Children’s literature festival concludes at Lok Virsa

With storytelling sessions, theatre workshops, open mic sessions, book launches and many more

ISLAMABAD:

After two days of literature, the Children’s Literature Festival (CLF) concluded at Lok Virsa on Thursday with.

The event had been organised by the Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) and sponsored by the Oxford University Press (OUP), Open Society Foundations (OSF), Oxfam, British Council, Ittehad Steel Mills, Female Education Trust Balochistan, Sightsavers and Millennium Education. It saw a wide array of sessions and activities.

Hina Khan, a student from Mardan, said that she got to learn a lot at the festival, especially about girls’ education. Another student, Khurshid Sherani who came from Chak Shahzad, Islamabad said that the science, drama and theatre workshops allowed him to bring out his hidden talent.

ITA CEO and CLF founder Baela Raza Jamil said that it was very encouraging to see young faces excited to broaden their knowledge.

“Students from over 12 districts from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Punjab participated [in the festival],” she said.

Over 70 sessions were held at the festival with over 125 resource people and 30 partner institutions being a part of varied learning activities. Learning was at the heart of the two-day festival with storytelling sessions, theatre workshops, open mic sessions, Cinema Ghar, Dastan Goi, Uncle Sargam Show, book launches, science activities, STEM workshops, panel discussions and many more activities organized for the children.

Child poets from Teach for Pakistan and The Citizen Foundation schools impressed the audience with an energetic Mushaira while children from Read Teen Book Club also made lively contributions throughout the event.

There was also an interactive session on reuse, reduce and recycle where the Waste Hero team screened documentaries on the environment and climate change.

To promote the love for books, inculcate reading habits and introduce fresh literature, at least seven children’s books were launched at CLF, Islamabad.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 25^th, 2019.