Wonder Woman had better watch out, there’s a new and cool superhero in town!
The Burka Avenger is a brand new action-comedy animated TV series that follows the adventures of the Jiya and three young kids in the imaginary city of Halwapur as they fight a man called Baba Bandook and his loyal henchmen.
The protagonist Jiya, is in fact The Burka Avenger who turns into this heroine when she cloaks herself in the burka.
In the series the Taliban have destroyed hundreds of schools and attacked activists support girls’ education in Pakistan and that’s where the Burka Avenger comes into play. She’s fighting for the rights to an education for women.
“Each one of our episodes is centered around a moral, which sends out strong social messages to kids,” said its creator Aaron Haroon Rashid speaking to The Associated Press. Rashid is regarded as one of Pakistan’s biggest popstars.
“But it is cloaked in pure entertainment, laughter, action and adventure.”
Though the burka is often seen a sign of oppression Rashid says this is not the case.
“It’s not a sign of oppression. She is using the burka to hide her identity like other superheroes,” he said.
“Since she is a woman, we could have dressed her up like Catwoman or Wonder Woman, but that probably wouldn’t have worked in Pakistan.”
The TV series will comprises of 13 episodes of 22 minutes each.
But it’s more than just a TV show, it’s a celebration of culture, the animation will also be featuring guest appearances and original songs from some of the biggest musical acts from across South Asia.
According to its creators, “The main goals of the Burka Avenger TV series are to make people laugh, to entertain and laugh, to entertain and to send out strong social messages to the youth that educate, enlighten and reinforce positive social behaviour.”
It looks like a series that many people will enjoy.
Hat tip: Our pal @Evas_Tweets sent us this one on Twitter – thanks Eva, we think! If you’ve spotted something weird or wonderful you think should feature on Her.ie, get in touch! You’ll find us on Twitter here, on Facebook here or you can drop us a line to hello@her.ie!
