On February 17, 2020, as part of the Afghan women leaders’ delegation’s visit to Islamabad, the Afghan delegation also visited the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) and met with the Director General (DG), Dr. Fouzia Saeed.
Welcoming the delegation to Pakistan and stressing on the importance of using culture as a way to connect people, Dr. Fouzia Saeed stated that, “To me, culture is like anti-biotic is to the disease or as medicine is for the wounds. It is something that people cannot react negatively to as it cannot be loaded with any propaganda. I believe cultural activities open up hearts and heal the wounds of a nation.”
Dr. Fouzia Saeed shared that, throughout her professional life, she had observed the enthusiasm of people at cultural events, be it any concert or cultural performance, irrespective of the nationalities of the people in the audience. Hence, if Pakistan and Afghanistan hold cultural and musical concerts, purely for the promotion of culture, it will genuinely bring the hearts of the two peoples closer.
Regarding particularly women’s role in the industry of cultural promotion, Dr. Fouzia Saeed stated that PNCA had also conducted several all women events and programs to create some space for women. During the period when terrorism and attacks against any minority population in Pakistan were on the rise, she told that PNCA arranged many events for the minority communities, including Diwali for Hindus, Nowruz for Afghans and Hazaras and events for the Parsi community as well, most of which were unprecedented in Pakistan. The enthusiasm of the people at these events was beyond her expectation, she added. She recalled organizing an event to celebrate Nowruz in 2015 which was attended by hundreds of the people of the Hazara community and region of Gilgit Baltistan. The event provided an opportunity to showcase their culture. As a result of this, many had tears of joy in their eyes out of excitement as the event posed as a gesture from Pakistan that they had been recognized by the state as a cultural entity.
Dr. Fouzia affirmed that the expression of culture is not just for entertainment but is a form of healing as well. Reviving and rekindling the cultures that are dying out in both Pakistan and Afghanistan is very much necessary. Such events bring about positivity and connectivity among the people of diverse cultures and should be encouraged on both sides, she said.
The Afghan delegation greatly appreciated the works of PNCA for arranging cultural events for the minorities, especially Nowroz, which is widely celebrated in Afghanistan as the beginning of the new year. Both the delegations expressed their sorrow for the lack of cultural exchanges and collaborations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Ms. Momina Yari from the Afghan delegation suggested to have cultural events, be they concerts, TV shows, and other programs jointly, stating that a lot of Afghans who have spent their lives in Pakistan as refugees know Urdu, and hence, there would be no problem in having programs that are in Urdu. Such events will bear positive impacts on the people and the relations of Pakistan and Afghanistan, she said.
Both sides expressed their will to engage with their respective embassies and foreign offices in making it happen. Following their meeting, the Afghan delegation was given a tour of the art galleries at PNCA.
