My first ever viewing of The Vagina Monologues was in Seoul last month, proceeds of which went to benefit VDAY and KUMFA (Korean Unwed Mothers Families Association).

This production has been running since 1998 and it is as important now, as it was then. I had read a lot of praise and criticism about the monologues and I’m glad after seeing it performed live in Seoul I can now form my own opinion.

The most popular criticism suggests that this is feminist male bashing and it divides the sexes even more. I disagree as there are monologues such as “Because He Liked To Look At It,“ which celebrates how a man can appreciate, respect and build confidence in a woman. The Vagina Monologues are not about hating men, they are about empowering women.

I like to think and hope that there have been improvements in regards to feminist issues since 1998. But the bottom line is there still are vast arrays of issues that need to be spoken about and The Monologues are one such medium for doing that.

One monologue particularly stood out in relevance and scope on the night. The monologue simply entitled “Say It” was powerfully performed by two talented actresses, Hayoung Jang and Su – yoon Ko. In this tiny MoonNight theatre in the heart of Seoul we, the audience, were enthralled.

The hairs on the back of my neck prickled, I could feel my stomach tightening and if I could have torn my eyes away from the stage to look around, I would have observed the exact same feeling in the eyes of my fellow viewers. It was not only gifted acting that made this monologue so captivating, it was because this monologue is of deeply rooted importance to the women of Korea. To the women of Asia. To all women.

“Say It” is based on the testimonies of the “Comfort Women”. These are the women who were kidnapped and lured away from their homes under false pretences by the Japanese government from 1928 until the end of World War II. In modern society they would be referred to as sex slaves. The majority of these trafficked women came from Korea, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and East Timor.

The monologue was broken into categories ranging back and forth between their conditions and their feelings. Here are some excerpts from the translated piece.

What we were promised:

That I would find a job

That they would kill me if I didn’t go

What we found:

A warehouse full of tears

Thousands of worried girls

What we were forced to do: 

Do it even when we bleed

Do it young before we started bleeding

What they did to us over and over:

Cursed

Spanked

Drugged

What we saw:

A girl drinking chemicals in the bathroom

A girl’s malnourished body dumped in the river to drown.

What we became:

Infertile

Meat

Exiled

What we were left with:

Nothing

Hatred of men

No children

Shame

What we are:

74

79

84

93

Outside the Japanese Embassy every Wednesday

No longer afraid.

Questions need to be asked about Japan’s legitimate position in the UN. As the third leading economy and an influential world player, if the Japanese government cannot accept responsibility for the atrocities against these women, how can its place in the UN be justifiable?

The Comfort Women have never received an official apology. Systematic rape has become not just a byproduct of war but a strategic war tool. It prevails in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq and many more. The world is watching now and we look on with sympathy for these women and we demand justice for them. During World War II, people were not aware on a global scale. Most women received no sympathy but were ostracized by family and communities on their return or lived many years with this shameful secret. Many more took it to their graves.

Gloria Steinem writes for CNN, “Sexualized violence may be the only form of violence in which the victim is blamed or is even said to have invited it. In war, rape shames women, men, children, entire societies. The stigma imposed on all who are touched by this violence makes this weapon incredibly effective as a means of destroying the enemy.’’

As a guest in Korea it is easy to see the animosity that is still deeply harbored in the people and one becomes cautious of even mentioning the neighboring country.

It is time for the Japanese Government to step up and take responsibility for these atrocities carried out in the past, to attempt to heal the wounds of the comfort women and a nation and to set an example around the world.

Say it.

 Christine Hayes is an Irish girl living in South Korea. She teaches English at an all boys Middle School where she has been unpleasantly surprised to realize that ten years on, she is still the smallest person in a grade three classroom. One day, as she cycled home from work, a motorist blew their horn at her for cycling through a red light. She had a vision of jumping up on their bonnet and smashing in their windshield for having the audacity to suggest, through their horn blowing, that she was a hazard to other road users. That’s when she decided yoga might be a good idea. It was. She no longer has a strong urge to vandalise vehicles and is currently training to be a yoga teacher.

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Editor: Hayley Samuelson.

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