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| Yael Farber (centre) with the cast of Nirbhaya |
What sparked your interest when (Delhi Belly actress) Poorna Jagannathan approached you to direct the play Nirbhaya?
I was profoundly moved to read of the case when the news (of the Delhi gang rape) broke. I read of it on the Internet the morning the news broke. It was all over my news feed on Facebook. I do believe certain moments in time converge to create a tipping point. I — like people around the world — wept for this woman I did not know. I was filled with a sense of revolutionary rage at patriarchies all over the world that have created a zero accountability for such astonishing entitlement by some men towards women and children’s bodies. The Nirbhaya case embodied everything that so clearly has to change.
Was it a challenge to adapt an incident so deeply rooted in Indian society and culture?
As a creator of theatre, I know that the key quality to creating a work of authentic insight (especially if you are writing about a community other than your own) is to be humble. To keep reminding one’s self that.
I am from South Africa. I grew up in an intense socio-political climate, which created geographical, economic and psychological divisions within its society so deep, that I would be foolish to have assumed knowledge of even those living 10 miles from my home. And so I learnt as a writer to listen. Without listening, I would sink. South Africa also shares certain issues with India. The colonial history, the vast economic disparity and, of course, the horrific sexual violence statistics that both countries need to turn the tide on sexual violence. I cannot think of a single country that has no work to do on this aspect. But as much as it’s a mistake to assume only India has this problem, so too is the idea that it is the same set of factors around the world.
The Nirbhaya case was uniquely Indian for certain reasons. But it also has the power to speak to the world. It is my job to honour the specifics of this Indian context while transcending what would excuse anyone from this issue by believing it to be uniquely an Indian problem.
What was your approach and how difficult was the process of scripting and directing a play based on such a horrific incident?
I first began creating testimonial theatre in South Africa almost 15 years ago. I have developed a very specific process over these years. It always involves one thing: facing the truth. Without compromise. It is my mandate (after gathering these testimonies) to write a text and create and direct the performers in a piece of theatre that renders a deep encounter for the audience with the truth. But not without poetry and the power of art.
In this production, five performers share their personal traumas of sexual violence that have affected them deeply as individuals. The additional two performers re-enact the Nirbhaya case, which serves as the narrative spine and catalyst for these five women stepping forward to break their own silences. Whatever road we take to get there, in the creative process I try to lead the collaborating artistes down a path of integrity that embraces a zero-denial zone. By being this searingly honest, the audience is invited to join us on an intimate journey with the searing reality of the epidemic that sexual violence is today!
How does ‘testimonial theatre’ help build a powerful and enduring movement?
By witnessing people who have experienced sexual violence raise their hand in this very public way and declaring themselves survivors of sexual violence, we strip away the silence. The silence that many choose after being violated sexually as adults or as children is based on the emotion of shame and accountability. A myth has been woven by the entrenched patriarchy. By speaking out we begin to dismantle this myth. Claiming the events of one’s life as real means one deconstructs denial and at the same time locates shame, accountability and loss of honour with the deeply dishonorable act of violating someone sexually. It’s time we get real and stop protecting the patriarchal notion that women and children must take it upon themselves the moral bankruptcy of the perpetrator.
The play has been making waves in the UK and now US. What draws the western audience?
Western audiences confront the same issues. Rape as sexual violence is everywhere. There have been personal experiences shared after almost every performance. It is the beginning of a long journey back towards the self. Facing the truth is always the first step. Speaking it is the next.
When do we see Nirbhaya in India?
We are hoping the show reaches India in time for the first anniversary of the attack on Nirbhaya on December 16. The response to the campaign on Kickstarter has been strong. But it needs to be a great deal stronger. We need to raise 50,000 pounds in the next two weeks in order for this production to reach India. Each pound brings us closer to this possibility.
By people clicking on the link (www.kickstarter.com/projects/nirbhaya/nirbhaya-award-winning-human-rights-theatre-india) and pledging what they can offer, they become a part of this movement. We need each person to raise their hand, pledge what they can and help us break the silence!
Priyanka bose on being a part of Nirbhaya
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How did you come on board for Nirbhaya?
Poorna Jagannathan got in touch with me after she got Yael Farber interested in making a piece around the idea. We workshopped in February with some known actresses in Mumbai, from which Poorna and I were chosen to be a part of the piece, and used the social media to cast the rest.
What do you do in the play?
I cannot say anything about a ‘role’ I’m portraying but this piece is an ensemble and each one of us is a catalyst telling the Nirbhaya story, a medium to break the silence that surrounds sexual violence and other violations towards women.
What is it like for an actor to re-enact someone and something that has happened for real?
It is the hardest thing and process I have ever been a part of and I have used this platform to really express myself as an artiste.
What would the workshops involve?
The workshop or the creation time would involve a lot of discussions and stories transcribed around our lives, which Yael would be writing and giving us material and we would have to prepare the material and take stage orders almost overnight.
Do you remember the opening day?
Yes, it was nerve-racking. We were opening on a soil which was not known to us (Edinburgh), hence it was something we had to conquer slowly.
We recently saw you in the ad for Tanishq that breaks many stereotypes...
I thought it was well-made. It has been well-received. The ad creating a buzz is really surprising but at the same time gratifying. It does break a certain stereotype of celebrating remarriage, although I do feel it’s not a new-age norm to talk about.
What else is keeping you busy?
Just fund-raising for Nirbhaya. We have started a crowd-funding interest on Kickstarter and we are aggressively reaching out to sponsors who may be interested to back us. A crowd-funding medium is definitely a first in India, till now all our contributors have been from the UK. We want more Indian families to take interest and push to bring this piece to India where it belongs.
