Pakistan's New Cartoon: Burka Avenger

 

The adventures of the Burka Avenger and three young kids is set in the imaginary city of Halwapur.

"Don't mess with the lady in black"- says the tagline for the newest superhero series. Armed with pens and books, Burka Avenger is a Pakistani crime fighter who has just joined Wonder Woman and Catwoman in the female superhero league.

The series which is slated to be broadcast in Urdu is conceived by Pakistani pop star Haroon. Seemingly the cartoon show is being used to emphasize the importance of educating girls in a context where there’s been a lot of backlash.

 

Associated Press describes the unique cartoon superhero as "a mild-mannered teacher with secret martial arts skills who uses a flowing black burka to hide her identity." So who are her enemies? Bad guys out to shut down the girls’ school where she works, a familiar battle for some Pakistanis. Jiya who disguises as Burka Avenger is the master of Takht Kabaddi uses books and pens in conjunction with a variety of karate moves.

 

In the series premiere, a corrupt politician enlists an evil magician named Baba Bandook, whose views are very much like those of the Taliban, to close a girls’ school so that he can keep the money a charity pays to run it. “What business do women have with education?” Bandook says. “They should stay at home, washing, scrubbing and cleaning, toiling in the kitchen.” A child steps forward and declares: “The girls of today are the mothers of tomorrow. If the mothers are not educated, then future generations will also remain illiterate.” That’s when the Burka Avenger sweeps in to fight off the bad guys.