Artists come together for harmony

KARACHI:

More than 100 young artists from all over the country gathered to show harmony through their experiences relating to peace and harmony.

A one-day national peace meeting titled the 'Role of Art and Culture for Peace Building' was organised by the Sindh Community Foundation (SCF) in coordination with the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) at the Regent Plaza hotel on Friday. The participants demanded the government encourage art as a tool for harmony.





Writer and activist Javed Kazi said that art plays a vital role in shaping society and art resists all forms of social evils. "Art can save the country from further conflict," he claimed.

SCF chief Javed Soz said that young people make up 63 per cent of the country's population. "The youth are less vigilant on these issues and have very few opportunities [to view] art and culture [at] public and private institutions."

Punhal Sario of the Sindh Hari Porhyat Council said that mysticism contains solutions to address the current problems of Pakistan, because it encompasses concepts and values of equity, harmony and social cohesiveness. Dr Tasness Kosar, senior vice-president of the Pakistan Peoples Party's minority wing, said that political commitment was needed to protect minorities. "Such platforms need to be promoted."



A group of young artists from Hyderabad held a theatre performance on issues of forced conversion, extremism, violent behaviour and minority rights violation.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th,  2015.