Thumbprint Digital Booklet

THUMBPRINT KAMALA SANKARAM SUSAN YANKOWITZ

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THUMBPRINT LIBRETTO BY

SUSAN YANKOWITZ MUSIC BY

KAMALA SANKARAM

© January 30, 2017 revised—Susan Yankowitz

SYNOPSIS Thumbprint, a 90 minute chamber opera by composer Kamala Sankaram and librettist Susan Yankowitz, is inspired by the true story of Mukhtar Mai, a young illiterate peasant who was gang-raped as retribution for an alleged ‘honor’ crime by her little brother and who became the first woman in Pakistan to bring her rapists to justice.

This atrocity is the unlikely catalyst for Mukhtar’s transformation: Instead of committing suicide from the shame of her rape, as expected in her part of the world, she took her rapists to court. When offered a settlement, she instead asked for a school where girls in her village could be educated so that they, unlike her, would never know the humiliation of having to sign their names with a thumbprint.

From a woman who had not even known that her country had a constitution, she became a voice for the women ‘buried in shame/without a stone to mark their graves,’ and an international voice for human rights.

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PRAISE “Mukhtaran is a Rosa Parks for the new century: a woman simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary, who transcended her role and started a broad movement for justice. The most pressing moral challenge today is to overcome the brutality and inequality faced by women and girls in the developing world, and Mukhtaran has become a leader of that struggle.”

—NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF “Please don’t assume that it’s only a tale of heartbreak. Mukhtar Mai . . . proves that one woman really can change the world.”

—LAURA BUSH “No nation can rise to the heights of glory unless its women are standing side by side with the men; we are victims of ugly customs. It is a crime against humanity that our women are shut up within the 4 walls of the houses like prisoners.”

—MOHAMMAD ALI JINNAH (the Father of Pakistan)

CAST ‘Thumbprint’ is conceived for 6 singers/actors and 6 instrumentalists.

All performers except Mukhtar play several roles.

The singing voices and styles may straddle opera and music-theatre.

MUKHTAR MAI — Soprano. Twenties.

MOTHER — Mezzo. 40-50.

FATHER — Bass baritone. 40+. Also: the Judge.

ANNU — Soprano. Teens or twenties. Mukhtar’s younger sister.

FAIZ — Baritone. Any age. Leader of Mastoi clan.

Also: Police Chief.

SHAKUR — Tenor. Mukhtar’s 12-year-old brother.

Also: the Reporter and Abdul.

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(ON THE ROAD: MUKHTAR walks, bowed head, meditative, followed by REPORTERS)

VOICES OF REPORTERS Islamabad News! BBC! Pakistan Human Rights Commission! Le Monde!

Hindustan Times! Daily Raj! Al Jazeera! Islamabad News! BBC! Al Manzoor! Daily Raj! Daily News! Al Jazeera! Le Monde!

New York Times! Pravda! Hindustan Times! Egypt Daily News!

Punjabi Khabraan! BBC! Saahiba Bibi, Bibi, Bibi Can you tell us what happened, Mukhtar Mai? Can you tell us what happened that night?

(The REPORTER from the Islamabad News detaches himself from the group, addresses her directly)

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REPORTER

REPORTER, MOTHER, FAIZ

Mukhtar Bibi, Mukhtar Bibi

Where did you find your courage?

I am from the Islamabad News.

Please answer the question on every mind: Where did you find your courage?

REPORTER Tell us, tell us, Mukhtar Mai Where did you find your courage?

Where did you—?

(It is not clear if she is responding (Suddenly FAIZ appears on the

to him or communing with herself

road—a flash forward)

—or both?—but she leaves him and everyone behind as she walks

FAIZ

toward home)

Here is Mukhtar Here is Mukhtar—

MUKHTAR I am on the road.

(They come face to face—she

Allhamdulillah.

sees something in his face that

Allhamdulillah.

frightens her)

MUKHTAR Here is Mukhtar . . .

REPORTER, MOTHER, FAIZ Where did you find your courage?

(turns away from him)

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MUKHTAR I have faith in Allah,

(AT HOME: the clap-slap rhythmic

Compassionate King of the final day,

beat of chapattis being shaped by

Who has blessed us with beauty,

Mother and Annu. Birdsong. Mukhtar

The beauty of his world.

walks into scene and joins in)

I do embroidery, I teach Quran to children And I do the chores that all girls do

MOTHER, ANNU, MUKHTAR

Like my mother and her mother

The larks eat the grain and the crows

and her mother before her:

are blamed Tee-oo, tee-oo, tee-oo, tee-oo,

Clean the lentils, boil the rice, feed the chickens, sweep the floor, hang the laundry out to dry make chapattis before the sun is high . . .

tee-oo!

The crows steal the fish and the loons are blamed Kaw kaw, kaw kaw, kaw kaw!

The cuckoo sings boo-ko-ta-koo And the chukar makes love to the moon Chukar, chukar, chu, chu chu-kar!

(MOTHER suddenly realizes that SHAKUR, her son, has not

returned home)

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MOTHER

The cuck-oo sings bookotakoo

Shakur! Shakur! Shakur!

And the chukar makes love to the

He has been away so long . . .

ANNU Maybe he stopped at the river to swim.

It is so hot! I wish I could do that, too!

MOTHER Don’t be foolish Annu.

Girls are girls and boys are boys.

MUKHTAR, ANNU (the equivalent of eye-rolling; they’ve heard this a thousand times)

moon Chukar chukar chukar!

Chukar chukar, chu, chukar!

ANNU Please, Ammee, do not choose a husband for me Who sounds like that crow!

MOTHER, MUKHTAR Crow or goat, lion or mule, Handsome or ugly, foolish or sly—

Girls are girls and boys are boys.

Pray Allah he be kind to you.

MOTHER, ANNU, MUKHTAR

ANNU

The larks eat the grain and the crows

But Ammee, what if he is kind

are blamed

and ugly?

Tee-oo, tee-oo, tee-oo tee-oo tee-oo!

The crows steal the fish and the loons are blamed Kaw kaw, kaw kaw, kaw kaw!

MOTHER Beauty is a light that shines from within.

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MUKHTAR, ANNU (as before)

ANNU

Beauty is a light that shines from

Oh! I just heard the cuckoo!

within!

boo-ko-ta-koo – Bride, come to me –

MOTHER Crow or goat, lion or mule,

Boo–ko-ta-kooWho will he be, who will he be?

Handsome or ugly, foolish or sly— Pray Allah he be kind to you.

ANNU, MUKHTAR Pray Allah he be kind to you.

ANNU But Ammee, what if his light shines but he is OLD? MOTHER A man is never too old for a girl with no dowry.

(Mukhtar joins her)

ANNU, MUKHTAR Who will he be, who will he be Who will he be?

MUKHTAR (in a changed tone) Oh! I see! I see him, I do!

Oo, ooh!

He laughs like a hyena And smells like the chickens in our coop.

He has hair in his ears

(That quiets them for a moment;

And none on his head

then the cuckoo trills)

And his hands are as wet as soup.

Oo, ooh.

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ANNU Eu Eu! Eu Eu!

VOICES OF FAIZ, ABDUL Honor. Honor. Honor!

MUKHTAR

MOTHER

His nose meets his chin,

(shoos Mukhtar and Annu away)

He has boils on his skin –

Go, go . . . !

Yes, all his beauty shines within!

Ooh, oh oo! Oh oo! Oh oo!

(They flee, covering their heads, as the Mastoi enter.

ANNU Oh oo, eu eu, eu eu!

(FAIZ is the leader; ABDUL is his sidekick and echo)

MUKHTAR, ANNU Crow or goat, lion or mule,

FAIZ

Handsome or ugly, foolish or sly

In the name of honor

Pray Allah he be kind to me.

We come with shameful news.

Pray Allah he—

MOTHER (gesture of deference)

(The percussive MUSIC of the

Faiz Mohammed.

Mastoi cla breaks into the song.

FAIZ Everything stands still as the men

In the name of honor

approach)

We have thrown your son in jail.

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MOTHER My son? Shakur?

ABDUL Better a man cut off his own hand Than touch a woman who does not

FAIZ

belong to him.

Zina, zina!

He has committed zina

(From their hiding places:)

With a girl of our tribe, With a girl of the Mastoi!

MUKHTAR, ANNU Shakur, Shakur?

ABDUL With a girl of the Mastoi!

MOTHER This cannot be! He is only twelve years old—

I cannot believe he would touch that girl . . .

FAIZ He is too low to marry her.

We have thrown him in jail.

He shall be punished as the laws

FAIZ

decree—

Twelve or twenty—

Whipped, lashed a hundred times,

He has committed zina!

Even if it means his death!

She has named him—Shakur!

The boy who brought this shame to her.

MOTHER

Better a man cut off his own hand

No!

Than touch a woman who does not belong to him.

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ABDUL

(From their hiding places:)

Even if it means his death!

MUKHTAR, ANNU

MOTHER

I am afraid, I am afraid,

No! No!

I am afraid they will kill my brother,

Please, Faiz Mohammed.

Afraid my mother will die of grief . . .

What must I do to help my son?

(MUKHTAR steps forward)

FAIZ You must send a woman,

MUKHTAR

A woman of your tribe.

I will come.

You must send a woman to ask

I will come, Faiz Mohammed

forgiveness.

I will come and ask forgiveness For my brother’s sake.

MOTHER (prostrates herself) Now, here, I will do it.

FAIZ

I beg you—

You, Mukhtar Mai?

FAIZ

Good. Let it be tonight.

(He is pleased) No! The woman must come to US. She must come and ask forgiveness

MUKHTAR

Before all the men of the Mastoi

I will be there, Faiz Mohammed.

In the name of honor.

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FAIZ

MUKHTAR

Tonight, Mukhtar Mai.

I will be there, I swear.

But if you fail— We will tear down your house

ANNU

And slit the throats of the chickens

Do not worry, Ammee.

and slit the throats of the goats—

She will bring him home.

And of your little brother (IN HER ROOM: Mukhtar prepares

ABDUL

for her journey to the Mastoi)

And of your little brother!

MUKHTAR FAIZ (as they exit)

I am afraid, I am afraid,

In the name of Honor!

Afraid they will kill my brother

And my mother will die of grief.

MOTHER (to their retreating backs)

For myself, I have no fear.

Shukriya, thank you, Faiz Mohammed.

I have done no harm to anyone

We will do what you say,

I have faith in God

She will be there, I swear—

I know the holy Quran by heart

(breaks down when the men are

And Shakur—Shakur!

almost out of sight)

I cannot believe he would touch

Do not hurt him, Do not hurt my boy!

that girl.

I will bring him home . . .

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(From his jail cell, overlapping:

(FATHER enters—maybe seen

alternately yearning and self-

earlier on road, perhaps crossing

accusatory)

paths with Faiz and Abdul)

SHAKUR

FATHER

Home . . .

The Mastoi were here?

I should have come home . . .

The day was so hot

MOTHER

I went to the river.

They took Shakur.

I jumped in the river, so cool . . .

They accuse him of zina.

And when I came out, when I came out—

FATHER Zina? Shakur? It cannot be true!

(can’t bear to even remember what happened)

MOTHER True?

—I should have come home I should have come home!

When the Mastoi say the sun shines at night, it is true.

When the Mastoi say the moon

MUKHTAR I will bring him home.

shines by day, it is true.

Truth dies in the mouth of power

I will do as they ask and bring him home.

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FATHER

FATHER (warmly)

It is true,

You agree?

You are right.

My wife agrees with me!

Truth dies in the mouth of power.

I am a HAPPY man.

Come, Mukhtaran.

ANNU The Mastoi said If Mukhtar comes to them And begs for forgiveness,

Let us do what must be done.

ANNU (to Mukhtar) Wait. Take my shawl.

hey will set Shakur free.

Then I will be there, too—

FATHER

And for you.

Good. That is the tradition.

A woman must ask forgiveness.

They follow the tradition.

We will do the same. (to Mukhtar)

But you cannot go alone

For Shakur—

(A moment of affection: then the leave-taking)

FATHER, MUKHTAR We will bring him home

to the house of men.

ANNU, MOTHER

It is not proper.

You will bring him home

MOTHER I agree.

(MUKHTAR puts on her hijab.

MOTHER presses a copy of the Quran into her hands)

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MOTHER Allah goes with you.

Allhamdulillah (ON THE ROAD: MUKHTAR walks and FATHER follows—the hymn accompanies them)

ANNU, MOTHER Allah knows everything Allhamdulillah The sky is his window; He sees without eyes . . .

All beings on heaven and earth Even the birds sing of his glory.

Alhamdulillah

Allah knows everything.

Allhamdulillah The sky is his window; He sees without eyes.

Allhamdulillah.

(FAIZ and ABDUL appear down another road. Their fierce music/ rhythms enter and grow louder, colliding with and eventually overpowering the hymn)

FAIZ Allhamdulillah There is good in this world for those who do good, but for those who do evil—

There is good in this world for those who do good, but for those who do evil— Allah will strip the glow from their face, Allah will rip the strength from their body and throw them to the flames of hell.

for those who do evil— !!!

(FAIZ and MUKHTAR meet on the road as in the opening scene)

Here is Mukhtar.

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(She lays down her shawl as

And Shakur, Shakur?

a sign of submission and kneels)

What will he do to Shakur?

What more does he want?

MUKHTAR

I am at his feet . . .

If my brother has offended you I ask pardon in his place.

(controls her anxiety, repeats the apology even more submissively,

(FAIZ does not respond. She glances

bowing even lower)

up at him—cannot read his expression; repeats, perhaps coached by

If my brother has offended you,

her father in the background)

I ask pardon in his place and beg you: set him free.

If my brother has offended you

(Dead silence: She raises her head.)

I ask pardon in his place.

I beg you: set him free!

FAIZ Shame!

(Again she looks up at him. Again

Shame for shame,

he looks at her without response.

Woman for woman!

She feels frightened, angry, hopeful, hopeless)

(calls to his men)

Here is Mukhtar Do what you want with her!

No, no. I see it in his eyes He lied, he lied.

(The men grab her. FATHER

He will not forgive—

rushes to help; his way is barred)

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(THE RAPE—change of music that be-

She breathes, gasps at the violations,

comes the signature of this moment.

simultaneously inside the moment and

A shaft of light isolates Mukhtar.

watching it from a distance)

Her shawl and the Quran fall to the ground as her clothing is symbolically ripped away.

MUKHTAR

MUKHTAR, WOMEN

They take me

Day and night, night and day,

from darkness into darkness

Every girl fears this fate.

From night into another night.

It is like a vulture

They take this petrified body,

Flying right above our heads.

These collapsing legs— Is this me?

This is not me.

I fall away from myself.

Is this me? Is this me?

This is not me.

(WOMEN—Images and/or voices suggest a village, or world, of women like Mukhtar)

A man can come And take you into darkness, break into your body take you into darkness— Day and night, night and day, Every girl fears this fate . . .

(MUKHTAR is flung to the ground)

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FAIZ

(ON THE ROAD again: Men join the

Now you are forgiven.

women: all become VILLAGERS.

Justice has been done.

MUKHTAR stumbles past them toward (throws the torn shawl to FATHER)

Take your daughter.

home, supported by FATHER)

VILLAGERS Do not touch her,

(FAIZ exits.)

Do not look at her, She is disgraced, she is unclean.

FATHER goes to cover Mukhtar

She has brought shame to her family

with the shawl. She recoils)

Turn away, do not speak to her; She is disgraced, she is unclean.

MUKHTAR Do not touch me,

Tauba, tauba! God forbid her fate come to us.

Do not look at me.

I am disgraced, I am unclean.

MUKHTAR (fragmented; jolts between thoughts)

What is done cannot be undone I have brought shame to my family . . .

People will spit on my mother and me . . .

My sister will never marry . . .

What is done cannot be undone.

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VILLAGERS

(MUKHTAR walks past them

She has brought shame to her family

like a ghost)

Do not touch, do not look at her.

She is disgraced, she is unclean.

MOTHER

Tauba, tauba! God forbid her fate

What happened?

come to us!

What have they done to her?!

(The voices follow Mukhtar and

FATHER

Father down the road)

They have done— They have done . . . the worst.

(HOME: Mother and Annu are waiting when Mukhtar and

(MOTHER is horrified.)

Father arrive) ELSEWHERE: FAIZ and ABDUL voice

ANNU

the injunction of the Feudal Men:

Mukhtaran . . . Mukhtaran?

The Quranic edict is also in the minds of everyone)

MOTHER . . . Shakur? Shakur?

FEUDAL MEN (FAIZ, ABDUL)

You did not bring him home?!

“If a woman commit lewdness

FATHER

Until death releases her,

He is still in jail.

As the Quran decrees.”

Lock her up inside her house

They would not release him.

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(LIGHT moves through night

ANNU

to dawn.

Ammee, people will spit on us!

People will spit on you

MOTHER and FATHER are outside

And on me, Ammee!

Mukhtar’s room)

MOTHER MOTHER

Spit can be washed away.

She has been in her room for two days She will not eat or speak to me

ANNU

I am afraid, I am afraid

I will never marry…

What will she do?

A woman is like a shawl.

Stained, she is ruined

FATHER

Forever.

What can she do?

The village knows her shame.

(From Jail: SHAKUR participates in

the family quartet. He does not

MOTHER

know yet what has happened)

What is her crime? What is her sin?

That she is poor, and a girl?

SHAKUR They made a mistake,

FATHER

I did nothing wrong.

They are the rich, we are the poor.

I never saw that girl.

What can be done?

I never touched that girl!

Let me go home!

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FATHER

And to do that, to do that I must die.

They are the rich, we are the poor.

What sorrow, what sorrow

What can be done?

What sorrow to leave this earth

They are the rich,

Never to see the fields at dawn,

They crush the weak -

Never to see the rising sun

And we are the weak.

All that I love All those I love.

(ANNU picks up the ripped shawl

What sorrow, what sorrow . . .

from the floor)

MOTHER (interweaving) ANNU

Do not stay so alone

What can she do?

Please, let me help you

A woman is like a shawl

Once she is stained

MUKHTAR

She is ruined forever.

Never to hear the children’s songs,

Never to know the jasmine nights, (IN MUKHTAR’S ROOM:

All that I love

She is alone, MOTHER nearby.)

All those I love What sorrow to leave this earth . . .

MUKHTAR

Stained . . . ruined . . .

MUKHTAR, MOTHER

Forever.

What sorrow, what sorrow . . .

Only I, I, can restore honor to my family—

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MUKHTAR MOTHER What should I do? What should I do?

My honor?

My honor is YOU!

MUKHTAR I will do the same as other girls

(MUKHTAR opens the door)

Who have shamed their families How can you ask me to let you die?

MOTHER

My lovely daughter, my smiling daughter

Do not do the same as other girls

Your pain is mine.

Who have shamed their families

Your tears fill my eyes.

I heard your first cry

MUKHTAR

How can you ask me to hear your last?

Ammee, please, go to the store

MOTHER

What is done cannot be undone.

Please, please, open the door.

Please, buy me my death.

MUKHTAR

MUKHTAR

MOTHER

Buy some acid

A mother gives life,

I will drink . . . die . . .

She does not take it away.

Restore your honor.

I will not let you die.

Buy me my death.

MUKHTAR How can I survive the shame?

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MOTHER

Remember your name—Mukhtar.

You are stronger than you know

Powerful. Self-respecting—Mukhtar.

You can do more than you know

Remember your name—

MUKHTAR (alone)

Mukhtar. Powerful.

Power . . . self-respect . . .

Mukhtar. Self-respecting.

But my name and my honor . . .

I will not let you die.

Those men took everything from me . . .

Remember your name.

And I have done no harm to anyone.

Powerful, self-respecting—Mukhtar.

I have done no harm!

Then why . . . why must I die?

MUKHTAR

The crime, the sin, is theirs.

How can I respect myself?

Theirs!

I am unclean, shamed.

(moving toward a decision)

Those men took everything from me.

No . . . no . . . I will not die!

They killed my name, they killed

I am done with tears.

my honor— It is the same as though they took my life.

I must do the same as other girls Who have shamed their families—

Allah is Almighty and could fight this fight for me.

If he does not, it is to teach me to fight for myself.

I have no money, no power— But I have a voice—and I can speak.

MOTHER

(sets out on road)

You are NOT other girls. (as she exits)

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Those men should be punished!

What is done cannot be undone.

I will go to the police

Follow the tradition

Speak out for what is right

Do what is expected

And bring these evil men to justice.

End your shame with death.

(ELSEWHERE: FAIZ and his cronies

MUKHTAR

laugh at MUKHTAR’s decision.)

I will not do that.

I will go to the police.

FAIZ

I will not kill myself.

Justice! She will ‘fight for justice!‘

If I must die I want my death to have some meaning.

(Laughter continues, erupts through scene)

FAIZ, VILLAGERS Follow the tradition.

Ridiculous! It is ridiculous.

Do what is expected

A girl like her,

End your shame with death.

Going to the police!

(MOTHER moves out of the group (The VILLAGERS join)

of VILLAGERS. She has been like most of them all her life. Now she

FAIZ, VILLAGERS

is rethinking everything: a kind of

She should not have left home

meditation, in which ANNU soon

She has brought this on herself

joins her)

Innocence lasts a day, shame forever.

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MOTHER

IMAM

Do what is expected.

The crime, the sin, is theirs.

I believed that, too.

As your Imam, I beseech you

Follow the tradition.

To do what is right,

I believed like you—

Speak out for what is right

Why did I believe?

As the Quran says.

How could I believe?

I call on Mukhtar Mai

A girl used by men is shamed But the man will know no shame . . .

To go to the police And bring these evil men To justice!

MOTHER, ANNU A girl used by men must die

(From their separate areas:)

And if not, she is despised . . .

Why did I believe?

FAIZ (laughing, as before)

How could I believe?

They lie!

No one will believe them.

(Suddenly the IMAM—

Mukhtar lies!

not necessarily on stage—

No one will believe her.

chants a sermon in the mosque.

It amplified to reach the

MUKHTAR, ANNU, MOTHER, FATHER

whole village)

The sun shines by night, The moon by day: Truth dies in the mouth of power.

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MUKHTAR

And when you return, Mukhtar Mai?

I will go to the police.

What will you do then?

Go back to teaching the holy Quran?

FAIZ

Who will send her child to you?

She will go to the police!

A girl who was shamed in front of everyone.

MUKHTAR I am on the road.

A girl who has never been outside her village.

FAIZ You are disgraced, you are unclean.

MUKHTAR I am outside my village now.

MUKHTAR

I am on the road.

I am going to make my statement.

FAIZ

FAIZ

And when you return, Mukhtar Mai,

Your statement?

What will you do then?

You are the fate

Pick up your embroidery?

Every woman prays to escape—

Who will buy from you?

Dishonor. Shame.

(They come face to face)

(walks toward her, with intention)

MUKHTAR Dishonor? Shame?

That fate is called rape.

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FAIZ

My old life died.

We took back our honor.

I am not the same woman Who begged for your mercy.

MUKHTAR

I will go to the police.

(steely; a real confrontation)

Honor? To satisfy your lust on a woman?

(She tries to walk past him;

Use her and throw her away

he blocks her way)

like a broken toy?

That is honor?

FAIZ No man has ever been punished

FAIZ

for a crime of honor in Pakistan.

We follow the tradition.

You should do the same.

MUKHTAR The crime, the scene is yours,

MUKHTAR

Not mine, Faiz Mohammed.

I will make a new tradition.

(She pushes past him, determined

FAIZ You, a Gujar, the lowest of the low?

and shaken.

Follow the tradition!

FAIZ watches her.

MUKHTAR

Just as she reaches the Police

I will make a new tradition.

Station, he converts himself into

In one hour on the stable floor

the POLICE CHIEF.)

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(In the POLICE STATION: The Chief does not even look up at her. She waits nervously.

Finally:)

POLICE CHIEF

POLICE CHIEF

Yes? Your complaint

Who saw? Who was there?

You must produce four eyewitnesses,

MUKHTAR (stammering)

four male eyewitnesses—that is the law.

Four men . . . from the Mastoi . . .

MUKHTAR

They raped me—

Four men? Four male witnesses? (bursts out)

POLICE CHIEF

The men of the Mastoi—

You cannot say you were raped.

THEY are my witnesses!

MUKHTAR

POLICE CHIEF

It is true.

You, a Gujar, the lowest of the low, You accuse the Mastoi?!

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Do not be foolish.

JUDGE

We know what happened.

Mukhtar Mai, your Imam has spoken

We have the report.

Sign. Sign here, Mukhtar Mai

to me.

You will sign this paper.

Sign here, Mukhtar Mai.

(He shows her the typed statement — perhaps a video moment?—with a

MUKHTAR

space for her signature.)

. . . there is nothing on the page . . .

MUKHTAR

JUDGE

But what does it say?

I will write down what you say But first you must sign.

(A long pause—the beginning of

(when she hesitates)

her epiphany: she begins to realize

We cannot indict these men

the extent and implications of her

Unless you sign.

ignorance.

That is the law, Mukhtar Mai. Sign the paper. Sign here.

The JUDGE looms up to dominate the scene.

MUKHTAR . . . I do not know . . .

The paper he extends to her

I do not know how to sign.

is blank)

31

JUDGE, POLICE CHIEF

MUKHTAR

Use your thumbprint,

Use my thumbprint,

like all the women.

Use my thumbprint—

(THUMBPRINT: a revelatory

(And she does—presses her thumb

internal moment.)

on an inkpad which turns it blue, and onto the blank—Page? Screen?

MUKHTAR

Set? Judge?

‘Use your thumbprint, like all the women . . . ’

In a way, all the themes of the opera

I cannot write, I cannot read

lie in the whirls of that thumbprint.

I know nothing of the world Like all the women

GAVEL—or its equivalent in Pakistan

Like all the women

—a sound that can be used through-

I was taught silence, I was taught fear

out the courtroom testimonies for

Taught to hide my face and bow

punctuation and emphasis)

my head Like my mother and her mother

JUDGE

And her mother before her . . .

We charge the Mastoi And their accomplices

JUDGE, POLICE CHIEF

With the rape of Mukhtar Mai

Use your thumbprint!

And order them held for trial.

32

(Brief eruption of background

(Mukhtar’s MOTHER responds

SOUND, echo of opening scene

to him)

with REPORTERS—a good time to expand use of media)

MOTHER People say she should not wash

VOICES OF REPORTERS

This laundry in public.

Islamabad News. Le Monde.

People say she is hurting Islam,

New York Times.

That I should make her stop.

Pakistan Human Rights Commission.

Make her stop?

Pravda. Daily Raj.

She is as stubborn as a goat!

BBC. Al Jazeera.

She will not jump when you say jump.

Can you tell us what happened

Why would I try to shut her mouth

that night,

When she has just begun to open it?

Mukhtar Mai?

(A loud, percussive sound —

(The REPORTER detaches himself

the GAVEL or its equivalent:

from the crowd, as earlier)

a call to order)

REPORTER Islamabad News.

(COURTROOM: A series of cameo testimonies)

I am reporting from Meerwala,

The home of Mukhtar Mai.

JUDGE

The arrests of the powerful Mastoi

Court is in session!

Have stunned this small village.

33

A man grabbed me (Those who will testify face

Pushed me to the ground

the Judge)

Beat me, accused me of zina

And threw me in jail.

You stand today before The Law.

I never saw that girl!

Each of you is sworn to speak the truth

I never touched that girl!

And I am sworn to make fair judgment.

It is all my fault.

We call the first witness.

She still screams in her sleep— I should have come home!

(SHAKUR steps into the distinct

light of the witness area.)

MUKHTAR You did nothing wrong

SHAKUR

It is not your fault.

It is all my fault!

The day was so hot

FAIZ

I went to the river

The boy lies, the sister lies.

I jumped in the river, so cool . . .

Where are the witnesses?

And when I climbed out— when I climbed out—

(Spotlight on FATHER.)

(agitated, forces himself to say what he could not say before— a very different tone)

34

FATHER

Today I am not helpless.

I am her witness.

I am here to get justice,

I was there.

justice for my daughter.

I saw. I heard.

I am only a poor man

What no father should see or hear.

But I love my daughter,

They dragged her away

And I speak the truth.

Like a goat to slaughter That is the fate of goats

Justice for my daughter!

And sometimes of daughters.

I want Justice for my daughter!

Allah forgive me

(Spotlight on FAIZ)

I didn’t see the crime Until the daughter was mine.

FAIZ She paid a debt,

They dragged her away

A debt of honor

Held a gun to my head

We accepted her payment

I could not help her

That is how it is done

With that shotgun at my head!

From generation unto generation That is justice, honor justice

Allah forgive me

This is the land where our fathers lie

I never saw the crime

Their blood colors the earth

Until the daughter was mine.

and runs through my veins and the veins of my sons.

35

I am a link in the chain of our ancient tribe

MUKHTAR Yesterday a girl of nine

I will not be the one to break it!

Was stoned to death

Mukhtar Mai asked pardon

That is justice, honor justice?!

For holding hands with a boy. according to tradition And we granted it

(with great emotion)

They thought I would die of the shame

according to tradition.

I almost did

She knew the tradition—

They thought I would forget

Everyone knows the tradition.

Put it behind me— I will never forget!

Eye for eye, burning for burning

What happened is part of me,

You take my woman,

Like my breath, my blood,

I take revenge on yours.

The beat of my heart.

The ancient law of retaliation

I will never forget!

From generation unto generation

(her testimony begins)

I have made no mistake.

That is why the Elders gave the order That is why they gave us Mukhtar That is justice, honor justice!

I know who they are. (pointing out each one)

That one held me down.

He is blind in one eye.

(MUKHTAR in a shaft of light— a variation on the light from the rape?)

That one, his brother, tore off my clothes

36

The old man—

MUKHTAR, VOICES

One after the other

Ask the stars, ask the stones,

They take turns (drifting back into the experience)

They take me, They take ME—

ask the road Ask the thousands of women buried in shame without a stone to show they lived,

FAIZ

their names erased from memory . . .

Lies! Where are the witnesses?

You must produce—

VOICES OF WOMEN

Be my voice.

MUKHTAR

Speak what I cannot speak.

The witnesses?

Say what I cannot say.

Ask the stones on the road

Where you dragged me.

MUKHTAR

Ask the stars in the night

I will be your voice

You made for me—

Speak what you cannot speak Say what you cannot say

(a new realization—those unearthly voices or sounds speak to her,

(GAVEL—everyone faces the JUDGE)

through her. They shift her out of the courtroom and into a new space of heightened perception)

37

JUDGE

FAIZ

Never before have Tribal Elders,

Death? This cannot be.

Who are sworn to protect our women

We followed the tradition.

As though they were their own

If we are guilty, half of Pakistan is

daughters,

guilty, too.

Ordered a rape!

You cannot undo tradition

For this abuse of power

In a courtroom.

And the act of terror it inspired We find the men of the Mastoi

JUDGE

And the Elders who conspired

The sentence is death!

with them Guilty of rape.

You had strength and used it against the weak You had power and used it for evil.

FAIZ

So that men will know that rape is a

Guilty?! Impossible!

monstrous crime

Where are the witnesses?

We sentence you to death.

JUDGE

(Outside the Courtroom:)

Witnesses are not needed In cases of terrorism.

And this was an case of terror.

So that men will know that rape is a monstrous crime We sentence you to death.

38

REPORTER

It is not a bribe. It is for you,

Mukhtar Bibi, you are the first woman

To spend as you choose.

in Pakistan To win a conviction against her rapists.

Trust me, Mukhtar.

I am a Minister of Justice.

Where did you find your courage?

MUKHTAR (to herself) MUKHTAR

A minister? A woman?

One voice sings,

A minister of Justice—And a woman?

Thousands hear the song.

MINISTER (The ROAD: Mukhtar walks in

Look. I have signed the check.

a new direction.

My title is below—Minister of Justice—

The MINISTER OF JUSTICE

(Mukhtar looks at the check,

meets her at a new juncture,

at the minister, stricken again by the

a check in her hand.)

embarrassment of her illiteracy.

MINISTER OF JUSTICE

REPRISE and development of

Mukhtar Mai, please accept this

Thumbprint aria)

settlement For the suffering you endured.

(Mukhtar hesitates)

39

MUKHTAR

MUKHTAR (working it out)

I cannot write, I cannot read

. . . do not read

I know nothing of the world

. . . do not write

Like all women

. . . use your thumbprint . . .

Like all women

. . . use your thumbprint . . .

I was taught silence, I was taught fear Taught to hide my face and bow my head Like my mother and her mother and her mother before her

(bursts out excitedly)

A school! A school for girls!

Girls will learn to read and write!

Girls will learn to sign their names with a pen, and not a thumbprint.

Girls will learn to know their rights-

Clean the lentils, boil the rice feed the chickens, sweep the floor,

(From the same JAIL where Shakur

hang the laundry out to dry . . .

was earlier held:)

(VOICES of other women

FAIZ

support her)

What rights? Where will you find them?

MUKHTAR, VOICES

What rights? Who will enforce them?

We cannot write, we cannot read

This will blow away

We know nothing of the world…

Like spit in the wind—

Like all the women

And what will happen then?

We hide our faces

Where will your rights be then?

Bow our heads

It will be the old tradition then!

40

MUKHTAR I will make a new tradition. (confronting Faiz in his cell)

MUKHTAR Do not be afraid.

We are on the road.

What you did was the worst thing

I will stay with you

In my life

The judge will write down what you say

But it was also the best—

and you will sign with your thumbprint

Because of you, my life has meaning.

And when we are back in Meerwala You will study at my school.

(She walks on.

(The REPORTER asks his question A YOUNG WOMAN, face hidden,

for the last time.

breathlessly joins her)

MUKHTAR (answers him)

YOUNG WOMAN I ran away—

REPORTER

He caught me—

Where did you find your courage?

Threw acid on my face— And threw me out

MUKHTAR

Because I am ugly.

In a dry season,

My father says a broken branch

Someone must be the first drop of rain

Must be cut from the tree.

Let it be me, let it begin with me

41

(FINALE begins—a CHORALE of MUKHTAR with all the characters in the opera, WOMEN and MEN, too

CHORUS

(And she is at the end of this road—

Two hands plant the rice,

in her SCHOOL.

Two hundred mouths can eat Other students soon join her) MUKHTAR In a dark season,

My school!

Someone must be the first ray of light

I am the first student

Let it be me, let it begin with me.

In my own school

And this I know:

CHORUS

For the rest of my life,

One voice sings

I will never need to sign my name

One thousand hear the song

with a thumbprint again.

MUKHTAR

(painstakingly forms the letters of

Let it be me, let it begin with me.

her name, in Urdu and English)

42

Mukhtar

CHORUS

Powerful

Mukhtar Mai!

Self-Respecting Take picture of signature or scan (At the same time, other names appear throughout the theatre: on the screen, walls, floor, costumes —a global network of names: Text, video, stage, etc. Additional names can be found in appendix at end of libretto)

CHORUS Dr. Shazia Khalid Shaheen Baduri Kainat Soomro Zahida Perveen Samira Bellil Honorata Kizende (And finally: Mukhtar’s name appears, in English and Urdu, shining in the galaxy of names)

43

FIN Additional names of women who have suffered violence and rape (for visuals)

Jyoti Singh Pandey Malala Yousafzai Nirbhaya Cheryl Araujo Lauren Kyle Stacey Thompson Natalia Antonov Samia Imran Mathura Soni Sori Aruna Shanbaug Natalia Antonova Suzette Jordan Yasmine El Baramawy Thérèse Mwandeko

Linor Abargil Anonymous Oprah Winfrey Alma Abdulrahman Daisy Coleman Senator Gretchen Whitmer Phoolan Devi Timea Nagy Eve Ensler Bakira Hasečić Lauren Kyle Grace Brown Dianna Ortiz Tyler Perry

Victim 9 Rozina Mary J. Blige Madonna Betty Jean Owens Woineshet Zebene Sheila White Emilie Autumn Natasha Falle Taylor Walker Ashley Judd Andrea Pino Nujood Ali

44