KHOST - Hailing from provinces as far away as Logar and Maydan Wardak, some 2,000 people flocked to the south-eastern Afghan province of Khost to attend a festival aimed at promoting peace through the spoken word.

“In the last three years, effective steps have been taken to resolve tribal conflicts peacefully, maintain peace and security and improve social understanding about the ongoing peace process,” said the Governor of Khost province, Abdul Jabar Naeemi, at the opening of the festival which took place on Saturday in the provincial capital, also known as Khost.

The one-day event was organized by the governor’s office and was held on the grounds of his guesthouse and went late into the night. In addition to poetry recitations, the festival also involved musical performances, speeches and lectures on history.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) supports peace and reconciliation efforts, particularly efforts that seek the input of large and diverse components of civil society.

Those attending the gathering included poets, members of literary and cultural associations, community elders, singers, government representatives and the general public.

In speeches delivered at the festival, attendees offered different perspectives on the search for peace in Afghanistan.

“We have a common proverb in Pashto: blood cannot be washed away with blood,” said a local activist, Nasir Rokhan. “Negotiation is the only way to reconcile, settle our disputes through and move forward.”

Other activists said the country’s artists have an important role to play in promoting peace.

“Writers and poets can move people away from the battlefield to a normal life,” said a local scholar, Qazi Mohammad Hasson Haqyar. “They should criticize the ongoing tragedy, injustices and work to raise awareness about national unity, peace and reintegration.”