Mr. SALIMI: And I said let the governments fight and let the public create art in culture of coexistence.

NPR: 'Beyond the Mirror': Afghanistan's Pain Onstage

Salimi says the transplants were longing to feel a sense of identity, and some of the old songs his company sang would make them cry.

NPR: 'Beyond the Mirror': Afghanistan's Pain Onstage

So when a New York-based company called Bond Street Theater traveled to the refugee camps of Pakistan, everyone told them they should talk to Salimi.

NPR: 'Beyond the Mirror': Afghanistan's Pain Onstage

McCUNE: The Afghan troupe's artistic director, Mahmoud Salimi, remembers a fleeting moment during the mujaheddin takeover when bread was in abundance and people were happy.

NPR: 'Beyond the Mirror': Afghanistan's Pain Onstage

McCUNE: Salimi also taught street theater to children.

NPR: 'Beyond the Mirror': Afghanistan's Pain Onstage

Mr. SALIMI: I wanted to show a piece of reality, real life of Afghans, what happened to us, not how Afghanistan is reflected by media, because the East was reflecting Afghanistan the way the East wanted and the West the same.

NPR: 'Beyond the Mirror': Afghanistan's Pain Onstage