Signs of the Times

In a clash of commerce versus culture, Kabul traders have reacted angrily to an order to use one of the national languages - Dari or Pashto - more prominently than English on the signs on their shop fronts.

In late September, the ministry of information, culture and tourism, gave shopkeepers just two weeks either to eliminate the English words from their signs, or to display their Dari or Pashto equivalents above them or in larger type.

The deadline passed with very little effect. The ministry has extended the time frame until the end of October, but Kabul’s businessmen seem in no hurry to comply.

Standing under a shop sign reading Blue Sky Mobile Centre in the central Shahr-e-Naw district, mobile phone seller Habib, 23, told IWPR he had paid over 300 US dollars for the sign.

"I wrote this sign to attract customers,” he said. “If I have to change it, I’ll lose customers and I’ll have to tell everyone about my change of address ."

The trendy western-style names many adopt for their shops do not lend themselves easily to a word-for-word translation. "Unfortunately we don’t have substitutes for these English words in Dari and Pashto,” said Habib. “The signs must be attractive so that they draw people in, and not make people laugh."

In fact, both Dari and Pashto have words for "mobile phone" but the English word "mobile" is more widespread.

Culture ministry official Sayed Aqa Hussain Sancharaki said the decision was taken in agreement with the city authorities and the state-run advertising authority Afghan Elanat, in a bit to promote national identity.

"When a person comes here, he ought to realise he has come to Afghanistan," said Sancharaki.

But over at the modern, blue-glass fronted Chief Burger restaurant, owner Shah Mahmood, 42, was equally unhappy with the order. “We don’t have equivalent words for this in our languages ,” he said.

"Changing the signs will not benefit us… we’ll lose customers and also have the expense of another electronic billboard, which is 2,028 dollars."

Anisa Zamani, chairwoman of Afghan Elanat, defended the order.

"We are determined to keep our Afghan culture alive and we must change the signs," she said, adding that if people needed help with translation they should ask the Academy of Sciences, or else " come to us and we’ll help them".

Maybe she should start with the ministry that issued the order. While Dari and Pashto have words for “tourism” the ministry of information, culture and tourism prefers to use the English word in its title, a clear breach of its own directive.

For this reason, traders like Habib say the ministry is being hypocritical. "They should improve their own use of language," he said.

Academy of Sciences member Ghotai Khawri supported the name-changes. "Signs in markets, shops and everywhere else must be cultural ambassadors and everyone travelling to this land must know they have come to Afghanistan," she said.

Many Kabulis agree, complaining that the use of foreign words in the city has increased markedly since the overthrow of the Taleban in 2001 and the arrival of international aid workers into the city.

Ahmad Tamim, 21, who sells electrical equipment along Nadir Pashtoon Road, says he is tired of hearing and seeing foreign words, "Our own languages must develop. We should use words that people know."

One person who is definitely pleased with the order is Sayed Najibullah Saifi, who runs a shop that makes signs which can only benefit from the demand for new inscriptions.

"If anyone wants me to change an English sign to Dari or Pashto for them, then I’ll give them a 50 per cent discount because of my concern for my country and its national languages," he promised.

But Saifi, the 28-year-old owner of Digital Signs, concedes that no one has yet ordered him to redo the English-language sign in front of his store.

It is unclear what sanctions, if any, will be imposed on those who ignore the government’s order. But Zamani, from Afghan Elanat, is adamant that the signs will have to change.

"If anyone ignores the order, we will use spray paint to cover their signs," she warned.

Abdul Baseer Saeed is an IWPR staff reporter in Kabul.