The writing on Kabul's walls

A group of nascent graffiti artists work in the shadows as they take spray can to wall to make political statements; corrupt politicians, drug traffickers and warlords are a favorite target.

Kabul graffiti artist Dy, aka Dysprosium, tags a wall in the Afghan capital. "You need to speak the truth and accept risks," says the gangly twentysomething. (David Gill / For The Times / August 1, Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan—

Dy, a.k.a. "Dysprosium," a name taken from a rare chemical element and meant to suggest his elusive nature, glides across the underbelly of the edgy city. It's after midnight in Kabul, approaching a favored hour for would-be suicide bombers to enter the city while security forces sleep, so they can strike during the morning rush.

Dy, however, is armed only with cans of spray paint, and his intentions are peaceful: to alter the drab contours of this embattled city.

Identifying a wall, Dy pulls the paint cans out of his bag and works quickly, writing slogans and crafting images that rail against corruption, repression and the malign influence of drug money.

"You need to speak the truth and accept risks," said the gangly twentysomething, dressed in a red T-shirt, stovepipe jeans and a scarf that doubles as a face covering. He asked to be identified only by his tagging name, citing concern for his safety. "I'm trying to make people question themselves, to wonder why we have such a situation in Afghanistan."

Kabul may be short of many things, but it has lots of concrete blast walls. And that is inspiring a group of nascent graffiti artists to give voice, however fearfully, to a biting critique of graft, economic inequality and the second-class status of women in their country.

Protest graffiti is a new and still-tentative mode of expression in a society with little tradition of social dissent. Like their Western counterparts, Afghan wall writers work furtively and sometimes at night to avoid arrest. But their scribblings don't lionize street gangs, entertainers or sports teams.

"Parliament shouldn't be filled with criminals," says one scrawl, in Dari, on the block-long wall of the Teachers Training University in Kabul, a prime canvas for protest graffiti.

"Capitalism is a dragon that's slowly swallowing Afghanistan," proclaims another.

The pervasiveness of police checkpoints and private security guards has put a premium on terse, quickly applied graffiti — images of soldiers, dollar signs, poppies, helicopters and tanks, a commentary on the Afghan war's enormous cost in lives and money.

Dy's favorite scrawls include "parliament = this barn," on the wall of a stable, suggesting that both buildings produce manure, and "warlord = jackass."

Historically, graffiti in Afghanistan was mostly advertising — for translation services, real estate agents and handymen. In the 1980s, Afghan mujahedin used graffiti to taunt their Soviet occupiers, scrawling messages on destroyed tanks and artillery. More recently, NATO forces and the Taliban have waged "tagging duels" on village walls, particularly in disputed southern provinces.

In some ways, Kabul is a graffiti artist's dream, with its post-apocalyptic landscape reminiscent of "Escape from New York," the 1981 film about a lawless, walled-off city. Ugly blast walls shield most public buildings and upscale houses downtown.

"You can't find good-quality canvas in Kabul," says Farid Khurrami, a sculptor and graffiti artist. "But we certainly have enough walls."

Khurrami's spray-paints white flowers. "It's about peace," he says. "Obviously, Afghanistan really needs peace."

Safety is a concern for many taggers, particularly women. It's difficult enough to move around during daylight hours, let alone at night when it's easiest to tag, said Ommolbanin Shamsia Hassani, 22.

"Women are still not very free," she said.

She and other young artists, many of whom grew up abroad and returned to Afghanistan after the 2001 U.S.-led invasion, are growing bolder, helped by experienced foreign taggers.

Combat Communications, a group of anonymous, Kabul-based foreign artists, and British graffiti artist Wayne "Chu" Edwards held a weeklong workshop for several aspiring Afghan artists in December.

After sessions on symbolism, making stencils and wielding a spray can, their final project involved realizing their ideas on an abandoned factory wall on the outskirts of Kabul.

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