Feeling the Blues: Cultural ambassadors bash the Sindh culture festival

While some artists considered this festival a rare opportunity, others were disappointed by treatment at the venue.

MOHENJO DARO:

Fakhar-e-Alam and Nadeem J’s NJ Productions deserve appreciation for putting together the fantastic launch of Sindh Festival at Mohenjo Daro.  After all, it takes a lot of courage and conviction to move a force of 500 people into a heritage site and make everything possible within the miniscule period of four days.

Where the major chunk of people comprised of grips, gaffers, carpenters and other support staff, there were also a significant number of artists who were there to perform.  While some artists considered this festival a rare opportunity, others were disappointed by their treatment at the venue. Take for example, world renowned Sufi musician Saeen Zahoor, who had come to Mohenjo Daro all the way from Karachi by road. It wasn’t the road trip that bothered Zahoor, but rather the treatment he received after reaching the venue.

That’s where he, along with other artists, was asked to step out of the van at the main gate of the heritage site and asked to walk up to the venue, which for a man of his age was a considerable distance to be covered on foot.

“They say they are celebrating the scent of the soil, and yet they don’t know how to treat the artists of the soil” said a very upset Saeen Zahoor to The Express Tribune, as he paced around the venue in anger.

“The problem is not about being tired before the show, or not finding a proper place to sit, but the problem is that any artist, young or old, deserves a certain amount of respect, especially at such a major event celebrating culture,” said Zahoor.

Along with Zahoor were the members of the band Fuzon and Azal, both of whom had to face similar problems at the launch ceremony, but for them the honour was more significant than the hassle.

“We are young musicians and do expect such problems to arise when a show is happening so far from the city, and frankly were prepared for it. But having said that, I must admit that keeping his stature and age in mind, what happened with Saeen was not in good taste,” says Emu from Fuzon.

On the other hand, Shaman Mirali, by far the most widely followed Sindhi singer, loved the arrangements and the concept of the show, but was concerned about the lack of Sindhis at the a festival celebrating all things Sindh.

“Everything is great, but I just have one major concern and that is that I can barely see any Sindhis at the launch of the Sindh Festival. All you see are either people from Karachi, foreigners or dignitaries,” Mirali told The Express Tribune at the festival launch.

“I have an immense following in Larkana, and while I was passing by people were shouting, trying to find out where I would be performing, and I couldn’t invite them. It should have been open for the people of Larkana.”

The mismanagement of artists continued till the closing ceremony. This time around, it was well-known pop musician Ali Haider who had to suffer.

Ali Haider was approached by the legendary Abida Parveen, so they could perform alongside each other at the closing ceremony in Thatta, after she saw his performance on the Sindh festival’s Sufi Night. They both spoke over the phone, and the organizers arranged for a collaboration at the closing ceremony, a performance for which Haider was quite excited.

“It was an honour to be approached by Abida Jee, and she was very interested in collaborating with me and the band, until they suddenly cancelled my performance,” Ali Haider told The Express Tribune.

Two days before the closing ceremony, Haider was told by organisers that he would not be performing at the closing ceremony, which took him completely by surprise. It was lamentable not only because it was a lost opportunity to perform alongside Abida Parveen, but also because Haider had cancelled a concert in Lahore to accommodate the closing ceremony into his schedule.

“The organisers, especially ones of such huge festivals, should keep in mind that live shows are a singer’s bread and better. Had this all not happened so abruptly, I would have at least done my show in Lahore. I am very disappointed,” said Haider.

“It was the most challenging venue to work in, especially with just one way in and out of Mohenjo Daro and of course, the increased security environment due to the presence of MPAs and MNAs. As far as Ali Haider’s problem is concerned, he is a great friend, but frankly he was never scheduled to perform at the closing ceremony. Every performance of the festival was planned way in advance,” said Sindh Festival director Fakhr-E-Alam

These complaints are not only legitimate, but are also disappointing to hear in the light of the political heavyweights that were backing the festival. The Pakistan People’s Party has turned a blind eye to all of them.

“Whatever logistical and administrative issues the artists faced was the responsibility of the event management and the festival coordinator.  The PPP has got nothing to do with it,” Fawad Chaudhry, the media adviser to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Co-Chairman PPP told The Express Tribune.

“It is sad that the artists had to face such administrative and logistical issues, but any educated person would realize the problems of working on such difficult a venue,” Fakhar-e-Alam concluded.

It is sad to see the organisers of the Sindh Festival taking the plight of these musicians so lightly and deflecting blame and responsibility on to others, nor does it bode well for those who are hoping to see the Sindh Festival become an annual occurrence.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23^rd, 2014.

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