Artistes, transgender community struggle to survive amid lockdown

With no events or audiences, hundreds of artistes, transgender persons have been deprived of their means of livelihood

PESHAWAR: The outbreak of the Covid-19 disease has disrupted all aspects of life for people across the globe, but life has become particularly miserable for artistes and the transgender community of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

Destitute artistes

Before the mandatory lockdown, which was imposed by the government to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the lively neighbourhoods of Peshawar and Mardan – where stage artists, musicians, and dancers live – used to bustle with people each night after sunset.

But now, the same streets which once echoed loud music and cheerful laughter have become completely deserted. And with no spectators thronging the neighbourhoods, hundreds of artistes and performers have been deprived of their means of livelihood.

“Before the lockdown, artistes were invited to different events where they would demonstrate their talent and earn money,” the chairperson of the Women Artists’ Welfare Association Pakistan (WAWA) Saeeda Khan, told The Express Tribune. “These artistes are daily-wage workers and since they are out of work these days, life has become an uphill struggle for them.”

She added that some of the artistes are even struggling to provide their families with two meals a day, while others are struggling to pay the rents of their apartments.

“I appeal to affluent and resourceful people of K-P to help these poor artistes in this hour of need as their landlords are forcing them to evacuate their houses for not being able to pay the rent. Some are also struggling to pay their utility bills because they are totally out of jobs,” Saeeda Khan said.

She also urged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa directorate of culture to support the artistes and help them get through these extremely difficult times.

The plight of the transgender community

The transgender community of K-P, who mostly make a living through dancing and singing on the streets and occasionally performing at events, have been worst-affected because of the lockdown.

According to the sixth Population and Housing Census released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, out of the total of 10,418 registered transgender persons across the country, about a thousand of them live in urban areas of K-P, particularly Peshawar.

“Before the pandemic, we used to sing and dance on the streets to make a living. At times, we were also invited to perform at private events,” said Aniza Shah, a transgender individual. “Owing to the lockdown and the deployment of police across Peshawar, however, no one is visiting us. We are sitting idle at home without the means to support ourselves,” she said.

“For the first few days, we survived on our savings but with no running income, how are we going to survive? We can’t even pay our rents so we will soon be kicked out of our houses too,” she lamented.

Shah also complained that while welfare organisations could be seen distributing rations, soaps, sanitisers and masks to the poor people of Peshawar and District Mardan, no one has reached out to the transgender community yet.

“Have they forgotten that we are humans too?” she questioned.

 Ready to help

Upon seeing how society abandoned the members of the transgender community during these tough times, Ahmed alias Miss Mardan, a transgender entertainer who has a significant social media following, took to their page and announced that they are ready to help needy community members with rations or cash.

“As people have ignored the transgender community in this hour of need, I am ready to assist my community member. They can call me or contact me for financial support and utilities without hesitation,” they wrote.

Upon learning the plight of the transgender community, the regional head of Jamat-e-Islami’s Al-Khidmat Foundation Imad Uddin has also vowed to help the transgender and artists’ communities in Swabi.

“We are ready to help the poor transgender and artists’ community and will also extend our welfare services to the religious minorities of K-P,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 7^th, 2020.