Adam Ellick doc: Swat in the aftermath of the offensive
Yesterday, the NY Times posted a documentary by journalist Adam Ellick that chronicled the journey of a family who were displaced from their home in Mingora following the military offensive in Swat Valley, [click here to see Part I of the film, "Class Dismissed," released back in February]. The short film, entitled, “A Schoolgirl’s Odyssey,” follows Ziaudin Yousafzai, owner of a girl’s school in Mingora that was closed by the Taliban in January and his daughter Malala, who were given three hours to flee their homes when the offensive began. Ziaudin, who lived in Peshawar for three months during the displacement, “fought for Swat” by scheduling press conferences and protests to pressure the government to take the area back from the Taliban. Ziaudin told Ellick, “A mother won’t give her child milk unless it cries…You have to scream for everything.”
Meanwhile, Malala, her two brothers and her mother lived in four cities in two months, residing with different host families during the offensive. Although she told Ellick in February that she wanted to be a doctor, her time as an IDP changed her mind. “I thought I must be a politician to serve this country…I want to remove the crises…”
Perhaps the most significant part of the documentary was the family’s return home to Mingora, after three months away. Upon their return, Ellick narrated, “Swat doesn’t look like home,” noting the Taliban corpses rotting in the sun. Ziaudin’s school was infiltrated by the Army, who used the building as a bunker during the offensive. Malala commented, “I was very proud of the Army that they protect us but when I see my school in this way I am very shameful.” The military also left a letter for Ziaudin, blaming citizens like him for allowing the Taliban to control Swat, noting, “We have lost many lives…and that is due to your negligence.”
In the last frame of the film, Ellick wrote that sporadic murders and bombings still occur in Mingora, and the Taliban “are still present in the Swat countryside.” With the South Waziristan offensive about to begin, “A Schoolgirl’s Odyssey” shows how endless the war appears to be, and the impact it has on everyone – from families living in the villages to the soldiers sacrificing their lives on the front lines.
This family’s story is so moving. It’s really great journalism. The part where they read all the stuff written by the soldiers staying in their school was so bizarre and fascinating — definitely a side of the Pakistani army that one rarely gets to see.
Rabia,
I agree – it’s incredible that Adam Ellick stayed with the family for 6 months chronicling their journey. And I thought the most significant part was what you mentioned – when they returned to find the school was used as a bunker. I felt a lot of sympathy for both sides – for the Yousafzai family but also for the soldiers who were living there. The poetry in the notebook in particular fascinated me.
it is a little great video. I loved it.
I loved how liberal the father was and how confident and courageous the girl was! I do agree she should become a politician….if at 12 she can tell the American officials what she needs, i’m sure in her twenties she’ll be a force to reckon with !
Thanks for bringing this on Chup!
It’s interesting because Adam Ellick wrote a piece about his experience: http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/a-familys-journey-and-a-girls-dream/
He noted, “During our time together, Mr. Yousafzai refused to allow me to film his wife because, as is local custom, women are shielded from men outside the family. Whenever I visited, his wife would stay in the bedroom. I never saw her…For Mr. Yousafzai, the situation highlighted one of the prevailing conflicts in his life: he’s undeniably attracted to the personal freedoms in the West, but also loyal to his own religious traditions.”
It’s interesting because that conflict was less portrayed in the film, and after reading his piece it had me wondering if similar expectations will be impressed upon Malala. Or will she be exempt from it because she’s so educated and forward-thinking?