Womanica

Peacebuilders: Madeeha Gauhar

Episode Summary

Madeeha Gauhar (1956-2018) challenged censorship in Pakistan and helped to transform theater in South Asia.

Episode Notes

Madeeha Gauhar (1956-2018) challenged censorship in Pakistan and helped to transform theater in South Asia.

Women’s contributions to peacekeeping efforts are often overlooked, but no more. This month on Womanica we're highlighting women who have spearheaded peacekeeping initiatives all over the world — from India to South Africa to the United States. We cover women like ​​Doria Shafik who led Egypt’s female liberation movement, as well as Coretta Scott King who was a fierce advocate for equality for Black Americans and a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. Tune in to hear the stories of women who were integral to creating peace in their communities. 

History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.

Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more.  Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures. 

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Episode Transcription

Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Meltem Burak. I’m the host and producer of the podcast, Sesta. We aim to harness the power of arts and culture to foster conversation and build peace in Cyprus. I’ll be your guest host for this month of Womanica. 

This month, we’re highlighting Peacebuilders: In times of conflict, these women have stepped in, bringing their creativity and insight to help facilitate peace across the globe.

Today, we’re talking about a woman who challenged censorship in Pakistan and helped to transform theater in south Asia.

Let’s meet Madeeha Gauhar.

Madeeha was born in 1956 in Karachi, Pakistan. She aspired to perform on stage and on television; however, when she was growing up, Pakistan was ruled by a military dictatorship that heavily restricted opportunities for women in art

Madeeha grew up visiting her grandfather in a village near the India-Pakistan border. One morning, she awoke to the sound of heavy shelling– an air raid. At the time, she didn’t understand the impact of warfare along the border. But that moment, and the mid-air dogfights between Indian and Pakistani forces that came in the following days, would impact her forever. 

As a young woman, Madeeha decided to pursue her dreams of becoming an actor and director. She obtained her Masters degree in Theater Studies at the University of London. 

Afterwards, Madeeha moved back to Pakistan. She found work an actor on PTV, the Pakistani-state owned broadcaster. Still, the country was under a military regime. Women’s roles on television were heavily censored.  The suppression of freedoms and mistreatment of women drove Madeeha to leave mainstream media. She decided to create her own path where she could confront the injustices she witnessed and experienced.

Madeeha married a well-known TV director, producer and writer named Shahid Nadeem. In 1983, Madeeha and her husband founded Ajoka - a theater group created to address bold political and social contemporary themes. It would tackle topics such as women's rights, labor, and religious intolerance, in the pursuit of socially meaningful theater. Despite her classical training, she emphasized indigenous styles combining it with contemporary techniques on stage. In Punjabi, Ajoka Theater means, “theater of today.”

The strict censorship laws of the era made it nearly impossible for Ajoka to find a venue for their work. So, the theater debuted its first theatrical performance out on a house lawn. They chose to give this performance in defiance of the strict censorship laws.

The group started out small, operating out of the homes of members in the group and using donations from supporters and audience members. Soon, the organization grew and began attracting larger audiences. 

Madeeha believed in promoting peace between India and Pakistan. She traveled to India frequently and made an effort to have her plays performed there. She collaborated with Indian playwrights and directors, had productions featured in Indian theater festivals, and even helped organize trans-border festivals to cultivate peace.

While working as a director and actor, Maheeda also gave lectures. However, she was forced to quit due to her theater activism. Not long after this, she was sent to jail for engaging in women’s rights demonstrations.

Madeeha received numerous honors for her work in theater. In 2003 she was awarded the Medal of Distinction by the President of Pakistan for improving Pakistani theater. And in 2006, Madeeha became the first Pakistani to be awarded the prestigious Prince Claus Award for her leadership of Ajoka. 

In 2007, Madeeha’s husband wrote a play that she directed called Burqavaganza. A satirical love story, the script deals in controversial themes while actors dress in burkas. The play highlighted increased pressure on women to wear the veil in Pakistan; however, the play was met with contention and was banned by the National Arts Council in April 2010 after numerous protests. In defiance of the ban, the theater continued to perform the play.

Madeeha died on April 25, 2018 after suffering with cancer for three years. She was 61 years old.

Since her death, Madeeha’s legacy lives on in the continued success of Ajoka which has become one of Pakistan’s leading and most prolific theater groups.

 For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram @womanicapodcast. 

Special thanks to co-creators Jenny and Liz Kaplan, for having me as a guest host.

Talk to you tomorrow!