‘No More Hope’: The Work of a Photojournalist Killed in Kabul

Beautiful tribute. We owe Mr. Marai a debt of gratitude for so powerfully documenting the sorrow and occasional joys of the world around him. Such a loss to journalism, art, history, and humanity, as well as his family and friends. Many thoughts for the safety of his noble colleagues.

The photo of women covered head to toe with even their eyes hidden makes me wonder about the humanity of those that treat half their population as shadow people. I can’t relate to the men that marginalize their mothers and daughters and pledge their lives to a religion that demands this. It is like looking back in time. I throw my hands up on despair!

This comes after his death. Why not when he lived? Why can we not know of the courage, discipline, and sacrifice of journalists and photographers before their murders? Did all his photos credit him by name? Or did he work with another name? Many photographers and writers work with false names. We fear identification and assassination. Throughout the article, the writers emphasized Marai supported his extended family with his earnings. Did he fear the loss of earnings in Europe or the US more than the threats in Afghanistan? Named or pseudonymous, we also need money. Afghans, Iraqis, Syrians -- an offer. I've published many novels and articles under false names. Contact me. We'll write your story. Do you lack the skill in English? I've taught Arabic speakers to write English. And to speak and answer questions in English over a telephone. I'll work with you to publish your story before your life may be lost. As a writer who traveled and lived in several wars, I know the value writing under a false name. At a highway checkpoint, accompanying soldiers or opponents of a regime, or under interrogation, they did not know my published work. I offer you publication under a false name. Money. The pleasure of seeing your story in print. And if you're killed, or if you survive, the name can be changed and the book reissued.

The human endurance demanded by these incredible citizens is amazing. That they are demanded to endure is a tragedy of epic proportion. If their's was the only country caught in this civil (?) war, it would be on the front page daily. However, the world is so broken with so many oppressive 'leaders' and radicals, it is as though it's just another sad day. Where is the outrage, what can be done, when will it stop?

I just hope Mr Marai's family will be taken care of. If he was an AFP employee they should get something. Otherwise, it may be time to start crowd-funding. His photos are haunting. What a tragedy.

Inspiring, heart breaking story. Thank you for this. And thank you to Marai, for his non stop dedication and incredible skill. He will be missed greatly and his work appreciated for decades to come.

A remarkable lack of tonal editing for these interesting images, half are too dark in the mids and blacks, or too flat. A real disservice to the photographer. The tones are in general all very far off the mark and far less than what they could easily be (what was shot) with the minimum required adjustment in Lightroom or Photoshop. Notice that the oldest image of Taliban riding a tank in Kabul 2001 does not suffer this problem, it's film. It does suffer the poor qualities of that media.

What cruelty and hope captured in these photos. The power of the image. What a loss!

These men and woman show a truth. I thank you Mr. Marai.

What photojournalist Shah Marai revealed in his work in Afghanistan is a very vulnerable and intimate lens to what lies outside of my country. One image is a child with a prosthetic leg, a victim of the raging war; this is just a surface idea of war’s effects. The next image is of two women with their fingers, hands, and faces drenched in blood, a graphic image worth revealing. Sometimes that’s what it takes to turn the wheels of human empathy. It’s easy to get lost in our bubbles and turn to apathy. We don’t have to face destitution and calamity on a daily basis, but when we do, it’s an outrage. For example, 9/11 was one of the few times that we were ever attacked on our own soil. That was just a taste of what it was like to be a part of the global community. It shouldn’t have to be a terrorist attack which moves us to bring about change. Even then, the stirring of emotion can maneuver us in the wrong direction (i.e. Islamophobia). I believe it’s important to want to learn and be aware of how different someone’s lifestyle is from ours, shaped by factors which we are unfamiliar with. Nonetheless, photojournalism still stands as an important tool even if the whole world cared enough to step outside of their bubble. It reflects truths that we may not fully understand unless seen firsthand. Photojournalism is a beautiful form of art and method of information sharing. It’s a portrayal of realities that sometimes cannot be fully expressed in words.

What photojournalist Shah Marai revealed in his work in Afghanistan is a very vulnerable and intimate lens to what lies outside of my country. One image is a child with a prosthetic leg, a victim of the raging war; this is just a surface idea of war’s effects. The next image is of two women with their fingers, hands, and faces drenched in blood, a graphic image worth revealing. Sometimes that’s what it takes to turn the wheels of human empathy. It’s easy to get lost in our bubbles and turn to apathy. We don’t have to face destitution and calamity on a daily basis, but when we do, it’s an outrage. For example, 9/11 was one of the few times that we were ever attacked on our own soil. That was just a taste of what it was like to be a part of the global community. It shouldn’t have to be a terrorist attack which moves us to bring about change. Even then, the stirring of emotion can maneuver us in the wrong direction (i.e. Islamophobia). I believe it’s important to want to learn and be aware of how different someone’s lifestyle is from ours, shaped by factors which we are unfamiliar with. Nonetheless, photojournalism still stands as an important tool even if the whole world cared enough to step outside of their bubble. It reflects truths that we may not fully understand unless seen firsthand. It is a beautiful form of art and method of information sharing, and a portrayal of realities that sometimes cannot be fully expressed in words.

So sad. In a family of many blind people, he used his sight to reveal many truths. The most tragic, man's passion for war. I also am an ordinary, rather powerless person. I grieve for the people of Afghanistan, feel homage for brave journalists who risk and give their lives to see, tell and show us truth.

I've always loved the honesty of journalistic photography. Marai brought what has often been missing in understanding the Afghanistan question, its people, into view and into hearts. Thanks for bringing this work to a larger audience,

Is it worth it anymore? Really? And how many of us are thinking, 'Yeah, let's bring more of that over here.' What a waste of everything.

Such a cruel and unnecessary loss of a truly gifted photographer.

Marai's photographs are gut-wrenching and his murder breaks my heart. I promise, Mr. Marai, that I will never forget your work or the courage and beauty of all you expressed during your lifetime. This horror goes on day for day, year for year, and until the mirror of its horror is shown to us in our faces we can't really know the full scale of it--not even through these images! As an American I feel shame. Next time you've had a "hard day" look at the horrorible lives, especially the small children, in these pictures and know they've never had a day that wasn't hard or one not spent in the belly of hell full of fear for their lives. REST IN PEACE.

Photos are still worth a thousand words - and these are some powerful photos - but this article is a moving testament to the man, Shah Marai, as well as the men and women who live the same brutal reality he documented. Thank you for writing this. My heart breaks but I would rather feel that shade of their pain than forget or ignore them.

A great loss in a country with many great losses.

Rest in Peace

The suffering has become routine, but not forgotten. Just ignored. By that paragon of peace, the UN; by the enabling neighbor, Pakistan, the ideological parent of an extremist Taliban- our good ally, Saudi Arabia. Anything for power, control. And once the Taliban succeed in terrorizing Afghanistan into its 90s incarnation, will they again be the training ground for more terrorists? These newly dead, among them....what...10-11 children in religious studies? Where is the Saudi, Pakistani, army? To come together, take this country...and for heaven sake- modernize it!! The saddest picture- the blue ghosts. The living dead.

So much suffering in Afghanistan I feel we are responsible.

It's hard to find the words to convey an adequate level of disgust towards the barbarians who carry out these attacks and for the innocent Afghans who deserve to live safely and prosper in their beautiful country but are instead slaughtered on a daily basis. Shah Marai, a driver who became a great photographer, was Hope. Rest in Peace.

If Afghans as a people wanted to defeat the Taliban, THEY could do so. WE, on the other hand, cannot and should not be the ones trying to defeat the Taliban. We are invaders trying to impose OUR will. That the Taliban continues to be on the verge of victory tells us a lot about the Afghan people and THEIR desires, or lack thereof. Harsh, but true conclusions.

I wept when I read this. So much suffering, and for what? I am just an ordinary New Yorker, but feel profoundly connected to this family’s grief. We must come together, here and around the world, to say ENOUGH of this misery. Take back the planet for the good, gentle people everywhere who just want to live in peace.

I just scrolled through a gallery of his work on the BBC website. Simply stunning, and shows all facets of life in Afghanistan. This is a true loss to journalism (photojournalism in particular), and highlights the courage of those who choose to undertake the dangerous responsibility of bringing the realities of life in a war zone home to our comfortable existences.

His photos tell more than all the words I've read over the last decade. I hope his colleagues put together a book of his work, the proceeds of which could help support his family.

The inhumanity of so many toward innocents has brought me tears. I hesitated reading this article, as I knew it would only cause more despair. It is becoming harder to claim my and my famiiy's happiness in this increasingly brutal world. I really don't know how to take joy when so many suffer. I am not looking for an answer - only a way to keep moving forward.

How terrible; RIP Glad to see he’ll leave behind some of the best documentary photo work I’ve seen from that region - these photos are just stunning. As a fellow photographer, it’s admirable that Marai made the ultimate sacrifice to bring so much humanity to tragedy. With the added element of two family members being blind, it’s so clear he held the visual beauties around him so dearly