The world is set to observe International Women’s Day today with this year’s campaign theme #pledgeforparity. On a day that celebrates various achievements of women and calls for action to accelerate gender parity, Showtime talks to Afsana Mimi. She is an icon among female actors of the country who gradually found her way into direction and currently is leading two organisations, a production house named Green Screen and the Bangladesh Film and Television Academy.
Do you celebrate women’s day?
I definitely connect to it as a woman. Despite criticism, the special days do create an impact on people and hence, bear a significance. I am a human and a woman. Both the identities are important. I never thought that life would have been better if I was a man. I am proud to be a woman.
This year’s theme for IWD is pledging for gender parity. As a leader, a performer, do you face gender discrimination?
Men and women are “different” by their bodily features, which is natural and biological. The problem starts when people focus on that. Racism, religious discrimination, economic discrimination – these are different forms of discrimination.
I never bore “discrimination” in my heart and did things in my way. It is easy to stigmatise someone who follow their hearts. I did not face discrimination because I never gave it a chance. My philosophy is different. I am surrounded by different forms of discrimination. When I do not breed it inside me, and do not care what the world thinks of me, I do not face it. I have created a shield from within. I believe I have two identities: one of a human and the other of a woman. I hold the two identities with equal importance and strength.
Discrimination exists the way you perceive it. For example, religion is one’s personal choice. But isn’t politics dividing the nation in the name of religion? Same goes with gender discrimination.
What inspires you?
Begum Rokeya inspires me. That is why, I never consider discrimination to be an obstacle. It is important how you see the world, not how the world sees you. Because the world may perceive you from various aspects. I am not denying the existence of gender discrimination but it never affected me.
Whenever I failed in something or did not achieve the expected results, I knew that happened because of lack of my qualification, not because of my gender. When I achieved something that was because I was sincere and caring towards my work. When I lead my team, I have a lot of fights, arguments, with both male and female co-workers. I grew up in Bangladesh. Have I not fallen victim of eve teasing? Yes I have. But when I was in college, I, along with my friends, teased back the teaser rather than being scared of him.
What is required for “freedom of women”?
Not only for women, for all genders, education and financial independence is the only key.
This country is divided by a lot of factors - religion, education, wealth, politics. Only enlightenment can help us to change the situation, to progress. I was born in a middle class family. If I was born in a poor family where my parents could not provide me with education, then I would not have been able to think this way.
Are you independent?
100%
How can one become independent?
You can become independent in all manners gradually, once you are financially independent. Your income is related to the process.
The society is progressing and going backwards at the same time. We are getting connected to the world, the rate of literacy is increasing. But we are losing moral values. So there is both the beautiful and the ugly. A fight between them is always on. However, under such circumstances women are progressing.
Sometimes I get tired and fall behind when I fight with the ugly. I do not fall behind because of men. The ugliness can reside in women as well. I fight for a beautiful life, for my work, for a beautiful country and for a beautiful world. I fall behind because of scarcity of knowledge, intelligence, courage. Decisions can be wrong. A person can make numerous errors but I do not consider that a problem.
I am surrounded with lots of discrimination in this world, but, I have shaped my world in my way.
