Written by: Nahal Sheikh
Posted on: June 08, 2020 | 
(L) Amneh Shaikh-Faooqui, The Book Cover (Center), Aziza Ahmed (Right)
To fill the gap for South Asian representation in international literature, the recently published book ‘Fearless: Stories of Amazing Women in Pakistan’ (2020) tells us stories of Pakistanis that we should know of. This book represents 50 Pakistani women who’ve have led inspirational lives as leaders, innovators, activists, entrepreneurs, change-makers, and much more. We interviewed the author Amneh Shaikh-Faooqui and illustrator Aziza Ahmed for a better understanding of the behind-the-scenes decisions which resulted in the final product.
As for ‘Fearless’, it is a wonderfully conceptualised work that cleverly uses design and illustration at its forefront to convey its powerful message.
Lahore’s inhabitants probably recognize the author, Amneh, as the co-founder of the famous social enterprise Polly and Other Stories. She turns out to be a multi-tasker, as she is also a management-consultant and gender specialist. When asked where the idea behind ‘Fearless’ came from, she says that she owes much of who she is to her mother, Parveen Shaikh, as well as to her own daughter who loved reading from a very young age.
“When she [Amneh’s daughter] turned 7, she started reading books about amazing women from across the globe, like Ada Lovelace, Joan of Arc and Frieda Kahlo.”
What Amneh noticed was a lack of women of colour, especially from South Asia, amongst the books her daughter so passionately read. She called this an “incomplete narrative” that does more damage than it gives benefits: it perpetuates stereotypes, and prevents people from relating to strong personalities from their own social context. This is especially true for children who normally tend to project themselves on to existing role models and say, ‘I can see myself doing that’ The projection may become easier if the role model is also South Asian, like themselves.
Human Rights Lawyer Asma Jehangir
“While we were brainstorming for the content, the gap in the literature around amazing women from this region [South Asia] became even clearer.”
After facing difficulty syncing the team’s creative vision with publishers in Pakistan, Amneh was introduced to an Indian book agent, Kanishka Gupta, who helped them get published by Penguin Random House India.
The book’s design is quite unique, in that it proves something educational can also be full of color and engagement. The design and layout are done by Amneh’s friend, Sara Nisar, a cultural manager focused on impact and sustainability through art. And the illustrations are made by Sara’s friend, Aziza Ahmed, an illustrator and graphic designer from the Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture.
(L) Oscar Winning Director Sharmeen Obaid Chinnoy and Dancer Sheema Kirmani (R)
When Amneh reached out to the ladies about the book’s idea, they were as excited as her about the venture. Amneh recalls, “Like all women’s groups and causes driven by “hum auratein” [us women], we had no money. No publisher. No corporate support. Only a shared vision and a deep and abiding passion to somehow make this happen.”
Aziza explains that Sara was responsible for all the graphic design choices, “from front to back cover, including every page layout in between.” According to her, everything was so meticulously planned that she, as an illustrator, only had to fill in the gaps that required illustrations.
When asked why the book’s design relies heavily on colour and illustration, Amneh says it was greatly inspired by ‘Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls,’ a successful and independently produced children’s book about bold female innovators. Aziza explained that this book format, in which the aesthetics are just as important as the content, has been fairly popular. Since the target audience of ‘Fearless’ is young adults, the portrait style illustrations add colour and relatability to the individual stories. They didn’t want to follow the traditional only-text format or a ‘fairy-tale’ storytelling style to engage with a younger audience.
(L) Artist Salima Hashmi and Madam Noor Jehan (R)
Another clever design decision that the team made, was to create a timeline of major historical stepping stones in Pakistani’s history related women, featured in the book’s table of contents. These included events like the formation of the Women’s Democratic Association in 1950 and the 1979 Hudood Ordinance. Amneh believes that this was one of the best decisions they made, as it helped situate the women within a historical context.
“While I understand that one needs to adapt content to suit a younger audience, I am not in favour of simplistic caricatures and flowery language. There is nothing wrong with complex, messy, real women who achieved great things, and no reason why their lives need to be so closely edited.”
The book has compiled a collection of 50 Pakistani women after a rigorous selection process, and a choice of over 180 women. It was an intense research phase for Amneh, and some were easier to choose than others. For example, since there have been few prominent female officers in the military, it was easy to choose women like Shahida Malik, the first lady officer in the Pakistani Army to reach two-star rank. However, she tried to balance between obvious and more obscure personalities.
Army General Shahida Malik
“There have been so many incredible female musicians, writers, artists, and entrepreneurs in Pakistan, that the decision for who made it in the book was very hard.”
The book successfully presents a diverse compilation of women from many spheres. This includes the political figure Fatima Jinnah, architect Yasmin Lari, singer Reshma, social worker Parveen Saeed, astrophysicist Nergis Mavalvala, social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch, leprosy doctor Ruth Pfau, and 43 more women.
Leprosy Doctor Ruth Pfau
A significant takeaway for the reader is realising that all women are different, “some make melodies, some make noise.” Readers don’t necessarily have to agree with what these women have done to acknowledge the far-reaching impact they’ve had on society. In some situations, women may have been forced to operate in an “unfavorable environment and circumvent acceptable or normative avenues to be able to soar high.” Amneh initially wanted to include women from the religious sphere because no matter how divisive these personalities were, they undoubtedly had immense influence over their communities. Theirs, and other women’s stories, remain untold to the public for now.
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