Most people are likely familiar with Maliha Abidi from her Instagram account, @maliha_z_art, where the British student originally from Pakistan has amassed a following thanks to her illustrations, many of which have a feminist message. Her work is now featured in a wonderfully drawn book that honours Pakistani women and their achievements, taking it off social media.
Kickstarter was used to publicly fund Pakistan for Women: Stories of Women Who Have Achieved Something Extraordinary. In just three days, Maliha was able to raise over £3,000. With hand-drawn murals of each of the 50 amazing women, the book presents their experiences via her perspective.
“I discovered there are a lot more ladies out there when I made the decision to compile a list for this series. The neuroscience student, 23, stated in an interview that “it could have easily been of a thousand names just with my initial list.”
Among the notable figures highlighted are human rights advocate Asma Jahangir, singer Noor Jehan, and Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai. Other notable professionals include Pakistan’s first female fighter pilot Ayesha Farooq, the country’s first female firefighter Shazia Parvee, and the country’s first female climber of Mount Everest, Samina Baig.
Despite having a straightforward concept, Maliha has received a great deal of support for her book from people all around the world in addition to her home country. “Like many countries, Pakistan has its problems, but at the same time, here’s a book about women who have achieved immense greatness… anything you name, Pakistan has these stories,” she says, indicating her intention to continue with this series.
