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Nine Iraqi Women

AIR DATE: Wednesday, June 11th 2008
Download the mp3 for this show.

When we hear reports of the war in Iraq we rarely hear how it impacts Iraqi civilians on a day-to-day basis -- let alone how it affects women in particular. Nine Parts of Desire, a one-woman play that weaves together the experiences of nine different Iraqi women, aims to redress that.

The play was written by Heather Raffo, whose father is from Iraq and who grew up in the midwest. She visited Iraq for the first time in 1993 and spent the next 11 years interviewing women and learning about their culture and experiences.

Raffo's U.S. premiere of Nine Parts of Desire won critical acclaim in 2004 (The New Yorker called it "an example of how art can remake the world"). She subsequently took the show to some major U.S. cities. And now there's a local production at Portland's Coho Theater -- with Best Actress Drammy Award-winning Luisa Sermol singing, dancing, whispering, and praying her way through all nine parts.

Through Sermol, Nine Parts of Desire introduces the audience to a wealth of characters: a Bedouin woman who has her heart broken for the first time after two failed marriages; a teenage girl who dances to Western pop music; an artist who curated the Saddam Hussein's art center; a doctor sickened by the birth defects she faces every day, and more.

These women bring up many questions. Most significantly, for the purpose of this conversation: how are Iraqi civilians, especially women, portrayed in Western culture? Do you feel like you have a good understanding of how people in Iraq live? What they eat? What music they listen to? How they socialize? Does Western media do a good enough job telling us stories from Iraq?

GUESTS:

  • Heather Raffo: Playwright, Nine Parts of Desire
  • Louanne Moldovan: Founder and artistic director of Cygnet Productions and director of the Portland production of Nine Parts of Desire
  • Luisa Sermol: Actress performing the one-woman play, Nine Parts of Desire at Coho Theater in Portland

Tagged as: iraq · theater · women

Honestly, I don't think we have the cultural background to even frame good questions on the topic. That said, I have to feel concern for the women who are being reported to be on the loosing end of a "democratic" Islamization (is that a real word now?) of their country.

I have to wonder about the paradox that a vocal group with traditional values is able to take control via the ballot box, then limit the options and freedoms of the women who participated in getting them elected.

But in all honesty, I have not read the Koran (or however it is transliterated these days), so who am I to try to interpret if what they want is even in keeping with their cultural asperations.

Could the media really help us understand better? I doubt it. Can I describe the color blue to a blind person? I think we are that disconnected from their world view.
tpohara —
Folks,

This is an interesting twist on the idea of Iraqi women talking to American audiences: a letter from the mother of an American marine to the Iraqi women whose families her son mistakenly killed.
David Miller —
"404 not found"

Is what I got, David, please recheck that URL. I would like to read that.

Thanks.
Tom D Ford —
I'm not sure what's wrong with the link. Try this:
http://www.mfso-oregon.org/2008/03/03/open-letter-to-three-iraqi-women-from-an-oregon-mother/
David Miller —
That works.

Feel free to delete these posts about it.
Tom D Ford —
A good letter.
Tom D Ford —
What difference does it make what Iraqi women are thinking or doing? I don't know what women in many countries are doing or thinking. This play is another lopsided foolishly liberal attempt at trying to equate apples and oranges and telling us they taste like chicken. Sure Iraqi women have lots of similar problems that women all over have. So what? It doesn't make anything different. It is just stating the obvious. Differences are equally as important, if not more so, then similarities.

There is already enough justification for not being involved in this war. We certainly don't need an unrelated mound of subjective fluff to tell us this. Chalk it up to entertainment if you like, but don't call it something profound.
scottmil —
Have you seen the play, scottmil?
Rabbit —
No I haven't. I wondered if this point would be the first naysay. Is that all you got? Surely you must have something better to refute my statement. I didn't realize this discussion was open to people who have only seen the play. Just so you know I might actually see it, being an extreme elitist liberal who loves theater. But even so---it doesn't make any difference to what I said.
scottmil —
Scottmil, of course you don't need to have seen the play to comment in this thread. But seeing the show would have given you a clearer understanding of what it is and what it isn't. I don't get the sense that this play is meant to give "justification for not being involved in this war." It's very ambiguous -- impressively so -- about standard political questions, focusing as it does both on Saddam Hussein's atrocities as well as the results of U.S. military action (in 1991 and today). As such it gives a much more nuanced perspective (well, nine of them) on nearly two decades of Iraqi history.

As for your larger critique that there's no value in exploring the experiences of a particular group -- that doing so can only ever amount to fluff -- I respectfully disagree.
David Miller —
I clearly never, EVER said: "that there's no value in exploring the experiences of a particular group -- that doing so can only ever amount to fluff." Your synopsis of my post is terribly inaccurate.

This clearly is not meant as "just a play"---and your shows interest in it is not as "just a play." Your introduction makes this apparent---asks all kinds of leading questions. So then I ask what is the point? And what is this play supposed to be? What would someone "or you" want us to know about the play and why it is important? Is it just entertainment or is there some larger message/concept? Is it just irony that a play about Iraqi women appears in the America-at-war-with-Iraq world? How many other plays have you discussed on Think Out Loud. Just a coincidence. Not, likely.

I am sure Nine Parts of Desire is wonderful---as a play. I would also see this play, and would probably like it. I loosely remember reading the review in the New Yorker. I think this play would also help me understand Iraqi women---and it can be valuable to understand any group of people. But it doesn't change what I said in my original post.

To further reinforce this---look at your own post, Dave:

--------
Folks,

This is an interesting twist on the idea of Iraqi women talking to American audiences: a letter from the mother of an American marine to the Iraqi women whose families her son mistakenly killed.
--------

I think it is apparent that the this play is being sold as something more then mere theatrical entertainment or why in the world would you post that?
scottmil —
Your first paragraph is your opinion about something you know about...I accept that, and whether I agree with it or not does not matter.

In your second paragraph, when you describe the play as "subjective fluff" and close with "don't call it something profound" you are passing judgement on a play you have not seen.

Several scenes in the play can be perceived as a reason to intervene in Iraq. Several are the opposite. Several do not deal with the war at all.
Rabbit —
I didn't simply describe the play as subjective fluff. I said:
"There is already enough justification for not being involved in this war. We certainly don't need an unrelated mound of subjective fluff to tell us this."

I guess I'm not sure what your point is? That I shouldn't talk about plays I haven't seen, or that you disagree with my assessment? Or both?
scottmil —
"Does Western media do a good enough job telling us stories from Iraq?"

Your guest is right that the western media jumped on the Bush/Cheney propaganda bandwagon and demonized the Iraqis.

The Iraqis trying to defend their families, homes, and country from the Criminals Bush/Cheney get flippantly labeled "terrorists" and the media run with it.

Bush/Cheney are just common Oil Industry burglar-murderers who broke into Iraq and murdered Iraqi mothers, fathers, children, and babies, to take control of their oil.

Blood Oil!

I would hope that I would defend my family, home, and country from War Criminals like Bush/Cheney.
Tom D Ford —
Americans, like myself even have a stereotypical and limited view of Iraqi Women. But after seeing the show my eyes were opened to how they are exactly like any American woman. Sophisticated, intelligent (maybe even more so) resilient, hopeful yet realistic, angry for good reason, lovers, doctors, philanthropists etc. I thought that Emily's starting her show with an insult to the director from a place of arrogance was disgraceful. I was quite angered by listening to her shabby journalism and I was left thinking she was part of the Bush/Cheney regime that downplays the truth and minimizes and or completely sabotages the efforts of these two women (the director and the Actress) to open up our perspectives through this production. It was one of the worst interviews I've ever heard. I'm so upset that what could have been a deep and meaningful interview on a great show was nothing more than Emily asking stupid questions and cutting off those who had something truly meaningful to say. I highly recommend they fire her and send her to Iraq.
brotherdaniel —
The show was one of the most moving theater experiences of my life. When I think back on the performance, which I saw nearly two weeks ago, it seems like there was more than one person involved in the performance. Louisa transformed herself before our eyes.

I must have missed the "insult" you are referring to. I did feel that Emily was much more intrusive than usual and am wondering why. I was especially bothered when the play's author was not allowed to continue her story about the impact of seeing the painting of the woman and the tree in a museum full of pictures of Saddam, especially when she was interrupted by a question she had already answered. When the interviewed women were allowed to speak, I was very grateful.
mmarvin —
i saw this play last week. it's had a profound effect on me. all week long, i've been thinking about the characters and their stories, louisa's brilliant performance and my eyes were opened in a huge way. i'm inspired to read more, see more and learn more about the lives of iraqis. i would love any suggestions of reading material or documentaries.

:)
stephanie
stephanie —
It is one of the oldest civilizations in the history of the world. They have been through a lot.

So I'd say you're wise to learn about them.
Tom D Ford —
I just want to thank Louisa for her genuine and authentic presentation of the Iraqi women diversity and commonality simultaneously.
Houzan —
Dave:

I think it's late enough now that no one else will be reading this, so I wanted to take a moment to say I think you missed the point in my comment, at least in how you used it on air. The fact that the former interpreter said almost exactly the same thing actually seemed to support my opinion that the media can't give us a better picture in the sound bite or even npr formats... we have to assume too much.

I can appreciate that the play is more of an attempt to bridge that (and no, I haven't seen the play), but I was addressing the questions asked at the end of Sarah's opening post... which don't address the play at all. Therein lies the rub: when I wind up posting first and the topic on-air heads off with no relationship to the questions asked, there have been couple of occasions when you have seemed to sound-bite my posts into different meanings... perhaps unintentionally... and I wind up wondering if I really want to post first. There have been several in the last week or so that I've passed on because I didn't want to walk out in front with a first post and risk the slice going in a way I didn't mean. I realize that many of my posts get long and you have to edit if you want to include parts of them, and I also suspect that when there isn't a lot of online activity to pull from that you or Emily may want to use something to ask a qusetion you would personally ask. You can even use the words, but I'm not egotistical enough to need my name mentioned when what you are having me say isn't what I meant.

Can you understand what I am trying to bring up?
tpohara —
I completely understand what you're trying to bring up, and I'm sorry that you feel I haven't captured your meaning. Obviously, I have to shorten your -- and everyone else's -- comments to fit them into the flow of the radio show. But I strive mightily to be true to the sentiment, opinion, and experience behind each comment. To the extent that I missed the mark, I apologize. But please don't give up on us!
David Miller —

Comments are now closed.

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