LOK VIRSA brings Diversity Festival and Autaq annual meet up to Lahore.

LAHORE – The National Institute of Folk & Traditional Heritage, Lok Virsa, in collaboration with Smithsonian Institution, USA and Interactive Resource Centre (IRC), Lahore will organize Greatness in Diversity Festival on Wednesday 15th November, 2017 at Dinshaw Hall in Avari Hotel, Lahore.

Key note speakers of the conference are most renowned cultural experts from Pakistan and USA. These include; Dr. Fouzia Saeed- Executive Director Lok Virsa, Mohammad Waseem- Director Interactive Resource Center (IRC), Saman Rai- Additional Secretary Culture Government of Punjab, Robert Pontsioen- Researcher Asian Cultural History Program, Smithsonian Institute USA, Sadaan Peerzada- CEO Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop Lahore, Usman Peerzada- Co-Founder Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop Lahore, Anjum J Dara- Archeologist/Curator Lahore Fort; and Saif Samejo, Founder of Lahooti Melo. It was told by executive director Lok Virsa Dr. Fouzia Saeed at Lahore press club today while briefing the media about the program.

Dr. Fouzia Saeed- Executive Director Lok Virsa said the “Greatness in Diversity” Festival is a cultural/curatorial capacity enhancement symposium, which is specifically designed to provide an open platform to major civil society organizations, educational institutions, youth and scholars for research, exhibits and archives on national folk heritage and culture. It aims to revitalize and strengthen the folk traditions with a series of training sessions conducted by the culture & heritage management experts, practitioners, opinion makers from USA and Pakistan.

Key features of the conference include dialogue on celebrating diversity, Cultural Strategy & Policy, and Comparative study of practices for documentation & preservation of intangible heritage, especially craft and music. The traditional musical instruments of Pakistan will also be showcased at the event. Later in the evening Fazal Jatt and Bushra Sadiq, well known folk singers, will enthrall the audience at Alhamra Art Council.

Other Speakers including Dr Robert Pontsieon, Researcher, Smithsonian Institution, USA and, Lahore while talking about purposes of festival said, that festival has been dedicated to the search for new “epiphanies” of culture and preservation of the folk traditions of Pakistan with a greater focus on capacity building of the stakeholders of culture and heritage and engagement with youth.