ROUTE TO RECOVERY from Carlos Barria on Vimeo.

An Afghan policeman frisks an Afghan man at a checkpoint near of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Tillman November 24, 2009.  REUTERS/Bruno Domingos

A family of asylum seeker from Kosovo camp out in a squat in the town of Angers, western France, November 24, 2009.  The groups from countries such as the Darfur area of Sudan, Mali and Kosovo are demanding the right to remain in France, have been gathering the area for 21 days.  REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Demonstrators with hands covered in fake blood and a Tony Blair mask protest outside the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre in London November 24, 2009. An official inquiry into Britain’s involvement in the Iraq War began on Tuesday, promising a thorough investigation which could prove embarrassing for the government ahead of next year’s election. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor

Soldiers from Iran’s army fire an anti-aircraft gun during the Defenders of Velayat (Pontificate) Sky Manoeuvre 2 near Arak, 290 km (180 miles) southwest of Tehran in this November 23, 2009 picture. REUTERS/FARS NEWS/Ali Shayegan

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Kabul-based, Afghani photographer Ahmad Masood, is spending a month based in Berlin.

On my first day of work in Berlin: a very different city from my city, Kabul, Afghanistan, I covered a demonstration by students demanding improved conditions at schools and universities. I have covered some hardcore protests in Afghanistan, where about 8 out of 10 resulted in death or serious injuries. This time I was in Germany and I didn’t expect any violence.

We arrived at the scene. There were many young men and women gathered with banners and some armed with whistles in their mouths. People were laughing and smiling. There was music playing on a loud speaker.  If that was not enough, some protesters were blowing their own trumpets and other instruments. It was just like a party. The students looked to be in pretty good condition, so I was wondering “Why? What are you complaining about?”.

The police were quiet and peaceful, kindly giving way to the marching, bustling and whistling demonstrators. To my surprise the police stopped me from taking their pictures.

So, before it began it finished and the only serious issues were as follows: police confiscated a banner which was not allowed, there was a colored flare fired and a couple of water balloons were thrown at the very well-behaved police.

I filed only three pictures to the wire, two of which were of the same person who was the only person I found in any way similar to an Afghan protester.

I could not help but to compare the two countries, Afghanistan and Germany, and the way they protest.

War and conflict impacts people everywhere and in my country it has been going on for nearly three decades with no sign of ending. People are too busy trying to make ends meet to protest for their rights. For the majority, to waste a day would mean no food for their children at home. Any demonstration in Afghanistan stems from extremely real rage.

This rage takes its toll on Afghanistan. Afghan police are interested in having their pictures taken, that is until they start beating up protesters, and at times journalists too.

Police are often not well trained and at some points they fire directly at the protesters instead of firing warning shots. Protesters, too, make a mess of the place by burning and destroying public property out of anger. When a protest erupts; clashes start, guns are drawn, shots are fired, rocks are flying.

In Afghanistan, it is always a protest of necessity not of choice.

Cantonese opera, one of the major categories of Chinese opera, targets tens of millions of people speaking the regional dialect, mostly based in the southern Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, including the cities of Hong Kong and Macau.

The United Nations recently proclaimed Cantonese opera, which involves singing, acting and sometimes martial arts, as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Among all such opera groups in the territory, the Hong Kong Young Talent Cantonese Opera Troupe is made up of the youngest professional artists in town, many of them in their 20s. In this opera, a 16-year-old girl, who has studied Cantonese opera for ten years, is cast in the main role of a man, normally performed by older actors.

With younger faces on stage, the troupe hopes to attract a new generation of audiences to this centuries old art form.

A dead alligator lies in a drying lake that forms part of the Amazon river system, near the city of Manaquiri November 22, 2009. After a rainy season that caused some of the worst flooding in recent history, the seasonal drought that followed is proving to be especially bad as well. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly/Amazonaspress

Czoton, 7, works at a balloon factory on the outskirts of Dhaka November 23, 2009. About 20 children are employed at the factory and most of them work for 12 hours a day. The weekly wage is 150 taka ($2.14) for the children. REUTERS/Andrew Biraj

Uriel Ben-Hamo (L), Israel’s kickboxing champion, trains in a gym in Jerusalem November 19, 2009. Ben-Hamo, 19, divides his time between punching bags and the more peaceful pursuits of a yeshiva, or Orthodox Jewish seminary. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

Men dressed as Santa Claus walk through the assembly hall after a meeting of the rent-a-Santa Claus service organized by the “jobcafe.de” at Munich’s University November 23, 2009. The job center at the University in Munich organize the rent-a-Santa Claus service each year for Christmas.  REUTERS/Michael Dalder

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