Karl Marx once said: “Philosophers have only interpreted the world; the point is to change it.” While Marx would have wanted a communist party to carry out the task, writers from the United States have accepted the burden of doing so on their own: a group of fellows from the International Writing Program (IWP) is on a trip to Pakistan, attempting to understand Pakistani society, polity and people.
IWP is a writing residency programme for international writers and artists that is based in Iowa City. Writers, poets and filmmakers from around the globe are invited to the programme to provide them enabling and favourable conditions to produce their creative work.
This is the first time that any group of IWP fellows has visited Pakistan. And the group is comprised of heavyweights: Joshua Ferris, author of ‘Then We Came to the End’ which has published so far in 25 languages; journalist and author of ‘The Tenth Parallel’ Eliza Griswold; University of Iowa’s Program Officer of Iowa Writers Program Kelly Bedeian; and documentary filmmaker Ram Devineni.
The IWP fellows met with a group of print and electronic journalists, columnists and social activists on Tuesday at a local hotel. The event was arranged by the US Consulate in Karachi.
“I asked my father what he knew about Pakistan, and all that he replied was Muslims, extremism and suicide bomb attacks. But after personally visiting Pakistan, I discovered something entirely different. I realized that the Pakistani people want to know more about the United States,” Ferris said.
“During my visit to Pakistan, I visited different places and found that people wanted to talk about and share their experience. They want to know about the US, and I feel that writers, poets and novelists, media persons and filmmakers of Pakistan and United States must work to bring the people of both countries closer,” he said.
Ferris argued that people are sick of wars, claiming that they are “nothing else but a reason behind increasing grief and poverty.” He said that many people in the US feel this way, and they want to see peace. The same is the case with Pakistan and Pakistanis, he said.
Eliza Griswold said that a section of the media in both countries should portray why the gap between citizens of both countries has increased. “To bring the citizens of both countries closer, media persons, writers and others involved in communication must work hard,” she said.
Kelly Bedeian, while responding a suggestion on the creation of a forum of writers, intellectuals, columnists and authors from both countries to exchange ideas and work together to create cultural and social understanding, said that she would talk to people in the US who could make this proposal a reality.
thanks for Visiting
dear amar / raza
i hope that the writers,intellectuals,columnists and authors has been visit our country in this perception i say as a writer we believe in tolerance but specially in past the role of international is that they coverage to bomb blasts or attacks fully highlight then foreigners investors saw its situation then they had not invest in Pakistan.in last i am thankful toall writers,columnists ,intellectuals and authors
thanks
mumtaz ali kunbher
That is great and best way to understand people , such as visit of an eminent writers from Iowa City. Pakistan welcome to all our respectful guest to Karachi. I wish if i could have given them Ajrak which we we give to our guest as a sign of love. Writers should visit us because no matter that what is the cultural or social background of the writers , they got deep observation and can understand people more quick and accurately than any one else like official or politician. Writers rule on hearts of people because they illustrate actual feelings of people. Sindh is land of poets, writers and litrary people sindh has old history in classical literature. Sindhi Adabi Sangat is one of oldest organization of sindhi writers in sindh which has been working for 5 decades . I wel come any opportunity if our guest wish to meet with local writers and poets in indh and can arrenge meeting at any forum.
Regards
Prof . Q Mahar
Isra University Hyderabad Sindh
i am very happy to read that we are Muslim but not tarriest
thank you Pakistani people are very humble and caring if you you enjoy a lot there is lot of thing which attract you
Writers always write truth because people have many perception about other country people they never know the true story , but writer give them wide range of view to see and think if he or she explain each an every thing which they seen by their eyes if you come you have many stories there we welcome to visitors
Comments are closed.