Promotion of arts and culture: Karachi mayor heaps praise on Arts Council’s role

KARACHI: On the 24th day of the 39-day “World Culture Festival 2025” featured a Dance workshop, Film screening, Theatre, Dance and Music Performance.

Meanwhile, Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab visited the Arts Council with his children and rode a snorkel with his children and viewed the mural art “Karachi Balooms” by French artist Chifumi on the Arts Council building. President Arts Council Muhammad Ahmed Shah and French artist Chifumi were also present.

The Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab appreciated the efforts of the Arts Council to promote art and culture in the city. He said that Karachi used to be “boom boom” a lot, but we are doing “Karachi Blooms”. French artist Chifumi has created a mural art on the Arts Council building with great effort and dedication, we did not think that such a festival would happen, artists from foreign countries are loving Karachi, we are seeing Karachi changing, culture was the real story of this city, he said , adding “ May Allah protect the city of Karachi from the evil eye and the evil of the envious, both good and bad things happen, we can eliminate evil with our good deeds.”

Earlier, the 24th day of the festival began with a workshop by renowned dancer Nighat Chaudhry, in which national and international artists as well as governing body members also participated. On this occasion, classical dancer Nighat Chaudhry taught the students of the dance academy the basics of Kathak dance. During the workshop, dancer Nighat Chaudhry said that we work in numbers. “Lehra” is the house in which we have to go first slowly and then quickly. It also uses solos, which require the help of the feet.

Six films were shown in the “film screening” titled South Africa & Pan-African Shorts, which included films from South Africa, Burkina Faso, Uganda, Namibia, Ethiopia and Madagascar.

The film “Miscellaneous” was presented from South Africa, directed by Johannes Christopher Du Bruyn, the director of the film “Foulsare” from Burkina Faso was Ismael Compaore.

Elly E Debuni from Uganda presented the film “Hurdles of Hope”, and Namibia presented the film “Walvis Tale”, directed by Tim Huebschle. The Ethiopian film “When I Came to Your Door” was presented, directed by Antonio Paoletti, and the film “Bary- What Love Owes To Remorses” by the Madagascar director Davy Ramandimbisoa was shown.

The 7 Spices Theatre Group from Syria and Canada jointly presented two theatre plays at the festival, including “Suitcase” and “Adrenaline”. The theatre’s writer was Ahmad Meree, while the director was Majdi Bou-Matar

The theatre play “Suitcase” was based on a dark comedy in which a tragic story was presented in the colour of humour. Razan and Samer are trapped in a transitional place where pressure, uncertainty and intense waiting prevail. In these moments of waiting, they repeat the memories of the past; they are waiting for someone to come

The theatre play “Adrenaline” seemed to tell the story of Jaber, a young Syrian who is spending his first New Year’s Eve in Canada. Last year, Jaber spent the New Year “under the shadow of shelling” in his war-torn homeland, so this time he is ready to celebrate in full. The theatre story was about the feelings of family and homeland.

The 24th day concluded with a “Rhythms of the World” in which Erica Wise from America won the hearts of the audience with her cello and Rizwan Jagani with her viola performance, while musicians from Denmark performed an interesting performance with artists from Hunza on the title “Denmark Pakistan Music Exchange.”

The people sitting in the open-air theatre appreciated the musical performance presented at an international level and applauded it. In the end, PNCA and In C Dance Group presented a musical dance from Pakistan, which forced the audience to dance.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025