WUNRN
Play: 9 PARTS OF DESIRE - WOMEN OF
IRAQ
Heather
Raffo - Actor & Playwright
Al
Jazeera "Everywoman" Interview
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9 PARTS OF DESIRE - WOMEN OF IRAQ -
PLAY BY HEATHER RAFFO
A portrait of the extraordinary (and ordinary) lives of a whole
cross-section of Iraqi women: A sexy painter, a radical Communist,
doctors, exiles, wives and lovers. This work delves into the many conflicting
aspects of what it means to be a woman in the age-old war zone that is
As an American with a father who was born in
on both sides of the issues. The first Gulf War was the
most defining
moment of my life. I was in school at the
I remember watching many of my fellow students at the bar cheer-
ing the war as it played out on TV, while I was worried if my
family
in
I intended to write a piece about the Iraqi psyche, something
that would inform and enlighten the images we see on T.V. However, the
play is equally about the American psyche. It is a dialogue between east
and west. The characters are deeply engaged in circumstances unique to them as
Iraqis and yet through their passions seem to answer the concerns of the
west. The audience plays a vital role in the show with each Iraqi
character speaking directly to them in English as if they were a trusted
western friend. I wanted the audience to see these women not as the
‘other’ but much more like themselves than they would have initially thought.
I felt it was important to create a safe environment to
experience both horror and humor, but ultimately to see the play as a
celebration of life. 9 Parts of Desire is also about the need for
feminine strength as a necessary part of any
culture's endurance.
The material I gathered came from hours of gaining the trust of
Iraqi women. I had the right mix: I was half Iraqi so they opened up to
me immediately, but I was also Western so they felt they could express fears or
secrets that might otherwise be judged more harshly by someone from their
culture. And most importantly, I had to share as much of myself with them
as they were sharing with me. My process was not one of formal
interviews, but rather a process of living with, eating with, communicating
compassionately and loving on such a level, that when I parted from their homes
it was clear to all that we were now family. When an Iraqi woman trusts
you it is because she has come to love you and that has been the process of
finding and forming these stories.
With rare exception, none of the stories are told
verbatim. Most are composites and although based in fact, I consider all
the women in my play to be dramatized characters in a poetic story. I
liken it to song writing – I listened deeply to what each woman said, what she
wanted to say but couldn’t, and what she never knew how to say. Then I
wrote her song. -- Heather Raffo
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