Lorraine Adams — celebrating Pakistani culture
Adams is pictured in a Hassan Sheheryar Yasin outfit on her wedding day back in the US, three years ago. PHOTO: PUBLICITY
Lorraine Adams, a Pulitzer prize-winning investigative journalist and author, is presently in Pakistan to work on a novel she is currently writing. It focuses on the archaeology of the Indus Valley Civilisation and the familial values of Pakistani people. In a tête-à-tête with The Express Tribune, Adams talks about her illustrious career and association with Pakistan.
Seated in a casual lounge at a friend’s residence in Lahore, Adams looks composed and well-adapted to the local environment. “There is something so lovely in the generosity of Pakistani people, they selflessly do things for others and welcome guests with open arms,” Adams says. The ease with which she carries herself in a Nida Azwer ready-to-wear patchwork kameez and shawl makes it hard to discern whether she is a foreigner or grew up here.
Adams’ career took a turn in August 2001, when she gave up her job as an investigative journalist for the Washington Post. She was asked to rejoin post-9/11, but she refused. “I did not like the way the Washington Post was covering 9/11,” says Adams. “The coverage was too pro-government and it seemed biased. The hysteria against Muslims was so extreme that I wanted to learn more about the people.”
“Investigative journalism is a limited reality,” she says. “It does not allow you to connect with people and everyone is just a source.” This holds true since there are some investigative journalists, who only view a country for the stories they can extract from it instead of exploring the grave realities of its residents. “Journalists abroad get embarrassed talking about the Pakistani soul. They do not want to know about the generosity of the people and the values they hold,” says Adams.
Thus, in the midst of potent partiality, Adams became an author, who aims at celebrating rather than rebuffing the culture of the people of South Asia.
“There are so many inspiring women here. I want to write about the strength of women in Pakistan,” says Adams. “The discussion in the western world needs to be broader than the [debate over] veiling and non-veiling.”
She talks about Dr Shehla Akram as her inspiration for one of the characters in her upcoming book. “Dr Shehla runs a hospital, a pharmaceutical company and also set up a women’s chamber of commerce,” states Adams. “These are the type of stories that need to come out of Pakistan to bridge this social disconnect that now exists between it and the West.
The author has taken it upon herself to educate the people in her life about Pakistan. “All my friends are now well-educated about the country. My husband [screenplay writer Richard Price] is currently working on an HBO mini-series Criminal Justice and he has placed a Pakistani immigrant family at the centre of the plot.”
The author lightly chuckles as she shares a few fun moments with her husband regarding the mannerisms of Pakistanis. “It is now very common at home for my husband to ask me questions like ‘Would a Pakistani person say this’ or ‘would a Pakistani person do that?’”
Of her intimate connection with Pakistan, she shares with us an interesting personal fact. She wore a Hassan Sheheryar Yasin outfit on her wedding day back in the United States, three years ago. “Oh, I love Pakistani fashion. It’s fascinating to see the way it has grown during the time I have come to Pakistan,” she shares.
“I was mesmerised at how designers worked out of their houses back in 2006 when I first came to Lahore and now, I see these polished retail stores selling exquisite outfits.”
As she soaks in Pakistani family values and explores the archaeological sites of Harappa and Taxila during her short visit to Pakistan, we eagerly await her next book.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 17th, 2014.