Lok Virsa to color November with cultural vibrancy

ISLAMABAD, Nov 2 (APP): National Institute of Folk and Traditional
Heritage, Lok Virsa is all set to color the month of November with vibrancy
of cultural activities that will attract art, craft and heritage lovers for
whole month.
The events will start with International classic film `The Sun’ under
Mandwa – Lok Virsa’s film club on November 7 to revive the classical cinema
and entertain the movie lovers.
On November 9, the craft of month programme of Lok Virsa will engage
the young craft persons with master artisans in the workshop of Doll
Making.
The programme focuses on the slogan of “Harnessing Culture with
Education” with the objective to highlight a particular craft every
month for a week with the major emphasis to promote traditional crafts
and provide an opportunity to the youth community, who has little or
no exposure to the living cultural heritage of Pakistan, to interact
with craftspeople and learn essential craft related techniques.
These craft-persons will not only display their crafts and make
them in front of the people but will also teach and have materials
for them to experiment with the medium. This will give a hands on
opportunity to become familiar with the folk crafts, said the organizers.
The program creates a link between culture and education; encourage
students/youth to value dignity of labor; foster ownership for their
culture, inculcate respect for different professions and character
building; help understand the contributions of artisans in the
sustainable development of their community and country at large;
engage students/youth in creative works by providing them on-ground
opportunities to learn the crafts from artisans; recognize the hard
work of artisans associated with various crafts in order to ensure
continuity of the crafts from generation to generations and document,
promote and preserve the crafts of Pakistan.
On November 15, the Institute will hold a Fund Raiser Musical
Evening by DIL and there will be Theater performances on November 20.
The College of Youth Activism and Development (CYAAD) and Small
Grant Ambassador Fund Program (SGAFP) in collaboration with Lok Virsa
will hold the Final Contest of Saroz, Musical Instrument of Balochistan
on November 27. This will include performances of traditional
Balochi-Pashtun string instrument “Saroz”.
The joint venture “Balochistan Cultural Preservation and
Revitalization Project” is conceived by CYAAD and supported by SGAFP
to preserve Saroz through training of young people in two districts
of Balochistan.
The programme aims to revitalize folk music and people’s confidence
on its significance as metaphor of peace, tolerance and social harmony.
This event would pay a tribute to the bolstering but unheard folk
musicians of Balochistan who have lit this candle for centuries
despite countless odds and miseries.
Besides film screening on almost all the weekends of November,
a Winter Craft Bazaar organized by Sahil will attract the art and
craft lovers on November 29.