Ameena Saiyid, Founder and Director and Shama Askari, Director, Adab Festival, the Deputy Director, British Council Pakistan and Wasif Rizvi, President, Habib University, announced the programme of the fourth Adab Festival to be held on 26 and 27 November 2022 from 1130 am to 9 pm at Frere Hall, Karachi.
Ameena Saiyid thanked Mr Murtaza Wahab, Mr Iqbal Memon, Commissioner, Karachi, British Council, Habib University, Lightstone Publishers, BARD Foundation, Institute of Business Management, Bank of Punjab, General Shipping Agencies Ltd, GETZ Pharma, EDLINKS, Pakistan International Container Terminal, Bilal Sons, Habib Metropolitan Bank, Mr Manzoor of Frere Hall, Starlinks PR and Events, Mr Afzal, Metropolitan Commissioner, DIG SSU Karachi, Deputy Commissioner, District South, Municipal Commissioner, District South, Additional Inspector General Police, Karachi Range, Ms Sara Amjad, Assistant Commissioner (Headquar- ters) Karachi, Mr Junaidullah, DG Parks, Dr Maqsood Ahmed, DIG SSU, and Sister Elizabeth, Principal of St Joseph’s Convent School Karachi for their support of Adab Festival.
Ameena Saiyid said, “The theme of the Adab Festival this year is the climate crisis. Adab Festival is a new Silk Route through which our traditions and culture, literature, the arts and their luscious fruits can travel and enter the hearts of people in every part of Pakistan and the world. Through Adab Festival, which is free and open for all, we want everyone in the community to love, experience and enjoy literature. The Adab Festival belongs to Karachi and our community which is why we are having it in an open public space.”
Maarya Rehman, Deputy Director, British Council, said, “We know that Pakistan is at the very cusp of the climate crisis, and its large youth population must be part of the long-term solution for tackling this global challenge. At the British Council, we have brought underrep- resented voices – especially those most affected by climate change – into the conversation, for example, by ensuring women and marginalised groups can participate in climate research and grant opportunities. Through arts and culture, we can bring young people together to connect and collaborate on creative responses to the climate emergency. The Adab Festival aims to stimulate conversations around the climate emergency and inspire transformational change.”
Wasif Rizvi, President Habib University, said, “Pakistan will soon be unliveable for humans. Extreme weather events – disastrous rains, lethal floods, devastating droughts and heatwaves – have made such unimaginable catastrophe a lived reality for the people of Pakistan. Change in Pakistan will likely have increasingly terrible impacts on food security and water scarcity. Despite this existential threat, Pakistan has done little to impact the mainstream climate change narrative.
Habib University, being an intellectually vibrant institution, considers it our responsibility to initiate critical discourse highlighting the severity of such existential threats. Habib University’s intellectual programme is aimed at making society think beyond existing narratives and fostering alternative possibilities. The theme of the 4th Adab Festival – ‘Climate Change’ – is close to Habib University’s mission of working towards protecting our ecosystem, hence we are delighted to play our part by joining hands with Adab Festival.”
About 100 speakers and performers will participate at Adab Festival including Zehra Nigah, Sherry Rahman, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Murtaza Wahab, Tariq Alexander Qaiser, Iftikhar Arif, Kishwar Naheed, Wusatullah Khan, Yasser Latif Hamdani, Zafar Masud, Dr Samina Zahir (UK), Fatema Hasan, Afzal Syed, Tanvir Anjum, Bina Shah, Noor ul Huda Shah, Taimur Rahman of Lal, Zambeel Dramatic Readings, Natalia Gul, Aitzaz Ahsan, Javved Jabbar, Rumana Husain, Shanaz Wazir Ali and Baela Jamil. ‘The Lost Lullaby of Mother Nature’ art show by Fauzia Minallah curated by Pomme Amina Gohar.
Ground- breaking books will be launched such 1946, The Last War of Independence. The Royal Indian Navy Mutiny, a collection of short stories and unpublished photographs from the Second World War by M H Askari and more.
There will be a separate section for children to draw them to reading through storytelling, music, performances, and art.
Adab Festival will introduce new, innovative, creative approaches to promoting books, reading, authors, raising awareness of climate change by entertaining and engaging the audience through presentations, dramatic readings, debate, comedy, music, song, art and dance.