Renowned drama artist Usmaan Peerzada, and brothers Faizaan and Salman, of the Rafi Peer Theatre Group, left a profound impression on the audience, as they made their eloquent and extempore discourses on 'Institutions and Individuals: A Journey Through Artistic Explorations' at Aga Khan University (AKU) on July 14, 2005.
Rafi Peer Theatre Group was invited to AKU as part of the University's Special Lecture Series (SLS) programme. The Special Lecture Series is part of AKU's multidisciplinary and broad-based approach to education which aims to enrich students' understanding of the humanities and social sciences. The general public also benefits from this one-to-one interaction with scholars and other personalities of national and international repute.
Rafi Peer Theatre Group is a Lahore-based group that organises popular international festivals. The Group works with major international companies in the field of theatre, puppetry, dance and music to provide a rich cross-cultural experience to audiences, and to create harmony between different cultures of the world.
Through emotive speeches, which were supported by thought-provoking multimedia presentations, Peerzada brothers shared with distinguished guests, alumni, faculty, staff, and students present on the occasion, their 'journey of discovery' depicting 'the past and the present'.
"The whole purpose of the Rafi Peer Theatre Group is to stir a positive cultural movement, which reflects freedom of speech and education, and to create a theatre or cinema which is indigenous and promotes freedom of expression," said Usmaan. Salman stated that the Group "makes audiences aware of other diverse cultures, as we bring to them best talents and cultures, through our shows."
"The youth benefits from such union of variegated cultures, new ideas are born, enmities die down and harmony prevails," Faizaan said. "And this is the ideology behind the Group," added Usmaan. The Peerzadas believe that "if a country does not have a vibrant cultural profile, spearheaded by indigenous cinema and theatre, that country remains a nation with no identity."
"And a nation's culture, as you know, flourishes best through multifarious contacts with other cultures," noted AKU President Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, who also spoke on this occasion. President Shamsh Kassim-Lakha described the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop as "the only one in the country that has been presenting productions jointly with major international cultural groups." Their whole world, he continued, seems to consist of the theatre and the performing arts, and they are surrounded by their unique ambience. President Kassim-Lakha noted that cultural troupes from as many as 30 countries had delighted Lahore audiences with their presentations, due entirely to the efforts of the Rafi Peer group. "This great thespian family has helped put Pakistan on the international cultural map," remarked Mr. Kassim-Lakha.
This, he added, is an opportune time to be participating in an event that possesses such rich overtones of art and culture. "Pakistan has a lot to offer to the world and its own citizens in this field, which unfortunately is often pushed into the background by intellectual clogging caused by narrow perspectives and competing needs."
Previous guests in AKU's Special Lecture Series have been luminaries such as His Royal Highness Prince Hasan of Jordan; the historian Stanley Wolpert; Zia Mohyeddine; Sahabzada Yaqub-Khan, former foreign minister of Pakistan and the former Chairman of the AKU Board of Trustees; internationally recognised artist Gulgee; and Pakistan's High Commissioner to the UK, Dr Maliha Lodhi.
The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr Nadir Ali Syed, Associate Dean Postgraduate Medical Education Programme and Convener, Special Lectures Series, at AKU.
