Moral commute
Dec 02, 09:28 PM
Shared taxi rides are a ubiquitous mode of transportation in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. What I found fascinating were the choices of music/audio playing out of the vehicle's speakers.
The music was often Tajik pop de jour, but the range was really wide - from Russian prison chanson to Qur'anic verses performed melodically. I often wondered if the choice of the sound reflected the driver's inner state of mind or his (drivers are almost exclusively all male) understanding of what the clientele would like to hear.
This particular motif was preaching of the transience of life and worldly pains and pleasures. Indeed, it was a sobering soundtrack to an early morning work commute...
Recorded by Shahnoza Nozimova.
The music was often Tajik pop de jour, but the range was really wide - from Russian prison chanson to Qur'anic verses performed melodically. I often wondered if the choice of the sound reflected the driver's inner state of mind or his (drivers are almost exclusively all male) understanding of what the clientele would like to hear.
This particular motif was preaching of the transience of life and worldly pains and pleasures. Indeed, it was a sobering soundtrack to an early morning work commute...
Recorded by Shahnoza Nozimova.