Burka Avenger Theme Song

[Channing Arther]

Thiswas such a powerful story of positivity for Pakistan that I was ecstatic when I first read it....

...but then I saw that the article was a little out of date and my gloomy mood returned.

Sigh. Wouldn't it have been nice if this was our CURRENT story?

Here's an excerpt of a BBC story on Burka Avenger's pre-launch promotion:

The video clips from the animated series have gone viral over social media even before any official promotional work has been done by Unicorn Black, Aaron Rashid's own production house.

The entire series has been developed in just over a year by a 22-member production team operating out of a small office in Islamabad.

Music videos are also being released featuring some of Pakistan's top musicians like Ali Azmat, Josh and Ali Zafar. T-shirts and other merchandise will also be put on sale, aiming to launch Burka Avenger as a Pakistani superhero brand.

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Aaron Rashid says the theme will not only centre around the girls' school but will also teach children about the values of tolerance, equality and other social issues in Pakistani society.

He emphasises that the central theme is non-violence, arguing that the main protagonist uses books and pens to thwart her enemies even though she hits people with them.

Is the symbolism too complex for small children to understand?

Mr Rashid disagrees.

"She's saying the pen is mightier than the sword," he insists. "She is non-violent because she's throwing books. Most people throw bombs. Think about it."

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The University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication announced on Wednesday that Pakistan's "Burka Avenger," an animated television show about a burka-clad schoolteacher who fights local thugs seeking to shut down the girls' school where she works, will receive one of the 2013 Peabody Awards (Dawn). The Urdu-language show, which airs on Geo TV, emphasizes the importance of girls' education and other lessons, such as not discriminating against others.

The awards, some of the most prestigious prizes in broadcasting, recognize "excellence and meritorious work by radio and television stations, networks, webcasters, producing organizations, and individuals" on an annual basis, and will be handed out at an awards ceremony in New York City on May 19.

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The 36-year-old filmmaker got her first break in 2001. She was offered a chance by the New York Times Television production company to make her film Terror's Children. In the film, she documented the lives of eight Afghan children that were refugees in the city of Karachi and showcased their daily struggles.

In 2012, eleven years after that first chance, Chinoy won an Oscar for her film Saving Face, which chronicles the journey of a plastic surgeon who treats acid attack victims. Her work's main focus is on human rights and gender issues. Her film Pakistan's Taliban Generation won an Emmy in 2010. Chinoy has, meanwhile, produced 12 award winning documentaries in 10 countries.

She is also the founder of The Citizens archive of Pakistan (CAP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultural and historic preservation which educates citizens about their heritage. In a DW interview, Chinoy talks about her latest project Three Braves (Teen Bahadur), an animation film for children, and the changing face of Pakistan's film industry.

DW: Tell us about your latest project Three Braves (Teen Bahadur).

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy: Three Braves is a quintessentially a Pakistani story - replete with unlikely heroes, menacing villains, fumbling thugs, dark horses, and moments of triumph and bouts of despair. Based in a fictional town in Pakistan, eleven-year-old Amna, Saadi and Kamil set out to save their community from the many evils that plague it.

This film is fiction and very different from your previous line of work. What made you choose this medium?

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy Regisseurin von Three Braves/Teen Bahadur

Chinoy says Pakistani film industry stands to be "a formidable force in the near future"

I had wanted to do something for children for a long time because we, as a nation, have completely neglected this demographic. Our youth makes up the largest and, undoubtedly, the most important section of our society and now more than ever, they need local heroes to look up to.

After experimenting with many mediums, we settled on animation because its creative freedom allows us to speak to children in a way that no other medium can. I want Pakistani children from every nook and cranny to see Three Braves and be entertained and inspired. I want them to finally be able to see their reflection in movies, with superheroes that look and speak like them.

What kind of subtle messages are packed into your film Three Braves?

The great thing about animation is it offers a lot of scope for creativity and imagination. On the surface Three Braves might appear to be about superheroes and mystical creatures. But underneath that commercial cartoon value is a force that seeks to engage, empower and motivate today's youth. The film is a journey of fighting back, taking charge, and finding support and love in the most improbable of places.

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The show has captivated audiences in Afghanistan and Pakistan with its block three-dimensional animation, catchy theme song, and candid take on the issues facing young girls and women in Taliban-dominated areas of the region, winning a Peabody award and scoring an Emmy nomination. In those countries, traditional norms prevent many girls from attending co-educational schools and participating in many of the same activities as their male counterparts. Many girls who do get to attend school to head to madrassas and other strict religious institutions.

Burka Avenger is the star of Pakistan's first ever animated TV series, currently being screened in London for the first time. The inspirational teacher uses her flowing black burka to disguise her identity as she confronts local thugs who scheme to shut down the girls' school where she works as well as other evil plots.

"It's a phenomenon in Pakistan," Aaron Haroon Rashid, a Pakistani pop star and creator of the show, told BuzzFeed News in between workshops he's hosting in London. "Children are now having Burka Avenger-themed birthday parties now. It's done really, really well."

It debuted shortly after Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner, rose to global fame after surviving being shot by the Taliban in 2012 when she defied them by insisting on going to school.

But even as her superhero alter-ego, Burka Avenger subscribes to the mantra that the pen is mightier than the sword. "I didn't want her to use any weapons, violence, or any punching, hitting, using guns, or blowing [anything] up," Haroon said. "Because violence is never the answer."

"Each episode touches on different social issues, whether it's things like gender equality, education for girls, anti-discrimination messages, or sectarian violence," said Haroon, who sees himself as a social activist. "He is on the wrong side of those issues. So that's who he is. If he fails, of course, it's because he's on the wrong side."

In the very first episode, a local crook wants to shut down the girls' school in the city of Halwapur so he can pocket the money a charity gave him to run it. He finds a willing partner in crime in Bandook, whose beliefs echo those of the Taliban.

What next for Haroon and his franchise? Burka Avenger, which now has its own merchandise including figurines and online games, is watched by 86% of children living in urban areas in Afghanistan, where it is translated into both main languages, Pashto and Dari, according to its creators. In India, it has been translated into Hindi and Tamil.

"I've worked on the 52 scripts and directed 52 episodes with my team and worked very, very hard," said Haroon. "We're done with that now and taking a break...so now I have to sit down and translate all these episodes into English."

Haroon: I started directing my own music videos a few years ago and became interested in direction for film and TV. Exploring possible themes and plots, it was important to me that whatever I produced should have a deeper message and not just pure entertainment.

Even as a musician, many of my songs touch on social issues, such as corruption and interfaith harmony. Living in Pakistan, many of these issues are staring you right in the face, and as an artist you are inspired to write about what is happening around you.

Haroon: When I was young, I shared a room with my two younger brothers and I would tell them fantastical bedtime stories which I made up myself, every night before we fell asleep. I think that was the beginning. In high school, both my English teachers told me that I was a talented writer and storyteller and that I should consider writing as a profession.

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