"When asked [U.S. secretary of state John Kerry after the 2013 driving campaign by Saudi Arabian women] about the women's demands, Kerry said, essentially, that Saudi Arabia had the right to have whatever social order it saw fit. No recognition of the women's fight or courage. No recognition of the outrageous violations of women's rights. If any ethnic or religious group were being treated the way Saudi women are treated, such an apartheid would long ago have been condemned, and Saudi Arabia boycotted, by the United States and other Western nations."
from Headscarves and Hymens. Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution
by Mona Elthahaway (2015)
Great voices - Berlin II
When I've read the book by Mona Eltahawy in advance of the 15th ilb (Internationales Literaturfestival Berlin) I was positively surprised by her clear statements regarding the position of women in various Arabic states. Is it provocative to name the treatment of women in Saudi Arabia "an apartheid" as in the citation above? Is it daring ? Is it audacious? By questioning her point of view are we turning the blame again on women instead of focusing the blame on those who create and uphold a society in which such callous treatment is possible?!
Is there an overall misogynist atmosphere for NOT reacting on such treatment of women? What about the treatment of women in orthodox Jewish areas, e.g. NYC and Jerusalem, where it is becoming more and more common to have women riding on buses only in the back, separating or setting them apart (=apartheid?!) from men and the front seats? Where is the outcry towards societies that tolerate and support such behaviour?
And, had the apartheid system in the US and South Africa been based on religious reasons instead of racial reasons would have Western countries fought against it as much as they did?! Certainly some food for thought!
I will meet Mona Eltahawy in Berlin in a discussion on feminism and I hope to attend a lively discussion! I am certainly looking forward to it!
But beforehand I will see Laksmi Pamuntjak, an Indonesian poet, talking about her book Ellipsis / Alle Farben Rot (German by Martina Heinschke). As I will give a lecture on her around the IWD* in 2016 in Germany I am gathering information and try to meet her as many times as possible beforehand. Lucky me, she is also expected in Den Haag on 5 October with another reading...
Then there will be Elif Shafak, a Turkish author (see my blog July 2014) - she was the author I had given a lecture on at the IWD* in Germany this year. Lucky me (again), there was a Turkish visitor to the lecture and he gave some additional background information on her books in relation to her Turkish readership which was really inspiring. As I consider her as another great female author, I am really excited to meet her in person (see also her TED talk July 2010).
Another author I am really looking forward to is Kamila Shamsie, a Pakistani author with a long line of writers in her family (see my blog June 2012). A subtle and refined author as she is, having been nominated for this year's Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction for her book A God in Every Stone, she is part of an extraordinary class of authors. Another event I am really happy to being able to attend.
And last but not least there will be Jenny Erpenbeck. I've just met her in Zwolle (NL) while she received the "Europese literatuurprijs" (European prize for literature, see my blog April 2015) for her book Een handvol sneeuw together with her translator Elly Schippers (E: The End of Days) for which she also won the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize this year. She will present her latest book Gehen, ging, gegangen ('Go, Went, Gone' not yet translated) reflecting on the very current challenges with millions of refugees stranding in Europe. I am curious how she approached this subject!
And those are only the readings I have bought tickets for way ahead of times! There are many more events that attract my attention! So, exciting times lie ahead and I am looking forward on sharing my 'point of view' on the events on this blog. Also check the site of the 15th ilb yourself: www.literaturfestival.com
*IWD = international women's day
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