Introduction to Pashtun Women’s Poetry

Abstract

Much of human emotions are expressed via poetry and other literary genres but when it comes to women in Pashtun society we lose their voices. Afzal Raza believes it is impossible for Pashtun women to speak about their pain and misery or any other feelings (Raza). As women could be persecuted for writing poetry in Pashtun society thus much of the folklore poetry came to existence by female speakers anonymously. Recently, New York Times reported about several young girls set themselves on fire after they were caught reciting poetry to an FM radio from home (Griswold). Reading about women casualties for their poetry, Raza shall be true saying that Tapa or Landay (a two-verse poetry) is the ancient form of poems mostly created by women that still exist as its writer is unknown but has its female speaker for us to understand it. To study Pashtun women and their poetry Tapa or Landay is the primary source to begin (Raza).