Walkers for Afghan Tots!
Originally uploaded by gaikokujinkyofusho
While cavorting around Kabul’s biggest bazaar on my photography excursion I came across something I don’t see very often, a traditional (I think) Afghan toy!
Lately I have been trying to find some toys for my cousins, for the girls it was a cinch but for the little(est) boy it has been kinda difficult. I am not the type that enjoys getting meaningless or useless gifts so I tend not to give them either (personally I’d rather do without than get a meaningless/useless gift). This has been a bit of a problem though, if he was a weeee bit older I could get him some really cool handmade knives (a staple of my boyhood) or maybe some old Islamic/Buddhist/Greek coins always interesting (when you are old enough to appreciate them) but damn, for a kid who is not even waist high (well not to me at least) it ain’t easy.
In talking with my Afghan friends they have confessed to me that there are few traditional afghan toys (that they can think of). I actually saw a picture of this toy somewhere else and my friend informed me it is a walker for kids (ironic, you start off using one of these things and end up using them too [kind of like diapers I guess]). So tots that are learning to walk shuffle around while holding on to these but my cousins is pretty darn mobile (ie not that young) so it wouldn’t work for him but they are interesting all the same… I haven’t seen older people here use walkers at all but a larger version of this might work for those aging 60s revivalist!
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