By Rafiq Vayani
KARACHI: “Adab Festival (Adab Fest), opening at 4:00 pm on 31 January 2020, is a new Silk Route through which our traditions and culture, ideas, literature, and the arts and their luscious fruit can travel and enter the hearts of people in every part of our country and the world. Asif Farrukhi and I are delighted that the seed of the movement of literature festivals that we planted over a decade ago has taken root and is now flowering and blooming across Pakistan.” These thoughts were expressed by Ameena Saiyid OBE, SI, Chevalier des Ordres des Arts et des Lettres, Founder and Director Adab Festival Pakistan, at a press conference at the Arts Council today.”
The Adab Fest will be held on 31 January, 1 and 2 February 2020 at the Arts Council, Karachi. Ameena said that valet parking will be available at the Arts Council throughout the event.
In his comments, In his comments, Festival CoFounder, director, and author Asif Farrukhi highlighted the role literary festivals can play as they provide a much-needed boost to the habit of reading and through these recognition is given to books and writers in our society which is rapidly moving away in directions which can be destructive. He said that relevant social issues are being emphasized in this upcoming Adab Festival and some ground-breaking books are being launched.”
Inauguration keynote speakers are Amar Jaleel, Asif Saeed Khosa, Francis Robinson, and Maleeha Lodhi. Closing keynote speakers are Adania Shibli, Noor ul Huda Shah, and Syed Sardar Ali Shah. Adab Fest director and Kathak dance artist Shayma Saiyid said that qawwali by Farid Ayaz Qawwal, dance performance and comedy would be an integral part of Adab Fest, as the concept of “Adab” is vast and inclusive of such arts. She said around 200 speakers/performers would participate at the AdabFest including Iftikhar Arif, Arfa Sayeda Zehra, Kishwar Naheed, Aamer Hussein, Thomas Wohlfahrt, Sameer Chishty, Frank Meehan, Haseena Moin, Nadeem Shaikh, Vladimira Mesko Briestenska, Uzma Aslam Khan, Josh Meyer, Tasneem Ahmar, Syed Kashif Raza, Zehra Nigah, H M Naqvi, Baela Raza Jamil, Tariq Khosa, Javed Jabbar, Attiya Dawood, Salim Raza, Maniza Naqvi, and Zarrar Khuhro.
