On March 4, 2010, the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) hosted quite possibly the first ever rock-and-roll concert on an Afghan college campus. The concert was organized by the AUAF Music Club as a fundraiser to benefit children and families in Kabul-area settlements. Ticket proceeds of more than $1,800 were used to buy blankets for internally displaced persons.
The concert was sponsored in part by Kabul Rock Radio, 108 FM, Afghanistan’s only rock-and-roll radio station, and its parent the Killid Media Group (TKG), a non-profit independent media initiative of Development and Humanitarian Services for Afghanistan (DHSA). TKG promotes civic engagement, free speech, and open discourse in Afghanistan and strengthens the press as an independent source of information for Afghans.
The concert was broadcast live on Kabul Rock Radio. It opened with traditional Afghan music played by world-renowned artists from the Aga Khan Trust for Culture section of the Aga Khan Development Network. The Aga Khan musicians were followed by the only all-Afghan rock-and-roll band, Kabul Dreams, which includes AUAF students. The AUAF Music Club plans to organize similar events in the future to allow the AUAF community to enjoy time together while raising money for charity.