Lok Virsa plans cultural fests in schools

First event in IMCG I-9 to feature truck art experts sharing skills with students next week

ISLAMABAD: Lok Virsa is launching a year-long series of programmes under Craft is Knowledge, which will include holding one-day Children Lok Mela every month at designated schools of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE).

The first Children Lok Mela will be held at Islamabad Model College for Girls (IMCG), I-9/1 on coming Tuesday.

The purpose of the programme is to promote traditional skills, encourage master artisans and to inculcate awareness among younger generation, especially children about the indigenous folk culture of Pakistan.

The initiative follows success of the first two years joint programme on Craft of the Month organised by the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) in collaboration with FDE Training Wing and Directorate General for Special Education (DGSE), which ensured active participation of over 15,000 children in 16 programmes.

During the current programme, starting this month, Lok Virsa experts will delve on their experience of past two years and focus on crafts children found most attractive. These crfats include pottery making, truck art, embroidery, weaving, stone carving, doll making, mirror work and papier mache.

The first programme under this series, Truck Art: Engagement with Artisans, will take place from September 18 to 22 at the Heritage Museum, Shakarparian.

Master artisans of truck art will be invited to demonstrate their skills on the occasion and provide hands-on training to children (age group: 7-16 years) in a meaningful and interactive manner.

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