Women’s Art Form Is Threatened In Pakistan
Posted by Michelle Moquin on December 16th, 2008
I guess after seeing the lovely ‘ladies’ at Harry’s on Sunday, ‘dance’ has been on my mind…
Once again, women of this world are having to fight for something that should not be an issue and this time it is for the continuation of an art form that has been around for 400 hundred years.
This art is the graceful and elaborate dance ‘Mujra’ that has flourished since the Mughal empire. And the dancing girls of Lahore, the cultural capital of Pakistan, are on strike in protest against the tide of Talibanisation that is threatening to destroy their art form.
And just why are these women striking? Simply because the Lahore High Court made a decision last month to ban the Mujra because it is too sexually explicit. And now the theaters where it is performed are supporting the courts. Okay…so 400 hundred years ago this was ‘the dance’ and it was totally acceptable. Now, in modern days, they are saying that is just ‘too’ sexually explicit….when hello…
“The Mujra by its very nature is supposed to be a seductive dance,” says Badar Alam, a cultural expert. He recalls that attempts were made to ban it during the 1980s. “Gradually, it returned to commercial theatre, mostly by paying off officials. The question remains: does the government have the right to engage in moral policing?”
Obviously the government and the High Court seem to think so.
And, in my mind, it is just another way to ‘control’ their women, and to keep them down. The dancers are striking because for some this is their livelihood. They have tried to encourage “family friendly” dances, but that hasn’t been as successful – The once packed theaters are now empty and when they once could charge 300 rupees a seat, they now can only get a mere 25. Some girls were making up to 15,000 rupees in one night. Hundreds of these girls from poorer backgrounds will be out of the work if the crowds do not come back.
Because of the strike and the lack of enthusiasm over the ‘family friendly’ alternative show, the High Courts have suspended the ban. Oh…but they still want ‘control’ over these women. In order for the Mujra to continue, the dancers have been ordered to cover their necks with shawls and wear shoes. It seems that dancing barefoot, which is how the dance was traditionally performed, it is now deemed ‘too erotic’. Next thing you know they’ll expect them to dance in a burkha! How ridiculous.
The ban on dancing is a symptom of a more dangerous trend in Pakistani society. “If the government engages in moral policing,” says Badar Alam, “it gives vigilantes licence to do the same. It fuels intolerance and de-secularisation by violence and intimidation and opens the door to extreme Jihadi Islamic movements.”
The Mujra dance is a beautiful art form. Is there not enough violence and intolerance in this world? – do we now need to take away beauty that threatens the livelihood of women? Is there no other issues to be more concerned about in life than a simple dance that brings joy and entertainment to those that enjoy this tradition? The answer seems simple to me.
Readers: Thoughts? Are any of you from Pakistan that has something to say about this? Blog me.
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Hi Shylo: Thank you for posting such a beautiful poem. I am so curious as to exactly what you mean when you say that it was ‘found on a huge meteorite’? What is ‘inscripted’ on the meteorite or ??
Hi ZL: Yeah, you would’ve gotten a a kick out of the show too. In regards to Anonz: I think you’re doing just fine. You know me…I’ll hold nothing back.
I can see how the thing about your father and you not ‘existing’ would bring up some stuff. I’m glad that you made it through and had a ‘excellent’ day. And I’m happy that you’re here too :)
Hi Linda: I love the adventures too and I hope that they’ll keep writing in. Thank you for your kind wishes to us GirlZ and Girls. If you’re serious about going I am sure Maddie will find you.
Peace out…
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor
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