A Bridge from Darkness to Light

In 2006, Texas business man, historian, and photographer Bill Wright was allowed—though not officially invited—by the U.S. Department of State to teach a class in digital photography to young Afghans in Kabul. The course was sponsored by an Afghan Non-Governmental Organization, ASCHIANA (the word means a "nest"), which helps to support working children and their families. In July of 2006, Wright landed in the war zone that Afghanistan has been for the past decade, loaded with cameras, batteries, lesson plans and other equipment. Soon he was engaged with a number of students ranging from 12 years old to young 20s. The photographs they produced record daily life in Kabul—from traditional street markets to a modern shopping center, from shepherds to musicians to laborers, from infants to the aged. The students were eager, as one of them says, "introduce Afghanistan and the Afghan people to the world through [our] photos." Bill Wright's text records his personal journey and experiences, and describes the efforts of a remarkable group of young people to say "we are here" through their photographs.