KABUL, Afghanistan - June 29
Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban regime is now open for tourism. You read that right.
Travel agencies, some backed by the regime, are offering curated tours of Kabul, Bamiyan, Kandahar, and Herat. They promise rugged adventure, stunning views, and “authentic cultural experiences.” What they won’t show you is who’s missing: women silenced, students banned, journalists exiled, and ancient heritage reduced to dust.
Our latest poster, Postcards from Oppression, uses the cheerful design language of mid-20th-century travel ads to reveal the brutal reality hiding just outside the frame. It’s a visual contradiction, vibrant colors paired with ghostly truths. Because this kind of tourism doesn’t just overlook oppression. It sanitizes it.
Let’s be clear: Afghanistan is beautiful. Its people are proud. It’s culture rich. But when that beauty is used to mask tyranny, it becomes a weapon. These Taliban-approved travel experiences erase truth in favor of photo ops, and in doing so, they help normalize a regime built on fear.
Before you book that trip, ask: Who profits from your presence? Who disappears from the picture?
Support Afghan-led human rights groups. Refuse to let your vacation become someone else’s invisibility.
Share this message. Help others see what propaganda tries to hide.
This poster was inspired by reporting from ABC News and AP News, which document how the Taliban is promoting tourism despite widespread human rights concerns and international condemnation.
Poster & archive at ForgeTheTruth.com
“Wish You Weren’t Here.”
Because beauty can’t erase brutality.