The once-flourishing book market sector across Afghanistan has been hit extremely hard since the Taliban takeover, not only because of the crippled economy but also because their main market no longer exists – teenage girls and female students.
Joysheer was once one of the busiest book markets in Kabul, and the labyrinth of as many as 150 bookshops was a treasure trove to the booklovers who flocked to the area. But today, the market is virtually deserted.
According to Joysheer booksellers, high school girls and female university students were once their main market but since the Taliban banned high school education for girls, and rolled out restrictions on women, these customers no longer buy books.
Abdul Waris, who has been selling books at Joysheer for 17 years, said that in addition to this, people can no longer afford books.
“It has been one and a half years that [our] business has fallen and no one buys books. Before the fall of the republic, book sales were good, and students used to come to us to buy books; But now after the Taliban takeover; the people’s financial situation has dropped to zero and no one is interested in reading books and cannot afford to buy books as well,” he said.
Zahal Ahmadi, an 11th-grade student who left school after the Taliban takeover, said that she once loved reading books.
“During school holidays, I used to buy school books from bookstores and during the winter break I used to read the books; But now it’s been more than a year and a half since I visited the bookstores in the city,” she said.
Mohammad Saber Sultani, another bookseller at Joysheer, said that he mostly sells school and university textbooks.
“The book-selling market has faced a serious recession compared to a year ago, and the culture of reading books is declining. Most of my customers were school girls; But with the closure of schools, girls have no motivation to buy books now, and they have stopped visiting bookstores,” Sultani said.
The bookstores in Pul-e-Surkh of Kabul also face similar issues. Booksellers said that the book market has collapsed and that the bookstore owners are disillusioned.
