Safdar Tawakoli ( fa, صفدر توکلی); (born 1942 in Yakawlang,

Bamyan Bamyan or Bamyan Valley (); ( prs, بامیان) also spelled Bamiyan or Bamian is the capital of Bamyan Province in central Afghanistan. Its population of approximately 70,000 people makes it the largest city in Hazarajat. Bamyan is at an al ...

) is an ethnic Hazara musician from

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. He focuses and plays mostly Hazara folkloric and regional traditional music based on the dambura.

Early life

Safdar Tawakoli was born in 1942, in Yakawlang,

to a family of moderate means. His interest in music was nurtured during his youth, but he had to overcome the conservative tradition and religious restrictions of his local culture. Despite these, he pursued his field of interest and became a devoted artist. He always admired and in some cases envied the popularity of national singers. He mastered the " dambura", a regional long necked stringed instrument popular among the Hazaras of central Afghanistan.

Career

In pursuit of a career in music, he left

to run a music store in

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

that sold cassettes. It was his hard work and talent that led him to the studios of

Radio Kabul Radio Afghanistan, also known as Radio Kabul or Voice of Sharia, is the Public broadcasting, public radio station of Afghanistan, owned by Radio Television Afghanistan. The frequencies are 1107 kHz (AM) and 105.2 MHz (FM) for the Kabul area. The ...

and

's National Television, where he did many shows and sung hundreds of songs. Safdar Tawakuli became a household name in regions and the number of his listeners increased. He became an iconic singer and was awarded with several awards and honorary medals. He has represented Afghan Music in numerous international shows. He headed the Musical group of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of Afghanistan from 1986 to 1995 for eleven consecutive years. Like everything else Safdar Tawakoli's artistry fell victim to the civil war during which he lost his career, his home, his beloved son but he never lost his fame. He stayed in Afghanistan in extreme conditions, even during the time of the Taliban when his life was in grieve danger. After the fall of Taliban, his musical number, "Agar az Bamiyan o Qandahari - Hamay mo Pag biraari"; became a symbol of national unity and pride for Afghanistan when it was re-sung by the prominent Afghan Singer

Farhad Darya Farhad Darya (Pashto/Dari: ; born 22 September 1962) is an Afghan singer, composer and music producer who has written and composed songs in various languages. Darya sings in various languages including mostly his native language of Persian/D ...

. He was one of the first singers to sing on Afghanistan's National Radio immediately after the fall of the Taliban.

References

External links

Safdar's fansite
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tawakoli, Safdar 1942 births Living people Hazara singers Dombra players Afghan male singers Persian-language singers People from Bamyan Province 20th-century Afghan male singers