[vol.19] [Life story written by Park, Min-na] A woman, like the wind, can never be trapped in a net - Ahn Sooyoung, a writer in 'Oreum', a women's art group -
WORKING WOMAN 2008. 3. 21. 11:14A woman, like the wind, can never be trapped in a net
- Ahn Sooyoung, a writer in 'Oreum', a women's art group -
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written by Park, Min-na |
Ahn Sooyoung, multi-media writer
Ahn Sooyoung is a single writer, who has just reached 30 years old. She writes using many media of expression. She makes dolls. Making dolls, she writes playbooks. After writing a playbook and making dolls, she talks with the dolls and plays with them.
She likes children and loves their culture so much that she once dreamed of being a children's storybook author. She also once wanted to be a radio actress. Puppet shows were the best choice for her. The Oreum provided a venue for her strong and vital direction.
The Oreum is a pure Korean term for the molten lava thrusting up through the volcanoes in Chaeju island. The term also has another meaning. It means 'climbing up'. The Oreum group chose the name to symbolize their wish to see women's culture put up the agenda, and become a part of mainstream culture rather than a sideline. The pretty Korean term implies a certain strength and stocky beauty.
"The Oreum is a women arts group planning and producing plays, puppet shows, music, Goot , etc. in the light of feminism. It was established in January 1997 with the purpose of setting up an equal culture overcoming our sexually discriminative one. I started working with Oreum a year after its establishment."
My curiosity surrounding her puppet play, which I haven't seen yet, is increasing. In fact Oreum is not a new organization. They have provided a performance at the March 8 Women Workers' Rally every year since its establishment. This year they have prepared a song-play with the theme of the problem of irregular workers and female unemployment. The task of writing the playbook was given to Ahn Sooyoung
"I have concentrated on puppet plays for some time and the theme is a hot issue these days and therefore it was quite a burden for me. I had not reflected extensively on women workers' issues and have never before written a song-play. However I tried to do my best with my faith that what was given to me was important and it was necessary work for my organization. I was involved in a student movement when I was a student and that experience helped me a lot."
Inspiration gotten from the workers' rally
Her basic understanding of the labor movement was born through the poetry of Park Nohae, 'Early Dawn of Labor', which was found on the book shelf of her sister, with whom she lived for a certain period. At that time she wanted to be a reporter and wanted to do good.
She entered the Sacred Heart University, majoring in Korean literature, in 1989. At university she joined in the students' newspaper. There were continuous seminars on social, political, and economical issues. What she had thought to be immovable was shaken and it was hard for her to digest all the new knowledge.
"The reason why I committed myself to the movement was not owing to theoretical backgrounds but to the emotional influences of various workers' rallies and the activities of the mothers whose sons and daughters were in prison due to their commitment.
When I was a senior in the university I was elected as vice-president of the students' council and the whole year was spent in street demonstrations. I can still recall the voices of the masses in the street whenever I pass the bell house .
My first experience of a street demonstration was when I was a sophomore. I went to the bell house with my friend in order to take part in the street demonstration. It was nearly time for the demonstration but there were no gatherings of people. I was very tense and began to worry that information might have found its way to the police.
All of sudden there was a siren and, at the same time, most of the people on the street, who were walking normally, gathered as groups and formed a mass. We started singing and the crowd marched on the street and more people joined. I will never forget the passion I felt on that day.
Life of a woman and her emotional inheritance from her mother
Under the title of 'Hope for Beautiful Future' the script of the song-play for the March 8 women workers' rally had gone through 11 amendments to fit every new situation. The primary function of the play was to collect the stories and illustrate the problems of irregular women workers and the problems associated with female unemployment.
She wrote the words of songs as if she were writing a poem. Lee Haeran, an Oreum representative, worked together with other staff on her writings to improve the final product.
Writing the words of songs, she could clarify her thoughts and put into concrete form the actualities of a Korean woman's life. Writing itself was not hard work for her, as she had worked in the planning and business department of the Korean Broad-casting System for a year and eight months, and also as a writer for non-drama programmes.
She is a member of a writers' group, which is composed of her university friends, and the group publishes a monthly newsletter. All those experiences have helped her to maintain and develop her writing capacity.
"The newsletter is only 16 to 24 pages of A4 size. We take a turns to produce it and distribute the newsletters to our friends. Last year we had a small music concert in a small coffee shop rented for the tenth anniversary of our group. Aren't there some difficult things in our lives? I don't worry too much because I have good colleagues who encourage each other and are ready to give a hand."
I was very impressed by her, her friends, and her faith in her friends. One month before the performance, they started practice. They did not perform by themselves but always in the practice place. They amended the words as the need arose. The Oreum actresses are mostly very experienced and talented. Ahn Sooyoung often could not believe she had written the words, and was so impressed by their performance that she cried almost every day.
"The most difficult part of the playbook was the part in which the mother turns up. In order to show the painful life of woman in this country and its history, the role of mothers was very important. It was not the story of my age and I had not experienced that part of life yet. Therefore I had to be very careful in that respect."
In fact, it is not that difficult. We can easily recall the life of our mothers. She also tried to remember her mother and in some parts she quotes things her mother said. She was born in March 4 1970 in Daechon, Choongnam as the youngest in a family of one boy and four daughters.
Her parents were very enthusiastic for their children to be educated. They used to say that they would beg to provide an education for their children. Her mother did whatever work she could get like sewing, washing dishes, and washing clothes.
She can remember the nights her sisters sewed until late. She pitied her mother, who was like an innocent girl with clear eyes, and never lived against the principle of nature. Her mother said, "No April without threshing barley, no October without cultivating rice." She was never against her mother.
She knew the difficulties endured by her parents and was obedient to her elder brother and sisters. As long as she remembers, she was more mature than other girls in her age. It was why she did not have many friends in her peergroup.
When she was a student of junior and senior high schools, she heard from her brother and some teachers conscious of the social troubles of the Kwangjoo struggle and social problems, but she regarded them as stories from a distant country. Her song-play was a success and the audience gave great applause. Her feeling after the performance was special.
"It was an important experience. I learned a lot and it made me expand my thoughts. If I could have another chance to do the same work, I would work harder towards the final product. I will make a great commitment for at least three years. My efforts will be meaningful and helpful in children's culture, on which I would like to concentrate. I will do whatever I can do."
India led her to a life closer to nature
A year and half ago, she quit her job in KBS. She was at a loss in her job in which she had to promote the power of broadcasting. After quitting her work with KBS and opting to join the Oreum, she left for India with a small sack. India is famous for the traditional puppet plays and the puppet play medium is particularly well developed in Rajasthan.
"I was a bit afraid of traveling alone but it was a really happy time. I was very impressed by the hot air which I breathed as soon as I landed at Bombay International Airport. Lots of pollution, old cars and strange sounds, rickshaws weaving in and out of the cars and animals, all this seemed to me like chaos.
They always said "No problem!" and yet I had to wait at least twelve hours in order to move from place to place. I had to learn to wait. I visited much of the countryside. The people, who live in harmony with nature and are very relaxed, impressed even me more than the beautiful countryside."
She learned a lot in India during her three months' stay. She learned to be freer in the way she lived her life and to try to live closely with nature. 'A woman like the wind, never trapped in a net' is a nickname given to her by her friends after her travels to India. With her expanded and freer thoughts she commits herself wholeheartedly to the puppet play.
"I like children. They are like juries which are not yet influenced by the negativity of society. The puppet play is a venue in which to meet the children, through music and art. Therefore it is very interesting. However, even children's culture is touched by commercial considerations.
Most existing puppet plays promote virtue and reprove vice. The heroine does not creatively solve problems but a certain supernatural power directs the story. Oreum tries to help the children to understand and think about the world in which they are living through the puppet plays.
So far we have made "A secret of Hanul", which was to help children protect themselves against sexual violence, and "Jjang Ah's travel under water", which was made for the promotion of environmental conscious-ness.
Wherever we are invited to play we eagerly accept. I am very satisfied with my work and I am very happy with my choice. I am happy to continue to do the same work if I can earn a little money for my basic living costs."
One of her heartfelt wishes is to provide a children's cultural center in ten years time. She is somewhat naive in character, and she can comfort herself in a difficult situation. I hope and believe that she can achieve much good work with her simple nature. I made a call to Oreum in order to check some points. They were performing in Cheonan. I could feel that their strong and indiluted will for a beautiful world being absorbed in every corner of the country.