THE CLAMP
Hanim, a woman in her early 20’s, raised in a traditional and religious family, is married to Abdullah, a friend of her father’s from the mosque. She, as of tradition, started wearing a headscarf long before she reached puberty. Pulled out of school at 3rd grade, she was sent to Qur’an school and received strict religious education, which suppressed her inquisitive character and shaped her as a mousy and bashful woman. Not knowing any man other than her husband, Hanim was arranged to marry Abdullah, an extremely traditional and religious man in his early 30’s, who had divorced his first wife because she could not bear a child. He works in a factory in very early and late shifts, spending most of his time at the factory. [more]
EXPLICIT CORPSE
Nazli is a 31-year-old Turkish woman raised in a traditional Muslim environment. When she was 19, her parents suspected she was sexually active, which was absolutely not acceptable. So they took her to a gynaecologist to check if she was a virgin. [more]
THE MATRYOSHKA PARADOX
Paula is a 25-year-old woman, who grew up in the old city of Taranto. She comes from a poor family and lost her mother to cancer when she was a child. Her father works at Ilva, the main factory of Taranto. She is a heroin addict and she’s with Antonio, a mid level gang leader in the old city.
One day, she takes a dose of heroin and wakes up at a cabin of a ship. In the cabin, there’s a big old chest and a large bed. She tries to figure out what’s going on. She is confused and scared. She tries to go about but the door is locked. [more]
THE ROBBERY DAY
Azra, a 17-year old Bosnian girl sits on a bed next to her 6-year old niece AIDA and tells her a fairytale.
“Once upon a time, there were guardian angels who were sent to earth every time a child was born, to accompany and protect the baby throughout its life. The guardian angel would be assigned to a child at birth and she would accompany the living soul until the day it completed its time on earth. And when the time comes, she would accompany the soul to heaven and line up to ask for a new assignment. When her turn came, she would go back to earth and guard another newborn baby.” [more]