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ALL ABOUT EVE
Eve Ensler talks about her life and work withAndrew Johnson ahead of the 9th annual V-Day this February 14
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t has been almost a decade since Eve Ensler began the firstrun of what would become one of the world’s best-known,most controversial and most influential English-languageliterary works of the last 50 years, 'The Vagina Monologues.'Translated into over 35 languages and still performed in theatresall over the world, the first production by Eve herself in 1996 wasmounted solo in New York City.The play went on to form the starting point and the cornerstoneof an organisation the author initiated in 1998, V-Day—theglobal movement to end violence against women and girls. Theformation of V-Day was prompted by the testimony of the manywomen who approached Eve after her first performances of theplay with personal accounts of violence they’d experienced. Evegraciously gave of her time to tell us her story of V-Day, 'TheVagina Monologues,' and her new play 'The Good Body.'
TBS:
Have any countries had to change the text of 'The VaginaMonologues' for their own language?
Eve Ensler:
I don’t think they did the ‘Cunt’ piece in French. Theycouldn’t find a word for it. They never did it in Paris. I think therewere a few other cities where they were hard-pressed to finda word for that … I heard the Mexican version and they used‘
coño 
.’In ‘Reclaiming Cunt’ (the part of 'The Vagina Monologues'Eve is referring to), the c-word is used freely and deliberately.Directly translated into Spanish, the act lacks the propensityfor shocking impact that it has when performed in English.
   O   P   P   O   S   I   T   E   P   A   G   E  :   J   O   Y   C   E   T   E   N   N   E   S   O   N   C   /   O   V   D   A   Y ,   T   H   I   S   P   A   G   E  :   (   L   O   W   E   R   )   I   M   A   G   E   F   R   O   M   '   T   H   E   G   O   O   D   B   O   D   Y ,   '   J   O   A   N   M   A   R   C   U   S   C   /   O   C .   M   A   J   O   R   M   A   R   K   E   T   I   N   G   (   U   P   P   E   R   )   J   O   A   N   M   A   R   C   U   S   C   /   O   V  -   D   A   Y
It challenges the cultural taboo surrounding the ‘c-word’ inEnglish-speaking countries, a taboo that defies the word’s richIndo-European lineage as a word derived from the title of thematriarchal Hindu goddess Kali—‘Kunda’ or ‘Cunti.’ It shares thesame etymological root as ‘kin’ and ‘country’ according to GloriaSteinem’s introduction to the published 'Vagina Monologues.'Conversely, it is not unusual to hear parents in Spain use anequivalent Spanish ‘c-word’ (
coño 
) liberally around their ownchildren. We’ll allow you to judge whether or not this differencedemonstrates the relative spiritual health or the relative moralbankruptcy of either people(s). It is, after all, just a word.
TBS:
How is the translation received in the Middle East?
EE:
It has always been done in English. It’s just now beginningto be translated into Arabic. There has never been an Arabicproduction, although it has been done in a lot of MiddleEastern countries.
TBS:
Do you think we will see a production mounted in Arabic inthe near future?
EE:
I think that will eventually happen. What happens usually is,like in China for example… They first did it in English and thenwhen they moved to do it in Chinese. In some places they got
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away with it but in other places it got shut down. Once you get to people’snative languages it gets much more close to the bone. For example, I was just in Beirut. We met with a kind of summit of women leaders there and inthe article on V-Day in the paper the next day the only word in the whole ofthe Arabic text which was in English was ‘vagina.’The presence of the word ‘vagina’ in the title of the play caused consternationmuch further west. In the early nineties several Spanish councils vetoedperformance of the play during its first tour with the Compañia MaiteMerino because of the word on the poster. The mind boggles as to theprospective translation of ‘the c-word’ into Arabic when the simple, Latinanatomical term ‘vagina’ alone was the cause of so much stigma in Lebanonand even, evidently, in rural Spain.Her work with V-Day takes Eve to countries where the issue of women’srights forms the front line of East/West gender politics and not just of theindividual countries themselves. Eve has visited Afghanistan many times.
TBS:
What has been your experience with women in Afghanistan?
EE:
From everything I’ve gathered from all the women we work with inKandahar and Kabul and in Pakistan, the Taliban is very much on the riseagain. I’ve gotten reports from women we fund and support in Kandaharthat women aren’t leaving their houses again, that there’s all kinds ofintimidation going on; the same threats. There may be a few places likeKabul where there is an international presence but even there women aren’t
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I’m into fun. I’m into dressing. Idon’t know any tribes or cultures inthe world that don’t have some kindof beauty ritual. But I think that isfar different than a narcissistic, self-mutilating absorption which I
think completely does us in
taking off their burqas, you know?
TBS:
Where do you stand on the burqa question?
EE:
What I’m concerned with is the lack of choice. That’s why I think the burqabecame such a hot issue surrounding Afghanistan. It wasn’t because womenwore them but that if they didn’t they’d get flogged or they got executed orwhatever. But why do we make a big deal over burqas when we don’t makea big deal out of people piercing their stomachs? Everybody has the right towear clothes for whatever period of time they need to wear them to identifyand to define themselves in the way they need to. I think when the burqa isyour choice it’s one thing and I think that everybody can wear whatever theywant. Who is it for us to determine if someone should or shouldn’t wear aburqa? I have been indeed attacked and assaulted and grabbed on the streetand made to feel like a sex object, and you know I think a burqa’s an alternative.It’s not my alternative because I’m too claustrophobic but would I judge thatalternative? Absolutely not, if that is that person’s way of defining their space. Ihave certainly had my days when I’ve wanted to wear a burqa.
TBS:
What I understand to be the subject of your new play 'The Good Body' iswomen’s choices about their own bodies? 
EE:
And what we do to ourselves without knowing that we’re actually doingit. I think so many women in the West are spending their days shrinking, fixing,botoxing, lipo-ing; dieting to get these bodies that they’ve been told they’resupposed to have that have nothing to do with the bodies they have. A greatamount of energy, money, and time is being devoted to this effort that couldbe devoted to transforming the world and for women coming into theirpower—$40 billion a year is spent on beauty products in America.
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