{"id":33818,"date":"2025-05-20T09:07:40","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T05:37:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/?p=33818"},"modified":"2025-05-20T19:21:19","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T15:51:19","slug":"interview-with-joel-van-houdt-photographing-afghanistan-beyond-the-cliches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/interview-with-joel-van-houdt-photographing-afghanistan-beyond-the-cliches\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with\u00a0Jo\u00ebl van Houdt: Photographing Afghanistan Beyond the Clich\u00e9s"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Rukhshana Media sat down with Dutch photojournalist Jo\u00ebl van Houdt to talk about his work in Afghanistan and upcoming photo book. Van Houdt worked in Afghanistan for over a decade. he has travelled to 26 provinces of Afghanistan and his work has appeared in publications such as FT Weekend Magazine, Der Spiegel, Stern, The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, among others.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Q: Jo\u00ebl, you lived and worked in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2022. What first drew you to the country?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jo\u00ebl van Houdt:<\/strong>&nbsp;Honestly, I didn\u2019t know much about Afghanistan when I first went there in 2010. President Obama had just announced the surge strategy, which meant a significant increase in foreign troops. I was curious\u2014what did that really mean on the ground? I wanted to witness how some of the world\u2019s most powerful countries were occupying one of its poorest. For a moment, it seemed like the world was actually paying attention to what was happening in Afghanistan, and I wanted to be there.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/08_JvH_2206_13663_0574_LR-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33820\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/08_JvH_2206_13663_0574_LR-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/08_JvH_2206_13663_0574_LR-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/08_JvH_2206_13663_0574_LR-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/08_JvH_2206_13663_0574_LR-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/08_JvH_2206_13663_0574_LR-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Photo: Joel van Houdt<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Q: How did you approach photographing a country so often misrepresented in Western media?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jo\u00ebl:<\/strong>&nbsp;When I first arrived, I had been exposed to nearly a decade of clich\u00e9d imagery in Western newspapers\u2014soldiers kicking down doors, drug addicts huddled together, women in burqas. I found myself unconsciously seeking out those same scenes. It took time to step back and realize that I needed to go deeper. I started to ask myself: is it even possible for a white male photographer from the Netherlands to truly understand what is happening here?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/07_JvH_2128_36137_6011_LR-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33821\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/07_JvH_2128_36137_6011_LR-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/07_JvH_2128_36137_6011_LR-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/07_JvH_2128_36137_6011_LR-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/07_JvH_2128_36137_6011_LR-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/07_JvH_2128_36137_6011_LR-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Photo: Joel van Houdt<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Q: Did you feel there were certain limitations to your perspective?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jo\u00ebl:<\/strong>&nbsp;Definitely. One of the biggest challenges was photographing Afghan women. My female colleagues\u2014both Afghan and foreign\u2014had access that I simply didn\u2019t, and they created powerful, insightful work. I couldn\u2019t ignore that gap. I didn\u2019t want to produce a photobook that only showed men, especially when women were often cited in Western narratives as a justification for the occupation. And yet, when troops withdrew in 2021, the situation of Afghan women was quickly sidelined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/06_JvH_1811_08946_8741_LR-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33822\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/06_JvH_1811_08946_8741_LR-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/06_JvH_1811_08946_8741_LR-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/06_JvH_1811_08946_8741_LR-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/06_JvH_1811_08946_8741_LR-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/06_JvH_1811_08946_8741_LR-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Photo: Joel van Houdt<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Q: Your wife, journalist Amie Ferris-Rotman, also worked in Afghanistan. Can you tell us about your collaboration there?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jo\u00ebl:<\/strong>&nbsp;We met in 2011 while she was reporting for Reuters. She was deeply disturbed by how few Afghan women were working for international news outlets. That led her to start&nbsp;<em>Sahar Speaks<\/em>, a mentoring and publishing program for Afghan female journalists. I ended up teaching photography to some of the participants, and this became one of the most meaningful experiences of my time in Afghanistan. It gave me a glimpse into a world I otherwise couldn\u2019t access. Many of those women remain friends, though sadly, after the Taliban returned, it became very difficult\u2014or impossible\u2014for them to continue reporting from inside the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/05_JvH_1523_01780_7351_LR-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33823\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/05_JvH_1523_01780_7351_LR-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/05_JvH_1523_01780_7351_LR-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/05_JvH_1523_01780_7351_LR-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/05_JvH_1523_01780_7351_LR-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/05_JvH_1523_01780_7351_LR-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Photo: Joel van Houdt<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Q: What are you hoping to convey with your upcoming photobook?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jo\u00ebl:<\/strong>&nbsp;The book is my attempt to wrestle with the complexities of being a foreigner reporting from Afghanistan. I want to situate my work within the longer history of outsiders who have come to Afghanistan over the past few centuries. It\u2019s also about the ethical and practical limitations of that position\u2014what we see, what we miss, and what we choose to show.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/01_JvH_1606_11942_5966_LR-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33824\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/01_JvH_1606_11942_5966_LR-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/01_JvH_1606_11942_5966_LR-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/01_JvH_1606_11942_5966_LR-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/01_JvH_1606_11942_5966_LR-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/01_JvH_1606_11942_5966_LR-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Photo: Joel van Houdt<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Q: When will the book be available, and how can people support it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jo\u00ebl:<\/strong>&nbsp;The book will be published this autumn. I\u2019m currently running a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/joelvanhoudt\/afghanistanism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kickstarter campaign<\/a>&nbsp;to help fund the publication. It\u2019s been a long journey, and I hope the book reflects the layered, nuanced reality of the years I spent in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LINK TO KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/joelvanhoudt\/afghanistanism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/joelvanhoudt\/afghanistanism<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/03_JvH_1505_00538_6554_LR-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33828\" style=\"width:1170px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/03_JvH_1505_00538_6554_LR-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/03_JvH_1505_00538_6554_LR-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/03_JvH_1505_00538_6554_LR-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/03_JvH_1505_00538_6554_LR-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/03_JvH_1505_00538_6554_LR-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: Joel van Houdt<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rukhshana Media sat down with Dutch photojournalist Jo\u00ebl van Houdt to talk about his work in Afghanistan and upcoming photo book. Van Houdt worked in Afghanistan for over a decade.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":33826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1022,9581,913,902],"tags":[11421,11422,4999],"class_list":["post-33818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cases-en","category-our-work-en","category-photos","category-reports-en","tag-cliches","tag-joel-van-houdt","tag-photography"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - 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