Month long cultural caravan to traverse CPEC

PNCA DG says convoy likely to leave Urumqi in August and head to Gwadar

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China will embark upon the Cultural Caravan-a month long  odyssey  traversing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to showcase the soft image, rich culture and trade potential of the region.

“The cultural caravan will play a key role in promoting regional and cultural connectivity,” Director General Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) Jamal Shah said on Sunday.



Highlighting importance of the caravan in exploring cultural diversity of the two brotherly countries, he said the game-changer CPEC would not only yield economic and cultural dividends but also help discover and foster cultural heritage, ancient Silk route has been preserving for centuries.

He said Minister of State for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb along with Chinese Minister for Culture Luo Shudong would formally launch the cultural caravan from Urumqi, China, in August this year.

The 60-member troupe comprising Chinese and Pakistani artists, musicians, dancers, photographers, anthropologists, writers and filmmakers travelling in 15 fully-equipped vehicles would culminate their tour in Gwadar, traversing the length of CPEC and documenting art and culture en route in 30 days.

He said the caravan would pass through Athushi, Thumshuk, Shulay, Shefu, Akto and Tashgul in China, and camp at important  cities along the CPEC route starting from Gilgit and moving to Peshawar, Lahore, Multan, Dera Ismail Khan, Quetta, Sukkur, Karachi and Gwadar.

During the one-off cultural odyssey, Shah said, the caravan would have 15 stopovers at different sites on its route where the group members would interact with locals and incorporate their ideas in their productions, to be exhibited at the grand culmination celebrations.

Terming the journey as a unique creative event, he said the filmmakers would record important aspects of cultures and communities, while artists would paint the diverse landscape and culture along the route.



Musicians and dancers would collaborate with local artists and present their performances, whereas photographers would expose aspects of life and culture.

Writers would transform their experiences in creative writings and anthropologists would not only document the route from their angle but also engage rest of the team in informative discourse about the life and culture of the people living along the CPEC route.

Further elaborating, the PNCA DG said a series of grand exhibitions would take place in Islamabad with all provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan showcasing projects on the eve of 70th Independence Day celebrations of Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 12^th, 2017.