- Curtain comes down
With the passing of Madeeha Gohar the curtain falls on yet another brave, progressive life; one that enriched Pakistan through arts, culture and activism even as the rapid expansion of the religious far right choked almost all forms of expression, especially theatre and drama. Through her famous Ajoka Theatre, which she founded in 1983, she triggered a new form of awakening by bringing drama featuring social issues to the streets; among the people. The purpose behind her activism, she said, was promotion of a just and secular society. Her efforts were recognised not just in Pakistan, where she received the Pride of Performance Award, but also abroad including the Prince Claus Award from the Netherlands in 2006 and the International Theater Pasta Award in 2007.
Sadly, Pakistan has lost two brave and iconic ladies one after the other and, since Madeeha’s passing comes so soon after Asma Jahangir’s, a clear void will be felt in the country’s already small liberal and progressive circles; especially when matters of human rights violations are raised. Like Asma, Madeeha too employed her craft towards fighting social regression, empowering and enlightening the weak and the poor, and pressing for change in some of the country’s most oppressive laws.
Ajoka was among the first to stir public imagination through the subtle but powerful language of theatre. And, more importantly, it leveraged initial financial limitations, etc, to its advantage by extending theatre from the stage to the streets; right in the centre of people’s lives. Madeeha’s passing is a strong reminder of how strongly Pakistan needs more people like her. Public exposure to, and understanding of, liberal arts has been declining just as strongly as society has been drifting towards extremism and intolerance. With strong public advocates of liberal values leaving us, Pakistan will struggle to keep the balance.
