"She Must Be From Another Country" By Imtiaz Dharker Poem animation

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• published: 20 Sep 2012
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Here's a virtual movie of the living poet Imtiaz Dharker reciting her exquisite poem that takes a swipe at Racial and cultural intolerance "She must be from another country" Imtiaz Dharker discusses concepts of national identity and how they have influenced her writing. She says that "Nationhood is often used as a camouflage for bigotry, as an excuse for chauvinism, as a means of excluding others -- the ideal situation is to be able to enjoy and celebrate the pleasures of your nation and to open up to other cultures." Imtiaz Dharker (Born 1954) is a Scottish Muslim, poet, artist and documentary film-maker.She was born in Lahore to Pakistani parents. She was brought up in Glasgow where her family moved when she was less than a year old. She was married to Simon Powell, the founder of the organization Poetry Live, who died in October 2009 after surviving for eleven years with cancer. [1] Dharker divides her time between London, Wales, and Mumbai. She says she describes herself as a "Scottish Muslim Calvinist".[2] Her daughter Ayesha Dharker, {whose father is Anil Dharker}, is a well known actress in international films, TV and stage. Born in Pakistan, Imtiaz Dharker grew up in Scotland and now divides her time between England and India. She is one of the most important Indian poets currently writing in English. A recurring theme in her poetry is the danger of exclusion, as she noted in a recent interview: "In a world that seems to be splitting itself into narrower national and religious groups, sects, castes, subcastes, we can go on excluding others until we come down to a minority of one." The title of this poem--which is also the refrain--reminds us how quickly we often dismiss those whom we categorize as "other." The narrator wonders if there is "another country" for such outsiders, though notices that "from where we are it doesn't look like a country, it's more like the cracks that grow between borders." The poem raises questions about the possibilities of transcending our own culture and prejudices. Kind Regards Jim Clark All rights are reserved on this video recording copyright Jim Clark 2012 She must be from another country............ When I can't comprehend why they're burning books or slashing paintings, when they can't bear to look at god's own nakedness, when they ban the film and gut the seats to stop the play and I ask why they just smile and say, 'She must be from another country.' When I speak on the phone and the vowel sounds are off when the consonants are hard and they should be soft, they'll catch on at once they'll pin it down they'll explain it right away to their own satisfaction, they'll cluck their tongues and say, 'She must be from another country.' When my mouth goes up instead of down, when I wear a tablecloth to go to town, when they suspect I'm black or hear I'm gay they won't be surprised, they'll purse their lips and say, 'She must be from another country.' When I eat up the olives and spit out the pits when I yawn at the opera in the tragic bits when I pee in the vineyard as if it were Bombay, flaunting my bare ass covering my face laughing through my hands they'll turn away, shake their heads quite sadly, 'She doesn't know any better,' they'll say, 'She must be from another country.' Maybe there is a country where all of us live, all of us freaks who aren't able to give our loyalty to fat old fools, the crooks and thugs who wear the uniform that gives them the right to wave a flag, puff out their chests, put their feet on our necks, and break their own rules. But from where we are it doesn't look like a country, it's more like the cracks that grow between borders behind their backs. That's where I live. And I'll be happy to say, 'I never learned your customs. I don't remember your language or know your ways. I must be from another country.'