Fathia al-Assal

Fathia al-Assal (Arabic: فتحية العسال, romanized: Fatḥīyah al-ʻAssāl; February 20, 1933 – June 15, 2014) was an Egyptian playwright and activist.Al-Assal was born in Cairo. Her father did not allow her to receive any formal schooling but she later audited classes at the Screenplay Institute. She wrote plays for radio from 1957 until 1967, when she began writing television dramas. Quotes A woman who can carry in her womb a new life during nine months is just as capable of creating a play that is solid and coherent. Responding to the claim that theatre requires an objectivity supposedly incompatible with women, Fathia al-Assal rejects this stereotype by arguing that women's creative abilities are equal to men's and are demonstrated by their capacity to create life itself. Could it be that the time had come for the pains of labour strangling my innermost self to be releasing and projecting my words towards existence? Using the metaphor of childbirth, al-Assal describes the emergence of her voice as a writer and the release of ideas that had been suppressed for generations. My word... my passion... my childhood... my child! Al-Assal portrays writing as an act of creation, likening her words to a child finally brought into existence after years of silence and struggle. The theatre is the father of all arts. This is a truth none can contend, and for this reason it is my one and only passion. Opening her 2004 World Theatre Day Message, Fathia al-Assal explains her lifelong devotion to theatre, describing it as the foundation of all artistic expression and the central passion of her life. I believe that theatre is the light that illuminates the path of mankind. Al-Assal describes theatre as a force for enlightenment, arguing that it guides humanity by fostering understanding, compassion, and meaningful dialogue between performers and audiences. External links Category:Playwrights from Egypt Category:Women authors from Egypt Category:Women activists from Egypt Category:Women's rights activists Category:1933 births Category:2014 deaths Category:Women born in the 1930s