her long career in public health.  

“We’ve learned that when people understand a particular health issue, when you explain to them clearly, they won’t be afraid,” she says. 

Mark Humphrey/AP

Alexandra Mistekevic (at left) picks up a free window air conditioner with the help of Marvin Cox (at right), community outreach director with the Metropolitan Action Commission, June 25, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Feeling hot – but not so hot about your power bill? You’re not alone.

Summer may seem like it’s winding down in places like New England, but other areas across the United States are still roasting, and using plenty of air conditioning. Triple-digit temperatures baked Southern California over the weekend and Phoenix is in a record streak of over 100 days above 100 degrees.  

Air conditioning is responsible for almost one-fifth of electricity used in U.S. homes, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. It’s also the top electricity consumption source in commercial buildings. 

As summers become hotter and more humid, a 2021 modeling study estimated that air-conditioning demand could increase by 8% to 13% – and that’s on top of what many researchers have found to be a growing American expectation of climate-controlled living. (Almost all new single family homes today are built with central air conditioning, compared with only half in 1973, according to U.S. Census Data statistics.) 

Put that increasing AC demand with rising energy prices in some areas, and consumers can feel the strain. A recent AP poll finds that around 7 in 10 Americans say extreme heat has had an impact on their electricity bills in the past year.   

But there are ways households and businesses can save money – and lower their carbon footprints at the same time. (Nationwide, the power that runs those air conditioning units still comes largely from fossil fuels – although renewable energy sources are growing.)  

SOURCE:

U.S. Energy Information Administration

|

Jacob Turcotte and Alex Ip/Staff

First, use AC with moderation. A review of Center for the Built Environment Occupant Surveys showed that around 40% of office workers dislike the temperature in their offices. A 2021 academic article found that women in particular are more likely to be negatively affected by overcooling. At home, making the temperature just a few degrees warmer can make a significant difference in electricity prices. The U.S. Department of Energy found that adjusting the thermostat by 7 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit for eight hours a day can lead to up to 10% in annual savings.

Second, weather up: Data from the Energy Information Administration shows that replacing windows is the most effective renovation measure to reduce cooling energy use. Air sealing and improved insulation also help. Programs such as the U.S. Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program have helped millions of lower-income families save hundreds of dollars each year; tax credits are also available for retrofitting businesses and homes.

Third, get some shade. Department of Energy research shows that most sunlight that falls on standard double-pane windows enters the house as heat. Window attachments such as shades, awnings, or window films can help block out up to 60% of that sunlight and reduce demand for cooling.

AP

Afghan girls attend school in Kabul, March 25, 2023.

Amid all the repression of women in Afghanistan, something joyful can be heard. It is the voice of women singing.

Since returning to power three years ago, Taliban leaders have banned girls from attending school beyond the age of 12 and required women to be covered from head to toe in public. Last month, they imposed laws ordering women and girls not to speak in public nor be heard singing or reading aloud within their homes.

Yet the decrees have only led to more Afghan women breaking out in song on social media. Many appear without a head covering. A commonly used slogan – “My voice is not forbidden” – echoes one used during recent protests in Iran: “Women, life, freedom.”

In one set of videos on Instagram, a young Afghan woman lifts her blue burqa and sings, “Not afraid of hope, love, and tomorrow / Not afraid of kissing you among the Taliban.”

Another woman stands before a mirror, fixing her hair. “I am not that weak willow that trembles in every wind / I am an Afghan woman,” she sings. “I will break free of this cage, to escape from this solitude and sing with abandon.”

These voices, Afghan journalist Hamina Adam told the France Culture radio channel, are “like the sign of life.”

The cheerful assurance of the women is nothing new. An all-female broadcasting service called Radio Begum has continued to connect women in much of Afghanistan semi-clandestinely. Its programs enable women to talk to each other on topics of health, family, and “religious issues from a female perspective.” A sister TV channel launched in March helps girls continue their education from home through the 12th grade.

These connections via broadcasts along with the social media posts affirm equality, compassion, and individual dignity – values largely missing in Taliban decrees. One possible effect is that over 70% of Afghan fathers whose eldest child is female said human rights must be a national priority, according to a survey by the University of Massachusetts conducted after the Taliban took over.

As Afghan women have turned to electronic media to avoid repression, this is echoed in lyrics from one popular song on social media: “Their boots might be on my neck. Or their fists to my face. But with our deep light inside, I will fight through this night.”