Daily Times

Strangely, the LokVirsa — the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage, an attached department of the federal ministry of information and broadcasting, has turned to a commercial den. Every nook and corner is being rented out at heavy price for cultural events even to small non-commercial and non-profit organisations engaged in the cultural promotion.

The LokVirsa management openly blames federal minister for information and broadcasting Chaudhary Fawad Hussian for instructing them not to give free space in collaboration to any cultural organisation even for free-entry events. This ironic stance has created frustration among the small organisations which could not afford to pay for the premises whereby they pool financial resources to celebrate their cultures.

This unwise ‘verbal policy’ is hampering the cultural engagement of youth in particular. It is also contrary to the actual mandate of the LokVirsa that was built as an open space for the public and with the tax-payers money. It is being run with the tax-payers money and it should remain a free space for the cultural events. It should not turn to a commercial mall of a businessman.

If the government is interested to make money out of the public properties, it should approach to the corporates and commercial organisations, and donor funded projects and donor organisations. Several are the cases where the LokVirsa has given the premises free of cost in collaboration to the donor funded projects which had nothing to do with culture and folk heritage. Scratching the back of the rich could not be without any vested interest of the LokVirsa management.

Though, the LokVirsa believes that promotion of folk heritage would also create more space for expressing diversity within our culture; systematic inclusion of the youth and their engagement in exposure to progressive, creative and pluralistic traditional culture, through making our folklore relevant to them. Yet, a vibrant practical approach is missing to achieve the goals

I simply request the federal minister for information and broadcasting please don’t cut on the pockets of the non-commercial and non-profit. It would result a sharp decline in the cultural engagement of the people.

Interestingly, the money received from the rent of the LokVirsa spaces is deposited in the saving account and spent at the description and free-will of its executive director. No need to take the Accountant General Pakistan Revenues (AGPR) in the loop for approvals or endorsements of the disbursements.

Having a part time executive director for the last ten months, the LokVirsa is being run by the staff at their will. Even a deputy director can influence, challenge or change the decision taken by the executive director. Unfortunately, the LokVirsa now is on the mercy of the baboos that lack cultural vision and sensitivity. The national institute needs to have a strong and culturally sensitive full-time executive director having full authority and rational decision power.

For the information of readers: the famous ‘Faiz Report’ prepared by the legendary poet and cultural identity of Pakistan Faiz Ahmed Faiz on the instructions of then president Field Martial Muhammad Ayub Khan. The implementation of the report was started in 1973 with the emergence of Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) having two main sections. It was chaired by Faiz Ahmed Faiz himself while Dr Khalid Saeed Butt was appointed as the director visual and performing arts. Uxi Mufti headed the section of folk and traditional heritage.

Mufti later on with the support of or in connivance with Muhammad Hafeez Pirzada, then federal minister for education and cultural affairs, got separated the folk and traditional heritage section as the commonly known LokVirsa — the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage in 1974. It was done to the utter displeasure of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, then the chair of the PNCA. Mufti chose to hire the staff having no proper education or qualification so that they should remain grateful and loyal to him. Since then the LokVirsa has been the hub of internal conspiracies hatched by the staff due to their insecurities for obvious reasons.

The federal government provides special grant of millions of rupees for the LokMela organised every year by the LokVirsa. Every penny for the development of pavilion is paid by the provinces including the fees of the artists and for their travels and meals. Even then millions of the federal government are spent on the ‘management’ of a festival. So far so, the marginalised vendors such as the balloon-sellers are also forced to pay daily to the LokVirsa Management for entering into the premises. But, no one is interested to push the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) that is sleeping over the embezzlement and misappropriation cases of worth PKR 90 million.

The LokVirsa is also flouting the Supreme Court of Pakistan orders by engaging some of their blue-eyed retired employees by one way or the other. Their advice rules over rather leads to leg-pulling. One good example is, as learnt, that a close friend of former executive director is hired to collect evidences against the misdeeds done in her tenure. Best of luck.

Ironically, the management is also flouting the actual mandate of LokVirsa that has been preservation, documentation and promotion of cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible. The well-equipped huge media centre is only used for Mandwa, the weekly film screening for a few. The equipment is rusting and no one is to use it for cultural documentation. Though, the LokVirsa believes that promotion of folk heritage would also create more space for expressing diversity within our culture; systematic inclusion of the youth and their engagement in exposure to progressive, creative and pluralistic traditional culture, through making our folklore relevant to them. Yet, a vibrant practical approach is missing to achieve the goals.

The writer is an Islamabad-based policy advocacy, strategic communication and outreach expert. He tweets @EmmayeSyed. E-mail  devcom.pakistan@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, December 20^th2018.