(30 Oct 2011)
1. Close of automatic pin setting machine setting the bowling pins
2. Mid of bowling balls hitting bowling pins
3. Wide of Afghans in 'The Strikers', Kabul's first ever bowling alley
4. Mid of a man bowling
5. Close of ball hitting the pins
6. Mid of 26-year-old Meena Rahmani, founder of Kabul Strikers bowling alley
7. Close of hands with bowling ball
8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Meena Rahmani, founder of Kabul Strikers bowling alley:
"I feel it can be a great element in bringing peace in Afghanistan in a sense that this establishment will give them an opportunity to get involved with positive ideas, with positive thinking, with positive things like bowling the sport, rather than growing negative thoughts."
9. Wide back shot of men bowling
10. Mid of men watching
11. Close of bowling balls
12. Mid of handing picking up the ball from rack
13. Low angle view of man bowling
14. Close of ball knocking down all the bowling pins (a 'strike')
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Meena Rahmani, founder of Kabul Strikers bowling alley:
"Lots of Afghan youth, they are getting interest into this sport and I am sure that in the future, in the very close future, we will be having our own Afghans they will be like taking part in the world wide competitions of bowling."
16. Mid of 26-year-old Sayed Zameer, an Afghan businessman who is running his own import export company picking up the bowling ball
17. Close of Zameer
18. Wide of Zameer bowling
19. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sayed Zameer, Afghani businessman:
"Mostly the young generation is, like, it's easier to go out of the country or they want to see other places, but if we see such kind of encouragement it shows that we have a future here and this is a good opportunity. It's a good place."
20. Wide tilt down form destroyed old Darulaman Palace in Kabul to young men playing football
21. Close of man playing football
22. Mid of 25-year-old Abdullah (uses only one name) on the football pitch
23. Various of Abdullah playing football
24. SOUNDBITE: (Dari) Abdullah:
"Most of the youths here are unemployed and they cannot afford fun places with high fees, so whether they like it or not they have to come to these mud grounds to have fun."
25. Wide of young men playing football
26. Wide tilt up from men playing football to sunset
STORYLINE:
The words Afghanistan and strike may conjure up images of aerial bombardments or roadside mines, but now as the country's first ten-pin bowling alley opens there is a more welcome association to be made.
The new 1 (m) million dollar centre, called The Strikers, offers Afghans a welcome respite from the stultifying boredom that many say they endure daily, and may give a little hope to some in a country in which a U.S.-led war against the Taliban is in its eleventh year.
26-year-old Meena Rahmani says the alley is a product of her desire to create a place where Afghan men, women and families could gather, have fun and not be burdened by the social, religious and cultural restrictions that govern daily life in the impoverished, war-ravaged country.
Rahmani, who left Afghanistan in 1992 and spent 15 years in India with her parents before moving to Canada for
graduate studies, said the idea came to her when she visited her home country several years ago and found there
was nothing for Afghans to do beyond occasionally going out to eat, going for walks or visiting family.
Beyond being an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours, bowling "can be a great element in bringing peace in Afghanistan," said Rahmani.
Those expenses mean that it's a pastime for a select few in the capital.
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