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# Covert Contact 22: Supporting Independent Art in Afghanistan: Francesca Recchia Updates from Kabul
- URL: https://johnwlittle.com/supporting-independent-art-in-afghanistan-francesca-recchia-updates-from-kabul/
- Published: 2015-11-09T08:47:19.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-17T18:23:28.000Z
- Description: Francesca Recchia returns with an update from Kabul and a discussion of her work supporting established and emerging artists in Afghanistan.
- Author: John Little
- Tags: Covert Contact, Podcast, Art, Afghanistan, Francesca Recchia

Regular Covert Contact listeners will recognize Francesca from episodes [9](http://covertcontact.com/2014/11/28/art-in-afghanistan-francesca-recchia-updates-from-kabul-episode-9/?ref=johnwlittle.com) and [17](http://covertcontact.com/2015/03/18/life-and-art-in-afghanistan-with-francesca-recchia-episode-17/?ref=johnwlittle.com). This episode follows the same general format. We discussed the mood in Kabul, the emergence of ISIS and AQIS, and I asked her about the perception of both Iran and Russia (which has been particularly vocal about Afghanistan lately). We then move on to discuss her work supporting established and emerging artists in the country.

This was a particularly enlightening conversation for me because Francesca pushed back hard (appropriately I think) against my tendency to view work like hers through the lens of a development or counter-extremism framework. There may be a place for art sponsored to support social or political agendas but Francesca’s work comes from a different place. She makes a very strong case for putting the art, and the artists, first. Afghanistan has a rich cultural heritage [spanning thousands of years](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan%5Fart?ref=johnwlittle.com) and [talented artists working today](http://mic.com/articles/98486/9-artists-who-will-challenge-what-you-think-about-afghanistan?ref=johnwlittle.com#.in6OiABLd). We should be able to appreciate the work without forcing it into the context of the current conflict.

You can read some of Francesca’s work at [Muftah.org](http://muftah.org/author/francescarecchia/?ref=johnwlittle.com), follow her on Twitter [@kiccovich](http://twitter.com/kiccovich?ref=johnwlittle.com), read her blog, or support her work by buying her books – The Little Book of Kabul, [*Picnic in a Minefield*](http://www.amazon.com/Picnic-Minefield-Francesca-Recchia/dp/1940876117?ref=johnwlittle.com), and [*Devices for Political Action: The Collective Towns in Iraqi Kurdistan*](http://www.amazon.com/Devices-Political-Action-Collective-Emancipatory-ebook/dp/B00O41MBNA/ref=sr%5F1%5F2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417221453&sr=1-2&ref=johnwlittle.com).