Away from ‘locked' land, Afghan surfer rides wave of hope

Time of India

05-08-2025

Afridun Amu
CHENNAI: In a country without a coastline, the idea of surfing might seem absurd. Even more so in a nation that has endured decades of war. But for Afridun Amu, Afghanistan's first international surfer, the waves are a form of resilience: a way to reclaim joy, identity, and hope for the next generation of Afghans scattered across the world.
War forced 38-year-old Afridun to leave Afghanistan when he was five. He learnt to surf in several countries and used the sport to connect Afghans who, like him, were forced to seek refuge. Afridun, who is now a dual citizen of Afghanistan and Germany, is the only competitor representing his motherland in the ongoing Asian Surfing Championships in Mamallapuram. Two of his teammates could not get their visas for the continental event.
'I want to keep Afghan surfing alive. If we had more athletes here, I probably would not even have participated. Since nobody received the visa, I wanted Afghanistan to be a part of it. I want to present a different image of Afghanistan. In the last few decades, most stories about the country have been focused on war, human rights violations and terrorism. While these are certainly part of Afghanistan's reality, they do not tell the whole story.
Showing that there is more to Afghanistan than just conflict is a key motivation for me to participate,' Afridun told TOI.
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In 2018, Afridun organised a national-level event and that was probably the first time a surfing competition was held in the country. 'Although Afghanistan is a landlocked country, it has many rivers. There are some decent static waves, and we held events in these to promote the sport. Since the situation changed dramatically in 2021, there has been little scope to explore further, but I hope to get back on track and build a surfing community within the country.
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While Afridun resides in Europe, he has taken multiple steps to bring the Afghan surfers from across the world together. One such step was the formation of the Wave Riders Association of Afghanistan in 2012, which is recognised by the International Surfing Association. The association held its first national championship in Portugal and Afghans from all parts took part. 'It was more of a cultural gathering. It was awesome to combine surfing and the Afghan world.
We ran online funding to take care of the costs, and we tried to have it every year, but it became very difficult thereafter,' Afridun added.
'Apart from conducting events, there were a few projects – like surfing therapy (to promote psychological, physical and social well-being) and swimming lessons – that were offered to Afghan refugees before 2021. However, due to the unstable situation and lack of funding, these projects could not be continued.'