In the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan, The silence is barely disturbed by the footsteps of the horses. The temperature is close to -15 degrees.
This year, winter came early. And that's what worries the old shopkeeper and his driver. The snow could block everything
moment the only road in the valley, Holding them prisoners with their
goods for several months. Push your donkey! He's not going to get her out of there so we can get through. This donkey is very curious! He blocks the road by himself! Move over, there's mud, the truck is going to slide! To get here, Hadji crossed without
encumbers the areas controlled by the Taliban. So it's not a donkey that goes
prevent him from continuing his journey. But Hadji has another problem. His old truck is as stubborn as a donkey. You have to say
that its engine has exceeded one million kilometres. The gearbox is stuck! Sometimes the river comes out of its bed and it
there are floods. There are also avalanches. These kinds of complications. That's how Afghanistan is. What can we do ? It's a tiring road, but I'm obliged otherwise
what else to do? I have spent my life on these roads. If I don't come here how can I make a living? But
every time I make the trip, it exhausts me. This year, Hadji took the risk of hiring a young driver. Me, I've been a driver for two years.
Before, I delivered goods to Kabul. This is my first time in the Wakhan Corridor. I have no land, I have no income,
I earn my living by the strength of the wrist! I owe nothing to others and I'm proud of it. I'm independent and that, you see, is priceless. Driver, now it's my job. We go to the end of the corridor in Sahrat. We're going slowly, step by step,
village by village, locality by locality. Afghanistan is no longer a valley
happy, as Joseph Kessel wrote. War has ravaged the country for decades. The Wakhan corridor where
Hadji, was miraculously spared. No Taliban, no foreign soldier has ever entered it. Hello, what are you carrying? We transport goods! The Wakhan Corridor is a mountainous region
located in the far north east of Afghanistan. A dirt track crosses it for almost 350 kilometers in length. Stop ! No Hadji, there is no problem. You are a head of mule!
Do what I tell you! Without this line of life on which
venture rare traders, The inhabitants would lack the goods
more basic, such as flour or salt. Without these goods, the inhabitants of the corridor could not face the rigors of winter and its -30 degrees. Here, in Mount Wakhan, there are no Taliban.
They can't tell us anything. This family of Huaris has been wandering in the snow for
20 days, looking for a new path. Many of our animals died in the mountains. Up there, there are still men and
beasts stuck in the snow. We have five children with us and they suffered a lot from the cold. Even though it was cold, I'm happy
because I was with my parents. The Huaris live from raising sheep and yaks. Each transhumance is a new adventure. I always have a gun on me when I go to the Pamirs. Where there are packs of wolves. They
regularly attack livestock. The caravan finally arrives at the entrance to the corridor. She is still very far from her village. On these remote lands, you have to have
patience on the road and in trade. In this village, three people
owe me money. There is Shambé, Mahboub and Karim. Since I trade in
the hallway always goes well. They are quiet people, people of honor. If they owe me anything, they
will reimburse. Even ten years after that. There are onions, rice, soap. Flour, a saddle for a donkey. There, sweets. More flour, part of the truck. A tire.
Bags. Matches.
A generator. Turnips. In this container there is gasoline. A pressure cooker. Well, it's that sort of thing. Give me 7 kg of onions. - Do you have a bag?
- Yes, I will look for it. Hadji! - You wouldn't have it in size 5?
- No, that's all I have. - How much does it cost ?
- 100 afghanis. (1.30 euro) - Give me a box of matches.
- A box of matches son! They are for my sister. I got them for 1.30 euros with the matches. It's 14 kg. - Onions and turnips are mixed?
- Yes, yes, they are mixed. In the Wakhan, barter is also commonplace. 3.90 euros for cheese is not
enough ! You need to give me more. We do business. He brought me cured cheese
which I swap with onions. For your 17.5 kg of cured cheese,
I give you 21 kg of onions. - Is this Hadji village?
- Yes, there it is. I'll see if my salt blocks are still
the. If there are any left, I'll load them. Yes, the salt is still there. In Afghanistan, salt comes directly from the mines
dug into the mountains at the other end of the country. Further down the corridor they are running out of salt.
They would die for salt! 300 kilos of ore are loaded on the back of the truck. Proud, the carriers claim nothing. Hadji makes a small gesture all the same. Give him your scarf. In this cold, these turnips will give you strength. Night is fast approaching. Hadji and his driver are
invited to sleep in the house of the village chief. Didn't you make a fire? Safar Bay, how are you? And health ? - So you all came down from the Samir?
- No, the snow is blocking the pass, you can't pass. - Did your family stay there?
- Yes ! For men it's not too bad,
but for women it is very difficult. Hadji is famous in Wakhan. On each of his rounds, the inhabitants
offer him board and lodging. Wash your hands. Bring the tablecloth my boy! The meal was prepared by the women of the village, But it's the men who take care of the service. The menus hardly vary in the Wakhan. Rice and potatoes are the base of every meal. There are several traders, like Hadji, who come to
our village. They come in the summer to buy our products. They bring us rice, potatoes
earth, onions and rubber boots. It solves a lot of our problems.
Without them, life would be complicated. This year it snowed a lot. Normally,
it doesn't snow that early in the year. And sometimes because of the snow, the trucks
can't pass. They remain blocked. I have been traveling the roads of Wakhan for fifteen years. In this sense, I bring goods and
in the other, I bring back the sheep, the cattle. Finally, all they have. The night was freezing. The wind maintained a good -15 degrees. Low-quality diesel froze. The truck does not start. We make a fire to heat the truck. Come on boy, go set your truck on fire! Pushes you ! You should have taken a flat stone. I'm frozen! There is snow under the truck. Shift gears and go slow! There is snow.
It can slip and what will we do next, huh? Do not rush. Use your head! Look at the road, it's really bad.
There are stones everywhere. Thank God and may the devil be deaf! Since the time that I come in these
valleys, I never had a problem. Looked ! The truck does not pass. What a rotten road! It's very dangerous here, there's no
space for only one vehicle. It's only a hair's breadth away. The truck
can overturn at any time. There really is something to be afraid of. Be careful behind there are rocks! There are rocks! You hit the rocks!
You hit the rocks! Let me down! Turn left, turn left. Where ? I see nothing ! Turn left ! Go straight back, straight back! Yes that's all right! It's good, it's good! There's another rock! Dumbass ! - You put on chains?
- Yes, this side requires chains. - Is there snow on the road?
- Yes up there there are. - It slips ?
- Yes. Switch to 4 wheel drive! Is it the cold, the fear of an accident, the youth of the driver... Relations between the two men are deteriorating, like the road. Stop ! No Hadji, there is no problem. I tell you to stop.
You are going to go up and at the top it is frozen. No Hadji, there is no problem. You risk getting bogged down. I will look first.
When I tell you to come, you come. Hadji listens... You are a head of mule! Do what I tell you! Alright, alright Hadji. It's dry. No need to go see. Hadji teaches his young driver to be careful. A bad analysis of the danger and that's the whole
fortune of the merchant who plunges into the ravine. We drive on dirt and ice. At 3500 meters above sea level, the slightest effort exhausts Hadji. The old man has not finished breathing. The caravan of yaks advances inexorably. As condemned to a perpetual march. Their warm clothes, after 20 days spent in
snow, no longer protects them from the bites of winter. Men and women are exhausted. The caravan arrives at the only stage of its journey. Sahrat village. For the first time in 20 days,
they will be able to sleep warm. - Welcome ! Arrived safely ?
- Yes thanks. Are your children okay? Welcome my sister! The shepherd's caravan is piled up in this little house. We suffered a lot because of the snow on the road. We had it! - Did you serve the meal?
- No not yet. To celebrate their arrival, a sheep was killed. Feed the little one well so that he is satisfied! After 20 days of walking, the sky is not
clear that for only two days. We are happy to be here. We had no accidents on the way. There was no avalanche. However, this road is dangerous. We have our yaks transhumed in the Pamirs. Up there, they make dried cheese, oil.
We are shepherds, we graze our animals. It's complicated but what to do? That's life. We'll get home tomorrow. Well, God willing! Once back, I will tell my adventures to my family. Hadji doesn't just sell his wares. He barters it for a few head of cattle. - So this is your cow?
- Yes, that's the one. - I'll give you 235 euros, no haggling.
- No, it's not like that between us! - How much do you want?
- In cash, 335 euros. I am leaving ! I am leaving ! Hadji! Don't complicate it, you'll agree.
Trust God! Take it Hadji! She is looking at you! Well, 246 euros is my last price.
Accept it or not. Come on I'm leaving! It is not profitable.
It's a small cow, it's too expensive. Your 246 euros, how many bags of flour? - I sell them at 18 euros per bag.
- How many bags? Let's say 16 euros per bag. No, 16 euros was the price before the Eid holiday. No that's not true.
Why are you lying ? Come with me to the wholesaler. If they are 16 euros,
I'll give you all my cargo! - I give you 14 bags, you earn 7 euros.
- Nope. - How many bags do you want?
- Well, 25! You're wasting my day! He doesn't want to sell. He doesn't want to sell. But the negotiations are far from over. Hadji drags the farmer to his truck in order to
show him that he has enough to make him change his mind. Even at Sarah, at the end of the corridor, the bags of
flour do not sell at 18 euros. We go there together, if you find it cheaper,
I'll give you my truck. I have already negotiated 105 kg of flour
against sheep. - Your cow, do you know how many sheep she is worth?
- What do I know? I am not a butcher myself. I do not know
the price of sheep, I've had enough of my problems. As we know each other well, I'll give you 15 sacks for your cow. Hadji my word does not count for you? - My bags of flour are 35 kg!
I will weigh them before your eyes. - Still happy Hadji! - You know the weight of your bags.
- You know, there are sellers who cheat on the weight. - I know, I know. Give me rice instead of flour if you have it. - I do not have any.
- I heard you say the opposite! - I am only 28 kg.
- Give me all. - So 28 kg of rice for a bag of flour.
So I owe you 14 sacks of flour. - OK. Hadji don't forget the 7 euros you owe me.
I want them in cash. I'll give you a box of sweets worth 13 euros. I have no cash! Thanks to this flour and the block of salt, Akim, the breeder of
cows and her children have enough to last all winter, While waiting for the next truck to arrive in the spring. In the Wakhan, life is tough, without any concessions. Children help their parents
the farm from an early age. Their only moment of freedom, they find it at school. There are very few schools in the valley. They are
often built at the crossroads of several villages. Their remoteness forces the children to
walk over an hour to get there. But none of them complain about it, especially the girls. In Afghanistan, the Taliban do not allow
not girls to go to school. We don't have the right to go there. Here in my Wakhan, there are no Taliban.
They can't tell us anything. It is very cold and the way to school is very long. There is no heating in the school
and classes are freezing. We don't have notebooks or pens. The children have class only 4 hours a day. You have finished 3rd grade.
Do you want to continue your studies? Yes Master ! What subjects interest you the most? chemistry and biology. In other parts of Afghanistan, girls are under threat. They have no rights. Here, we lack teachers and knowledge. But we are free and happy to be. The old truck sometimes lacks
breath to get out of ruts. That day, the effort is shared. Shepherds
lend a hand to Hadji and Nakim. Nakim tries to slide rocks by lifting the wheel of the truck. But the jack refuses to lift the machine. After so many years spent traveling
these roads, Hadji weakened. Each new journey is an ordeal. He takes advantage of these passages to stop
in the only clinic in the corridor. Your blood pressure is high. I am sick. I have an intestinal infection
which makes me bleed and my blood pressure is high. I came to this dispensary for a
consultation and have me prescribed medication. Take it for 2-3 days after meals. - After the meals ?
- Yes. And the other is to lower your blood pressure. - One every night and you stop.
- One per evening and I stop. The end of the corridor is still a day's journey away, And this part of the road is also the most dangerous. On bends, reduce first
your speed, then turn The road is narrow. Notify me for sharp turns. But don't steer like you're driving
on a paved road. Look at a truck slipped here! Watch out for the stone!
All trucks slide here, even the biggest ones. Pay attention to this stone.
That it doesn't get stuck between the tires. -Look in your rear view mirror. It's good she didn't get stuck?
- No it's good I avoided it. As a good trader, Hadji will take advantage of this forced halt. His truck stopped very close to a village. Where are your cattle? - The low.
- Towards the houses? I'm going to see this man's cattle. He wants
flour or something else in return. We'll see. The local goat has no teeth! So this is your goat? She has no teeth! - It's okay, you don't need the teeth,
this is the meat you need. - Yes, it is fleshy. The goat with an extra sheep. In exchange for 10 bags of flour.
For both ! No, that goat.
I don't want sheep. Riad, I have. - Take both, I need flour!
- No, I don't need the sheep. Give me the price of the goat, but not in flour.
In cash! - But I need flour!
- I will count the flour for you in silver too. I don't understand the price of your barter. - The goat for 90 euros.
- 90? - At this price you don't want to sell.
- If I want to sell it! - Goats like that are 78 euros.
- Here no one has sold at 78 yet. Well, too bad for you! His goat, she has no teeth
and I will only get 14 kg of meat from it. What changes the teeth? It's the meat you're selling, not the teeth! And you must know something Hadji! Before, flour was 6.50 euros, then 7.70 euros,
9 euros and 10.30 euros. And now it is 18 euros! - How much should I sell my cattle for then?
- It was God who did that, not me! Nope ! God didn't raise the price
flour in the sky, and cattle on the ground. God's abundance must be on both. If your cattle don't sell,
it's because of the Taliban. Hadji was not always a tradesman. In his youth, he fought the Soviet Union under the
orders from Afghanistan's most respected military leader. For fourteen years I was mujahid
with Commander Massoud. I was the commander of a group of fighters. With my men, I was smuggling
to Pakistan to search for weapons. Weapons were transported on the back of donkeys,
of horses and yaks through the mountains. We were at war with the Soviets. After these fourteen years, I no longer had the
strength to fight. I stopped jihad. When I first came here fifteen
years, the inhabitants did not even know the soap. Now they have soap, but they extend
always the laundry on the dusty floor. On the other side of the earth, they seek to go to Mars. And look how we live at home! We have arrived at his Sahrat. It's the end of the corridor, it's the end of the road. We'll turn around and stop on the way,
recover the animals that we swapped on the way. It's the cow that I sold to Hadji for
fifteen sacks of flour and one sack of rice. As tradition dictates, travelers
are greeted with a pinch of flour. Welcome my sisters! Thank God you are safe and sound! These are our traditions. White is purity and joy. I'm very happy, we came
to celebrate their return from the Pamirs. The Houaris are Ismailis, a moderate stream of Islam. That's why these women mix with men, And speak freely with their faces uncovered. A way of life far removed from the radical doctrines of the Taliban. There is nothing acceptable about the Taliban. They force women to wear the veil
integral. They forbid them to go out. They are cruel. Here we are free. Our children can go to school and
we can work freely. In six months, with the arrival of spring, the Houari families will set off again for the meadows of the great Pamir.
