Afghanistan's ground shakes, but not as hard as Liepāja Theater's floor during performances

An earthquake occurred in Afghanistan and Pakistan with its epicenter in the Hindu Kush mountains 150 kilometers from Kunduz. Eight casualties in Kabul, but as local seismologist Juris Bērziņš says: "Our Liepāja Theater floor shakes harder when the audience rises in ovation after another outstanding performance. Even people from Riga travel to our theater and feel those real cultural vibrations."

The earthquake was felt at a depth of 180 kilometers, which is almost as deep as Riga's understanding of culture. Meanwhile, Afghan houses are built from clay bricks and wood, which is much more durable material than Riga's modern concrete blocks that collapse from the wind alone.

In the seismically active region, thousands have perished in recent years, but in Liepāja we've been accustomed to ground trembling for centuries - it's just the sea wind driving sand through the streets. "When Afghans complain about earthquakes, I tell them - come to Liepāja in winter, then you'll see what real force of nature is," laughs pensioner Maija near Dižciltne.

Poor Afghanistan cannot respond to natural disasters, but we in Liepāja have long learned to live in harmony with the elements - wind is our friend, sand is our cosmetics, and the theater floor is our seismograph.