Calling All Asia

This is a journey under the brightness of our common sun. — Harry Aveling

I wake up to a lustrous spring morning in Houston, USA. Outside, jasmine and bougainvillea are blooming and if I were in my other home, Karachi, Pakistan, I would be sipping tea instead of dark roast coffee and the same flowers would be blossoming in my parent¡¯s garden. I stretch and slowly open out the newspaper that gets delivered to our Houston home, knowing that if I were in Karachi, we would be choosing from three papers—Dawn, The News and the Urdu Jang; however, Houston only publishes one, the large-print Houston Chronicle, and my husband and I reject it, preferring to
subscribe to the mainstream New York Times that presents a larger image of the world.

Today, three stories leap out: at the very top, details about the emotional psyche of Seung-Hui Cho, the college student who went on a shooting rampage in Blacksburg, Virginia; the second largest headline covers the US Supreme Court¡¯s approval of more abortion restrictions; and the third headline toward the bottom of the page tells about the 190 deaths in Baghdad after bomb blasts around the city. I read through the stories fast, then surf the Internet for alternative international (Asian) news. From The News (Pakistan), I glean that former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina plans to defy the army-backed interim government's bar on her return, and that Pakistan¡¯s Prime Minister has met with his Chinese counterpart and 29 business pacts were signed. There is, of course, more coverage on the bombings in Baghdad.

After surfing some more, I cast aside the newspapers, both online and print, and pick up a rich collection of stories, poems and essays, the Spring 2007 issue of Asia, a publication dedicated to the celebration of language and women. In the heart of this issue are a collection of writings that delve deeply into issues of sexuality, incest, and abortion.

Korean writer Pu Hee-ryoung¡¯s ¡°Flowers¡± is an exploration of women¡¯s bodies as the text weaves through one woman¡¯s journey of self-discovery through masturbation and early sexual experiences. Taiwanese writer Li-ang¡¯s gentle story ¡°Flower Season¡± about a young girl skipping school is laden with sexual abuse innuendoes that never quite materialize—but the undercurrent of tension is a reminder of how often women experience such abuse (some statistics report that two in every three women are victims of sexual abuse).

In her short story ¡°One Afternoon,¡± Turkish writer Sebnem Isiguzel delves even deeper into issues of abuse by exploring the difficult subject of incest. Her characters, a young woman who is having a sexual relationship with her father, is a Sebnem Isiguzel of Lolita with a disturbing edge (again, numerous statistics indicate that more women experience sexual abuse by family members rather than strangers). Mongolian writer L. Ulziitug¡¯s startling short story ¡°Woman,¡± is in the voice of a woman who waits in line to receive an abortion. Her story underscores how a mundane act such as queuing up for an emotionally charged choice, abortion, is a reality in some women¡¯s lives—especially in nations where population control is a vital issue.

While Asia explores personal/ sexual issues that are global as well, the magazine also revisits politically charged historical events. Through her personal essay ¡°My Life, My Literature and The World,¡± Palestinian writer Sahar Khalifeh shares her personal journey and her struggles as a woman and a writer in Palestine. Reading her work, I can be reminded again that Palestine exists and that women¡¯s conflicts are universal even as we join in global struggles. Pakistani poet Kishwar Naheed visits women¡¯s journeys
through her poems ¡°Standing on the Shore¡± and ¡°We Sinful Women.¡± Both poems celebrate the ordinariness in women¡¯s lives and bodies as well as women¡¯s inherent powers. Singaporean writer Chua Ser Koon¡¯s ¡°Japan¡¯s View of the War, Fifty Years Later¡± is a revisitation of the Second World War and presents a different perspective on the Japanese-led massacre in Singapore—a moment in history that is denied by many Japanese.

As a woman who seeks to straddle many worlds, Asia gives me hope in my personal struggle. Regard-less of whether I¡¯m based in Pakistan, the USA, or in another country, it would be hard to find a collection so complex, dark and yet as inspiring as Asia. In today¡¯s global world where territorial bounries are blurred by the Internet and constant movement, we all have access to a wide array of writings and information. However, the spring 2007 Asia—dedicated to women writers—presents women¡¯s perspectives with a richness that is rarely experienced.

By immersing myself in these honest writings I am reminded of generations of silenced histories and the urgency for our women to speak out in a world where male perspectives dominate the media and violence is viewed as an answer to socio-political problems. I read hope in Asia and I wish the editors good luck in their endeavors to move us toward seeing ¡°ourselves through our eyes¡± without being ¡°restricted by geographical boundaries.¡±



Sehba Sarwar¡¯s first novel Black Wings was published in 2004 (Alhamra Publishing). Her writing largely
deals with issues of gender and displacement, and her work has been published in anthologies in Pakis-
tan, India and the United States. Currently based in Houston (USA), Sarwar serves as Founding Direc-
tor for the activist arts organization Voices Breaking Boundaries. She also co-hosts a radio show and
offers writing workshops. She regularly returns to Karachi, Pakistan for writing inspiration and is work-
ing on a new novel.