All Revolutions In History Have Obstacles. There

First Of All, All Writing Includes Some Part Of The Self. The Relationship Of The Self And The Other Exists In Writing, Whether Autobiographical Or Novel. There Is A Self And An Other.

What We Require Is Not A Formal Return To Tradition And Religion, But A Rereading, A Reinterpretation, Of Our History That Can Illuminate The Present And Pave The Way To A Better Future. For Example, If We Delve More Deeply Into Ancient Egyptian And African Civilisations We Will Discover The Humanistic Elements That Were Prevalent In Many Areas Of Life. Women Enjoyed A High Status And Rights, Which They Later Lost When Class Patriarchal Society Became The Prevalent Social System.

Danger Has Been A Part Of My Life Ever Since I Picked Up A Pen And Wrote. Nothing Is More Perilous Than Truth In A World That Lies.

Men Impose Deception On Women And Punish Them For Being Deceived, Force Them Down To The Lowest Level And Punish Them For Falling So Low, Bind Them In Marriage And Then Chastise Them With Menial Service For Life, Or Insults, Or Blows.

Interviewer: What Would You Say To A Woman In This Country Who Assumes She Is No Longer Oppressed, Who Believes Women's Liberation Has Been Achieved? El Saadawi: Well I Would Think She Is Blind. Like Many People Who Are Blind To Gender Problems, To Class Problems, To International Problems. She's Blind To What's Happening To Her.