World Culture Festival to bring artists from 150 countries to Karachi

Karachi will host artists from around 150 countries when the World Culture Festival returns for its third edition, bringing more than 1,000 international performers and over 500 Pakistani artists to the city for 25 days.

The festival, organised jointly by the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi and the Sindh government, will run from October 29 to November 22, Arts Council President Ahmad Shah said in a statement on Thursday, The Express Tribune reported.

Growing every year

Shah said the festival had become “an important reference point for Pakistan’s cultural identity”, and that international participation had grown sharply since its launch:

• First edition: 43 countries
• Second edition: 144 countries
• This year: about 150 countries, from six continents

Participants this year include artists from the United States, Iran, Iraq, Palestine and across Latin America. Two Palestinian theatre groups will take part, Shah said, adding that several members of the groups had been killed.

Culture as diplomacy

Shah said the festival was not just about staging shows. “We decided to use cultural diplomacy to remove misconceptions about Pakistan, Sindh and Karachi,” he said, adding that foreign artists and delegates were invited so they could see the country for themselves and take a positive message home.

The programme will combine theatre, music, dance, film and folk arts. Pakistani artists from Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Kashmir and the Seraiki belt will perform alongside international guests, and there will be fusion performances by Pakistani and foreign artists.

Highlights include:

• special attention to Sindh’s traditional music and instruments, including the algoza and borindo
• a Mehran Night showcasing Sindh’s cultural heritage
• the launch of the Shah Latif Voices Festival

Shah said foreign artists had shown particular interest in Pakistan’s traditional instruments.

Mostly free

About 80 per cent of the festival’s programmes will be free, though advance registration will be required. Tickets will be charged for six to eight major concerts.

An ‘Art Village’ for the city

Sindh Chief Secretary Syed Asif Haider Shah said the government wanted to spread cultural activity beyond the Arts Council and turn the surrounding area into an “Art Village”. Road improvements, lighting, benches, food facilities and pedestrian paths were being developed, with the aim of finishing before winter, he said. The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, the water board and other bodies are involved, and special teams are working on security, traffic and receiving foreign delegations.

‘A message of peace’

Sindh Culture and Tourism Minister Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah said all relevant departments had been mobilised, working with the Civil Aviation Authority, the Airports Security Force and the police. “Pakistan was previously associated with the image of terrorism, but cultural festivals are helping present its positive and cultural identity to the world,” he said.

“The fundamental objective is to bring people closer through culture and convey a message of peace,” the minister said. He added that foreign tourist visits to Pakistan’s tourist destinations had risen by about 50pc over the past three years, with cultural events contributing to the trend.

This article draws on reporting by The Express Tribune.