Graffiti and wall-chalkings in Karachi, as is the case everywhere else in the country, are not merely confined to fun-related activities
In Karachi, ugliness manifests itself in many forms. Wall chalking is one activity that has rendered almost every boundary wall of public and street-facing private properties de-faced beyond recognition. Be it a horizontally staggered wall of a school or the offset type fence surface of an amenity space, the ingenious wall painters scale up and down to leave lasting impressions of their irreverent deeds. The outcome of wall paintings, chalkings and sprayings is a chaotic and aesthetically impoverished urban landscape. A British sociologist had once equated this kind of graffiti as an indicator of social structure in a city. When this exercise is undertaken with some reference to artistic considerations, it reflects the creativity of the people in a certain context. When unrestrained tarnishing of built surfaces is done, it displays the inherent conflict, contradiction and confusion among the various classes in society. Contents, chromes and colours of this otherwise mundane activity are multifaceted with many interest groups involved in the activity.
In this regard, many a stakeholder uses walls. The usually maimed and muffled political parties are one of its key subscribers. For many decades, these walls depicted political messages and slogans. When the press in the not-so-distant past was chained, the electronic media coerced to toe the official line, and rallies and corner meetings were termed next to threatening ‘national interest’, the walls of Karachi and elsewhere provided the much-needed ground for communication. Various parties were able to train sizable number of zealots to brave different kinds of risks to write messages on walls.
The regime that was then in power referred to this act as anti-social or anything short of sedition. The Movement for the Revival of Democracy (MRD) in early ‘80s was greatly supported by wall chalkings and graffiti. Appeals to exonerate Z.A. Bhutto before he was executed; mass messages in support of jailed nationalist leaders such as Rasool Bux Palijo and G.M. Syed; expression of solidarity with chained peasant leaders like Jam Saqi and Shaikh Rashid of the PPP; welcoming messages on the arrival of Benazir Bhutto in early 1986; notions of assistance to the Khudai Khadmatgar Tehrik by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan; fluctuating moods and moments of the Jamaat-i-Islami, the Jamat-i-Ulema-i-Pakistan and other religious parties; the rise of Altaf Hussain and his confidants to new heights of popularity; the fury over the arrest of many a popular leader; and the venom against martial law, were all covered through Karachi walls at different times.
Besides the global/national levels of political activities, these walls expressed messages of local politics to a great extent. Concerns over the arrest of Orangi Town Nazim Shahid Alam alias Guddu Bihari, anguish at the cold-blooded murder of Munawar Suharwardy, threats to those who’re responsible for murdering political activists of student wings, invitation to a million march by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, mark of appreciation for the Karachi City Nazim and threats to the groups that killed Abdullah Murad of the Pakistan Peoples Party and Aslam Mujahid of the Jamat-i-Islami, were few points of focus covered by wall chalking enterprises. In short, the walls of Karachi have acted as the populist mode of communication for masses, albeit with inferior aesthetics.
Apart from political slogans, unbranded product manufacturers, informal traders and dubious service providers, use wall surfaces for outdoor advertising. A cursory look at the walls would reveal the thought that a sizable population in the city (and elsewhere) is either physically or sexually impotent, or needs advice on the issue. Different types of traditional healers, herbal medicine experts and homeopaths put up serial messages on walls, balustrades and other visible external surfaces. Keeping abreast with modern-day developments, they now offer packaged advices and products with some unqualified guarantees.
The wall-ads have now become a fairly effective means of advertising. In some cases, explicit references to countless alternative sources of medicine are rendered across the surfaces that do not escape the attention of passersby and motorists. Laboratories, health centres, acupuncture experts and hakims are forerunners to this health service drive. By attracting a sizable clientele through such messages and campaigning, few of these unscrupulous entrepreneurs have become millionaires. Though not all of their products are fake. Some ‘intelligent’ businessmen import the normal health supplements in capsule forms from abroad. They remove the labels from the packets and paste their own on the bottles. These products are sold at very high prices to those having a similar degree of ailments.
When luck works wonders, success stories travel far and wide thus multiplying the clientele to several folds. The wall-ads related to this business are concentrated in Lea Market, Burnes Road, Kharadar, Mithader, Empress Market and environs, Benaras Chowk, Orangi Town, Karimabad, Sohrab Goth, Quaid-i-Abad (near Landhi), Shershah, Mauripur and Katchiabadi areas. The corresponding outlets of products and services are also located in the same areas.
Countless faith healers, spiritual experts and their ilk make a socially dangerous use of walls. By posting very attractive messages on these walls with unabated repetition, they gain the attention of innocent pedestrians and passengers. Stressed, dejected, frustrated, depressed and deprived common folk are forced to take notice of alluring invitations. Those who take these ads more seriously, and end up visiting the healers, and mostly land in disasters. A faith healer (amil) is usually surrounded by a large group of accomplices disguised as his avid disciples. These followers help develop an awe that creates an overpowering psychological impact on the newcomer. Somehow he gets so impressed that he fills the coffers of the gang leader without questioning him. Semi-literate women are their best clients.
By reading these messages or getting reference from an acquaintance, they do not hesitate to handover their assets such as dowry jewellery or retirement benefits of their husbands. Needless to say that the net result is usually a complete loss of resources with the problem staying unchanged. Since most of the faith healers are connected to staff members of the law enforcement agencies for their own cover up, their cheated clients can find no redress from any quarter.
There are few laws that restrict the use of walls for chalkings. However, the provisions are vague and enforcement almost non-existing. One such set of statutes is the Advertisement and Outdoor Signage Byelaws of 2003 which was notified by the City District Government of Karachi (CDGK). These byelaws regulate all types of outdoor advertising activities. In the same vein, they also control the illegally initiated advertising activity. Few campaigns have been undertaken by Town Municipal Administrations (TMAs). Gulshan-i-Iqbal TMA undertook a massive campaign to confiscate hoardings and banners in 2004. However, these walls could not be dealt with. A senior official of the Law Department of CDGK, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confessed that wall chalking has remained an unattended area for a sizable period of time. At one point, the CDGK mulled over the option of arresting all faith healers, hakims, homeopaths and others for their illegal pursuit. But some sensible soul prevented this futile attempt.
A municipal action is only initiated if any high-pitched sectarian or political slogan is written on the walls. The departments concerned just whitewash the walls to efface the message — thus creating room for others to use it again. According to CDGK sources, private property owners have greater legal advantage. They can file damage claims/suits in respective courts of law under various statutory provisions of trespassing, damage to property and similar causes. But knowing too well the manner in which the legal system functions, no one seems to go for that option.
It is not that graffiti and wall chalking happen in this part of world alone. Some of the most civilized urban centres also have signs of graffiti and scribbles. The usual places where it occurs comprise populist spots including campus premises, railway stations, stadiums and playgrounds, public toilets, fairgrounds and display halls. There are some specially designated places where street artists are allowed to show their talent. Graffiti is often done with a focus on pushing across a political slogan, an artistic message and calls for mass movements around a radical issue. For instance, many locations in New York, London and Sydney recently depicted vocal messages on the walls condemning the American onslaught on Iraq. The difference there is that graffiti is not done as a wall epidemic. It is restrained only to public spots without harming private property owners.
Focused analysis of graffiti/wall chalking reveals many aspects. It is done only to flash the inscribed message for onlookers. The use of black colour is most common, which imparts a pathological texture to the art. Urban environment is completely marred by this activity, as aesthetics in our type of graffiti is non-existent. Due to an overwhelming fear of religious fanatics, the inscriptions are devoid of any figurative art.
The tendency to write on every inch of the surface results in a degraded appearance of surfaces. In other words, wall chalking in Karachi is a cause of increasing visual pollution. In this regard, past trends and the current situation reveal many aspects, which must be taken into account for developing an effective strategy. One, the legal and statutory structure must be re-vamped through a consultative process. This may include the political parties at the initial stage and gradually expanding to other stakeholders. A consensus code of conduct must be developed by all political parties to limit this activity through municipal permission. A political party that does not exercise self-discipline and restraint has no right to encroach upon the properties and domains of law-abiding citizens.
Two, a comprehensive survey must be carried out to identify the congregation locations where graffiti may be allowed to take place. An effective regulatory mechanism is needed at the town and union council level. Commercial messages may be charged according to a schedule of rates to make property benefit from its wall usage pattern. Informal street artists, who develop their skills in a self-taught manner, may be trained to undertake their work efficiently. And three, strict control must be exercised to curb the graffiti that is ill purposed. No ad of a dubious faith healer or quack must be allowed to appear on city walls. If the walls of the city are properly kept, the scale of urban aesthetics can rise exponentially with very little input.
A question of political survival
According to an ex-leader of the Jamat-i-Islami, political wall chalking is done to achieve party objectives, especially during an ongoing campaign. Top leadership decides about the slogans for communication during a call for strike or agitation. It is considered an effective tool for mass communication. Political workers are given proper training in this skill. By continuing the practice, many workers become very skillful. They act as trainers and supervisors for junior recruits.
In a situation where larger areas have to be covered in a short time, the services of professional wall painters are also acquired. Local office bearers of the party usually determine tone and content of the messages after consultation with top leaders. Spray paints, stencils, oil paints, pointed brushes and pasting of posters are few common modes of painting walls. When section 144 is enforced, quick service modes are used. Few slogans are employed repetitively during agitation or call for rallies while for other purposes a combination of slogans is applied. In Karachi, each unit of the party is given its target of wall chalking during a forthcoming campaign. Along with wall chalking, pamphlets and banners are also employed. Most political workers do this job for free. Professional painters charge around Rs200 for a wall of 60ft running length. No effective law enforcement exists in this respect which allows the chalking to take place without any restraint. However, wall chalking becomes a dangerous pursuit when happens in defiance of a standing order. In such circumstances, political activists are arrested and thrashed by the police. The fear of attacks from rival factions or opponents also looms large. For instance, at the time when the rival groups of MQM were at loggerheads, each used to go for wall chalking in the areas under the influence of the other. The police would round up the activists of both groups and put them behind bars for some time. After settling the matter with the police, the workers would be released. In some cases, FIRs would be registered after which the matter used to become serious.
The impact of wall inscriptions is tremendous. At times, the opinions of voters tilt in favour of the party using this technique. The MMA benefited tremendously in Karachi during the 2002 elections. Their wall messages had a lasting effect on many voters who were neutral or undecided. The MMA had ‘book’ as their election symbol. Many constructive slogans helped the MMA gain margins against competing parties. Sectarian slogans are often considered objectionable. They can lead to disruption in civil life. Few sectarian groups use wall chalking as a means to instigating trouble in the territory of their rivals.
A comparative advantage of wall chalking over other forms of publicity is that it stays intact for a longer duration of time. Banners, pamphlets and posters wither away after a few days. Chalking stays till such time when property owners paint their wall or a rival party replaces the slogans. The messages remain fresh in the memory of onlookers, adding to the popularity of the party concerned.—NA
In Karachi, ugliness manifests itself in many forms. Wall chalking is one activity that has rendered almost every boundary wall of public and street-facing private properties de-faced beyond recognition. Be it a horizontally staggered wall of a school or the offset type fence surface of an amenity space, the ingenious wall painters scale up and down to leave lasting impressions of their irreverent deeds. The outcome of wall paintings, chalkings and sprayings is a chaotic and aesthetically impoverished urban landscape. A British sociologist had once equated this kind of graffiti as an indicator of social structure in a city. When this exercise is undertaken with some reference to artistic considerations, it reflects the creativity of the people in a certain context. When unrestrained tarnishing of built surfaces is done, it displays the inherent conflict, contradiction and confusion among the various classes in society. Contents, chromes and colours of this otherwise mundane activity are multifaceted with many interest groups involved in the activity.
The regime that was then in power referred to this act as anti-social or anything short of sedition. The Movement for the Revival of Democracy (MRD) in early ‘80s was greatly supported by wall chalkings and graffiti. Appeals to exonerate Z.A. Bhutto before he was executed; mass messages in support of jailed nationalist leaders such as Rasool Bux Palijo and G.M. Syed; expression of solidarity with chained peasant leaders like Jam Saqi and Shaikh Rashid of the PPP; welcoming messages on the arrival of Benazir Bhutto in early 1986; notions of assistance to the Khudai Khadmatgar Tehrik by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan; fluctuating moods and moments of the Jamaat-i-Islami, the Jamat-i-Ulema-i-Pakistan and other religious parties; the rise of Altaf Hussain and his confidants to new heights of popularity; the fury over the arrest of many a popular leader; and the venom against martial law, were all covered through Karachi walls at different times.
When luck works wonders, success stories travel far and wide thus multiplying the clientele to several folds. The wall-ads related to this business are concentrated in Lea Market, Burnes Road, Kharadar, Mithader, Empress Market and environs, Benaras Chowk, Orangi Town, Karimabad, Sohrab Goth, Quaid-i-Abad (near Landhi), Shershah, Mauripur and Katchiabadi areas. The corresponding outlets of products and services are also located in the same areas.
A municipal action is only initiated if any high-pitched sectarian or political slogan is written on the walls. The departments concerned just whitewash the walls to efface the message — thus creating room for others to use it again. According to CDGK sources, private property owners have greater legal advantage. They can file damage claims/suits in respective courts of law under various statutory provisions of trespassing, damage to property and similar causes. But knowing too well the manner in which the legal system functions, no one seems to go for that option.
A question of political survival
