Educational Media Reviews Online

The Oxus or Amu Darya river forms part of the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan and splits the Wakhan region into two parts. Wakhi musician Qurbonsho lives in Tajikistan while Wakhi musician Daulatsho lives in Afghanistan. The film Two Poets and a River tells the story of these two men.

The introduction explains how the geographic division came to be in the 19th century and then launches into the story of Qurbonsho and his music. The Tajik musician talks to the director about how he writes his poetry, sets it to music and sings for his ancestors. He goes on to explain how there was no tradition of singing in Wakhan with only one song of falak passed down, so he sings for the way of life and the acts of culture. The second half of the film is set in Afghanistan and shows Daulatsho telling the story of his family history of only prayer singing. His father finally allows him to sing Qasida or secular songs and play the Ghijak. The two musicians do not meet but at the end of the film, Daulatsho is shown listening to the Tajik musician and praising him.

The topic won’t be familiar to most audiences and the director doesn’t set out to tell the viewer everything about the style of music. Rather, the film is a story about the two artists and how they are connected even though they are living in two countries separated by a river. The story is about two parts of the same culture. The film does a good job of weaving together different media such as old sounds recordings, photographs and maps with the contemporary footage and showing the viewer the stunning views of the mountainous landscape. The viewer is able to see the artists in their family homes instead of being filmed outside their cultural environment.

This documentary is available on two DVDs which includes a CD of music and also through various streaming licenses, ranging from one year to life-time access. The film is in color and is 75 minutes long. The distributor, Documentary Educational Resources, is a noted name for quality documentaries. This film is recommended for courses in cultural anthropology, sociology, and world music. It is a captivating introduction to this type of music and the environment and men who sing the songs.

Awards:
Martello Award, Cinque Ports International Film Festival, France and England, 2023; ICTM Prize for Best Documentary Film or Video, Int'l Council for Traditional Music, Portugal, 2022

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