Due to its growing popularity, the children’s section of the Karachi Literature Festival has been turned into a separate festival altogether. PHOTO: AYESHA MIR/EXPRESS
KARACHI:
The Children’s Literature Festival (CLF) that used to be a part of the Karachi Literature Festival has now grown up into a separate entity.
This year’s 11th CLF will be held on February 21 and February 22 at the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi, announced Oxford University Press (OUP) director Ameena Saiyid at a press conference on Saturday.
“We are a bit scared about the number of students attending the festival as a school contacted me and told they will be bringing around 1,000 students to the festival,” admitted CLF director Rumania Hussain. “I hope the turn out will help the children’s festival establish itself on the same pattern as KLF.”
OUP and Idara-e-Taleem-O-Aagahi have joined hands with Open Society Foundation, Karachi Youth Initiative, Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi, and Education and Literacy Department of the Government of Sindh to arrange this year’s festival.
This year, the organisers are holding a Teacher’s Literary Festival on February 20 when teachers will be taught about the latest technologies in the market to make students learn in easier and faster ways. Hussain explained they decided to hold this day given the unsatisfactory performance of teachers in most schools.
Arts Council has renamed each of its halls after the characters and stories that are popular among children - Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Kitab Ghar, Sheikh Chilli, Umro Ayyar, Tot Batoot, Koh-e-Simorgh, Qissa Saray, Tota Kahani, Bagh-e-Shehrzade, Sahi-Guzar Gah and Kahani Ghar. “Some of these names have really struck me and can as well be given to the halls permanently,” quipped Arts Council president Ahmed Shah. “But obviously, we cannot go for the names like Umro Ayyar,” he smiled.
“CLF has gained its popularity over the years as now it is happening in different cities all around the country, including Lahore, Swat and Bahawalpur,” said CLF member Maham Ali. “Due to this, it has now gained its own identity.”
Shah admitted they wanted Arts Council to be the venue for KLF but the building is too small for the crowd it attracts now. “We are, however, very excited that CLF is taking place here.”
More than 20 books will be launched during CLF. There will be storytelling sessions in Urdu, Sindhi, Balochi, Pashto, Gujrati and English - from simple narration to visual simulation. “The ongoing debate in the assemblies on making education uniform can bring down the standards of private schools,” claimed HBL’s Mujtaba Naqvi. “That’s why at CLF, everyone is invited. Any one can come and attend the festival to gain knowledge.”
School curriculum
“We have been hearing since our childhood that our syllabus does not meet the requirements of the world but no one is taking any steps to improve this,” complained Saiyid. “So we have made plans, arranged sessions and have invited the relevant people to CLF this year make a change through this movement.”
To stop the ongoing violence around the country it is important for the children to have knowledge about the entire situation. “The students should develop critical thinking so that they can do their own research and make changes to the country,” said Wajiha Naqvi of Karachi Youth Initiative. “This thinking can only be developed through reading and writing.”
Published in The Express Tribune, February 16th, 2014.
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