Dr Sofia Rehman In conversation with Tahmima Anam, author of Uprising

In this conversation, Sofia speaks with award-winning author Tahmima Anam about her forthcoming novel, Uprising. On a desolate, sinking island, a group of children witness their mothers living lives of cruelty and servitude. Bought and sold by Amma, the sadistic madam who was once herself sold into slavery, the women have learned to accept their fate. Yet their children weave fantastic tales of escape, imagining that someday they will leave the island and enjoy a life of freedom. When Kusum Khan, a young, educated woman from the city, is forcibly brought to the island, she too is subjected to Amma’s violent induction. Yet Kusum refuses to yield, and soon the collective complacency of her fellow prisoners turns into ferocity and defiance. Together, they begin a rebellion that will upend their island, their world and the very order of things. An earth-shattering drama of resistance and female power, Uprising gives voice to the silenced through the story of a revolution no one saw coming. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 3:16 Tahmima's Introduction to Uprising 4:55 The real island of Banishanta, Tahmima's visits and inspiration 8:17 Tahmima's choice to tell the story from the perspective of the island's children and what that narrative distance allowed her 10:55 The response of the women of Banishanta to Tahmima's work and research 13:37 The universal themes of Uprising, and comparisons to The Handmaid's Tale. 20:24 Kusum the Rebel vs Amma the Madame 25:23 The myth of the Goddess Bon Bibi, women's liberation and the divine 33:11 The Men 41:31 How did Tahmina look after herself when writing on difficult, dark and at times violent themes 46:08 audience questions