City of lights: Festival hopes to evoke memories of Karachi’s glory days

Citizens Archive of Pakistan, I Am Karachi celebrate the city's performing and visual arts.

KARACHI: In a celebration of the performing and visual arts and hoping to evoke memories of the city's yesteryears, the Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP) and 'I Am Karachi' are organising the Karachi City of Lights Festival.

The festival aims to provide the metropolis with a space where visitors of all ages can engage with the city's dynamic history and revive Karachi's spirit of vitality and acceptance. The event will showcase interactive exhibits combining photography, music, games and oral history to immerse visitors in Karachi's captivating past and heritage.  Each evening of the festival will also feature performances such as storytelling sessions for children, poetry recitals and improvised theatre, revolving around the city's history, culture and art.

The festival will kick off with a session titled 'Cultural Narratives in Conflict and Post-Conflict', moderated by photographer Amean J. Meanwhile, a session titled 'Popular Culture, Identity and Pride', moderated by actor Adnan Malik, will be held on the closing day.

Photographer Khaula Jamil of 'Humans of Karachi' will display some of her portraits and stories about the people who call the city home, while CAP has also organised 'Tribute to Qissa Khwani Bazaar' storytelling sessions.

The festival will be held from June 5 to June 7 at the Fomma Trust DHA Art Centre at Zamzama Park and will be open to visitors from 4pm to 9pm each day.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 1^st, 2015.