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Afghan women become YouTubers to bypass Taliban work bans: ‘had to do something to generate income’
- YouTube channels not only provide income, but also serve as a means for women to communicate their messages, experiences and aspirations, one analyst said
- The Taliban have stopped most Afghan female staff from working at aid agencies and closed beauty salons, putting tens of thousands out of work
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Her living room is a far cry from the bustling, brightly lit film sets she once loved, but Setaish Hayat says making YouTube videos at home is the next best thing in Afghanistan, where Taliban edicts have increasingly confined women indoors.
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Hayat, 21, was a budding actor in local film and television until the Taliban seized power in 2021 and began issuing decrees on women that included banning TV dramas with female actors and ordering women to wear strict hijab while presenting the news.
Now Hayat creates about 30 videos a month – on topics from cooking, fashion and make-up, to skits with her family – making her one of the most successful of a growing number of women in Afghanistan going online in search of a living.
“We do not use any special equipment like cameras, lights, cranes or fancy props. We record programmes on our phones,” said Hayat, whose YouTube channel has garnered more than 20,000 subscribers since its launch last September.
Hayat said she had faced hostility for her channel, and so wears a medical mask and sunglasses for her safety when she sometimes films outside.
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