ISLAMABAD: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Embassy of Brazil organised the ‘Rangoona festival’ in connection with the independence days of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

‘Rangoona’ is a Pashto word which means colours and the event was held to celebrate the unity and harmony prevailing in the region even though the two countries have different languages, colours and traditions. The Independence Day of Afghanistan is celebrated on August 19.

The event had a fusion of different art forms such as music concert, instrumental performances, poetry recitation, fashion show and art exhibition.

The event got started with a Pashto music concert where renowned singers, including Zeek Afridi, Shaukat Mehmood and Khalid Malik, presented their famous tracks like, ‘Bibi Shireenay’, ‘Da Kabul Khawra’, ‘Zaar shum la ta Laila’, and ‘Naray Baaran’.

The evening gained a momentum with the lively performances by the ‘Khumarian’ music band. They presented four instrumental tracks and created a beautiful chemistry with the audience who responded them with clapping, whistling, hooting and many who couldn’t control their feet joined the dance floor.

The band members showcased their magic with instruments such as the guitar, rubab and native Pushto instrument called Zeer Baghali.

They started the show with their famous track Bela, that is about a piece of land where two rivers meet. The next track was ‘Zawangeer’ (youthful). It was a high-pitch instrumental performance which took the audience into full control and brought many foreigners to the dance floor. They ended the show on their most famous track, Tamasha.

The Capoeira performance was yet another part of the ceremony performed by a large dance group of Afghan refugees. Capoeira is a fusion of Brazilian music, dance, martial arts and acrobatics.

Group leader Mir Wise Jaanbaaz said the Capoeira performance was an amazing spectacle and a great way to bring excitement to any community event. “This is the language of love, peace and harmony which played a great role in helping the Afghan people during the unfortunate circumstances brought by war,” he said.

Indrika Ratwatte, the UNHCR representative, said the basic objective of organising the event was to celebrate the harmony Pakistan and Afghanistan shared.

“Hospitality that Pakistan showed in welcoming the Afghan refugees in such a large number is great and the continuous passion is still can be seen. This is a message to the rest of world who are closing their doors for war refugees,” he said.

Irshad Mirza from Safron said the government and people of Pakistan were hosting Afghan refugees, which is a trait of Islam called ‘hospitality’. He said millions of refugees returned to their homeland but still 1.6 million were in Pakistan and the government was providing them full access to healthcare, education and other necessities of life.

Jamila Abbasi, educationist, poet and an Afghan refugee, recited her poetry in Persian language. The poem, ‘Pain of Poverty’ was about the suffering of Afghan refugees. She narrated their pain of being away from their homeland and living a life in poverty.

She said the work done by the UNHCR and the government of Pakistan for Afghan refugees was great but at the same time, “Don’t give us money, food and cash but give us education as every nation has to suffer due to a lack of education.”

The fashion show was quite different in its nature as it presented the journey of Afghan refugees, up and downs in their lives and their circumstances.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2017