It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Montagnard. (Discuss) Proposed since December 2009.

The Degar (referred to by French colonists as Montagnard) are the indigenous peoples of the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The term Montagnard means "mountain people" in French and is a carryover from the French colonial period in Vietnam. In Vietnamese, they are known by the term thượng (highlanders) - this term can also be applied to other minority ethnic groups in Vietnam. Thượng is the Vietnamese adaptation of the Chinese "Shang" (上). Montagnard was the term, typically shortened to "Yard", used by U.S. military personnel in the Central Highlands during the Vietnam War. However the term has been viewed as derogatory^{[citation needed]} and the official term is now Người dân tộc thiếu số (literally means minority people).

History[link]

Before the Vietnam War, the population of the Central Highlands, estimated at between 3 and 3.5 million, was almost exclusively Degar. Today, the population is approximately 4 million, of whom about 1 million are Degars. The 30 or so Degar tribes in the Central Highlands comprise more than six different ethnic groups who speak languages drawn primarily from the Malayo-Polynesian, Tai, and Mon–Khmer language families. The main tribes, in order of population, are the Jarai, Rhade, Bahnar, Koho, Mnong, and Stieng.

Originally inhabitants of the coastal areas of the region, they were driven to the uninhabited mountainous areas by invading Vietnamese and Cambodians beginning prior to the 9th century.

Although French Roman Catholic missionaries converted some Degar in the nineteenth century, American missionaries made more of an impact in the 1930s, and many Degar are now Protestant. Of the approximately 1 million Degar, close to half are Protestant, while around 200,000 are Roman Catholic. This made Vietnam's Communist Party suspicious of the Degar, particularly during the Vietnam War, since it was thought that they would be more inclined to help the American forces (predominantly Christian—mainly Protestant).

In the mid-1950s, the once-isolated Degar began experiencing more contact with outsiders after the Vietnamese government launched efforts to gain better control of the Central Highlands and, following the 1954 Geneva Accord, new ethnic minorities from North Vietnam moved into the area. As a result of these changes, Degar communities felt a need to strengthen some of their own social structures and to develop a more formal shared identity.

In 1950, the French government established the Central Highlands as the Pays Montagnard du Sud (PMS) under the authority of Vietnamese Emperor Bảo Đại, whom the French had installed as nominal chief of state in 1949 as an alternative to Ho Chi Minh's Democratic Republic of Vietnam. When the French withdrew from Vietnam and recognized a Vietnamese government, Degar political independence was drastically diminished.

The Degar have a long history of tensions with the Vietnamese majority. While the Vietnamese are themselves heterogeneous, they generally share a common language and culture and have developed and maintained the dominant social institutions of Vietnam. The Degar do not share that heritage. There have been conflicts between the two groups over many issues, including land ownership, language and cultural preservation, access to education and resources, and political representation.

In 1958, the Degar launched a movement known as BAJARAKA (the name is made up of the first letters of prominent tribes; similar to the later Nicaraguan Misurasata) to unite the tribes against the Vietnamese. There was a related, well-organized political and (occasionally) military force within the Degar communities known by the French acronym, FULRO, or United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races. FULRO's objectives were autonomy for the Degar tribes.

A US Army Ranger trains Degar guerillas

As the Vietnam War began to loom on the horizon, both South Vietnamese and American policy makers sought to begin training troops from minority groups in the Vietnamese populace. The U.S. Mission to Saigon sponsored the training of the Degar in unconventional warfare by American Special Forces. These newly trained Degar were seen as a potential ally in the Central Highlands area to stop Viet Cong activity in the region and a means of preventing further spread of Viet Cong sympathy.^[1] Later, their participation would become much more important as the Ho Chi Minh trail, the North Vietnamese supply line for Viet Cong forces in the south, grew. The U.S. military, particularly the U.S. Army's Special Forces, developed base camps in the area and recruited the Degar, roughly 40,000 of whom fought alongside American soldiers and became a major part of the U.S. military effort in the Highlands.

Thousands of Degar fled to Cambodia after the fall of Saigon to the North Vietnamese Army, fearing that the new government would launch reprisals against them because they had aided the U.S. Army. The U.S. military resettled some Degar in the United States, primarily in North Carolina, but these evacuees numbered less than two thousand. In addition, the Vietnamese government has steadily displaced thousands of villagers from Vietnam's central highlands, to use the fertile land for coffee plantations.

Outside of southeast Asia, the largest community of Montagnards in the world is located in Greensboro, North Carolina^[2]

Further reading[link]

• Condominas, Georges. We Have Eaten the Forest: The Story of a Montagnard Village in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. New York: Hill and Wang, 1977. ISBN 0-8090-9672-2
• Montagnard Foundation. Human Rights Violations: Montagnard Foundation Report, 2001 : Report on the Situation of Human Rights Concerning the Montagnards or Degar Peoples of Vietnam's Central Highlands. Spartanburg, South Carolina: The Foundation, 2001.
• Montagnard Foundation. History of the Montagnard/Degar People: Their Struggle for Survival and Rights Before International Law. Spartanburg, South Carolina: The Foundation, 2001.

See also[link]

• Tay Nguyen
• List of ethnic groups in Vietnam
• United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races (FULRO)
• Montagnard Foundation
• Dieu Python Movement

References[link]

Books[link]

• Sidney Jones, Malcolm Smart, Joe Saunders, HRW. (2002). Repression of Montagnards: Conflicts Over Land and Religion in Vietnam's Central Highlands, Human Rights Watch. ISBN 1-56432-272-6.
• United States Congress. Senate. Committee on Foreign. (1998). The Plight of the Montagnards: Hearing Before the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Relations, Original from the Library of Congress [1].

External links[link]

• Montagnard Foundation A voice of Degar People.
• Buonnui Degar
• Save The Montagnard People, Dedicated to aiding Degar refugees and their descendants in the United States
• Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people by Rodolfo Stavenhagen for United Nations Commission on Human Rights 6 March 2002. Submitted pursuant to Commission resolution 2001/57 Addendum. Selected summaries of communications examined by the Special Rapporteur in 2001/2002
• Repression of Montagnards: Conflicts over Land and Religion in Vietnam's Central Highlands by Human Rights Watch April 2002
• Montagnards Face Religious, Political Persecution by Human Rights Watch June 2006

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2010)

فرهاد دریا Farhad Darya
Background information
Birth name	Farhad Nasher
Born	(1962-09-22) September 22, 1962 (age 49) Kabul, Afghanistan
Genres	Pop Dance Ghazals Classical music
Occupations	Singer, composer
Instruments	Harmonium, keyboard, guitar
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Various

Farhad 'Darya' Nasher (Persian: فرهاد دریا b. September 22, 1962, from Kunduz, Afghanistan) is an Afghan singer and composer, as well as a highly acclaimed music producer, and Good Will and Peace Ambassador for Afghanistan to the United Nations. Widely popular, he has earned affection for not only his music but also patriotism. He has fan base that stretches from his native Afghanistan to Central Asia, Pakistan, India, and extending to the West among the Afghans.^{[citation needed]} Farhad sings in various languages including: Pashto, Dari Persian, Uzbek, English^{[citation needed]} and Hindi.^[1]

Early years and personal life[link]

Farhad Darya was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, to an Afghan family originating from Kunduz. Farhad's blood lineage can be traced to the Nasher Khans. Darya attended [[Shir Khan|Sher Khan Hd-bed. He later graduated from Habibia High School.^{[citation needed]} After high school he enrolled in the Polytechnical University of Kabul and then subsequently in Kabul University. It was while attending Kabul University that Darya founded his first professional band, Goroh-e-Baran, meaning Rain Band. Initially it was to be called Halqahai Tilayee (Golden Rings) but the newcomers later settled on the former title.^{[citation needed]} The band itself was not largely successful, due in part to its non-traditional music; however, it did acquaint the public with the faces of the member singers: Darya, Asad Badie, Mukhtar Majid and Jawid Rahie.^{[citation needed]} Still involved in his music career, Darya continued his studies in college. During this time, he wrote music for other artists under the pseudonym Abr (Cloud). In 1988, Darya became a professor at the university and taught Western classical music for a year before leaving for Europe.^{[citation needed]}

After traveling through Prague and Hamburg, Darya arrived in Paris, where he would meet Sultana Emam. The two were married in 1993, and moved to the United States in 1995, where they still live in the state of Virginia.^{[citation needed]} In 1996, they had a son, Hejran Darya.^{[citation needed]} and is 14 years old.

Career[link]

Farhad Darya at the 2010 Peace Concert in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Up Until late 1980s[link]

During the 1980s, Darya's focus was his education and his singing profession did not materialize into an established career.^{[citation needed]} Mainly involved with the Rain Band, he was only recognized merely as a single part of a whole group. However, after his emigration from Afghanistan and the dissolution of the group, he embarked on a solo career.^{[citation needed]}

1990s to Present[link]

Since Farhad's television debut on Afghanistan's television network in 1980, he has released over two dozen albums-the acclaimed ones produced in exile, many of which deal with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the resulting misfortunes of the war-torn nation.^{[citation needed]} Most of the music is aimed at helping the people of Afghanistan and bringing unity to his native country. His 2003 album Salam Afghanistan, specifically, deals with themes of national unity. These efforts have earned him much acclaim and the title of "Best Singer of the Year" in his country, and most recently in Copenhagen, Denmark.^{[citation needed]}

He has sung songs in various Afghan dialects, as well as in Uzbeki and Hindi.^[1] Darya started playing Afghan and Indian classical music since 1978. He intends to expand his knowledge in this domain as much as possible. Most of Darya's vocal exercises are in accordance with the rules of Hindustani classical music.

Release of his successful album "HA!"[link]

In 2008 Darya released his international CD HA!. According to Beerobar.com sources the CD has been a Super hit inside Afghanistan.^{[citation needed]} The video of Nazdeek Shodan (Dohle Bezan) from his album HA was released on Afghanistan National Television, which was a hit among Afghans inside the country, and the afghan diaspora.^{[citation needed]}

Besides the latest album Ha farhad darya has many other hits like Ghamgen Kabul, Donya Gozaran, Salam Afghanistan, and Khalwat E Ku Ke Khayalat. He has sung both patriotic as well as romantic songs however, patriotic songs won more popularity than the romantic songs.

Films[link]

Darya produced additional scoring and lyrics for Through Her Eyes a film by Mithaq Kazimi in 2007.^[2][3]

Darya produced background music for the film In Foreign Land (1998).^[4]

Awards[link]

• Afghanistan: Best Singer of the Year (2003)
• Denmark: Best Singer of the Year (2005)
• Afghanistan: "Best Album of the Year" (2008)
• Afghanistan: "Best Singer of the Year" (2009)
• Dubai: "Best Singer of the Year" (2011)
• Human Rights Award: (2007)

Farhad Darya is also working on a new movie with Afghan actor Masood Jan and the movie is in post-production.^{[citation needed]}

Discography[link]

Farhad Darya's Peace Concert in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Farhad Darya's Peace Concert in Kabul, Afghanistan.

• Released in Afghanistan
  • Yaare Bewafaa (یار بی وفا)
  • Rahe Rafta (راه رفته)
  • Afghan Folk Music (محلي)
  • Zaro Jane (زارو جانه)
  • Baran (باران)
  • Ghazal (غزل)
  • Bolbole Awara (بلبل آواره)
  • Mazdeegar (مازديگر)
  • Bazme Ghazal (بزم غزل)
  • Mehrbaani (مهربانی)

• Released Abroad
  • Begum Jan (بیگم جان)
  • Teri Soorat (तेरी सूरत / تیری صورت)
  • Ateschparcha (آتش پرچه)
  • Afghanistan (افغانستان)
  • Live In San Francisco (كنسرت سانفرانسيسكو)
  • Shakar (شكر)
  • In Foreign Land (در سرزمين بيگانه)
  • Qabila-e-Ashiq (قبیلهء عاشق)
  • Golom Golom (گُلم گُلم)
  • Salaam Afghanistan (سلام افغانستان)
  • HA!( 2008 )
  • Yahoo (2008)

• Compilations
  • Listen To The Banned (2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Farhad Darya

• Official Website
• Official Fansite
• Official Facebook
• Official YouTube Channel
• Life is Beautiful Campagne
• Kochah - Sponser a Child, Save a Life

Ahmad Zahir
Ahmad Zahir years before his death
Background information
Birth name	Ahmad Zahir
Born	(1946-06-14)14 June 1946 Laghman, Afghanistan
Died	14 June 1979(1979-06-14) (aged 33) Salang, Parwan Province, Afghanistan
Genres	Rock, pop
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, composer
Instruments	Harmonium, piano, accordion, Farfisa, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, combo organ
Years active	1967–1979
Labels	Afghan Music, Aj Musik, EMI, Music Center

Ahmad Shirpacha Zahir (Persian: احمد ظاهر‎ – Aḥmad Zāhir; 14 June 1946 – 14 June 1979) was a singer, songwriter, and composer from Afghanistan. He is widely considered an icon of Afghan music and is sometimes called the "King of Afghan music". His songs are mostly in Persian and based on well-recognized Persian poems, although a few are in Pashto and English.^[1] Zahir composed and performed rock and pop music, in a similar style to Elvis Presley. Today, he is regarded as one of the greatest persons in Afghan culture and history.

Biography[link]

Zahir was born on 14 June 1946 (Jauza 24, 1325 of the Jalali calendar) in Laghman, Afghanistan.^[2] His father, Abdul Zahir, was a royal court doctor, minister of health, Prime Minister of Afghanistan between 1971 and 1972,^[3] speaker of the parliament and an influential figure in King Zahir Shah's era who helped write the 1964 Constitution of Afghanistan. Zahir grew up in Kabul and belonged to the Pashtun ethnic background.^[2][4][5]

Zahir attended Habibia High School in Kabul in the early 1960s. He sang and played the accordion in a band mainly consisting of his friends and classmates including Omar Sultan on guitar, Farid Zaland on congas and Kabir Howaida on piano. The band later became known as the amateur band of Habibia High School and performed in local concerts during celebratory occasions like Nowruz, Eid ul-Fitr,^{[disambiguation needed ]} and Afghan Independence Day.^[6]

He later attended and graduated from Daru' l-Malimeen ("Teachers' College") in Kabul, then continued his higher education for two more years in India to get a degree as an English instructor. Eventually, however, he decided that music was his true calling. Zahir began his solo career composing songs based on well-recognized Persian poems. His first recorded song, "Gar Kuni Yak Nizara", was his own composition, sung in the pilu raga. He continued writing and recording songs such as "Azeezam Ba Yaadat", "Ahista-ahista", "Akhir Ay Darya", "Hama Yaranam", "Agar Sabza Boodam", "Guftam Ke Mekhwaham Tura", "Shabe Ze Shabha" and "Parween-e Man".^[6]

Zahir worked with mentors such as Ismail Azami (saxophonist), Nangalai (trumpeter), Abdullah Etemadi (drummer), and other musicians including Salim Sarmast, Naynawaz, Taranasaz, and Mas'hour Jamal. He recorded over 22 albums in the 1970s. His songs were noted for their mellifluous tone, poetic style, compelling depth, and passionate emotional evocation.^{[citation needed]} His lyrics covered a wide range of subjects. Many of his songs contained autobiographical elements or political criticism of Afghanistan's government.^[7] As a result many of his recordings were destroyed by the government.

The Zahir professionally was on the scene of Afghan Music for only 10 years at the most; however, Zahir managed to record more than 30 albums. This was and is unheard of in any music industry around the world. All of these albums were successful and widely accepted (to this date) by everyone. The kings managed to complete these recordings almost 40 years ago with almost no technology of today's world, and all was done in live recordings. It is said the kings recorded his Arian Music Album 1 in one day, that had more than 12 songs. Zahir only recorded two music videos during his career.

Death[link]

Zahir died on 14 June 1979, on his 33rd birthday. There are many mixed views from critics for why he was killed, but according to his son Rishad Zahir, Zahir "was assassinated by the order of a communist general^{[verification needed]} named Daud Taroon, who used one of Zahir's best friends as an accomplice to carry out his orders". Zahir's political stance was at odds with the Marxist government of the time^[6] who claimed that he had died in a car accident.^[7] Other critics state that he was shot twice by someone, who then crashed Zahir's car on a wall, and put him inside the vehicle, pretending that he had a car accident.

A large crowd of mourners attended Zahir's funeral in Kabul, clogging the city streets and bringing daily activities to a halt.^[7]

After his death Zahir became a national hero and his image was mythologized by the Afghan people.^[8] Because of his privileged family background, Zahir helped to establish music as a more respected profession which in turn led to the founding of The Kabul Music School in 1974.^[9]

Discography[link]

Afghan music albums[link]

• Vol. 1 – Dilak am (1973)
• Vol. 2 – Bahar (1973)
• Vol. 3 – Shab ha ye zulmane (1974)
• Vol. 4 – Mother (1974)
• Vol. 5 – Awara (1975)
• Vol. 6 – Ghulam-e Qamar (1975)
• Vol. 7 – Sultan Qalbaam (1976)
• Vol. 8 – Az Ghamat Hy Nazaneen (1976)
• Vol. 9 – Gulbadaan (1971)
• Vol. 10 – Yaare Bewafa (1977)
• Vol. 11 – Lylee (1977)
• Vol. 12 – Ahmad Zahir and Jila (1978)
• Vol. 13 – Ahange Zindagee (1978)
• Vol. 14 – Shab-e Hijraan (1979) (posthumous release)

Note: Audio cassette versions of many of Zahir's Afghan Music albums are missing some songs that are present on the original vinyl records.

Ariana music albums[link]

• Vol. 1 – Daard-e Dil (1972)
• Vol. 2 – Mosum-e Gul (1977)

Note: The original Ariana Music record albums contain many hidden tracks.

Music center albums[link]

• Vol. 1 – Ashiq rooyat Mon (1973)
• Vol. 2 – Neshe Gashdum (1976)
• Vol. 3 – Lylee Jaan (1977)
• Vol. 4 – Ahmad Zahir Ba Sitara Haa (1977)
• Vol. 5 – To Baamanee (1978)

Private albums[link]

• Shamali
• Hindi Songs
• Afghanistan Songs
• Agar Bahar Byayad
• Ahmad Zahir & Nainawaaz
• Almase-Sharq
• Gulhaayi-Jawedan
• Gulhayi Nafaramoshshuda
• Khateraha
• Khudaat-Medani Guleman
• Laily-Laily-Jan
• Raaze-Penhan
• Soorodhayie-Jawedan
• Yaad-Mandaha
• Zindani

Other discography information[link]

• He has over 10 private recording albums from 1965–1978.
• He only recorded 2 music videos in Radio Kabul TV: "Laylee Jaan" in 1976 and "Khuda Buwat Yarret" in 1977.
• Zahir recorded several songs in Radio Kabul and Radio Afghanistan studios which later came out as albums. Eight of these albums have been released.

References[link]

• "Review of Anthology of World Music: The Music of Afghanistan". Delusions of Adequacy Reviews. http://www.adequacy.net/review.php?reviewID=3579. Retrieved 28 January 2006. ^{[dead link]}
• "Ahmad Zahir". http://saaztube.com/Ahmad_Zahir.txt. Retrieved 23 March 2012. 
• Sakata, Hiromi Lorraine (1983). Music in the Mind: The Concepts of Music and Musician in Afghanistan. Kent State University Press. ISBN 0-87338-265-X. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ahmad Zahir

• AhmadZahir.com Official website