Wald and Schultheis began their journey in the dusty city of Kabul, then
crossed the desert to the old capital city of Bamiyan, northeast into the
Himalayas, and north to the windswept Turkoman Plains. Dodging armed
terrorists, feuding warlords, active minefields, and roadblocks manned by
bandits, they spent some nights in villages where they were the first
Western visitors in 20 years.

Wald's images capture both perfectly preserved thousand-year monuments and
historic cities blown up by zealots or dug up by desperately poor
villagers trying to survive. In an article for the Smithsonian magazine,
Schultheis described the sorrow of the Afghan people. "A young village
boy's lips move silently in prayer as tears fall from his eyes. An old
peasant looks over at me and shakes his head gently, sadly: our grief is
your grief he seems to by saying: you and I, we know what greatness the
world has lost here."

Wald's project was supported in part by a Banff Mountain Grant and
assignments for U.S. magazines, including the Smithsonian. Wald's slide
presentation on March 16 will examine the environment in Afghanistan and
explain how the outside community can help.

Beth Wald's accompanying photographic exhibition, Eternal Afghanistan,
tells stories of hope and survival from her remarkable journey. Sixteen
photographs will be on display in the foyer of the Max Bell Auditorium
from March 16 to April 15, 2004.

Tickets for the Mountain Speakers' Series event are $8 at the door, free
to Mountain Culture members.

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Downloadable images available at
http://www.banffmountainfestivals.ca/ftp/2004/speakernights.htm