Rohina Malik,a Chicago-based playwright, actress and solo performance artist, will take the stage in her one-woman play March 29 at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.
The Interfaith Dialogue and Education Alliance–along with several UW Oshkosh entities–will host Unveiled at 6 p.m. in the Reeve Memorial Ballroom.
Born and raised in London, England, but of South Asian heritage, Malik is a fearless woman of talent.
Her play, Unveiled, exposes racism, hate crime, love, Islam, culture, language and life in one “amazing show,” said Jennifer Considine, chair of Interfaith Dialogue and Education Alliance and associate professor of communication at UW Oshkosh.
Unveiled had its world premiere in May 2009, where it received critical acclaim.
“I write plays because it’s my way of solving problems,” Malik said. “Art, in its many forms, has the power to solve world problems. That’s why I believe we should do everything we can to nurture and protect it.”
Considine said she once saw Malik perform in Los Angeles and the show was amazing. “You laugh–and two minutes later you’re crying. She’s very talented,” Considine said.
She said Malik wants people to understand the experience of wearing the veil.
“She wrote it following 9-11, as I remember her describing it–she was watching some of the media coverage of Muslim women and their experiences wearing the veil, and I think her experiences, and people she knows, were much more complex than what was being depicted in the media,” she said.
Malik examines myths, stereotypes and intolerance within the American society in her work.
Considine said that Islamophobia, which is the dislike of or prejudice against Islams or Muslims, is very prevalent in society, and its driven by a lack of understanding.
“Her play will open students’ eyes to seeing the wearing of the veil in a different way—and to maybe–understanding that experience a bit differently,” Considine said.
Considine said she hopes to expose students to a variety of cultural experiences. “The goal of the interfaith alliance is to educate students about the wide variety of religious and nonreligious traditions on our campus and in our community,” Considine said.
The alliance includes a wide representation of faculty, staff and interested students in different roles on campus who are interested in talking about the role of religious and nonreligious experiences on campus and how that influences the student experience.