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Eleven million viewers are enthralled by the images on the television screen. The year is ２００5 and one-third of Afghanistan’s population is watching the season finale of “Afghan Star，』 a television show based on its western predecessors where contestants sing wholeheartedly for the top spot.

Artistic viewers， welcome to Enlightening Entertainment today for the first of our ２-part program featuring Mr. Daoud Sediqi， the original “Afghan Star』 television host and current Voice of America radio host.

In the United States and United Kingdom， these types of shows focusing on music contests are commonplace. However， in Afghanistan， a country where music had been restricted from １９９6 to ２００１， the launch of “Afghan Star』 was a landmark movement.  Daoud Sediqi Music had a history of thousands of years in our country.

For nearly a decade， it had faced serious problems. We had several artists outside of Afghanistan who accomplished some works， but inside Afghanistan， the music totally stopped.

HOST: Music is a universal language that is deeply rooted in the heart of every human. With its prolific tradition of music for thousands of years， the voices of the Afghan people began to ring out again with enthusiasm to revive their beautiful heritage.

For more information on Mr. Daoud Sediqi’s work with Voice of America，
please visit: www.VOANews.com/Pashto