Moni Mohsin, Author of the best selling social satire, Diary of A Social Butterfly and Tender Hooks, she is currently wrote her views on Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Academy Award for her documentary, A Girl in the River.
(Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy)
' A girl in the river' is a documentary film based on a real story of pakistani woman. How she struggle for freedom of her own choice and how she victimize of honour killing.
How far can we dis|agree with the views expressed by Moni Mohsin? This is the discussion.so first let's see what Mohsin writes in her blog...
It is no secret that hundreds of women are murdered every year for honour, yet it’s taken the buzz that Sharmeen’s single film has generated abroad to prompt Nawaz Sharif’s avowal to put an end to honour killings at home and embolden Imran Khan to publicly decry the practice.
In any case, there is great hypocrisy at work here. For the truth is that the very people who rail against western approbation, actually crave it. Why else would they demand that only ‘positive’ images be projected to that audience? In fact nothing thrills us more than winning prizes in the UK and the US. It validates us in ways that domestic attention just does not. I’ve seen excellent books by desi authors languish unnoticed in shops in both India and Pakistan. Until they win a major prize in the West. Then they fly off the shelves.
Of course western interest can be narrow in its focus and agenda driven. But whose is not? Instead of frothing with self-righteous rage or manufacturing hysterical conspiracy theories to justify other people’s selective interest or indifference, we would be better served to confidently define our own priorities. We have to fight our battles, celebrate our heroes and tell our stories truthfully.
This is the words of Moni Mohsin, and of course, I agree on her argument that We have to fight our battles, celebrate our heroes and tell our stories truthfully And as she is telling that if we find that these stories shame us, then we must do something about them. But for those of us still fixated on the ‘image’ issue, it’s quite simple really: you want better PR? Improve the product.
So, I’m not against freedom of expression but, I believe same as Mohsin says that if we find that these stories shame us, then we must have to do something about them. Author should be serve a dish with best quality of nutrition not only with delicious look, it means if someone portyard reality through their words there is nothing wrong in this, any works of Art is respectable but, when west looks at us through this harsh reality and praise us for that , is it not narrowness?
' A girl in the river' is a documentary film based on a real story of pakistani woman. How she struggle for freedom of her own choice and how she victimize of honour killing.
How far can we dis|agree with the views expressed by Moni Mohsin? This is the discussion.so first let's see what Mohsin writes in her blog...
It is no secret that hundreds of women are murdered every year for honour, yet it’s taken the buzz that Sharmeen’s single film has generated abroad to prompt Nawaz Sharif’s avowal to put an end to honour killings at home and embolden Imran Khan to publicly decry the practice.
In any case, there is great hypocrisy at work here. For the truth is that the very people who rail against western approbation, actually crave it. Why else would they demand that only ‘positive’ images be projected to that audience? In fact nothing thrills us more than winning prizes in the UK and the US. It validates us in ways that domestic attention just does not. I’ve seen excellent books by desi authors languish unnoticed in shops in both India and Pakistan. Until they win a major prize in the West. Then they fly off the shelves.
Of course western interest can be narrow in its focus and agenda driven. But whose is not? Instead of frothing with self-righteous rage or manufacturing hysterical conspiracy theories to justify other people’s selective interest or indifference, we would be better served to confidently define our own priorities. We have to fight our battles, celebrate our heroes and tell our stories truthfully.
This is the words of Moni Mohsin, and of course, I agree on her argument that We have to fight our battles, celebrate our heroes and tell our stories truthfully And as she is telling that if we find that these stories shame us, then we must do something about them. But for those of us still fixated on the ‘image’ issue, it’s quite simple really: you want better PR? Improve the product.
So, I’m not against freedom of expression but, I believe same as Mohsin says that if we find that these stories shame us, then we must have to do something about them. Author should be serve a dish with best quality of nutrition not only with delicious look, it means if someone portyard reality through their words there is nothing wrong in this, any works of Art is respectable but, when west looks at us through this harsh reality and praise us for that , is it not narrowness?
* Moni Mohsin's full blog on
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