Written by: Mahnaz Shujrah
Posted on: January 24, 2019 | 
| 中文
Jamila tells her story
One of Ajoka's oldest plays "Barri" was performed in Lahore on Monday, 21st January, 2019. The event was organized to commemorate the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women & Human Rights Day. The evening also served as the inauguration of Centre for Business and Society at the Suleman Dawood School of Business (SDSB) at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).
“Barri” was written in 1986 by Shahid Nadeem, during his exile in London. He wrote the play at the request of Madeeha Gauhar, the founder and leading force behind Ajoka Theatre. The play was performed for the first time in 1987, at the Goethe Institute of Lahore. It was translated into English as "The Acquittal,” and over the years it has been performed internationally in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and India.
The evening was initiated by calling Syed Babar Ali on stage, who shared his thoughts about the new initiative. Next, the new dean of SDSB shed light upon the issue of gender-based violence. Shahid Nadeem introduced the play and reinforced how the vision of Ajoka has always been to highlight social issues, and how theatre serves as a powerful medium to change mindsets. A video was then played to pay tribute to the life of Madeeha Gauhar, and the journey of Ajoka.
"Barri" is the intersecting story of four distinct women who end up together in a prison cell. Coming from diverse backgrounds, different age groups and contrasting realities, these women probably would not have met under normal circumstances. As each discovers the secrets of the other, the audience embarks on a journey to experience the complexity of the blanket term of “women's rights.”
The character of Zahida (Rukhsana Khan) is the first person we meet and she serves as a link between the audience and the other characters, since she has recently become a prisoner. She narrates her experience in prison in the form of a reflective story, with her thoughts leading us to specific moments in time. She first meets Jannat (Samina Butt), an older woman who has been imprisoned in place of her son and would give anything to ensure that her son remains free. She gets acquainted with Jamila (Nayyab Faiza), a fiery young girl with a sharp tongue, said to be imprisoned for committing murder. The fourth inmate, Mariam (Eva Majid), is a dervish who was arrested for dancing at a shrine and, as Zahida later discovers, is five months pregnant. Through the dialogues of these four women, the audience learns about their backgrounds and through the conversations, four multi-dimensional personalities emerge. The set itself was minimal and the costumes were limited to bold reds, blacks and whites. Music was added in the form of live singing by Naseem Abbas, who was also the voice actor for the character of Warden.
What personally touched me in the story was when Zahida, an educated activist who thought she understood the problems that women suffer, realizes that she was so far removed from their actual realities. The assumption that all women are the same and endure the same struggles is a false notion that the performance addressed. At the same time, the play also strengthened the bond amongst women. At one point, the characters come together, holding each other and acknowledging the fact that words cannot do justice to what they are feeling. They bring up how language, created by man and used by man, does not contain the vocabulary to give voice to the intense range of emotions women experience.
The play was also a critical commentary of the legal system, where institutionalized patriarchy has led to women enduring “double the work burden yet being worth half a witness.” In a brilliant monologue by Jamila's character, we see how the men in her life dictated each stage of her life, without her clear consent. What makes the play especially impactful is its timelessness and universality. Whether it was an audience today or thirty years ago, whether performed in Pakistan or half way across the globe, the perils of these women are stories we are all too familiar with. As Zahida concluded the performance by pointing to the audience, locating the Jamilas, Jannats and Mariams among us, we rose to give a standing ovation to the performers.
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