Sensations English Logo
LEVEL C1

Shadowing the newsreader

Listen to the newsreader read out each line and then practise saying it. Record your own voice line by line and submit your voiceover.

Hide View

Florists and balloon vendors in Kabul were hit in the heart and pocket by a heartless edict from the Taliban's ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice against celebrating Valentine's Day.

Although observing the day for lovebirds isn't commonplace in Afghan society, in recent years, some well-off citizens, predominantly in major cities, have adopted the celebration.

The edict came days before 14th February, with notices displayed in every shop declaring that Valentine's Day was neither Islamic nor culturally compatible with Afghan customs.

This rendered vendors' Valentine's-themed merchandise unmarketable, leaving florists, such as Omar, to pick up the tab.

Taliban officers patrolled the flower market and balloon vendors, acting as a deterrent to those who desired to spoil their partners with romantic gestures.

Zahrah's one of the shoppers impacted by the Taliban's restrictions.

Faced with the Taliban's warning, Zahrah's scaled back how she marks Valentine's Day.

Having seized power in 2021, the Taliban have imposed restrictions on many aspects of Afghan society such as music, social media apps and videos.

Women, in particular, have been affected by the regime's restrictions, being stripped of their rights to education and work, effectively erasing them from public life.

REGISTER NOW

Get videos, articles, games and study tools!

Learn at six levels from A1 to C1
Or sign up with your Email
By clicking “Sign Up” above you are accepting our Terms of Service & Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign in

Sign up with email

Enter the following information to create your account.
All sign up options

Log in Or create an account

or

Forgot password?

reset password or login

Crop Image

Crop preview
Add to homescreen