Islamabad-It was a busy week for the culture-starved residents of the federal capital, as the Francophonie celebrations kept the French-speaking residents occupied in back-to-back engagements. 

The events included an exhibition of famous Belgian comic strip art, a food fair organised by Austria, Belgium, France, Mauritius, and Romania at the Alliance Française.

A movie ‘Road to Mecca’ was screened at the Austrian ambassador’s residence, and a spellbinding theatre performance titled as ‘Stupeurs et Tremblements’ (Fear and Trembling) was held at the French Embassy, which was nothing less than a treat.

The word ‘Francophonie’ was coined in 1880, referring to a community of people and countries using French as their mother language. It was re-launched in 1970. It has now become a global organisation and works in the fields of culture, science, economy, justice and peace. Its headquarters is in Paris with 84 states as members.

The ‘Road to Mecca’ movie is based on the autobiography of a famous Muslim scholar, intellectual, political theorist and spiritual writer Muhammad Asad.

Earlier, known as Leopold Weiss, a Jew by religion, he travelled to the Middle East in early 1920s. Awestruck by the people around him, the Arab world became his new spiritual home, and Weiss converted, changing his name to Asad, becoming one of the most prominent Muslims of the 20th century. 

His résumé states his responsibilities as a co-founder of Pakistan, an Adviser at the Royal Court of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan Ambassador to UN and a translator of Quran in English amongst his various accolades.

The book received critical acclaim upon publication as it raised many questions. The film explores the life and struggle of Asad, his untiring journey around the world, role as a diplomat, writer, and reformist and last days of life in Spain, his last resting place.

The food fiesta at the Alliance Française was a well-organised affair. After a long speech by a representative of Mauritius embassy, the food was served. Austrian apple strudel, stuffed apple rolled in baked flour and sprinkled with crystal sugar, French quiche with golden brown topping, crisp and intact pastry stuffed with spinach and minced chicken, and Sarmale, a Romanian delight made of rolled minced meat stuffed in cabbage leaves before steaming, comprised the menu.

However, it was the mouth-watering French confectionaries which were wiped off the plates in a jiffy. It was a pleasant sunny weekend that made the party more interactive.

‘Stupeurs et Tremblements’ was performed in front of a selected audience at the French Embassy. After a brief welcome and introduction of the play, the French Ambassador, Martine Dorance gave way to the lone performer Layla Metssitane. As the lights went dim, the figure appeared as an enigmatic woman veiled in black, seating herself across a table with makeup items spread over the table. She took out a mirror from the drawer, and while applying the makeup on her face, she turned into a geisha with the face made up in white. She delivered a monologue on cultural behaviour and repression of western women hired by companies in Japan, thus depicting the life of a common Japanese working woman and how submissive the working environment is.

As the performance picked the pace, the audience could clearly visualise the way Japanese women must act. She explained that to sweat is worse than dying and that she could never hope for joy in life. She made it clear that not committing suicide is a brave act of protest for a Japanese woman.

The play held the audience rapt with the simple staging and a powerful story, which I was told later, is co-authored by a person whose father was French ambassador to Japan.

It was a tragic yet comic play exploring dominant themes of modern chauvinism and cultural constraints.

The play finished on a razor-sharp wit, vivid imagery and a nuanced performance note as the performer came back to the dressing table to wash off her Japanese identity and become free.