Cella Fantastik

Ninety-eight black and white photos, steeped in the pathos and predicament of the Afghan people, accompanied by soul-searching commentary and poetry from thirteen distinguished contributors. Basque-born photographer Alen Silva travelled twice across war-torn Afghanistan, to places few foreigners dare to venture, to bring us these soul-searing photographs of a devastated land. Among the ruins of Kabul, of the Bamiyan Buddhas, of Soviet tanks, of Afghan society -- the hope for peace still lights the weary faces of the Afghan people who welcomed him. Texts by Alen Silva, Alan Rachins, Bahman Ghobadi, Bernardo Atxaga, Ezzat Goushegir, Gillian Anderson, John Sistiaga, Malalai Joya, Michael Ratner, Mike Farrell, Suheir Hammad, Susan Kelly-DeWitt, Toti Martinez de Lezea, and Yasmina Khadra.

Alen Silva is a 37-year-old photographer from the Basque Country, Spain. He works as a photographer for Basque newspapers. Alen has been travelling across Latin America and Asia the last 14 years. He is now planning to return to Asia and make a documentary film about the Afghan refugee camps near Peshawar in Pakistan.