Cultural policy on cards to revive KP’s performing arts

PESHAWAR: The metropolis of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has seen a time when performing arts were flourishing, but without a proper policy in place, there are no funds for artists to continue doing so.

While reminiscing upon those days, well-known actor Najeebullah Anjum said poetry events, music classes, art exhibitions and theatre plays would be organised in Peshawar.

But it does not happen anymore as artists of the province are sans funds to sustain a living. The KP government decided in 2015 to give a stipend of Rs30,000 to artists who needed help in their endeavours for performing arts, but the plan did not last long. A similar decision was recently announced, which is said to last for a year at least.

For this reason, KP Directorate of Culture has prepared a 20-page draft for a cultural policy. Once approved the policy would help in safeguarding and promoting the diverse cultural heritage of the province and at the same time will acknowledge the rights there are for a culture to continue to thrive, KP Directorate of Culture Deputy Director Shahbaz Khan told Geo.tv.

While talking about the cultural policy, KP Directorate of Culture Director Ajmal Khan confirmed that a draft has been prepared. However, he added, the policy will be finalised after holding talks with stakeholders who have been given a month’s time to give their suggestions.

A meeting regarding the matter was recently held at Nishtar Hall in Peshawar, where writers, singers, actors, officials from the education sector and others came together to discuss the draft. During the session, it was decided that KP was in need of a production house to revive its cinema, a gallery to promote its artists and a censor board.

The meeting also decided over bringing back theatre to life in the province, a culture which has nearly died down.

Hoping for a cultural policy to be soon in place, the culture secretary of the province, Muhammad Tariq, said it will also pave way for a performing arts academy in the city, plans for which were under way.

According to a literature professor, Dr Sarfaraz, in the city, culture is a tunnel through which nations can move from war to peace. Therefore, he added, ways must be sought to promote tolerance and peace.