Nirbhaya, Assembly Mound, Edinburgh Fringe Festival

This review was first published on the public reviews.

Rape threats have been noticeably present in Western press recently. Many female journalists are speaking out about the extent to which online rape threats have become commonplace, as  twitter exposes the reaction to equality’s gains.
Yet for women on the other side of the globe, inequality and sexual threat is more tangible, particularly on the streets of Delhi, where the story of Nirbhaya takes place. Written and directed by Yael Farber, creator of last year’s Festival Fringe hit Mies Julie, Nirbhaya tells the story of Jyoti Singh Pandey, the 23 year old medical graduate who died following a brutal gang rape on a Delhi bus in December 2012.

Her story is told alongside those of other women who, ignited with rage by Jyoti’s fate, find the courage to speak of the underlying sexual violence that has plagued them throughout their lives. Nirbhaya, as we are told, is the name Jyoti was given before hers could be revealed, it means fearless and the same is true for the performers and makers of this production, which does not fail to expose the brutality and bravery within each story. All of the women make an impact but the true story of Sneha Jawale, told by herself, left badly scarred after her husband burnt her with acid, was overwhelmingly powerful. These stories are harrowing but the audience took to their feet at the end, many of them in tears, to thank them for their bravery, and for these stories, that need telling.