how does one say queen in islam, 2020 / single channel video / 14 minutes / in collaboration with sophie soobramanien, hibo elmi

in their installation how does one say queen in islam (2020), made specially for the Bangkok Art Biennale, naqvi has constructed a version of Islamic history in the dreamscape of a child’s imagination, using words uttered only by women. here, traditional forms of story-telling meld with tales and songs from their childhood coming alive in landscapes where female leaders, warriors, singers and revolutionaries jostle with the symbolic presence of their mother and grandmother. on an embroidered quilt, on masks, and performance, naqvi invokes diverse heroes like queen arawelo - the mythical leader of the somali people, razia sultana - the 13th century ruler of the delhi sultanate, sayyida al hurra - the 16th century ‘pirate’ queen of tétouan , umm kulthum – the glittering egyptian chanteuse and film star, fatima al-fihri – the 9th century founder of the world’s first university in fez, asiya bint muzahim – the adoptive mother of moses in the islamic tradition, the queen of sheba – the fabled ruler of egypt, ethiopia and what is now yemen, and khawlah bint al-azwar – a legendary muslim warrior at the time of muhammad. together, with memories of their maternal lineage and friends, in the shades of these eminent women, naqvi reimagines narratives, where muslim women like their mother and grandmother surrealistically celebrate liberation, affirmation, joy and hope.

the film unravels on landscapes that are imaginary, terrains that are familiar, yet unplaceable. It uses symbols of friendship and care in the navigation of a dream, a young girl wanders through nonlinear dreamscapes, encountering some of the women who have fought for her place in the cosmos. language and mother tongue, synonymous to safety, drift her to sleep, as two generations sing her this narration of remembrance. one visits women who changed the course of how and who gets to attain knowledge, who can fight in battles, who can rule nations, and those who shaped futures. they all come alive in her imagination, walking on what is defined as a quilt whose contours form the face of today’s resistance. a mother, a grandmother, sat with her hand raised against an oppressive regime.