The Joy Trip Project

Shannon Glapin has been back from her most recent visit to Afghanistan for a weeks now. The founder of the non-governmental organization Mountain 2 Mountain makes frequent trips to Central Asia to advocate for the well being of women and children. When her most recent blog entry appeared on the Huffington Post I was pretty quick to chat her up on Facebook to ask if I could run  it here on the JTP.  Apart from pasting up more flatting photograph and a video I wanted to share her observations on the rise of street art in and around the war zone. These spontaneous displays of graffiti reveal much about the thoughts of young people in harms way as well as demonstrate the indomitable power of art to convey powerful emotions when words fail or are simply silenced through violence. -JEM Something new is in the streets of Kabul. Increased security? Check Lakes of mud and sewage? Check Street art? Check Street art, stencil art specifically, has popped up on several walls across Kabul over the past year.

Under the cover of night they take to the streets of Kabul, armed with stencils, spray paint and cameras. The youth of Afghanistan are finding their voice.

Tanks, soldiers, dollar signs, poppies, refugees, students in school, helicopters, Talibs, and question marks are assembled into equations, giving Afghans and Westerners alike a reason to stop in curious wonder and think. The 'unknown' taggers created the question, "Chand Ast?". In stencil art. Translated from Dari to English it means "How Much?" -- an effort to challenge all of us about the Cost of War.