Celebrations and festivity do play a role in introducing optimism and toning down rebellious attitudes.
ISLAMABAD: Lately, I have been coming across people arguing that the Sindh Festival, with all its publicity and glamour, will not make any difference in the ongoing situation in the country where extremism is at an all-time high. Some have even questioned the need for inviting celebrities from across the border as the practice has never been useful in boosting peace in the region. The concerns regarding the PPP and the chaos witnessed during its rule aside, one just cannot refuse to acknowledge that this is a positive initiative, whether it generates immediate outcomes or not. Isn’t doing something better than doing nothing, after all? Then why criticise?
Worldwide, such festivals have been proven to be means to encourage peace and fraternity as opposed to unrest and gloom. For instance, on May 4 this year, the How Weird Street Fair in San Francisco is going to attract people from all parts of the globe in countless numbers. The idea is to inspire peace through music, art and festivity. The festival brings together people from diverse cultures and backgrounds to foster connections, find similarities, accept differences and celebrate diversity. And it is said to be yielding desirable results for peace for the past 13 years.
Celebrations and festivity do play a role in introducing optimism and toning down rebellious attitudes. Given the current situation of the country, one is bound to think that this nation is hungry for peace, yet it fails to appreciate something being done about it.
Raweeha Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, February 15th, 2014.
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