SANIA MORADI

Sanandaj- We travel to a world, where dolls are storytellers. The story of my childhood and maybe yours... Stories that are not always happy but include bittersweet moments. Bitter truth of child marriage, forced pregnancy that steal girls’ childhood and dreams.

Negin Vakilii, the manager of Rang Roya magazine, held a doll exhibition in Sanandaj to mark World Doll Day, annually celebrated on the second Saturday of June, after collecting dolls from different countries for years. The dolls displayed at the exhibition held from June 8 to June 9 tell the stories of girls and women from different countries.

Her interest in dolls led her to collect dolls from different places and countries for years. Her doll collection comprises ritual dolls and cultural symbols that tell the stories and common suffering of women.

“When I was a child, my mother made dolls for me by using simple materials of fabric, wood and leather. Since then, I have been interested in dolls,” said Negin Vakilii, showing us the dolls from her childhood. “Because of my love for dolls, I started to collect dolls from other nations and countries. Each of these dolls tells a story. Arousak is a Persian word, which literally means ‘the little bride’. Arousak also means doll. One of the aims of my exhibition is to raise awareness about child marriage and early marriage.”

Negin Vakilii showed us a doll that looked like a bag. “This doll is from Khorasan. When a woman got married, she could not have breakfast, lunch or dinner with her husband's family. So, her mother would put some food in these bags for her. This doll is also known as the bride's food supply in the region.”

There was another section at the exhibition displaying the fertility dolls from Africa. “The dolls that have a baby in their arms and a baby on their shoulders are known as birth dolls. There are also ritual dolls. For instance, these dolls are actually made with wooden spoons and are from Gilan. They are used to bringing rain.”

One of the dolls displayed at the exhibition was a Shahmaran doll, known for having a half-snake and half-woman body. “Shamaran is a mythical creature from the folklore of the Kurdish people. Shamaran has a half-snake and half-woman body. I would like to display it at my exhibition.”

The dolls displayed at the exhibition actually show cultural diversity, Negin Vakilii said. “Each of them tells a different story of women. These dolls tell the stories of girls and women from different countries and religions.”