It has been 10 years since Nujood Ali, a Yemeni girl, became the ‘world’s youngest divorcee’ at the age of 10.
The real story of Nujood’s forced marriage to a man in his thirties when she was nine, her tormented life and subsequent legal victory was retold in Kathaprasangam format by a team from St. Teresa’s High School, Kannur, at the State School Arts Festival on Friday. The presentation left the audience at Government Muhammadans Boys High School, Alappuzha, spellbound.
The storyteller, Medha Pradeep, succeeded in taking the audience into the world of Nujood’s ordeal by presenting the story in the victim’s own words in Mappila dialect.
As the story proceeded, the storyteller delved into the marital life of Nujood, marred by sexual and physical abuses.
Shattered dreams
After conveying to the audience how the childhood and dreams of girls are crushed in a society where child marriage is prevalent, Medha took the audience to the victim’s unprecedented fight for redemption. In a gripping manner, she described Nujood’s running away from the house, two months after her marriage and approaching a court for divorce. She had found support on a woman lawyer.
The duo’s fight against child marriage and child abuse, and efforts to bring about a change in society and ensure gender equality were presented in a vivid manner, which also found resonance in contemporary society. Concluding the story by telling the audience that Nujood had won the divorce after a relentless battle, the storyteller brought hope to the victims of child marriage, abuse and violence.
Several other interesting tales on topics ranging from village life, gender equality and children abandoning their aged parents were presented by students at the High School section event.
