Changing the Narrative
Every person has a narrative. Most are inherited narratives
of family, tribe, or nationhood, some related from generation to generation, some
reflected publicly in surnames indicating a trade or a place of origin.
The Arabic tradition of Kunyat, rather than referencing an
ancestor, is forward looking, honouring the next generation, adding Abu (father
of) or umm (mother of) a first-born son or daughter. It can also be a characteristic associated
with the person, such as Abu Hurayra -“father of the kitten” who was known for
his love of cats.
Nicknames or pet names are given as a mark of affection or sometimes
to distinguish between two persons of the same name such as Saghir Lamba or
Saghir mota. Many of us grew up going to langray ke dukan, or had a relative
called gori phuppo.
Aliases may be used to disguise one’s true identity. The
Victorian novelist, Mary Ann Evans, wrote books under the name of George Eliot to
break into a male dominated literary world. Blues singers and Jazz musicians may
be called Fats Domino or Blind Lemon Jefferson. The criminal world is filled
with colourful names like Baby Face Nelson, the American bank robber, or
Karachi’s own Kalu Current.
On a more grandiose scale, Tipu Sultan became the Tiger of
Mysore, William I became William the Conqueror, and Prince Salim became Emperor
Jahangir.
However, the difficulty arises when one wants to change the
narrative. This can be either because one has out grown the previous identity,
or want to dissociate from a group or even an ancestry. Detractors of Pakistan’s
first President, Iskander Mirza, referred to his descendancy from the infamous
Mir Jafar.
For an individual, creating a new narrative may take time,
but it is in their own control to a large extent. Many migrants to USA anglicized
names for greater acceptance. The actor Kirk Douglas was born Issur
Danielovitch. Magician Harry Houdini was Erich Weisz and TV host Jon Stewart, simplified
his name from Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz.
For countries to change an imposed narrative is far more
complex. Many African countries changed
the names that were imposed during the colonial period. French Sudan became Mali,
British East Africa became three countries - Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. It has
taken a genocide for Palestinian identity to be acknowledged.
Allen Ginsberg said “whoever controls the media, the images,
controls the culture.” The broad sweep of calling countries developed or
under-developed, first, second or third world, global north or global south,
ignores the narrative of individual countries. Identifying USSR or now Russia, China,
or Muslim nations as the bad boys of the world, is a controlled narrative.
Some countries have created their own successful narratives
such as Japan and Singapore. Japan erased its image as a defeated nation of
World War II to become a global economic power, Singapore from a trading post
of the East India company to a global financial hub.
One of the most enduring ways to change the narrative of a
country is through sharing its culture, and its art and literature. Cold War proponents
would have us associate Russia with Lenin and Stalin, while it is really its writers,
Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Solzhenitsyn, the music of Rimsky Korsakov and the Bolshoi
ballet, artists Kandinsky, Malevich and Rodchenko that have inspired the world.
Is Chile, its rulers, Pinochet and Allende, or the poet Pablo Neruda ? Is
Columbia drug cartels or the novelist, Gabriel Garcia Márquez? Are
Latin American countries politically unstable, or the home of cha-cha-cha, rumba,
samba, jive and salsa? Is Mexico a nation of would-be immigrants or artists
like Frieda Kahlo and Diego Rivera? No
matter how often Modi violates human rights, India is seen as the land of
Bollywood, ashrams and yogis. USA would have us believe the Cosa Nostra mafia of
New York has been contained, but it has simply gone underground. Instead,
Milton Glaser’s famous I love NY poster and Frank Sinatra’s song New York New
York represent the city’s appeal. Europe has redefined itself as the champion
of human rights, erasing its colonial past from school text books, and filling
its cities with museums and performing arts.
Pakistan remains a globally diffident country, easy prey for
believing the worst that is said of it. The suffix ‘-stan’, part of the name of
seven countries including Pakistan, is used mockingly in fiction with names
like Berzerkistan. We laugh good naturedly
at ourselves and add Guppistan to the list.
The words of Manto, Iqbal, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Habib Jalib, N.M
Rashid, Bulleh Shah and the many love stories of every province in Pakistan,
remain largely unheard in the world, which sees Pakistan as a debt ridden, politically
dysfunctional country that harbours terrorists. Is it not time to take back the
authorship? Is Pakistan ready to share its rich tapestry of crafts, music,
literature and art with the world?
Durriya Kazi
January 13, 2025
Karachi
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