Alnesa Mesli poetic review by Sadaf Munshi

One of the missions of the Voices and Bridges project is to emphasize the atrocities and injustices against various underrepresented groups. The primary theme of this bilingual composition Al Nesa-u Mesli ‘Women like me” is bifold — to celebrate the beauty of women on the one hand and to highlight the negative plight of women in different cultures. That women don’t feel safe comes from the way we see girls, and things we have against them. Using the conflict technique to the music in this composition, this piece is a tribute to and respect for women. With beautiful imagery, the lover (poet, Ahmad Shamlou) compares the beloved with a ghazal (a lyrical ballad) or a qasida (an ode) and compares her with gul-e-ku (name of a flower) — delicate and beautiful. In contrast to this, is the powerful poem by Maram Almesri, which highlights the women’s suffering, their perseverance and their struggle for freedom in the face of social and cultural aggression against them.