In the presence of a large number of writers, poets, intellectuals, and readers, the three-day Sindh Literature Festival was jointly inaugurated by Minister of Sindh for Culture Syed Sardar Ali Shah, President ACP Mohammad Ahmed Shah, and writer & columnist Noor-ul-Huda Shah.
This is the fourth edition of the annual Sindh Literature Festival organized by the Sindh Literary Foundation with the mutual cooperation of the Arts Council Karachi sponsored by the Endowment Fund Trust and Culture department government of Sindh.
Addressing the gathering, the culture minister highlighted his ministry efforts to promote the rich and multi-faceted culture of Sindh. Sardar Shah added that today, young people are increasingly participating in the culture of Sindh. The people of Sindh are tired of listening to traditional sayings. They want to hear something unique. “Arts Council Karachi is playing an important role in promoting culture; Muhammad Ahmad Shah still has the spirit of Indus Valley inside him,” said Sardar Shah.
“From Thar to Karachi, from Karachi to Sukkur, Badin, and Hyderabad, various festivals have been held which is a good tradition. Congratulations to the team of Sindh Literature Festival who organized the festival permanently. We have accepted Urdu as the language of communication but even today Sindhi, Pashto, Punjabi, Balochi, Seraiki language does not have the recognition” said Culture Minister Sardar Shah.
President Arts Council Ahmad Shah said “The sun of Sindh Literature Festival is shining brightly in Arts Council today and I am very proud to co-host this festival” Speaking about the cultural institutions of Pakistan Ahmed Shah said that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto created all the cultural institutions in Pakistan, and Faiz Ahmed Faiz was the administrator. Arts Council belongs to every language and culture. It is always open to everyone.
The festival kicked – off with a session “Review of Sindhi Society”, folk instrumental performances, and a grand musical performance by ACMA (Arts Council Music Academy) the band on the first day.
Writer Noor-ul-Huda Shah said there was no financial support at the time when such a big festival was planned and today it is going to be the fourth Sindh Literature. This is undoubtedly a great achievement. “Arts Council is the home to all cultures and languages. People from all over the Sindh acknowledged the accomplishments of Ahmed Shah” she added.
Pakistani politician Mehtab Akbar Rashidi said that it is a matter of pride that after going through a difficult period, this festival is being presented to the people again today.
The organizer of the SLF Naseer Gopang told that last year on the same day the festival was canceled due to the Corona Pandemic and it took one year to present this festival to the people again and it feels amazing. “SLF is an attempt to highlight the civilization and culture of Sindh” he added
According to the schedule different sessions including book launches, discussions on various topics such as review of Sindhi society, education in Sindh, literature, democracy, media, folk music, performances, and theatre play have been planned over the course of three days. The festival will conclude with the musical performance of Saif Samejo, Shahla Gul, and the NAFS band on 14th March 2021.
