(25 Nov 2019) LEAD IN Music, food, and bazaars filled arts and crafts from across Pakistan have been showcased country's biggest festival.
The event celebrates the diverse traditions and crafts of the country.
STORY-LINE:
Traditional sounds are flowing through Islamabad's Folk Festival of Pakistan.
There's a wealth of talent on display, whether it's folk music performers or artisan craftsmen.
They come here from almost every corner of the South Asian country.
Locally the event is popularly known as "Lok Mela."
"I think it's a lovely way to able to see the different cultures and different artisan all over the Pakistan , It's great thing", says visitor Celesta Vonchamir.
The annual event aims to promote and preserve the arts, crafts, culture, folk music and traditional skills of Pakistan.
There are pavilions representing all the country's provinces, including Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B).
They're celebrating the unique cultural aspects of each region.
Folk artists at each pavilion perform traditional songs and dances in full traditional clothing.
"I saw all Pakistan's provinces in one place, Sindh, Baluchistan, Punjab. We enjoyed a lot here, very happy to be here " says student, Aleema Sadia from Haripur.
Another visitor Ameer Zia says: "This type of festival should be organized, I think it brings people close to each other, (it's) good to know about different cultures. Our young generation have no idea about how to make clay pots, how to produce thread, truck arts, I think these festivals help to educate young generation."
Rahmand Wali doesn't allow the polio he suffered to hold him back. He is a wood sculptor and says: "I am happy to be a part of this festival, People like my art very much and appreciate it."
Sara Mai is spinning sheep fleece into wool on a traditional Charkah. She says she fears the skill will soon be lost. "Not a single child is ready in Tharparkar to learn spinning on Charkah, I am only one over there, who is working from the last 25 years, this work is very difficult and lot of hard work is involved, so no one ready to adopt this old fashioned work in new era."
The annual festival is organised by the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa).
The aim is to promote different musicians, artists and artisans and show off their talents.
Organisers say artists are too often neglected and their skills are not appreciated as much as other workers.
"So it's creates harmony, national harmony and integration among all federate unites because we work in collaboration with the provincial culture departments , they erects their culture pavilions , they picking their cultures traditions, arts , rituals and the culture heritage," says Anwaar-ul-Haq, executive director of Lok Vira.
"The idea is to eliminate middleman and artisans who are actually working with their own hands should get the benefit of what they are making."
Find out more about AP Archive:
Twitter:
Facebook:
Google+:
Tumblr:
Instagram:
You can license this story through AP Archive:
0 Comments