80 words, which are so many stories that tell about Afghanistan, mostly in Dari language, the Persian of Afghanistan, but with many references to Pashto, the second official language of the country. Through these words - which Etienne Gille chose because they are the ones who seem to him to cover best all the realities of Afghan life, and which they resonate with his long experience of Afghanistan - are approached the family ties, social relations, cooking (with all the dishes generously served to the host you want to honor), the different arts, games, in short everything that makes the originality and charm of a country. The problems are not evacuated: poverty, drugs, the condition of women, struggles and rivalries between clans or ethnic groups. Each time, Etienne Gille's gaze is marked with lucidity, but also with understanding and tolerance. We have here a precious vademecum to better understand the Afghans.