Afghanistan and Ultramarine Blue

Afghanistan and Ultramarine Blue

There is an ancient story about when God made the world he had bits of rubbish and broken parts left over. The jagged pieces would not fit anywhere else and so he just threw those down and that formed Afghanistan.
When Alexander the Great led his Greek army into Afghanistan in 320 BC, people had been living there for thousands of years before.
When travelers fly over the inhospitable terrain today and look down, they say it is hard to believe that anyone could inhabit such a harsh part of the world, but,people manage to dig and scratch out a living for their families somehow.
Did you know for example, that all the real ultramarine blue pigments used in Western and Eastern art came from rock mined from the mountains of Afghanistan. It is a semi precious stone called Lapis lazuli.
Alexander the Great conquered the area but he never cast his eyes on the actual mines because it’s source was treasured and protected. The point is that no one ever conquers Afghanistan completely.
The gorgeous blue and much sought after colour has always been very expensive because it requires so much work to separate the pigment from the rock. They say it is like trying to get blood out of a stone.
The stone is ground into fine powder and then mixed with resin, wax, gum and linseed oil and kneaded like bread for up to three days. The “dough” is then placed in a bowl of lye and water and kneaded some more. Eventually, the liquid becomes saturated with the blue colour, it was then set aside until the water evaporated, leaving the dry powder pigment.
The colour blue is used by artists to create space on the canvas. Things painted in blue recede. In the English language, blue is associated with depression and sadness and it seems ironic that Afghanistan has always been the prime source of this colour.
Like a lot of people, I hold my breath wondering what the following new year will bring for the people of Afghanistan. It seems that they are destined to endure a life of complete misery. Throughout time, other nations have tried to invade the country and take advantage of it’s geography and it’s resources.
The region is important because it was the ancient focal point of the Silk Road and migration. It has been described as a “roundabout of the ancient world” creating a tangled mosaic of ethnic and linguistic groups.. The lay of the land is the crossroads of the East and West , South Asia and central Asia. Whoever controls the land holds the key to enormous power and influence.
In more recent times, Russia received a military clobbering when it tried to take the land for itself. After it withdrew, the West thought it could maneuver into position and secure a much sought after oil pipeline route. They also wanted to build military bases for their instruments of death and secure vital supply lines, allowing them unfettered movement and control over the wider region. Countries, including Canada, benefit by securing lucrative trade deals and influence in return for their support. It is all about horse trading and I wonder why my world operates this way. It is not one country or one leader that chooses to go to war. It is a system of self interest and voter apathy, among other things that allows it.
Meanwhile, the parents of the dead soldiers returning are permitted to stand in the gloom on the tarmac and greet their child’s draped coffin.
Some hold a letter from government officials offering condolences for their great loss………. but the blue ink, as gorgeous as it is, dissolves in the falling rain just the same.