Dari/Natsound If there's one thing that epitomises for many the spirit of Afghanistan, it's the sport of buzkashi. The buzkashi season is now in full swing and, even with front lines from the civil war close by, games still go on. APTN reports on a game near the town of Taloqan on the anti-Taliban side of the lines. A hillside is crammed with spectators near the current front lines in the north of Afghanistan. Raging below, a fight of a different kind - buzkashi. The play sweeps past jeeps owned by local commanders taking time out from the war to sponsor a game. Buzkashi has few rules but a long tradition. In essence it's an organised fight, on horseback. The people love it and games can go on for days. This game has been put on to entertain the local villagers -- it's not one of the more formal matches, but the players still take it seriously, fighting and whipping each other. In this game, every man is out for himself. Each win is rewarded by a sponsor. And over a month's salary is at stake -- up to ten U- S dollars. It looks like chaos but the objective is very simple. Each game starts with the carcass of a calf on the ground. When the referee starts the game the players each try to pick it up. When one player does, the fun really starts, as he tries to stop up to 50 other horsemen from stealing it from him. It's a test of agility, horsemanship and strength. The game is won when one player manages to break away from the others with the calf and drop it in open ground. The next game then starts from this point. Haji Abdul Kuddus takes a break to bandage his hand. He says he's been playing for 45 years. He's captain of the provincial team but today, like the others, he's playing just for himself. SOUNDBITE: (Dari) "People love Buzkashi because it's the sport which is regarded as champion of the world in the country, the sport of sports. Throughout the country, buzkashi is the sport. Not everyone can play. It's not hard to see why. It's a very traditional and fierce game." SUPERCAPTION: Haji Abdul Kuddus, Captain, Takhar province team Also resting among the crowd are Habib and Tolah Pahlawan, Habib with a fresh cut to the forehead. SOUNDBITE: (Dari) "It's a very good buzkashi with friends from two or three teams. It's been very interesting. Everyone's pulling for himself. I got two or three prizes. He won five or six." SUPERCAPTION: Habib Pahlawan, Buzkashi player SOUNDBITE: (Dari) "I've been playing for fifteen or sixteen years. He'll tell you about himself." SUPERCAPTION: Habib Pahlawan, Buzkashi player While some players and commanders hang back from the centre of the action the buzkashi equivalent of a cheerleader encourages the players in the middle with a megaphone, principally telling them how much money they'll get if they win. The bigger the prize the harder the game. And there are no boundaries for the playing area. The game wheels up into the spectators on the hillside. It's all part of the fun. There are games in Taliban areas too. As long as the prizes keep coming, the players keep playing, sometimes for days. Buzkashi is played in some other Central Asian countries but the Afghans boast they are the best and toughest players of all. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/30bb2a7666b2401a189d1dc5653121b6 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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