Visual History Afghanistan 1980–2004 is a diary-collage by American photographer Edward Grazda, who worked for extensive periods of time in and around Afghanistan over the last four decades.

Edward’s fascination for visual identity represented through imagery led him to collect a large array of posters, stamps, newspapers, maps, and other printed materials produced by various Mujahideen and freedom fighter groups in Afghanistan and Peshawar, Pakistan, in the 1980s and 90s. This is a rare record of how these local groups made use of media and promotion with their own voice and creativity. Edward has merged his collection with images and anecdotes from the same period.

The book is guided by a visual voice that tells of the deep and long-lasting encounters Edward had in Afghanistan, yet also speaks of the larger struggle of people wanting to form a new environment for themselves. Page by page, we are thrown into a mix of journalistic reportage and personal reflection that is anchored in the people with whom Edward spent time.

The 1980s and 90s were two very complex decades in Afghan history. The many groups, political parties and players and their intentions have never been fully recorded and digested. Afghanistan’s history is largely a matter of interpretation, and as these words are written, history takes another step into a very unknown direction. The Taliban have once again taken control over the country and its desperate people.