Ladies and Gentleman, firstly I want to personally thank you all so much for being here at our closing ceremony. Today marks the finale of our two-week celebration of Sindhi culture and I do hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have.
The idea behind Sindh Fest began just a few months ago on Eid when my brother Bilawal went to visit the ruins at Monhenjo Daro and saw the terrible state of disrepair in to which it had fallen. Climate change and environmental factors pose the biggest threats to this ancient site but combined with the ongoing neglect and the lack of resources and technical capacity this site is in danger of being lost forever unless emergency preventive action is taken. His call to action to save Mohenjo Daro became Sindh Fest, and a trust was established, the Sindhu Heritage Trust, to raise funds towards achieving this end.
Despite the fact that we have a rich history spanning millennia – one diverse in thought, religion and practice – our culture is under attack, hijacked by forces that aim to make it either more Arab or more Western. We are neither. We are Pakistan. And we are proud.
Through Sindh Fest we have begun our fight back, our battle to reclaim the cultural space which is being lost to those who seek to destroy us.
It is to celebrate our pride and reclaim this space that Sindh fest began, and standing here in front of all of you makes me so proud. In these troubled times, Pakistan has not had much to celebrate. Terrorism has tried to silence our culture. The last 15 days have shown that Sindhi culture, that Pakistan’s heritage cannot and will not be silent.
In the last two weeks, the organizers of Sindh Fest have outdone themselves, and I want to just take this opportunity to acknowledge their superhuman efforts to make this dream a reality. They were given a very short amount of time to pull off a very large number of things; and they have done so beautifully.
Please lets give them a big round of applause!
In the last fortnight, Sindh Fest has shown off Sindh’s best artists at Frere Hall, as part of our hugely successful and beautifully curated Art Fest; you’ve had a chance to buy the most intricate Sindhi textiles and cultural products at our Festival City, where all profits remained with the local artisans that exhibited there; you’ve see Donkey Races; you’ve heard our best performers sing the words of our greatest poets; You have celebrated our Sufi heritage, and flown kites on the beach as part of the amazing Beach Basant. You’ve seen the best side of our country’s exciting fashion industry and helped breathe life into our reviving film industry.
Having pulled off Sindh Fest in spite of all the hurdles and threats the rest of the world has seen the real Pakistan. The grit and determination of our people, the life and majesty of this great nation. We’ve shown them the best side of Pakistan.
Long may THIS Pakistan live.