Pashtun Women And Their Beautiful Songs example essay topic

"In Love and War " Abstract: Women of Afghanistan are forced to live under oppressive regulations set forth for them by the men of their societies. Women have virtually no rights to do anything for themselves. There entire lives are controlled by and lived for someone else. Through their songs, they lament the conditions of their lives and are able to convey a beauty in their verses that all people can identity with. (67 words) Key Words: Pashtun, women, honor, oppression, songs Love and war, two concepts that are so contradictory it is hard to believe they could ever coexist simultaneously in one society. War is a state of conflict, hostility and chaos which reeks havoc on civilizations as opposing forces struggle to defend their cause not matter what the price.

Throughout history the world has seen the devastation such conflict can bring; from the gory conquests of the ancient Romans, to the horrific Nazi Holocaust in World War II, to the bloody battles between government forces that raged in Afghanistan. It is in this world of mayhem and cruelty that Pashtun women must carry on their lives. They attempt in whatever possible to find and salvage any kind of love and beauty amidst the turmoil of their warring nation. These women must find ways to stay strong and resist the oppression forced upon them by their patriarchal society which coerces them into hard physical labor as well as demeans their humanity as their status is reduced to nothing more than property (Majrouh X, XIV). The song of the Pashtun woman is her escape, her release, and her joy as she unites with other women in her community and sings out against her oppression. Through these lan days, or songs, one sees another dimension to the lives of Pashtun women as they transform the misery and grief of their everyday lives into a spirit of beauty as they lament against their oppressors and find ways to love even in a time of war.

In order to fully appreciate and understand what is conveyed through the songs of these women, one must understand the historical, social and political context in which they are living. Afghan women have lived and continue to live in an oppressive patriarchal society where they are not even regarded as full fledged citizens, and where men control all political, social and economic powers. In the Sur Revolution in April 1978, civil war in Afghanistan broke out as the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) came into power and tried to institute unwelcome reforms that challenged the current social and political structures of Afghanistan through changes in land tenure and gender relations (Moghadam, 220). The PDPA advocated for women's rights and equality, while traditionalists from tribal communities were opposed to this equality as they viewed it as a threat to the current power structures, as well as a danger to their economic well being. The problem of the weak central state served to exacerbate this problem due to its inability to effectively employ these modernizing programs and goals (213). The question of women became an issue of central concern among the opposing sides.

For the Afghan modernizers the women's liberation and equality became an integral political and cultural goal of the regime. While for traditionalists keeping the women in their current subordinate status was a vital element of their identity and social structure (214). Women are subjected to extremely hard physical labor. They are responsible for performing the most daunting, and exhaustive domestic work, without any compensation. Her labor power and the products of that labor are controlled totally by men (215).

She is also subject to arranged marriage where she is treated like the property of her father as he sells her off for a bride price provided to compensate him for the loss of his daughter's labor, rather than provide social insurance for the girl in case of divorce or widowhood as is custom in many other Muslim countries (215). The girl has no say in who she is to marry, therefore marriage is never about love, and husbands are typically either old men or young boys whose wives hold them in contempt, further aggravating the harsh conditions of their lives. Pashtun women live in a society dominated by men and regulated by a social system which gives women no consideration or courtesy (215,216). It is among these rigid conditions that the women's voices are raised through their song. She joins her female companions as they fetch water from the well and communicate using these beautiful two line lan days. Each song evokes a different emotion, releases a different frustration or communicates a different desire (Majrouh XI, XII).

The women turn their grief into art as they sing these songs of suffering and express a shared humanity about what it means to be a woman in their culture. Each song is completely unique in inspiration though they all take on the same form a two line versus consisting of nine and thirteen syllables. It is in this way that women create a sense of community as if speaking to one another in a secret code that only one another can understand. By singing the lan days in this way, women are able to broach subjects that would otherwise be taboo.

These songs circulate among the women and become part of the collective memory. The best ones are repeated over and over becoming engrained in the memories women, and creating yet another shared aspect of their lives further producing a their sense of community among one another. It is this community that helps these women build up their spirit of resistance to the oppressive forces at work in their lives by helping them to find ways to release frustrations and carry on (XI). Though each of these songs is unique, they all continuously exalt three familiar themes "that taste of blood" (XVI). These themes are love, honor and death.

Love is forbidden for the Pashtun woman. As previously mentioned she is subject to an arranged marriage which never takes into account her feelings of love, but rather the most economically sound decision for her father's family. Being forced into this unwanted union she must submit herself to a man she does not care for and often suppress her true emotions for another whom she cannot openly love. When speaking of the husband, a Pashtun woman never speaks in terms of endearment, but rather mocks as she incessantly refers to him as the "little horror". Love is strictly prohibited by the Pashtun honor code and is punishable by death (2). From this oppression rises the song of lovers.

Women can only love in secret, at night when the rest of the village is asleep. She is able to see her lover only for a few short hours in the darkness until she must return to her life of submission by day. "Last night I was close to my lover, oh evening of love not to return again! Like a bell, with all my jewels and deep into the night I was chiming in his arms". (5) In these songs she is not afraid to raise subjects that are forbidden as she sings with brutal honesty. She speaks of her body freely and exalts her capacity to love.

She is not afraid to shock her listener or speak in scandalous words. This poetry conveys her resistance to the current social regulations placed on her. She proclaims her love aloud undaunted by who might hear. "Put your mouth on mine But leave my tongue free to speak to you of love". (6) Honor is another theme that dominates in the lan days of the Pashtun women. She lives in a society regulated by a strict honor code.

According to this code women are not allowed to love, as it would be shameful and bring disgrace to her family. Likewise, the men are also bound by this strict honor code. They are required to be brave, fight, and defend their country. If they do not show this bravery they will be ridiculed and denied by their wives. This is another way in which the Pashtun woman is able to resist her oppression.

By inverting the situation and forcing the men to hold up to the honor code they so mercilessly enforce upon women. To be a woman in their culture means to live by a certain set of rules put in place by men. Therefore to be a man in this culture, the women force the men to also live by a certain code, thus beating the men at their own game. If a man is not a hero, he will not be loved. If a man does not fight with dignity and show courage he will be scorned upon returning to his home (12, 13). "If you are looking for the warmth of my arms, you will have to risk your life, But is you prefer your celebration, then kiss the dust rather than love".

(8) The Pashtun woman is not totally helpless. She masterfully reverses the implications of honor code with fits of laughter as she sings her song of honor to the men. She seems to scoff saying, "Since you are so proud of your virility and so much love to play the game of honor, well then, I'll participate in your game and I'm going to make you shoulder the extreme consequences of you own principles" (12). Her spirit cannot be crushed as she fights to remain alive in this harsh society he has made for her. A man must conduct himself like a hero. When in battle he must not turn his back on the enemy.

If he comes home with wounds in his back instead of his chest, he has demonstrated his cowardice and can no longer live honorably in his community (14). "If the Pashtun woman invites the man to loving, she never appeals to him with her tenderness or sweetness. She provokes him in his honor and his dignity", (7). "My beloved! If you turn your back upon the enemy, do not come home again! Go and seek refuge in a distant land".

(17) The third haunting theme that runs through these songs is death; a cold detachment from the body, returning once again to the dust. The Pashtun woman is separated from her home through exile, from her body through forced labor, and from her emotions through unnatural love. She is deprived of all life's joys by being confined to one tent, one strenuous job, and one man. In her exile she is not allowed to dance, sing or celebrate. She is required to remain veiled at all times.

(48) "She is like a plant that has been ripped from the soil and lies withering in the burning sun", (48). In her songs she cries out as she sees her life rapidly fading away. She lives a life detached from her heart and struggles to stay alive by recalling memories of her homeland long gone. "The woman in exile never stops dying, Turn her face, then, toward her native land so that she may breathe her last". (49) Despite the misery that exists in the lives of Pashtun women, their songs live on to communicate a spirit of beauty amidst their helpless plight. Through careful analysis of her songs, we are able to see behind the veil and reach the rich heart of the Afghan woman.

There is a joy in her songs that illustrates the perseverance of the human spirit. No matter how demoralized one's life may be, there is a spirit within us all to survive; a spirit that cannot be crushed even in the bloodiest of wars or the most hostile of oppressions. It is this universal desire the endure and find quench the thirst for human happiness that connects us all the Pashtun women and their beautiful songs. (1915 words)

Bibliography

Majrouh, Said Bahodine, ed. Songs of Love and War Afghan Women's Poetry. Paris: Editions Galliard, 1994.
Moghadam, Valentine M. Revolution, Islamist Reaction, and Women in Afghanistan. Ed. Mary Ann Tetreault. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1994.
Works ConsultedMoghadam, Valentine M, ed. Gender and National Identity Women and Politics in Muslim Societies. London: Oxford University Press, 1994.