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CNN Live At Daybreak

Teenagers in Afghanistan and U.S. Exchange Questions

Aired December 18, 2001 - 06:37   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: For months now, we've been working hard to keep you informed about the war in Afghanistan, but somewhere in the mix, we stopped short of introducing one culture to another. Our Jason Bellini picked up on that and in this report, he merges where he used to work, MTV, with where he's working now, CNN.

The end result is a joint CNN-MTV news venture - a way for U.S. and Afghan teens to get to know one another.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you do for fun and entertainment? On the news they make it out as you're not allowed to listen to music or watch TV. I was just curious as what the youth of Afghanistan does for entertainment and for fun.

JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What do Afghan teens do for fun?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, if I have any free time, I play something, we'll go to movies or something.

BELLINI: What kind of movies do you like?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Indian. Just Indian, yeah.

BELLINI: Just Indian movies?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Afghanistan, all of movies are Indian.

BELLINI: Now that the Taliban are gone, teenage boys and girls theoretically have freedom. Freedom to have fun, but the economic situation hasn't changed and so, many of them have to say at home or be at work all day supporting their families. Yet they now have the freedom to watch movies; to listen to music; to do things that teens around the world do without living in fear of the Taliban; the fear of being arrested; the fear of being punished.

DAN: Hi, I'm Dan. I enjoy playing basketball and other organized sports, and I was just wondering what kind of sports and other organized activities you guys play.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Our entertainment in this country is playing this game called Karin bowl (ph), and playing football, volleyball, and basketball.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the morning, we have one hour for sport.

BELLINI: What do you play? What sport?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I play football, soccer.

BELLINI: Soccer -- soccer in America. Did you play football during the Taliban or not?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never. (ph)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard that under the Taliban, life for girls in Afghanistan was really harsh. What is it like now?

BELLINI: For many Afghan girls, the situation has even been worse than that of boys because the Taliban wouldn't allow them to go to school, so they have been never any left their homes. They stay at home knitting carpets all day to help support their families. So fun is not something they really had time or the opportunity to think about. How many hours everyday do you make carpet?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nine hours.

BELLINI: Nine hours everyday to make carpet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

BELLINI: Why do you make carpets?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because -- because the situation of the people of Afghanistan is very poor, they need some money -- because money.

BELLINI: Your parents - you need to help your parents with money?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We haven't got any entertainment or fun. We're busy with chores around the house.

BELLINI: You think life will be better here for teens in the future?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I hope so.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Just a footnote here, Jason used to work at MTV under Choose or Lose Campaign, and that's where he learned to shoot a lot of his own digital video. His reports will also air on MTV.

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