The Desire for Freedom

Fatima knows nothing but the life in the harem, having been born into the situation and raised there. Her mother also knows no other life but chafes under the restrictions just the same, as does Fatima's grandmother, Yasmina. Fatima's house is in the city of Fez and there is a door keeper who ensures that the women of the harem do not leave. When Fatima's cousin, Chama, tries to go out to the movies with the boys of the family, she is confined by force with the door keeper sometimes chasing her down and physically taking her back to the harem. Still, the women of the harem find small ways to rebel against this confinement and to create small escapes for themselves. One of these methods is through acting and the women often entertain each other by putting on plays, usually with female activists and...