For the tens of thousands of youngsters who hardly have any outlets to expend their energy in Karachi, it was a welcome sight to see Arts Council Pakistan, Karachi, in collaboration with the Ministry for Youth Affairs, arrange a week long programme ‘I am Karachi – Youth Festival’ on its premises recently. The festive look attracted a large number of youngsters, with nearly 9,000 participants taking part in the seven-day event open to all falling in the age group of 8-35 years.

The registration process which had begun a month earlier gave ample time to the participants to hone their individual talents in the various creative fields. The seven segments consisted of photography, painting, quiz, speeches, essay writing, singing and drama presentation. Workshops were arranged side by side, along with a youth mushaira and a seminar on International Youth Day. The painting workshop was conducted by artist Naheed Raza and Farukh, music workshop by the famous sitar player Nafees Ahmad and guitarist Emmu. The theatre workshop was conducted by actor Kamal Ahmad Rizvi Sajid Hasan, Sheema Kirmani, Shahid Shafaat and Zain Ahmad.

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The ‘I am Karachi — Youth Festival’ effectively brought together young people from different strata of life to enjoy and learn

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For the beleaguered Karachi population braving myriad problems, the exercise of bringing together young people from different strata of life to enjoy and learn, was indeed a commendable step taken by the Arts Council. One hopes they continue this event regularly. The charged atmosphere and the hustle bustle was rejuvenating for those present at the venue, for the onlookers it was interesting to see so many young faces with tired but happy parents in tow.

At the opening ceremony the Minister for Youth Affairs, Faisal Sabzwari and the legendary squash player Jehangir Khan, inaugurated the festival and photography and painting exhibitions displaying the works of candidates. A 100-foot mural painting was also made and exhibited on the same day.

Mr Subzwari emphasised that the Karachi Youth Festival was a positive step towards providing a platform for young people to share their creativity and exercise their mental abilities in expressing their talents which were being wasted due to lack of venues for social activities.

Arts Council Pakistan, Karachi President, Mohammad Ahmad Shah said that the main purpose of the festival was to promote ownership for Karachi and homogeneity through healthy competition. Only through feelings of patriotic attachment with Karachi and Pakistan could the youth reap the benefits. Despite diverse cultures young people had to learn to appreciate this diversity.

The Mein Karachi soundtrack was also launched on the day of the inauguration, and the catchy song was played throughout the week-long festival. A total of 43 participants were awarded cash prizes, while all the contestants were given certificates, caps and shirts. The festival ended with a performance by the popular local band Fuzon.

Due to the success of the festival and the enthusiastic involvement of the youngsters, the Arts Council announced a continuum of the programme through free training workshops and learning sessions for all the interested participants to further improve their skills.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, September 14th, 2014