I just learned about Pakistan’s cartoon Burka Avenger, thanks to a piece I’m writing for BBC Culture about superheroines. Of course I loved her from the minute I heard her name, but what’s particularly striking about her is her emphasis on literacy: The intro tells us (according to the English subtitles) that her weapons are “pens, books, and advanced acrobatics.” In the first episode, she saves a girls’ school from closing down:
She reminds me of the women I’m lucky enough to mentor through the Afghan Women’s Writing Project. These women often risk their safety just for the chance to write their own stories. We help them to share them with the world in English. Please check out some of their work on the site. They are truly fighting evil with pens and books. I can’t speak for the advanced acrobatics, but I hope they don’t need them.