Himmati Maai(The courageous Mothers), 2022
Performance with over 80 women activists, faminists, right-based workers at Shilpokola Academy, Segunbagicha
Photo: Pranabesh Das
Himmoti Mai is a performance about standing together as women of Bangladesh against social nuances, taboos and power disparities. Himmoti Mai means to have that ‘dam’ that ‘spirit’ across class, status, identity and religion. The performance was inspired by the inner strength of a violence victim at a remote village in Noakhali in the southeastern part of Bangladesh. Her tenacity until the verdict is a lesson on how women become resilient in the face of vulnerability.
The performance spans almost all generations, professions and social classes, drawing energy from one another in the face opf growing fanatism, narrow social space for women and public space policing. A WhatsApp group named ‘Himmati Mai’ (Courageous Mothers) invited women across generations to gather to claim a public space. More than 80 women, trans women, sex workers, domestic helpers, artists, theatre actors have participated in the performance. To learn more, please download the press release here.