writing_womans_lives_symposium_paper_book_v2

soldiers removed the corpse of the mother from the child with his feet. The child was
alive; her eyes were wide open and her dry lips closely together. Also the photographer
came close and saw the child. The woman looked at the soldiers with eyes filled with
mercy. As if she wanted to say something with the eyes.
As if she wanted to ask something. 16
The woman starts breastfeeding the little child who gradually gains strength and comes back to
life.
Thereafter the photographer put his camera on the ground, bowed his head, and
greeted the woman. The soldiers also laid down their arms and bowed in front of the
woman.
[…] The woman’s pain had alleviated and the child was now sleeping quietly in her
arms. She laid his head over her shoulder, stood up, and proudly walked away in front of
the soldiers. Her feet were wounded, her clothes torn and dirty, but the whole world in
her arms was smiling. 17
Critiquing tradition
Throughout the history of Afghan women’s literature, a recurring image has been that of
women’s role and position in a society, which in many aspects is ordered along patriarchal and
traditional lines. These images can be expressed in the form of reflection, comment, and critique,
and occur also in this collection of stories. In Breshna Sapey’s story “I will grieve my whole life”,
mentioned briefly earlier, the protagonist is sexually abused and abandoned at a hotel. Despite the
fact that she is the victim, she blames herself and fears of how her family will react. The ending
explicitly displays emotions of guilt, shame, and dishonour. Three stories address this topic already in
their headings: “Tradition” by Na’ima Ghani, “A sister victimised by a brother’s deed” by Jalala, and
“Dewa and traditions” by Mina Nazari Wardag. In the story “Tradition” the protagonist – Rangina –
attends a wedding in the neighbourhood and the singing awakes the memory of her youth and her
fiancé Ajab Gul who is dead.
When they had brought back the body of Ajab Gul you had nagged a lot at your
mother that she would let you go with her to his funeral. When her father heard this, he
had said angrily: “I am not that honourless that I would let you go to their house before
you are married. My father and grandfather were no Englishmen [i.e. foreigners
generically], and neither am I”. Her eyes were filled with tears and she said to herself. “All
of these sorrows are because of the bride price [walwar]. It was due to that very bride
price that I could not see Ajab Gul, even though he was dead.” 18
Jalala’s story draws attention to the concepts of badal (compensation) and bad (fine) while Mina
Nazari Wardag’s text is structured on a similar plot and describes a daughter falling victim to the
enmity and vindictiveness of two brothers. The second story included in the collection by Muska
Sarbaz – “The cage of gold” – also falls under this category. In the opening scene we find a woman
wandering about in distress, it is winter and she is dressed only in her nightwear. We are told that
the woman, Zar Bibi, has been sold by her father to a man named Khayruddin from whom she now
has escaped. After a lot of contemplation and negotiation, she sees no other solution than suicide.
She throws herself in front of a car but the driver manages to stop before she is run over.
“Don’t be sad, don’t worry. You are safe now. As long as I am with you, I will not let
anyone beat you or make you sad.”
In between her sobbing, she said to him in tears: “Take me to your own house. I will
clean your house for you. I will cook for you. I will be in your service and I don’t want
anything in return… nothing at all… but, for God’s sake, don’t take me back to
Khayruddin’s house.” 19
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