Zubair Qureshi
British Council Pakistan’s Chief Executive Officer, Scott McDonald hosted a launch event for the Pakistan-UK: New Perspectives programme in Islamabad Thursday, to mark the 75th anniversary of Pakistan. Artists, cultural, education and business leaders were among those who attended.
This Pakistan-UK: New Perspectives programme recognizes the deep cultural ties between Pakistan and the UK and focuses on bridging relationships between the emerging generation of artists and young leaders of both countries and exploring contemporary cultural identities and artistic expressions with established artists and changemakers.
Running from March to August 2022, the programme has diverse activities and initiatives planned in Pakistan as well as the UK, in close collaboration with artists and institutions from both countries.
These activities include initiatives like the ‘Infinity: what is seen, what is not’ by Osman Yousefzada, which is creating a symbolic bridge between both countries; and the New Perspectives Open Call earlier this year which awarded grants to artists and organisations working together on creative projects. Also announced under the programme is the Scholarship for English Language Teacher in Pakistan, which offers the six scholarships for English language teachers from government schools to attend face-to-face and distance learning programmes from select universities in the UK. All these initiatives aim to showcase both countries’ cultural wealth and contemporary identity and creativity, facilitate professional collaboration and engagement for arts and education sectors, and inspire conversations that build a shared future for younger generations.
At the launch, Scott McDonald, CEO of the British Council said, “I am very pleased to be here to launch Pakistan-UK New Perspectives and look forward to the exciting programme line-up over the next few months.”
The British Council has always aimed to reinforce strong people-to-people connections, and I am delighted to be here in Pakistan to see the incredible work we’re doing with people and institutions in Pakistan in education, arts and culture, English and more, he said.
Speaking at the event, Mariya Afzal, Director Pakistan/UK: New Perspectives said, “Through collaborations, the PK-UK Season will be delivering 14 large scale programmes which include over 20 sub-projects and several activities engaging 27 PK partners and 28 UK partners, spread across all 4 Pakistan provinces and 4 nations of the UK, reaching millions across both countries.
