Zana Muhsen - Sold

review by Maggie Perkovic on show 13th October 2011

THE BOOK "SOLD" BY ZANA MUHSEN IS QUITE SHOCKING IT TELLS THE STORY OF ZANA ND NADIA BORN TO PARENTS OF YEMENI ORIGIN WHO MADE THEIR HOME IN BRITAIN AND AT THE AGES OF 14YEARS AND 15 YEARS WENT TO THE YEMEN ON THE PROMISE OF A LOVELY HOLIDAY AMONG THE SAND AND SEA AND PALM TREES ONLY TO FIND THEIR FATHER HAD ARRANGED TO SELL THEM TO RELATIVES WITH SONS OF MARRIAGABLE AGE OUT THERE FOR THE SUMS OF £1.300 POUNDS EACH!! FOR TWO FUN LOVING GIRLS FROM BIRMINGHAM THEIR LIVES BECAMEA LIVING NIGHTMARE AND AS THEY WERE MOVED FURTHER INTO VILLAGES WHERE NOTHING HAD CHANGED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, ZANA DETERMINED TO GET BACK TO HER MOTHER AND FREEDOM.
BEFORE THEY WERE BORN THE FATHER HAD ALREADY TAKEN THEIR OLDER BROTHER AND SISTER OUT TO THE YEMEN TO LIVE WITH THEIR GRANDPARENTS, TELLING HIS WIFE HOW MUCH LOVED THEY WOULD BE AND WHAT A HAPPY LIFE THEY WOULD HAVE, ONLY MUCH LATER WOULD THE FACTS EMERGE THAT THEY WERE TREATED VERY BADLY!!!
FOR A LONG TIME THE MOTHER WAS IGNORANT OF HER DAUGHTERS' WELFARE, ANY LETTERS WRITTEN WERE NEVER DESPATCHED TO HER UNTIL ZANA FOUND AN ENGLISH SPEAKING DOCTOR IN THE VILLAGE WHO UNDERTOOK TO SEND A LETTER TO HER MOTHER AND SMUGGLE A REPLY BACK TO ZANA.
FINALLY AFTER LOTS OF HARD WORK FROM HER MOTHER THE INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT FOCUSSED ON THE GIRLS SUFFERING, AND IT SEEMED AT LAST THEY COULD ESCAPE, BUT BY THEN ZANA HAD TWO CHILDREN, AND ONLY ZANA WAS GIVEN PERMISSION PROBABLY BECAUSE
SHE HAD NEVER SUBMITTED TO HER SLAVERY, DESPITE BEING BEATEN AND MADE TO WORK FROM DAWN TO DUSK EVEN WHEN VERY PREGNANT, HER MOTHER IN LAW NEVER TOOK TO HER!!
SHE HAD TO LEAVE HER YOUNG SON BEHIND, BUT LEFT HOPING WITH PRESSURE FROM COLLECTIVE GOVERNMENTS SHE WOULD BE ABLE TO COLLECT HIM AND ALSO FREE HER SISTER WITH HER CHILDREN.
review by MAGGIE