Lubaba Abbas Kazmi
Friday, 14 December 2018
Bridge Project 4
The Peculiar Position of Pakistani Hijras
The transgender community in Pakistan, most commonly known as the “Khusra”, “Khawaja Sira” or the “Hijra Community” were casted out, isolated, and forced into isolation or even murdered in the past.
Today, Pakistan is home to at least half a million hijras, but life is still anything but easy for them. They face challenges which include the limited access to education, job opportunities, shunning and killing by their own family members, physical violence including sexual assault, poor living conditions and many more difficulties that could make life intolerable for them.
My piece reflects on their community. The plaster body with hands placed on the genitals represents how they’re treated as sex slaves and beggars. The hands also represent their artistic reaction to the oppression, i.e. “The Hijra Clap”.
Historically, transgender people served in the royal harems, the sacred place for only female members of the family. They were guards and servants of the princesses during the Mughal Empire in the Indian Subcontinent from 1526 to 1858. This is when they held the most power, also had their law courts and were the royal advisors of the emperors. The golden metallic color of the sculpture with a bit of white represents this.
I wanted to use two solid materials to portray how strong they are as a community. This is why I chose wood and plaster. The writings on the wood are in Urdu, their National language. “I need my right to live, I need a land where I can walk with you equally”, these is one of the few sentences written. This proposal will cost approximately $1200 if done on large scale and 30 inches in height.
