Voice of Rebellion by Roberta Staley

Author:Roberta Staley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Greystone Books
Published: 2019-03-16T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

An Explosive Welcome

BY THE TIME Mozhdah and Nasrin came down for breakfast the next morning, Siobhan was already at the studio. They spoke in muted tones, in English, so that Mousa, the houseboy who served them their eggs, toast, and tea, wouldn’t understand what they were saying.

“I’ll bet they’re still in shock at 1TV,” Mozhdah said. “I can’t believe you told Fahim that his show wasn’t good enough. You were so . . . composed.”

Nasrin smiled. “Why have a talent contest when an intelligent talk show would help address the social ills of this country?”

Mozhdah laughed. “No contest! I have so many ideas! I know I can make a difference. We could make it fun—entertaining. I could sing, we could feature different Afghan musicians, we would have so many discussions—everyone would watch!”

Nasrin took a sip of tea and placed the cup down on the table before answering. “Yes, Mozhdah jan, I agree.”

After breakfast, the pair strolled across the courtyard, nodding a greeting at the armed guards dotting the perimeter, then walked across the street into the 1TV compound and studio. Footsteps echoing sharply in the cavernous space, they spied Siobhan in the distance, heading towards the boardroom, a cup of coffee in one hand, files tucked under the other arm. Siobhan waited for them at the doorway.

“Ready for this morning’s meeting?” Siobhan asked.

“Sort of,” Mozhdah said nervously.

The boardroom was humming with energetic chatter as they walked in. A chorus of good mornings—some in English, some in Farsi—greeted them. That was a good sign, Mozhdah thought. If the word had come down from Fahim to send her and Nasrin back to Canada, the atmosphere wouldn’t be so cheery.

Siobhan started the meeting. David, she told them, sent his regrets, but had another meeting he had to attend. But he wanted everyone to know that he was supportive of a talk show based upon Oprah.

“Did you get a chance to watch the Oprah DVDS last night?” Siobhan asked.

There was a pause as everyone looked at each other.

“I love this woman!” exclaimed Saber.

Everyone burst out laughing. Mozhdah felt a wave of relief.

Mozhdah responded: “We love her too. We’ve spent years watching her show while working in Mom’s hairdressing salon at home in Vancouver.”

Siobhan then asked Mozhdah, Nasrin, and the staff how they might envision such a talk show for an Afghan audience. They discussed the length of time—everyone agreed to an hour-long time slot—and how they might meld entertainment with more hard-hitting, difficult, or even taboo subjects. As Mozhdah knew from her journalism training, it was important that experts help people address their personal and familial problems, guiding the dialogue. The format would feature an individual, several individuals, or even a family discussing personal experiences related to the day’s selected topic. Mozhdah would facilitate this setup, acting as moderator. It was important that any expert she might have on the show, be they a physician, teacher, or psychiatrist, had academic or industry credentials and the ability to present objective analysis. As she spoke,

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