they all took it off. In the garden, the moment the male gardener left, they all lifted their veils to enjoy the sun.
Q: As a Westerner, I appreciate that the film makes clear the distinctions between the hijab and burqa and exposes the complicated historical and political journey of the burqa in Afghanistan. Tell me about filming in Kabul and the people you chose to interview. men. There is a saying in my country: You are a fool if you listen to a woman.
Q: The film answered a lot of questions but also raised many, which is good. I think art should make us question what we believe. Is there a question the film didn’ t answer for you? Would you do anything differently if you were to do it again?
A: I chose to film in Kabul because it was accessible— in terms of going in with a camera crew— but also in terms of access to the intellectuals, the powerful men I wanted to interview. I couldn’ t have women telling men the burqa is not Islamic. That wouldn’ t work. I needed men. I wanted Afghan people to see men they respect. Men they see on TV. Men they discuss in the Jirgas( assembly of elders). Afghan men listen to men. They are influenced by A: I was a bit of a coward because I didn’ t try hard enough to talk to more women who wore the burqa. The men refused permission, but my instinct was to keep the camera rolling and ask the women directly. I wanted them to lift their veils and talk to me, but I was politically correct. I didn’ t want to offend. I didn’ t want to get them in trouble with their husbands. I wish I had been braver.
Bureen Ruffin
Bureen Ruffin was born in New York City to Haitian parents. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and an MA in Liberal Studies from the New School and teaches writing at Pace University. She is currently working on a memoir and occasionally tweets @ lepetittoutou.
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