‘Za Yama Pakhtunkhwa’ to revive indigenous culture

[Jolie]

Reviving ingenious culture and institutionalising it at district level with local government’s support is such an excellent way of creating a deterrence against religious extremism and reclaiming everything that has been missing from last 40 years. This is just one part of the counter narrative everyone talks about but don’t know what it involves, and how it can be achieved. So interesting to note the contribution of women.

Ironic that it took an ‘evil outsider’ to institutionalise Pashtun culture and heritage in Pakhtoonkha. Yet in some parts of the same country - anyone who is not from your ethnicity or city are proudly called ‘*nasalon ka khatra…nasalon ko khatam karne wale’ *evil invasive outsiders - yes people belonging from the same country are given these labels. Tragic.

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa culture department in collaboration with local partners in 25 districts of the province has launched a project “Za Yama Pakhtunkhwa” (I am Pukhtunkhwa) to carry out activities for revival of indigenous culture.
“Anything that is local culture or tradition and is faced with extinction due to lack of knowledge and its practice by younger generation is going to be revived under this initiative,” said Arshad Hussain, the director of the project.

**Whether it is a sport like Makkha, Meergatay, Chindro and folksongs or a seasonal festival, it would be revived by holding an event to practice it, hold discussions on it in literary gatherings, hujra sittings and even arranging gatherings at the houses of the people, who can best practice it.
Some 64 organisations have been given small grants ranging from Rs50,000 to Rs90,000 to hold activities and reconnect people, especially the young generation, with their roots and culture.
**
The culture department is supporting these partner organisations so that they could build their capacity to hold such events even on their own once they successfully hold it with financial support of the government.
[HR][/HR]Project launched by culture department in collaboration with local partners in all districts of KP

[HR][/HR]The older generation, which had knowledge about cultural norms, traditions and practices, could transfer the knowledge at such gatherings to youth, said Mr Hussain.
He said that since there was no formal institute to teach arts and crafts of the province to the youth, it was planned to hold art classes or training sessions for the youth at Nishtar Hall, which was going through a make-over after more than three decades itself.

The local organisations are going to hold festivals, literary gatherings, sports, folksongs and music gatherings. Since many Pakhtun youth could not write Pashto language, so University of Malakand has been engaged in teaching Pashto grammar and Pashto writing to youth interested in poetry and prose writing in Pashto literature.

A local partner organisation from Swat has been provided with grant to use cellular phone technology to sell local traditional handicrafts online.
**These organisations would also be in a way documenting the discussions that are generated on culture at the local level among the young and old.**Women would also be included in the project as in many districts women (sisters) gatherings or “De Khwendo Ghonday” would be reviving Pashto folklore, mela or festival exclusive for women and girls and even some sports played by girls only which are fast vanishing.

**“Older women (grannies) would be telling fairytales and folklores which are slowly being forgotten as the art of story-telling is dying too,” said Mr Hussain.

**He said that due Pakhtun culture was adversely affected by terrorism and extremism. Za Yama Pukhtunkhwa is going to reconnect the old and young generations kept apart by extremism. This is an effort to connect people with their roots and let them know their identity and culture.

‘Za Yama Pakhtunkhwa’ to revive indigenous culture - Newspaper - DAWN.COM](http://www.dawn.com/news/1239874/za-yama-pakhtunkhwa-to-revive-indigenous-culture)
Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2016

[Jolie]

Re: ‘Za Yama Pakhtunkhwa’ to revive indigenous culture

I really hope this initiative becomes a great success. Through PTI's platform, I have made some new friends from the Pashtum community from various different backgrounds, and I must say that the experience has been so positive and inspiring that it triggered a real desire to learn more about Pakhtoon history, culture, land and traditions.

Beautiful land and ever so hospitable and fascinating people. I hope the community realises and reaches its full potential.

[Anjul]

Re: ‘Za Yama Pakhtunkhwa’ to revive indigenous culture

Great initiave! These things matter alot. I hope MP & CG CMs shall learn from this and do satisfactory to preserve and promote Bhili & Gondi.

[Anwer_Pasha]

Re: ‘Za Yama Pakhtunkhwa’ to revive indigenous culture

Look at reality
Just dramas

[Jolie]

Re: ‘Za Yama Pakhtunkhwa’ to revive indigenous culture

Great initiave! These things matter alot. I hope MP & CG CMs shall learn from this and do satisfactory to preserve and promote Bhili & Gondi.

Yup a great initiative, but also a very sensitive one. However, so far it has been handled with great care. It's a very innocent and thoughtful revival of indigenous culture at grass-root level without mixing it with politics of xenophobia, victimisation, or baggage of history.

It's just a wonderful reconnect between old and new generation and reclaiming of everything that got lost during years of violence and religious extremism.

[Anjul]

Re: ‘Za Yama Pakhtunkhwa’ to revive indigenous culture

Yup a great initiative, but also a very sensitive one. However, so far it has been handled with great care. It's a very innocent and thoughtful revival of indigenous culture at grass-root level without mixing it with politics of xenophobia, victimisation, or baggage of history.

It's just a wonderful reconnect between old and new generation and reclaiming of everything that got lost during years of violence and religious extremism.

Yes, it also helps in building
self-esteem, confidance, motivation, self-respect and brotherhood. During freedom struggle there were efforts to revive culture, art & literature, some told history with a positive perspective and poets glorified culture to tell that we are no inferior to Britishers, no less in mental calibre and we are civilised. This I think boosted morale . These things are necessary so that our next generation know their roots. They should learn western logic and thought at the same time they should know what are their own values, custom, tradition, rituals, folk song, folk dance else we will forget what we have.

[Jolie]

Re: ‘Za Yama Pakhtunkhwa’ to revive indigenous culture

I agree. Plus it also provides some level of economic upliftment as well. Investment in arts and culture leads to creation of new jobs, industries and professions, it strengthens tourism.

In terms of your other point, Pashtuns are generally very proud followers of their cultural values, ethics and customs, but it is the artistic side of Pashtun culture, i.e music, poetry, literature, folklore singing etc that had remained quite suppressed. So it is nice to see a programme that aims to revive all these things by effectively utilizing the local governments which makes it quite remarkable, and this is quite historic step in Pakistan.

I'm just really proud of the fact that a government is sincerely trying to revive a local culture on a such positive knowledge and skills based note, instead of using and abusing emotions, evoking feelings of victimisation and xenophobia to create a false passion for identity.