Multicultural Perspectives: Burka Avenger versus Disney

For the latter half of summer, I heard a lot of talk and saw many a screen shot of an emerging star in Pakistan's children's media field: The Burka Avenger. Skipping over the fact that the burka is not a cultural norm in Pakistan (read some insights about that here), this female super hero cartoon topples many of the preconceived notions of heroism and strength by using educational tools--books, pens etc--as her weapon of choice. And the Avenger's day job? A school teacher. One who does not wear a burka, by the way.

What the creators are trying to accomplish is clearly evident: the importance of female education, the power that an individual voice (and superb ninja training abilities) can have, a demonstration of female and child empowerment in general, and a visual challenge to those who would strive for otherwise. Does equating her attire with superhero skills glamorize the potentially limiting uses of the burka? It can, yes, but not necessarily. And what I enjoyed about the cartoon is how the teacher chooses to use it specifically for her own advantage, an important lesson in cultural awareness (that these are choices at all).

The cartoon feeds into the international dialog on Girl's agency too. Last week I shared a link about the merits of paranormal YA, which addressed the explosion of girl-centric YA adventures, dystopias, and science fiction and gave merit to the boom of YA romances. In it, the author did conclude that while a lot of movement has been made, there is still much left to be altered. I couple this with Sophia McDougall's "I Hate Strong Female Characters" to shed light on the fact that young women are prone to be classified as strong but little else. The diversity of their personal character is as sparse as the diversity of their culture. McDougall basically suggests that the sudden explosion of female-protagonist YA has gilded the post-apocalyptic road to serenity with girls whose primary struggle is with troubled romance, apart from having to save the world. Not enough room for character depth.

Of course, there are arguments challenging this. Do I think all female protagonists fall under those clutches? No, and they surely don't need to either. Some would say it isn't a forgone conclusion, and it is important to note that the McDougall focuses on films and television rather than literature. It is quite fair to say, I think, that books allow for more subversive actions, upending of cultural "norms"; they yield a greater amount of charisma for females. Movie adaptations tend to succumb to the aesthetic of visual appeal, and sacrifice story for pretty faces.

Still, even within books, there's a debate about the efficacy of girls' agency. All the more reason that I was impressed with the concepts supporting The Burka Avenger. It is trying quite fervently to place itself as a bearer of empowering thought. It stumbles and suffers from a collection of stereotypes itself, but nothing that impedes the feminine or child's voice. And, as the Huffington Post points out, it teaches Disney six invaluable lessons about heroines.

Multicultural Perspectives: ChildLit Festivals in Pakistan

Last September I wrote about the Children's Literature festival in Pakistan--turns out it has blossomed into an insightful and inspiring series of events, inviting resident authors, scholars, and children to two to three day events aimed at broadening awareness for the existence, importance and influence of children's literature in Pakistan. When last I checked, they had held their fourth conference, but it looks like CLF 2013 is ready for its sixth conference this weekend, on May 24-25. It follows on the coattails of the first Literary Festival in Islamabad that was held last month, also successful on its own terms.

I'm really impressed by the tenacity and eagerness of the Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA), or the 'Center of Education and Consciousness,' who have been organizing these conferences since 2011 with the Oxford University Press. Amid all the mayhem that is painted across media about the state of things in Pakistan, movements like this are vital for the spirit of the local community and serve to develop the regard and support of the international community.

I had the opportunity to interview one of the festival coordinators from ITA, Sheba Sherin, following their November festival. At the time, the festival had incorporated events and activities in honor of Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani girl shot last October by the Taliban for her vociferous advocacy of education for girls. She is now one of the most recognizable young faces in the world, being named one of Time's 100 most influential people of 2013 and recently announcing an international grant for girls' education.  The CLF had honored her and Sherin described some of those efforts to me:

Malala was supposed to be the Young Ambassador of the CLF. However during the time we had approached her and were to have her officially on board with us, her unfortunate accident occurred. At the festival we had a special stall known as "Tribute to Malala--Letters, posters and cards dedicated to Malala Yousafzai". At the stall, children were given art materials through which they created beautiful letters and cards for her. Also a special short documentary created by Fauzia Minallah from Funkor Arts, was screened at the inauguration ceremony of the festival. The short animation was a tribute to Malala extending the support of millions for her.

Sherin also shared her insights on the role of children's literature in Pakistani culture. "Enhancing reading abilities and learning through promoting literature and the habit of reading books is something that automatically leads to excellence and brilliance, "she told me, articulating the need to instill in kids the value of books and reading.

At the time that I corresponded with her, the CLF was planning to coordinate events in smaller cities and less urban areas, including Swat and Bahawalpur for holding festivals at a smaller city level. They certainly hit the mark though in holding one in the capital of the country at such short notice. Hopefully this weekend will mark another momentous experience for kids and adults, and continue to spark a zest for learning and literacy, imagination and hope.

Links to Start Your Week Off

A bit of book news for you...

The Michigan School System was presented a proposal last week from a mother seeking to ban Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl from the curriculum due to one passage she found distasteful and overly sexual. The review committee has decided not to ban it however, citing that 'situational censorship' would be in play if they did. I wonder how the Chicago Board of Education justified supporting the classroom ban of Persepolis. It certainly helped book sales but was viewed as detrimental to kids as well.

independent publisher Pushkin Press has established a new imprint, Pushkin Children's Books,aimed at translating children's books from around the globe into English. This has been something of great import on my mind as well; consider the wealth of storytelling cultural awareness, and overall knowledge that children (and adults) are missing out on by not having access to stories everywhere. There is the Marsh Award for Children's Lit in Translation, which implies its importance, but still the movement has been relatively slow. Nevertheless, Pushkin is pushing the movement forward.

Pakistan will be holding their 6th Children's Literature Festival at the end of May, the first to be held in the capital city of Islamabad. I'll be writing some more on this really soon (let the final papers be done!), but in the mean time you can read up on the organization, making groundbreaking strides with each event.

And because it's Monday and we all deserve a tasty treat to set the week right (It's Children's Book Week by the way!), here are some delectable sights to behold: edible books and more edible books.