Exploring the Contested Heritage of Pakistan - feeLit. International Literature Festival Heidelberg
In the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, clerics and bureaucrats define which historical or natural sites, folk and religious expressions are worthy of conserving and remembering. This implies an erasure of undesired forms of heritage from public memory and consciousness, especially if they are linked to religions other than mainstream Islam: Hinduist, Buddhist, Christian, Sikh, Ahmadiyya and Sufi sites and practices thus struggle for their survival. They are part of an active and often vibrant counterculture of living heritage that deserves attention.
In March 2023, eight students from Heidelberg along with their teacher set out to explore the critically endangered, forgotten, and revived cultural and natural heritage of Pakistan. Accompanied by local experts, students critically explored the making and unmaking of heritage in Pakistan. This documentation immerses the audience in multiple facets of another Pakistan, a Pakistan that is not widely known to international audiences. We will explore sounds, visuals, and local wisdom that are essential for imagining an alternative vision of heritage for the fifth-largest population of the world.
Student Presentation. 30.06.2023, Spiegelzelt am Universitätsplatz.
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
