Hundreds of people from various walks of life thronged the Alhamra Art Center to attend the 8th Faiz Festival. The three-day festival will conclude on Sunday after many cultural and literary activities.
The festival promises a cultural extravaganza of literary dialogues, music performances, theatre, book launches, documentaries, dances, drum circles, workshops, open mic sessions and a discussion on the future of Pakistani films. The delegates from around the world including India are attending the literary sessions in the lawns of Alhamra.
The festival kicked off on Friday with an exhibition titled ‘Dil Na Umeed Tou Nahi’, featuring artworks by 38 women artists. Salima Hashmi said the title of exhibition was named after Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s ghazal ‘Dil Na Umeed Tou Nahi’ which talks about hope and resilience. The exhibition paid homage to the struggle of living women artists who depict hope and resilience through their works. Indian artists Dr Malia, Arvinder Chamak, Owais Bala and Iqbal Fareed were also present.
Indian poet Arvinder Chamak paid rich tribute to Faiz Ahmad Faiz during his remarks. He said he came from Amritsar, the city where Faiz taught. The opening day also featured a play ‘Bullah’ by Ajoka Theatre. There was also an enthralling qawwali performance by Sabri Brothers who came all the way from England to perform in the festival. As many as 32 sessions are lined up to explore diverse themes in art, literature, language, politics and poetry.
The second day of the festival will include discussions, outdoor performances, theatre, qawwali, food stalls, cultural items and clothing stalls, drum circle, open mic and many other activities. The annual festival is organised by the Faiz Foundation Trust in collaboration with the Lahore Arts Council (LAC). Many Pakistani intellectuals including Mushtaq Soofi, Dr Sughra Sadaf, Iftikhar Arif, Hina Jilani and Zehra Nigah will grace the festival.
