National News

ISLAMABAD, (APP): Experts and policy makers highlighted the
struggle of women here Saturday at a seminar on “Women Reclaiming Culture” to mark International Women’s Day at National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage, Lok Virsa.
The seminar engaged the speakers and women participants
on the theme of “Developing Discourse on Indigenous Feminism” to
highlight the writings or action on women’s rights associated with
the western ideologies in Pakistan.
International Women’s Day is celebrated globally to mark the struggle
for women’s rights, celebrate the successes and build solidarity for
the struggles that need to be done in the future.
This year’s theme for international women’s day is art and culture.
Lok Virsa being a national premier institute of culture, with history of
four decades, embodies the identity of a keeper of traditional culture
and folklore. In year 2016 Lok Virsa intends to celebrate the International
Women’s Day on the 12th – 13th of March and unleash the power of culture.
It will encourage women to reclaim the progressive spaces provided
within the culture and use this day as a step forward into this process.
For long, traditional culture has been abused to restrain and suppress
women. Crimes against women were legitimized in the name of honor and
tradition. Women were restricted from utilizing their abilities in public
life in the name of their “traditional role” and society stayed silent
at heinous atrocities, protecting, so to speak, “sanctity of feminine”.
What people do not realize is that traditional culture requires pruning
all the time. Strange practices, that violate women’s rights, need to be
rooted out like unwanted wild weeds from the desired plants, the
speakers said.
Interestingly, enough women have been repositories of traditional
culture and folklore throughout South Asia. They have been keepers of
rituals, folk songs, language, clothing, foods, relationships and many
other aspects. They have played an important role in continuation of
cultural identity in a society. However, when it comes to their own
rights and breathing space, the society uses the same culture as a
beating stick.
They said that Women have the same cultural rights to enjoy
creativity, performing arts, esthetics and means of expression as
anyone else in a society. But these areas get stigmatize when it
comes to women, sometimes in the name of morality and sometimes
as a means for their `protection’.
The seminar also provided opportunity for women to share
their struggles in the light of the discussion. They inspired people
of the strength women show and fight against those who violate in
the name of tradition. This took place in an outdoor area where
Ministry of human Rights already set up information-dissemination
booths. Women shared their experience and to acknowledge them. Deputy High Commissioner of Australia Mr Jurek distributed shields to recognize
their bravery.
The resource persons of the seminar included Mehtab Rashdi, Cultural
scholar, politician, former head of Sindhiology Institute, Zobaida Jalal,
Cultural scholar/ Educationist, from Balochistan, Amar Sindhu, journalist
and scholar from Hyderabad, Dr. Riffat Haque, Head of Gender Studies,
Allama Iqbal Open University, Nazish Brohi, Gender Scholar, Fouzia Saeed, Cultural folklorist from Islamabad, Sarwat Mohiuddin, poet, scholar of Sufism.