An AP photographer is enchanted by an Afghan boy consumed by his lessons at a religious school

Associated Press

2 days ago

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Ebrahim Noroozi, a three-time World Press Photo Contest winner, has been a photographer for The Associated Press for 15 years based in Iran, Dubai, Afghanistan and now Berlin. Here's what he had to say about this extraordinary photo.Why this photo?
I took this photo while working on the issue of education in Afghanistan. I think the issue of education in Afghanistan is an important one. It has a huge impact on the country, now and the future.
After the Taliban came to power, many religious schools were established and the focus on religious education has increased a lot. The number of religious students is increasing every day, and this is a program that the Taliban focuses on.
How I made this photo
To take this photo and the photos for this story, I went with colleagues to a religious school outside Kabul. It was a boarding school where many children studied and lived.
While I was taking pictures, the way one child was looking at the teacher caught my attention. The child was focusing on the teacher as if he couldn't see anything else, as if he had forgotten where he was and what he was doing. It was as if he had been enchanted.
For me, this child's state was like a momentary display of a reality in his life. When I took this photo, he was staring at his teacher as if he was enchanted, but perhaps it was because this was his reality and, in this moment, he was being taught something he didn't have the right answer for.In religious schools, I saw so many children who lived in bad conditions, didn't have enough food to eat, didn't have a proper place to sleep, couldn't see their families for long periods of time - some only saw their families once a year - and the only thing they had was Islamic lessons.
Why this photo works
I like this photo, not just for its form, color and light, but also for the content and deep meaning that all the elements come together to create. There is mystery in this photo.
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