Script - Kabul Heroin Bridge ———————————————————— Gawkers above. (nat pause) Desperation below. (nat pause) A bridge crossing the Kabul river provides a sad spectacle of addiction and decay. SOT: Passerby #1 Our hearts melt, seeing our countrymen in such condition. They neither have death nor life. They have no recovery. I swear it is better to die than to have such a living. Anyone seeking confirmation of Kabul’s deepening heroin crisis, only needs to cross the Pul-e Sukhta bridge. Long a busy conduit, its increasingly the place for Afghans to pause, reflect and pity those swallowed by addiction. SOT: Passerby #2 The number of addicts has increased with each day passing. If you see underneath the bridge you will see how badly they are living. All of them are addicts. Nobody is paying attention to them. Not even the government or any other institution is willing to stop them from using drugs. Some find the sight perversely entertaining, enjoying a quick hit of curiosity at someone else’s expense. SOT: Passerby #4 “Whoever is passing by [the bridge] either man, woman or child, they at least look once down there. We all feel pity for them.” Down below there is little focus on those above. The struggle to survive is their own. In their misery, some see a metaphor, capturing the countries own struggle for freedom, and a future. . SOT: Addict It’s just because the government, the country is so broke you know. You cannot get job. You can not get nothing. For life you need something. Sometimes I close my face - or you know - so I used to be careful so nobody can see me. But still I don’t care you know. What I must not lose, [I have already lost.]