Promoting raw talent and preserving cultural heritage

The third day of the annual Rafi Peer Youth Festival continued to draw crowds, as young people took over the Alhamra Arts Complex at Gaddafi Stadium, on Thursday.
The festival, which began on Monday, became increasingly energetic and eventful with the passage of each day, and continues going strong as various groups, colleges and schools took to the stage to perform different forms of art, especially theatre
Media Director Tasneem Peerzada said the youth was very confident, energetic and strived to create a niche with their talents today. “This festival aims at supporting the youth in their chosen artistic enterprises in the performing arts, enabling them to foster their traditional arts and preserve a rich cultural heritage,” she said. She said the main objective was to spread awareness of the performing arts, and while many students did a brilliant job, the concept was to promote amateur theatre, so that raw talent could be promoted.
Till its third and second last day, the festival has incorporated several forms of live performing arts, including drama, mime, dance, music, theatre, and film-making.
RP Theatre organisers stated that festivals such as these would give young foreign artists an opportunity to visit Pakistan for development work in performing arts.
This year, RP incorporated various remote regions of the nation so that their arts could also be viewed by the mainstream audience. In total, more than 17 theatre groups, 21 musical groups, 15 dance acts and 25 documentaries would be showcased at the festival, including acts from Norway and India. The national regions introduced by the RP Theatre included Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Hunza, Abbotabad, Peshawer, Faisalabad and Gujrat.
The event started with the screening of films by students of NCA, BNU and King Edward College, followed by a play by the University of Central Punjab and a skit by NCA. The event ended with a musical gala night featuring various performers, including X2 band, Umar, Imran, Amna, Manal, and Raees Ahmed, among others.
The festival will continue at the Alhamra Arts Complex till October 15, 2011.