Featured photojournalist: Ahmad Masood

Afghan guitarist Hasher plays during a workshop held in preparation for Sound Central. In a country where music was banned for years under the austere Taliban regime, the 'stealth festival' is a daring venture which has been publicised largely by word of mouth. The date was kept deliberately vague Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters

A group of Afghan youths pose for photos during the Sound Central music festival Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters

An Afghan policeman keeps watch during Sound Central Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters

Australian Travis Beard, who is also a photojournalist, performs at Sound Central Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters

An Afghan youth from the audience dances during Sound Central Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters

A picture of Osama bin Laden on a guitar belonging to an Afghan rock musician taking part in a workshop ahead of Sound Central Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters

Hojat Hamid, left, Sulyman Qardosh, centre, and Qasen Foushanji rehearse for Sound Central Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters

Afghans attend Sound Central music festival in Kabul Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters

An Afghan policeman on top of a wall uses his mobile phone to film the 'stealth festival' Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters

Afghan rock musician Sulyman Qardosh from the band Kabul Dreams performs at Sound Central Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters

Afghans attend Sound Central, the first music festival the country has seen since it plunged into three decades of violence in the late 1970s Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters

An Afghan rock musician performs in front of a cheering crowd Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters

An Afghan woman applauds one of the acts playing at Sound Central Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters

Afghans attend Sound Central music festival in Kabul Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters