Balochistan Point Voice of Nation
ISLAMABAD: The National Institute of Folk & Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa), in collaboration with Smithsonian Institution, USA and Interactive Resource Centre (IRC) conducts the first ever “Greatness in Diversity” Festival in Pakistan. The cultural/curatorial capacity enhancement conference was held in Islamabad on Wednesday 5th of April, 2017. The format was that of a full-day symposium aimed at opinion makers and cultural personalities, with a series of training sessions conducted by the culture & heritage management experts from USA and Pakistan.
The agenda of the conference was to develop the curatorial-capacity needs of local cultural organizations in Pakistan, revitalize and strengthen a national hub as a platform open to the civil society organizations, educational institutions, youth and scholars for research, exhibits and archives on national folk heritage and culture, develop an outreach program in different cities for celebrating diversity and inclusion of the youth, discuss best practices and methods for culture and heritage preservation, management and dissemination and network with opinion makers and cultural personalities with a greater focus on cultural policy and strategy
The content and schedule of the festivals had been designed to promote diversity and shared heritage amongst the many cultures of Pakistan. The day-long event was supported with Burendo and Alghoza performances by famous musicians, Akbar Khamiso and Faqir Zulfiqar Ali, trained in the traditional musical traditions of Pakistan, as well as other relevant talks and cultural demonstrations that emphasize the cultural plurality that exists within the region. Some of the key sessions included “Creating Databases and Search Applications for Museum Archives” and “Revival of the Dying Traditions” by speakers including Dr Fouzia Saeed, Tina Sani , Zubair Torwali, Paul Taylor and David Pomerade.
The festival ended with a grandiose celebration of Nowroz where musicians for the host region as well as those from other provinces performed to mark the first day of the Spring. The highlight of the musical celebration was a huge turnout and active engagement of large groups of youth from Baluchistan and Gilgit Baltistan.
Staff Reporter
Published in The Balochistan Point on April 5, 2017
