Now Hayat creates about 30 videos a month – on topics from cooking, fashion and make-up, to skits with her family – making her one of the most successful of a growing number of women in Afghanistan going online in search of a living.

“We do not use any special equipment like cameras, lights, cranes or fancy props. We record programmes on our phones,” said Hayat, whose YouTube channel has garnered more than 20,000 subscribers since its launch last September.

Hayat said she had faced hostility for her channel and so wears a medical mask and sunglasses for her safety when she sometimes films outside.

“It is very challenging for girls and women who work outside the home, especially those who appear on camera and make YouTube content,” Hayat told Context from Kabul.

…Fawzia Koofi, an Afghan women’s rights activist who was shot in the arm by the Taliban in 2020, said YouTube channels not only provided income, but also served as a means for women to communicate their messages, experiences and aspirations.

“Every woman in Afghanistan has a mobile phone and is connected to the world. How can you halt the empowered generation?” she asked from her new home in London.

However, many women, including Hayat, fear the Taliban could shut down YouTube channels that do not have a broadcasting license from the Ministry of Information and Culture, which is mandatory for social media influencers and content creators.

Read more:

Talaash, R. & Hakimi, O. (2024, April 17). Afghan women become YouTubers as Taliban restrict work. Context. https://www.context.news/money-power-people/afghan-women-become-youtubers-as-taliban-restrict-work