Songsoptok
march QUESTIONNAIRE
Feminism & The Cult of Silence
SONGSOPTOK: Do you think that there is a ‘cult of
silence’ in the country and the society you live in, especially for issues
involving women’s position in society and their rights? If yes, then what are
the specific issues? Is it harmful? In what way?
OLFA: Well, I think that
at the legislative level, Tunisia is considered the most advanced and even
envied in terms of women’s rights among countries of the Muslim world. For Tunisian
women have acquired many rights since the Persoanl Status Code of 1956 such as
the abolition of poligamy, the right to file for divorce, custodial rights over
children, the right of abortion, contraception, alimony etc…They acquired more
rights after the uprising of 2011 such as
their participation in popular elections and their ascention to
political power. Yet, there are many women who are either unaware of these
rights or are reluctant to claim them
and are somehow muted by fear, by shame, by ignorance or by their cultural and religious heritage.
SONGSOPTOK: Do you think that there has always been a
cult of silence in human societies regarding certain issues? If yes, then for
what reasons? Do you think that it is actually a good thing to perpetuate such
a practice? Please tell us if you know why.
OLFA: I think many women
across the globe do not have the guts to reveal or talk about some issues for
fear of being ridiculed, stigmatized, humiliated or oppressed even more by men
in the patriarchal societies where they live. These issues include mainly verbal,
physical or sexual violence, rape and sexual harassment. Personally, I think
that silence participates in perpetuating and normalizing these oppressive
behaviors, that is why women should break the ice and report any infringement
of their rights.
SONGSOPTOK: Is there a feminist movement in your
country? If yes, then what are the specific objectives? In your opinion, is it
necessary? If not, then what are the main reasons for its absence?
OLFA: In Tunisia, there
are many feminist movements; some are state
–sponsored and others are independent or leftist ones. These movements are mainly struggling against gender
discrimination and against
institutional, social and marital violence. Yes, I think their existence is necessary
since they are an emblem of resistance to patriarchy and to the abuse of power.
SONGSOPTOK: What, in your opinion, is the position of
women in the country you live in? Do they have equal rights in every domain as
men? If not, then which are the main areas where they receive unequal
treatment?
OLFA: Tunisian women have
acquired many rights and are theoretically equal to men in many domains but the
enforcement of these laws on the ground seems to be difficult in some cases or
totally neglected in some others.
SONGSOPTOK: A ‘glass ceiling’ is a metaphor used to
represent an invisible barrier that keeps women from rising beyond a certain
level in a hierarchy. Do you believe in this concept? What is your personal
experience in your personal and professional life? In the country you live in
are there glass ceilings in different professions?
OLFA: I do believe in
this concept and I think that many women in Tunisia have been victims of this practice by those
men who are in the position of power and authority in different fields and
professions. Some of them have been subject to sexual harassment and have been required
to sell their bodies to their managers in order to be promoted in their
jobs. As far as the field of education
is concerned, I was myself subject to
sarcasm and humiliation during my PhD defense by one member of the jury who did
not even read my thesis but was there just to judge me and “punish me” for my
feminist thoughts such as my forthright views about the biased patriarchal
society, my condemnation of sexual harassment in our universities and institutions
and for my spiritual and religious beliefs published earlier on my Facebook
page. This unfair treatent was meant to thwart me and silence my loud voice and
also to remind me that climbing the career ladder and becoming a university
professor require silence, cooperation and conmpliance with the corrupted
‘rules’agreed upon under the table. For that reason, I don’t have the intention
to apply for the assistantship or stand again in front an unfair and biased
jury in order to be promoted and gain more money. I prefer to preserve my
dignity and my peace of mind and remain in my post as an English teacher and
use my pen instead to raise my voice and wage war against the authors of these unfair
treatments. I prefer to earn less money but champion justice and women’s rights
by being the spokeswoman of those women who have been bullied and compelled to turn a blind eye on the intimidations and
sexual harassment they have been subject to in their jobs because of their critical
social or financial situations.
SONGSOPTOK: What is your opinion about the feminist
movement? Do you think it is necessary, both at a global and a more local
level? Why? In this context, what do you think are the major achievements of
the Feminist movement, if any?
OLFA: I think feminist movements should continue to exist
in all countries in order to spread awareness among the oppressed women and to
liberate them from the feelings of fear, shame and stigma which are muting
their voices and inhibiting them from reporting cases of violence, sexual abuse
or sexist oppression.
Well,
one can not deny the major achievements
of the feminist movements such as propelling the civil rights movement, removing
the stigma surrounding sexual assaults, fighting legal and gender discrimination,
inducing equality in the workplace and gainng some political rights.
SONGSOPTOK: A recent study (conducted by
HuffPost/YouGov) concluded that only 20% of Americans identify as feminists,
even though a whopping 82% believe that "men and women should be social,
political, and economic equals.” Do you find this contradictory, and if so,
why? What, according to you, would be the result of a similar study in the
country you live in? For what reasons?
OLFA: Yes, I find it contradictory and I think the reason is that
only those 20% are brave and strong enough to admit their feminist thoughts and
are ready to sacrifice some privileges and fight openly for their desired
rights, whereas the rest prefer to remain in their “comfort zone” and avoid any
eventual conflict with the ruling patriarchs on whom they must be financially
or emotionally dependent. I guess the same contradiction would be discovered if
the study was conducted in my country for similar reasons.
SONGSOPTOK: One of the main areas of the feminist
movement is sexual objectification of women almost all across the globe,
especially on media. What is the reality in the country you live in and / or
your country of origin? What is your opinion about this? Do you think that
there is a cult of silence around this issue? Why?
OLFA: Definitely! I think
that sexual objectification is intentional in all patriarchal societies
especially on media and it is meant to reduce the worth of women to that of the
body/ flesh/ commodity and therefore undermine their intellectual faculties and
their abilities to be thinkers, decision-makers and leaders and by extension
naturalize their marginalization and their oppression. They are often presented
as sales hooks in commercials of all kinds in order to encourage consumerism. I think there is not only silence around this
issue but also complicity in normalizing this objectification from those very women
who accept and feel proud to play these roles ascribed to them on media.
SONGSOPTOK: Finally, according to you, to what extent
is feminism relevant in today’s society?
OLFA: Feminist movements across the globe have
been fighting for decades to empower the
marginalized and elevate the disenfranchised. Even though they’ve not reached their goals
totally, I think their existance is
fundamental as a counter–power and as a non-dominant discourse as the French
philosopher Michel Foucault asserts in this theory of power relations. For this
feminist discourse; like other marginalized discourses, should not be eliminated and must be tolerated
as “an alternative speaking position of resistance that provides the target and
therefore the tension to sustain the dominant discourse” as Foucault puts it. Since
power and resistance are defined in relation to one another, then I think that feminism
is relevant in today’s society and its role resides in keeping a tight rein on
the patriarchal abuses of power.
OLFA
PHILO (DRID) is an engagé writer and poetess from Tunisia and holds a
PhD in American Literature. Her cause as a poet is to voice the buried emotions
and phobias of the oppressed and downtrodden, as well as to unmask and expose
hidden truths socially considered taboo or shameful. Her poems have appeared in
many international anthologies of poetry and in different online and print
literary journals in USA, UK, Canada,
India, China, Philippines, Albania,
Uzbekistan, Serbia, Belgium, Iraq and Italy. Some of her poems have been
translated into Arabic, Serbian, Chinese, Albanian, Spanish and Assamese. You can check her youtube channel below where she is uploading some of her video poems. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChMcYZtsitYOCixxYM5Kz5g
We sincerely thank you
for your time and hope to have your continued support.
Aparajita
Sen
(EDITOR)
Songsoptok
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