Afghan woman in Windsor finds empowerment through poetry
Bas Bibi Shiva published three books in Afghanistan before coming to Windsor
It was just six years ago when Bas Bibi Shiva boarded an airplane in Afghanistan — leaving behind her family, friends and the country that she called home.
Among the items she took with her to Windsor, Ont. were five of her poetry books — two of which remain unpublished.
She spoke to CBC News in Dari, one of the languages spoken in Afghanistan, about the difficulties she faced when she first moved to Canada and how poetry has helped her find a deeper connection to her new home.
"I was very sad," Shiva said. "I didn't know anybody. I was always quiet. I was always home. I would cry at home."
She was desperate for company, longing for Afghan friends who she could converse with in her mother tongue.
"Whenever I would see somebody that had dark hair, I would approach them and ask them if they're Afghan and they would say no. This would upset me further," she said.
Six years in Canada
A lot of has changed since then for Shiva — who, despite living in downtown Windsor, commutes an hour to Leamington to work at Mucci Farms where she packages produce.
She's made friends and established a small network here, but still, longs for home.
"I still think about Afghanistan," she said. "I could never forget my country because that's where you've grown up."
One way she stays connected to Afghanistan is through her poetry where she gets the opportunity to express herself in one of the country's most ancient art forms.
She says she writes about everything — from motherhood, war, loneliness and life as an Afghan woman.
Do not label me helpless and oppressed. I am the strength of the oppressed.- An excerpt from one of Shiva's poems, The Voice of Women
Poetry empowers Shiva as it allows her to share her innermost thoughts and daily struggles to the public and connect with others who've shared her pain.
"The lives of women in Afghanistan compared to the lives of the women here in Canada are different. Over there, they abide by a different set of customs and traditions," she said, adding that Afghanistan is a theocratic nation that also practices polygamy.
Life for women in Afghanistan is difficult, she says
Although living in Afghanistan as a woman is challenging, according to Shiva — who is a widow — she says it's especially difficult without a husband who can share the responsibility of raising children and providing financial support.
Yet, she considers herself lucky to be educated because she says many women back home aren't literate, adding that she worked as both a teacher and a midwife in Afghanistan in addition to writing poetry.
With three published poetry books under her belt, Shiva hopes to publish two more — but this time, in Canada.
She wants to establish herself as a poet here and hopes to find an audience among Afghan readers.
Although she misses her friends and family in Afghanistan, she says she's made a home here in Canada.
"[Afghanistan] is still my home country, but now this is my home country, too."
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