Writer: Aizzah Fatima

Director: Erica Gould

Reviewer: Charles Tyrer

The Public Reviews Rating:

We all judge people within seconds of meeting them; looking another person up and down, we don’t look into their soul, we are disinterested as to their story. We make snap judgments and place people in boxes; such that are in keeping with our pre conceived ideas about certain ethnicities, religious groups and races. In the 21 century, the race and religion that seems to suffer the most from our prejudices is unarguably Muslims.

The range of characters in Aizzah Fatima’s one woman show Dirty Paki Lingerie allows the audience to address what being a Muslim in the 21century really encompasses. Focusing on all age groups within the spectrum we meet Zahra, a six year old girl, who gets called a ‘terra – mist’ by her peers. Asma, who as an older Muslim woman is determined to find a husband for her daughter, finds the challenge increasingly difficult and begins to lie about not only her hair colour but that of her skin as well. It’s Selma’s character that most will find relatable, she is a second generation Pakistani woman who believes all her dreams will come true in America. Soon to have a demanding husband, she portrays the collision of values and cultures that many young Muslim women must confront.

Our society is constantly indoctrinating our snap judgements of Muslim culture. If one cares to truly understand why, their findings would be truly depressing… Therefore it’s refreshing to see this subversive performance break down prejudices and pre conceived ideas and to do so with an air of grace. Dirty Paki Lingerie doesn’t condescend or moralise against its audience, instead it chooses to capture their imagination through a comedic critique of such a vital issue.

Runs until 26^th August

 

 

 

Tags: Aizzah Fatima, Assembly Fest, Assembly Hall, Dirty Paki Lingerie, EdFringe, Edinburgh Fringe