PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa culture department in collaboration with local partners in 25 districts of the province has launched a project “Za Yama Pakhtunkhwa” (I am Pukhtunkhwa) to carry out activities for revival of indigenous culture.

“Anything that is local culture or tradition and is faced with extinction due to lack of knowledge and its practice by younger generation is going to be revived under this initiative,” said Arshad Hussain, the director of the project.

Whether it is a sport like Makkha, Meergatay, Chindro and folksongs or a seasonal festival, it would be revived by holding an event to practice it, hold discussions on it in literary gatherings, hujra sittings and even arranging gatherings at the houses of the people, who can best practice it.

Some 64 organisations have been given small grants ranging from Rs50,000 to Rs90,000 to hold activities and reconnect people, especially the young generation, with their roots and culture.

The culture department is supporting these partner organisations so that they could build their capacity to hold such events even on their own once they successfully hold it with financial support of the government.

Project launched by culture department in collaboration with local partners in all districts of KP

The older generation, which had knowledge about cultural norms, traditions and practices, could transfer the knowledge at such gatherings to youth, said Mr Hussain.

He said that since there was no formal institute to teach arts and crafts of the province to the youth, it was planned to hold art classes or training sessions for the youth at Nishtar Hall, which was going through a make-over after more than three decades itself.

The local organisations are going to hold festivals, literary gatherings, sports, folksongs and music gatherings. Since many Pakhtun youth could not write Pashto language, so University of Malakand has been engaged in teaching Pashto grammar and Pashto writing to youth interested in poetry and prose writing in Pashto literature.

A local partner organisation from Swat has been provided with grant to use cellular phone technology to sell local traditional handicrafts online.

These organisations would also be in a way documenting the discussions that are generated on culture at the local level among the young and old.

Women would also be included in the project as in many districts women (sisters) gatherings or “De Khwendo Ghonday” would be reviving Pashto folklore, mela or festival exclusive for women and girls and even some sports played by girls only which are fast vanishing.

“Older women (grannies) would be telling fairytales and folklores which are slowly being forgotten as the art of story-telling is dying too,” said Mr Hussain.

He said that due Pakhtun culture was adversely affected by terrorism and extremism. Za Yama Pukhtunkhwa is going to reconnect the old and young generations kept apart by extremism. This is an effort to connect people with their roots and let them know their identity and culture.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2016