3rd Karachi Literature Festival – Reflecting Pakistan’s historical roots

Friday, 17 February 2012 17:36

KARACHI: After two successful years, the third Karachi Literature Festival was held from 11 February 2012. This was announced at a press conference hosted jointly by the British Council, Oxford University Press, and Asif Farrukhi - organisers of the now internationally renowned Karachi Literature Festival.

The Karachi Literature Festival is a reflection of Pakistan’s historical roots as expressed in a multiplicity of languages and in various forms of writing. At the same time it serves to highlight the contemporary context. Taking advantage of interest in writing from and about Pakistan, the festival also seeks to broaden the picture and counter-balance the negative depiction of society in Pakistan by celebrating diversity and dynamism of this society.

Martin Fryer, Director Programmes British Council Pakistan, Ameena Saiyid OBE, Managing Director, Oxford University Press, and literary critic, translator, and fiction writer Asif Farrukhi jointly hosted the press conference. Ameena Saiyid and Asif Farrukhi are also founders of Karachi Literature Festival.

At his opening remarks at the press conference, Martin Fryer said, “Based on age-old literary and cultural histories as well as the creative opportunities of the moment, the Karachi Literature Festival draws upon this dynamism by bringing together writers and poets, scholars and academics from a diversity of languages, academic disciplines and intellectual traditions to create an opportunity for cultural dialogue and exchange through celebration of writing and books.”

Keeping in view the increasing demand from across Pakistan as well as from outside, the Karachi Literature Festival will be telecast live on the internet to be watched by millions around the world. All the sessions will also be recorded and will be made available on the festival’s channel on Youtube like last year.

“We recognise that such opportunities are not many and hence we feel that this festival has a vital function. We think of it as a window through which the world can see and connect with the realities of Pakistan, and from which Pakistan can encounter what is happening in the world,” said Asif Farrukhi.

The British historian and writer, William Dalrymple, will be the keynote speaker at the Karachi Literature Festival. William Dalrymple has written seven award winning books on the history of South Asia, Middle East and the Muslim World. The festival will also bring for the first time authors like Anatol Lieven, Hanif Kureishi and Shobhaa De.

In addition to this, many Urdu poets and authors like Fatema Hassan, Harris Khalique, Azra Abbas, Zehra Nigah, Iftikhar Arif, Fahmida Riaz, Kishwar Naheed, Imdad Hussaini, Sahar Ansari, Khwaja Razi Haider, Inam Nadeem, Kashif Hussain Ghayar, Shahida Hassan, Ahmad Fouad, Aqeel Abbas Jafri, and Ali Akbar Natiq will also be participating.

“Through dialogue and discussion, readings and renderings, the festival is meant to create an intellectual space in which the diversity and pluralism in Pakistan’s society is expressed by authors from traditions beyond Pakistan’s borders can be freely accessible to people in an open and participatory manner,” said Ameena Saiyid.

This year film screenings and a theatre workshop are being introduced to the diverse line-up of events at KLF. A workshop was conducted by Owen Calvert-Lyons and Peter Higgins representing two renowned theatre groups in the UK: Arcola Theatre and Punchdrunk. This workshop is inspired by Charles Dickens’ non-fiction work called ‘Uncommercial Traveller’.

Also being featured this year are puppet and Muppet shows for children by the Rafi Peer group, a satire session with Saad Haroon, Banana News Network, and Ali Aftab Saeed of Beygairat Brigade, and performances by Nritaal and Salman Ahmed of Junoon.

Located in Karachi, a city known for its vibrant contradictions as well as a constant flow of ideas and forms of expression, the festival embodies the same spirit.