Bonhishikha’s ‘It’s a She Thing’ came back with a bang this year; only this time, they performed as Nari Nokkhotro. Held in Red Shift Café and KIB Complex respectively on 18 and 19 August, the show which was previously performed in English; this year however was the first time they performed in Bengali.
Played out in a storytelling format, Nari Nokkhotro is the collection of experiences and narratives from women around Dhaka. In the beginning of the show, the producers talked about how the show addresses issues concerning only the urban women of Dhaka city of different socio-economic backgrounds.
The show is not another rant against the patriarchy but a definite step to celebrate both the triumphs and losses sustained by everyday women. The show started off with, ‘What will people say?’ where the performers stated all the things women are told off about on a daily basis. Beginning from wearing red lipsticks to travelling alone in rickshaws and to the number of children they should have.
The next act is called ‘Everything is your Fault’. This act is about the marital disputes, societies’ response to them and a women’s experience through it all. ‘Ja Bolte Mana’ talks about how children are taught to be ashamed of periods and the misconceptions related to menstruation. This act left the female member of the audiences both in stitches as well as nodding along to the old wives’ tales regarding periods.
‘The F word’ talks about the misconceptions on what a being a feminist entail. When the performer announced how feminists were said to hate men and babies, the audience erupted into laughter. Next came a skit on dupatta/orna. This performance very tactfully showed how we measure a women’s character with how she chooses to wear her orna. While this was another rib tickler it made us take a hard long look at how women are conditioned to wear a scarf in our society and how going without it will spell trouble for her.
‘Bitch Goddess’ was my personal favourite. This performance is the ever raging war that women must rage in order to secure her place in workplace; where women must appear to be the weaker sex or get labelled as a ‘bitch’. ‘Superwoman’ had many female audience members nodding as a sign of agreeing with the performers. This performance talks about how women feel the need to or are made to manage both their households while holding down a fulltime job. The skit ends with the actor telling the audience how she just wants to be herself and not the superwoman she is forced to portray.
The coup de grace was saved for last, with the very emotional piece which was regarding rape and violence in the Chittagong Hill Tracks. One of the performers gave a moving performance of women whose child was killed in front of her and was later raped by looters. The women beside me slowly wept into her tissue while many others fought to maintain their composure.
To sum it up, Bonhishikha has done it yet again! They have come up with a marvellous piece of performance that the audience riveted and clamouring for some more!
* Photographs by Zayed Bin Quaiyum, Black-tron Studio