Post by ignorantianescia on Aug 14, 2013 19:01:16 GMT
It's a Pakistani cartoon promoting education for girls:
www.religiondispatches.org/archive/sexandgender/7248/_burka_avenger__pakistan_s_middle_class_gets_a_feminist_cartoon/
www.religiondispatches.org/archive/sexandgender/7248/_burka_avenger__pakistan_s_middle_class_gets_a_feminist_cartoon/
While the new Pakistani cartoon “Burka Avenger” has gained media attention due to its combination of Islamic veiling—often perceived as sexist—with overt promotion of gender equality, the show’s most insightful statement may be about change in education.
The program follows the adventures of Jiya, a schoolteacher who responds to challenges by transforming into a burka-clad superheroine. As the titular alter ego, she uses pens and books as weapons to fight Islamic fundamentalists who want to close a school for girls. The cartoon is being lauded as a form of resistance to the Pakistani Taliban’s repressive standards on education for women.
Gender equality in education has been a flashpoint in Pakistan for years. While literacy has risen steadily, the rate was still only 54.9% nationally by 2009, with just 52% of students reaching grade five. Unsurprisingly, girls have been disproportionately effected, partly because of Pakistani Jihadists’ staunch opposition to female education, typified by the Taliban shooting of teenage education activist Malala Yousafzai.
The program follows the adventures of Jiya, a schoolteacher who responds to challenges by transforming into a burka-clad superheroine. As the titular alter ego, she uses pens and books as weapons to fight Islamic fundamentalists who want to close a school for girls. The cartoon is being lauded as a form of resistance to the Pakistani Taliban’s repressive standards on education for women.
Gender equality in education has been a flashpoint in Pakistan for years. While literacy has risen steadily, the rate was still only 54.9% nationally by 2009, with just 52% of students reaching grade five. Unsurprisingly, girls have been disproportionately effected, partly because of Pakistani Jihadists’ staunch opposition to female education, typified by the Taliban shooting of teenage education activist Malala Yousafzai.