Mu Sochua character on stage in Turkey ... while the real Mu Sochua saw her rights being trampled by the Hun Xen's regime

Mu Sochua (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

In the play, titled 'Yedi' (Seven), journalist Ece Temelkuran will play Nigerian democracy defender Hafsat Abiola, while the lawyer of assassinated Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, Fethiye Çetin, will play North Irish activist Inez McCormack.

Seven famous women take stage for women’s rights in Turkey

Sunday, September 19, 2010
ARAM EKİN DURAN
Hurriyet Daily News
ISTANBUL - Referans

Füsun Demirel plays Mu Sochua, who was co-nominated in 2005 for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work against sex trafficking of women in Cambodia and neighboring Thailand.

Seven women take the stage to draw attention to human rights. The theater play 'Seven' will make its Turkish premiere at Istanbul's Muammer Karaca Theater on Thursday. The play is based on interviews with seven women’s rights activists from seven different countries, and has been staged in the world since 2007

In the play, titled 'Yedi' (Seven), journalist Ece Temelkuran will play Nigerian democracy defender Hafsat Abiola, while the lawyer of assassinated Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, Fethiye Çetin, will play North Irish activist Inez McCormack.

Seven human rights-sensitive women will take to the theater stage to raise awareness of the issues via the stories of seven women who struggled for human rights in society.

In the play, titled “Yedi” (Seven), journalist-writer Ece Temelkuran will play Nigerian democracy defender Hafsat Abiola, while the lawyer of assassinated Armenian journalist Hırant Dink, Fethiye Çetin, will play North Irish activist Inez McCormack, who was also played by Meryl Streep last year. Other women in the play are Turkish artists Lale Mansur, Füsün Demirel, Zeynep Eronat, Belçim Bilgin Erdoğan and Şevval Sam.

The play will make its Turkish premiere Thursday at 8 p.m. at the Muammer Karaca Theater. Entrance to the play is free.

Swedish national theater Riksteatern’s producer Figen Solmaz said the play, which is supported by the Swedish Institute and the Swedish Consulate General, would be staged within the framework of a conference on human trafficking and women’s rights that will be held in Istanbul.

“This play has been staged all around the world for a few years and we wanted Turkish people to see it, too. This is why we have chosen seven women who are sensitive to democracy and human rights,” Solmaz said.

She said the seven women, famous among Turkish people, agreed with the project and gave great support to it. “Turkey is perceived by Western countries as an underdeveloped country in terms of women’s rights. The best side of this play is that it shows that women’s rights is not only a problem for underdeveloped countries, but also is a common problem for all women in the world.”

Hillary Clinton, Meryl Streep played in the US

“Seven,” which is based on interviews made with seven women activists from seven different countries, has been staged around the world since 2007. Hillary Clinton presented the play in the U.S. and famous actress Meryl Streep played the role of Northern Irish activist Inez McCormack. The play has been performed by the Swedish Riksteatern Theater in more than 40 venues since 2009.

Activists in the play

Fethiye Çetin plays Inez McCormack, who is an activist for women’s and human rights, labor, and social justice and a former president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. McCormack played a critical role in the 1998 Good Friday Peace Accords and continues to advocate for equal rights and fair labor practices for women and minorities.

Belçim Bilgin Erdoğan plays Muktharan Mai, who was gang raped by four men and forced to walk home almost naked. Instead of taking the traditional Pakistani women’s route of committing suicide, Mai brought her rapists to justice, built schools to improve the condition of women, and became an advocate for education in her country.

Şevval Sam plays Farida Azizi, who became an activist fighting against marginalization of women under Taliban rule in her native country. Because of threats on her life, she gained asylum and now lives in the United States with her two children and works on women's rights and peace building in Afghanistan.

Füsun Demirel plays Mu Sochua, who was co-nominated in 2005 for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work against sex trafficking of women in Cambodia and neighboring Thailand.

Ece Temelkuran plays Hafsat Abiola, an advocate for human rights and democracy following the murder of her activist parents. She founded the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy, which provides skills training and leadership opportunities for young women across Nigeria.

Zeynep Eronat plays Marina Pisklakova-Parker, who founded one of the first hotlines for victims of domestic violence in Russia, which has since grown into the Center ANNA, part of a coalition that has provided crisis and counseling services for 100,000 Russian women.

Lale Mansur plays Annabella De Leon, who has been a congresswoman since 1995 and has received death threats because of her fight against corruption and for the rights of the poor, particularly women and indigenous peoples.