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Two
Iraqi women visited Western Tuesday to share their
experiences living in the Middle East and discuss
issues facing women in Kurdish and Iraqi societies.
"This is a most beautiful picture -- you and me, a
Kurd and an Arab, sitting onstage together,"
journalist Alia Mamdouh said. Her comment ended the
discussion that followed the event, "Women Writers
of the Arab World."
Mamdouh and poet Choman Hardi read from their
published works and then answered questions from the
audience at the event in Old Main Theatre, which
highlighted the lives of women -- particularly women
writers ---- in Kurdish and Iraqi cultures.
"Living in a dictatorship doesn't mean that
literature doesn't flourish," Hardi said in her
speech.
Mamdouh agreed and said that in the past 30 years,
society has broken down the taboos of religion, sex
and politics in Iraq, allowing writers more freedom
in their work.
"There are many women writers in Iraq," Mamdouh said
in her speech. "I think Iraqi women are more
politicized than men in the way they write."
Mamdouh was born in Iraq in 1944 and attended school
in Baghdad, women's studies program director Rosanne
Kanhai said in her introduction of Mamdouh. Mamdouh
has written four novels and two collections of short
stories, all in Arabic, Kanhai said.
"My language protects me, and without it I will
probably die," Mamdouh said about not writing in
other languages. "Arabic is my means of earning
because I do my writing in Arabic."
One of Mamdouh's novels is available in English.
Publishers released the novel's first translation as
"Mothballs," but re-released the book this year as "Naphtalene:
A Novel of Baghdad (Women Writing in the Middle
East)" because Mamdouh was dissatisfied with the
translation, Kanhai said.
At the event, Mamdouh read a passage from "Naphtalene"
that described a scene of female Iraqi family
members and friends at a public steam bath, and the
impressions it left on the main character, a
rebellious Iraqi girl named Huda.
Then Hardi read from her most recent collection of
poems, which also is her first collection written in
English, "Life for Us."
Hardi was born in 1976 in Iraqi Kurdistan,
and currently lives in London, Kanhai said. Before
writing "Life for Us," Hardi wrote three volumes of
poetry in Kurdish, as well as several short stories.
"Writing in Kurdish is a way of resisting loss of
the language," Hardi said. "English allows us to
reach a different audience. Writing in English
allows me to write about other, more intimate
things."
Hardi said her poems focus on her family, the
history she has experienced living in the Middle
East and the differences between men and women in
the Kurdish culture.
In the title poem from "Life for Us," Hardi
described a day when she was 11, in which the rules
of Kurdish culture allowed her male relatives to
undress and swim in the river, but allowed the
females only to roll up their skirts and place their
feet in the water.
Both women are in the process of writing books about
the war in Iraq.
"This is the moment the stories have to be told,"
Hardi said. "I felt angry that the media presents
(the war) as black or white."
Hardi said that with her book she hopes to discuss
the gray area for people who are undecided about
their standpoint regarding the war and personalize
the effects of the war.
The two women came to Western through the Hedgebrook
organization, said Niall O'Murchu, Fairhaven
professor of political economics.
Hedgebrook is a nonprofit organization that invites
women writers to its retreat on Whidbey Island, said
Justine Barda, Hedgebrook director of special
initiatives.
"(Hedgebrook) inspires women to author change
through our retreat and public events," Barda said.
Barda directed the project "Women Writers of the
Arab World," which is a month-long retreat in May
for six women writers from the Middle East.
"It is wonderful of (Barda) that she has brought
women of different generations, countries, styles of
writing and genres together," Mamdouh said.
O'Murchu said he contacted the Hedgebrook
organization about inviting a group of the women
writers to speak at Western, and after drafting a
proposal, he received a phenomenal amount of
interest from other departments.
Nearly 20 other groups from Western co-sponsored the
event, including Western Libraries, the women
studies department, Fairhaven College, the College
of Fine and Performing Arts and the Cold Beverage
Contract lecture fund, Western librarian Jeanne
Armstrong said.
Barda said that Hedgebrook was fortunate to receive
the writers it did.
"We know remarkably little about Middle Eastern
culture, Iraqi society, Arab intellectuals and next
to nothing about Kurdish culture," Armstrong said.
"This is an opportunity to hear from people with
different experiences. I hope this raises interest
in the situation of women from other countries."
Barda said that in addition to writing on Whidbey
Island, the six women attended six speaking events
about the Middle East and shared their writing and
histories. They also attended dinners and receptions
in places such as The Evergreen State College and
the downtown Seattle Public Library.
Barda said the inspiration for the month-long
program was a concern that people are ignorant about
the Middle East, and the people at Hedgebrook hoped
to create an interest in the region and its
cultures.
"Hedgebrook helps the voices of women who are not
heard, be heard," Barda said.
Mamdouh said the six women have enjoyed the
audiences at the events and called them
compassionate, supportive and warm.
"The American audience has been wonderful," Mamdouh
said. "It has taught us to love them."
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