Feature / The Nation
“These authors, publishers, cafes and bookstores are the many interwoven strands of Lahore’s literary culture. Together, they developed an understanding in Pakistan that there is in fact a lot happening when it comes to the exchange of literary thought and creativity.”
graphic by author
Lahore: Angrezi main maahir [experts in English]
Lahore was designated as the ‘City of Literature’ by UNESCO in 2019. This brings it to an international Creative Cities Network, next to cities like Dublin, Barcelona, Melbourne and Seattle. It is an exciting moment for Pakistan in its entirety, not just Lahore. Let’s dissect the context a bit further - which has not only made the international community, but Pakistan itself, realise - how Lahore truly is a City of Literature.
Opinions / The Nation
“My mother’s childhood was overwhelmed by desi Pakistani pop-culture, especially music, she and her brother used to dance what she calls ‘the twist’ in their uncle’s cafe almost every day, drinking Coca Cola with coloured straws in glass bottles.”
graphic by author
Pakistani popular music: towards an apolitical and original culture
Is Pakistan moving towards a more original music culture? While previous generations may have had a more intimate relationship with music in the country, millennials were swamped with other distractions. It might be time again to indulge in apolitical tunes and rhythms that aren’t trying to be Western or Indian, but creatively a fusion.
Forbidden Fruits
It’s clear that beliefs regarding morality and censorship held during the Indian Partition 1947 left an irremovable stain on Pakistani culture. Some groups make sure this stain stays dirty. If uncalled scrutinisation continues to dominate the film industry, the parameters of film will remain reduced to shallow Entertainment. It will fail to establish itself as something serious; tackling honest, difficult and beautifully human subjects that make us uncomfortable - like a man with a beard who likes to dance.
commissioned graphic by @bronsova
We too have wept
Time and time again, I have had to walk on my tip toes when asked: “What’s happening with India and Pakistan these days?” Especially living abroad for the past few years, I avoid the topic even more than I probably would have if I were tirelessly living through my 20’s in Lahore as I am tirelessly not in Lahore. In fact, I avoid any negatively connoted political subjects to do with Pakistan that more often than not are: Do-you-like-Indians?, and Your-country-is-a-terrorist. I feel very close to embarrassed in these discussions, consciously aligning myself with an awkward etiquette that holds me by the throat before I utter something that may come off as defending my country.