Salford lecturer to unveil stunning puppet animation at Manchester Museum

Dr Sabina Shah, a Lecturer in Film Production and an audio-visual artist, will present her captivating film Sultanate – Sultan Razia at Manchester Museum’s South Asia Gallery on Saturday 22 March.

Sultanate – Sultan Razia is a revivalism of Muslim women’s history that makes use of puppetry to capture a historical 13th century moment. The 15-minute film tells the origins of Sultan Razia, who ruled the court of Delhi from 1236 to 1240 CE. Razia, in spite of her gender, defied all the odds to become Sultan and overcame many conflicts along the way. 

Once Razia ascended the throne, she issued coins in her name, proclaiming herself to be ‘the Pillar of Women, Queen of the times’ and the title ‘Bilqis’ after the Queen of Sheba. She conquered new territories and strengthened Delhi’s land whilst also establishing schools, research centres and public libraries.

The film has been in the works for 15 years and relates to Dr Shah’s research into representation of minoritised ethnic groups on screen and behind the scenes. Their work extends to historical revivalism through storytelling, sound and aesthetics to illustrate a rich and vibrant history pertaining to women of colour.

Dr Shah said: “This story is a revivalism of a historical moment. Born out of my research, I was guided by representations of the Muslim woman, alongside Muslim women speaking for themselves to that of the politicisation of Muslim women’s bodies with the veil. Razia herself was a Muslim woman and much of her teaching is found in Islamic practice and illustrates the practice of Islam through gender sensitive interpretations of the Qur'an.

“This story dispels the stereotype of Muslim women’s participation in society, is a critique on Muslim representation itself and shows how the story of Sultan Razia differs from the depiction of Muslim women that has been founded within the realms of orientalised discourse and western media practices.”

Alongside the installation of the film and armatures, a shadow puppetry workshop, inspired by puppetry methods associated with the South Asian subcontinent used to tell the film’s narrative, will take place on the day.

Dr Shah added: “I’ve used puppets to tell the story because the art of shadow puppetry was a form of popular entertainment during the thirteenth century. Therefore, the film is representative of the aesthetics of that time."

The film is just one part of a five episode collection that Dr Shah hopes to be able to showcase in the future.

As a PhD graduate from the University of Manchester, she approached Manchester Museum about featuring the film in their South Asia Gallery and the institution decided to turn this showcase into a family-focused event.

The event is free to all with no booking necessary to attend. The shadow puppetry workshop activity is family focused and for children aged 7 and up.