CELEBRATING CULTURAL HERITAGE TO BUILD PEACE

“Everyone has a fundamental human right to practice the distinctive way of life of their tradition, and to share in the joys of the cultural life of their community.” This is the meaning of Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  

We are in a time of increased religious, ethnic and intercultural conflict.  Unfortunately, Pakistan’s history has been completely adjusted according to how different dictators wanted it, traditions have been hijacked by religious extremists and radical mindset which came out as a result of the hate speech taught in schools mostly, musicians have been ignored, killed or transformed into clerics and people cannot openly talk about their beliefs for there can be consequences.  Our language itself has also been purposely changed. In the largest province of Pakistan, the name of the country is now written in Arabic language from Pakistan to Albakistan. So basically the integral parts of a society's identity are hardly seen anywhere. 

 Since coming back to Pakistan and taking responsibilities as a Patron in Chief to Pakistan People’s Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has surprised a number of people whether his supporters or from other parties or even those who are apolitical with his anti terrorist statements and his interaction with the people through social media, furthering the vision of constructing the foundations for peace in today’s severely affected Pakistan by terrorism.  One particularly innovative approach to peace is the Sindh Festival 2013, a manifestation of Bilawal Bhutto’s belief in the power and importance of cultural heritage in fostering mutual understanding among peoples and societies. Creative expressions have the power to open people's hearts to one another and make our shared humanity quiet obvious.  When a conflict is over and people begin to rebuild their society, the cultural heritage serves as an important link with the past and a critical element in re-establishing their identify. The Sindh Festival was a reminder to the people of Pakistan that our cultural property monument, monasteries, archives, historic sites are in a vulnerable situation.  They may be damaged or destroyed not only by accident but by direct targeting.

Being an attendant of the Sindh Festival from Islamabad, belonging to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, I admit that I knew very less about Sindh until the festival and I have started following the news of that area more closely being happy for their success and feeling pain of them as my own. It is something to take pride in that the festival got a worldwide interest. If you have friends living in another country, you will never want to support the idea of going to war with them. People-to-people ties can act as a brake at a time when political tensions build up. Cultural exchange of this sort also counteracts cultural and national prejudices, creating the awareness that no one culture is superior or inferior to another.

Looking at a number of Sindhi Ajrak printed kites in the air with joy on each person’s face on Beach Basant, listening to Mohan Bhagat’s extraordinary folk music on Sufi Night, watching a laborer winning Donkey Derby, women who had come from Sukkar, Tarparker etc selling their handmade goods in festival city with nonstop Sindhi folk music playing in the background, the enthusiasm in the youth for cricket mela, the Voice of Pakistan bus surrounded by general public being seen in different areas of Sindh, ajraks worn in a contemporary way in Fashion Festival, the movies being played in Film Festival and of course seeing Mohenjodaro full of life provided us, a boost in our self esteem and identity. It is highly appreciable that with high security risk and security guards not being able to leave the 25 year old Bilawal Bhuto for a second, he still managed to attend almost every event with the joy of the crowd Bakhtawar Bhutto. They both were interacting throughout with the general public presenting a people’s friendly party. 

Understanding and appreciation of one another's cultures help us live together and build a more inclusive society based on common civic values.  Encouraging cultural diversity can, paradoxically, help us to find the common ground for living together in the same nation.  When people are secure in their right to live their lives according to their cultural values, they are better able to enter relations of dialogue and co-operation with their fellow citizens.  All the provinces of Pakistan must have such cultural events attended by people from different areas. It is our responsibility to know and understand more of the cultures that make up Pakistan - the history, values, languages, and symbols of the people who make up this nation.