LAHORE: An interesting session was held where Iraqi novelist and film-maker Ahmed Saadawi, and winner of the 2014 International Prize for Arabic Fiction spoke about his book, Frankenstein in Baghdad.

“The book is set in the aftermath of the US invasion of Iraq. An unidentified victim of sectarian violence is taken by a garbage picker who cannot digest the idea of a burial where all the body arts are not intact. He carefully stitches the parts back in place and makes it ‘complete’ so it wouldn’t be treated as rubbish and respected like other dead people and given a proper burial. He calls it Whatsitsname. The story although inspired by the novel by Mary Shelley, takes a turn towards the fantastic and surreal and the creature disappears one day thanks to a lost ghost that enters its body. Then it starts killing those who have ruined Baghdad,” Saadawi said.

He needed to be translated which was done by Sammi Mufti (Arabic interpreter).

Besides speaking about his book, Saadawi spoke about how Iraq had changed over the decades. He said the Iraqis used to be wealthy once but when Saddam Hussein took over in 1979, things changed and it began getting destroyed slowly. He said there was an eight year war with Iran and although everyone in Iraq was with Saddam, they were divided when the Kuwait war happened.

“If Saddam had had any sense, he would not have led us towards a state of constant war; he would have concentrated on many other issues as well,” he said. “We did not need to fight with anyone. In 1991, the US destroyed everything in Iraq,” he added.

Meanwhile, Madeeha Gauhar was remembered by a panel comprising Shahid Nadeem, her son Nirvaan Nadeem and childhood friends, Shaista Sirajuddin and Robina Saigol.

Shahid said her life as a rebel, activist, theatre director, peace-builder, mother, wife and friend was so rich that it could not be compounded into a video or a panel discussion. He said it was a memorable moment that she was being spoken about at the Faiz festival because she always performed here.

Shaista said she had known Madeeha since childhood (the 1950s). She said she occasionally came over to her house.

“She was deeply involved in the process and used many traditions in her plays. Ajoka was never provincial or small. It always aimed to go international.”

Robina Saigol said Madeeha and Asma Jahangir were the most firebrand people she had met.

“In the Juloos where Habib Jalib read out his revolutionary poem, the police charged at the protestors and there is an iconic picture of Madeeha being caught in the middle of this violence,” she remembered.

In 1983, 16 women were arrested along Asma, Hina and Madeeha who protested in the jail and the jail authorities had to request the government to release these young women.

Nirvaan said once when Shiv Sena stormed her theatre play in India, she convinced them to sit down and watch the play. “By the end of it, they shook hands with the cast,” he added.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2018