PUBLICATIONS
TITLE: “FLAMES PREFER TO BE NAKED.” Selected Poetry of Nasreen Anjum Bhatti & Sara Shagufta"
This book is highly valuable for the general readers as well as scholars who often rely on Urdu writers to draw their conclusions regarding the female literary voices emerging out of Pakistan. It’s rather ironical that Urdu may be the lingua franca of Pakistan but only 8% of the population claims it as the mother tongue. On the other hand 44% of the population identifies Punjabi as their first language. Both Bhatti and Shagufta represent dual transgressions in the context of South Asian literature. Their struggle to create space for the marginalized female voice in the society where traditional mushaira (poetry gatherings) were the male domain as well as opting for Punjabi, a denigrated and dispossessed language, is highly inspirational. In case of Shagufta there’s also a third transgression worth noting. In a society where class is virtually a glass ceiling Shagufta dared to break into the so called “respectable” literary circles on the sheer basis of her talent thus provoking the snobbery, discrimination, and being labelled as a promiscuous misfit betraying her humble origins. Shagufta harnessed the social stigma of her unconventional lifestyle into her work. Her scarlet letter becomes the scathing indictment of not only the hypocritical norms, but also, as the anthropologist Kamran Asdar Ali points out, allows for the possibility critiquing the heteronormative values from a queer perspective.
CONTRIBUTOR / TRANSLATOR
Anand Alam
Year of publication
2021
TITLE: “PROMOTING HERITAGE EDUCATION THROUGH ICH IN THE KALASHA VALLEYS OF PAKISTAN,” ICH NGO CONFERENCE 2019. ICH AND RESILIENCE IN CRISIS – IMPLICATIONS IN THE ERA OF BEFORE CORONA AND AFTER CORONA.
The paper addresses the inherent contradictions between mainstream education and its implementation among marginalized communities whilst providing examples of how some of these contradictions may be tackled. In November 2015, THAAP, the only UNESCO accredited NGO under the Convention 2003 from Pakistan, initiated the process of community-based inventorying (CBI) of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) among the Kalasha community residing in Mumuret, Biriu, and Rukmu valleys located in the district Chitral, North-Western Pakistan. Out of a total population of nearly 221 million, the Kalasha are one of the smallest religious minorities of Pakistan, with a population of approximately four thousand people. The prior efforts led to the eventual inscription of Suri Jagek: Meteorological and Astronomical practice of observing the sun, moon, stars, and shadows on UNESCO’s list of ICH in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2018. Over the previous decade, with formal modes of knowledge dissemination evolving, it is reputed that more than 99% of the Kalasha youth attend schools. This results in a proportionally high literacy rate compared with their Muslim counterparts; unfortunately, ‘education’ and ‘literacy’ for the Kalasha have also led to cultural amnesia.
The paper highlights the organization’s success stories, challenges, and further opportunities for exploring ICH and its relationship with formal education structures. Primary themes to be highlighted include:
- The binary opposition between the benefits of becoming ‘educated’ and learning about one’s own culture;
- The structural demands for religious conversation and the role of education in countering such pursuits;
- The lack of advocacy and structural involvement of ICH related subjects in formal education curriculums and exploring ways to advocate with the Government;
- Use local content and its integration informally taught classes in the pre- and post-pandemic era (Challenges and opportunities).
AUTHORS
Meeza Ubaid
Ghiasuddin Pir
Year of publication
2020
TITLE: "FROM TSIAM TO THE HINDUKUSH"
From Tsiam to the Hindu Kush: Kalasha people and their culture is a collection of essays accompanied by high quality visual material that aims to provide a holistic account of the approximately thirty-eight hundred remaining indigenous Kalasha community members residing in the Mumuret, Biriu and Rukmu Valleys located in the North Western Pakistan. Tsiam, according to a Kalasha Folklore is the name given to the community’s mythological homeland and the community currently dwells in three distinct valleys located within the Hindu Kush mountain range. By tracing historical connections, the publication provides the reader with an overview of the contemporary socio-cultural life of the community and highlights the challenges, needs and aspirations of one of the sole surviving indigenous communities in the region.
CONTRIBUTORS
Contributors with diverse academic backgrounds (Anthropologists, Architects, Theatre and Media studies) needed to fulfill the demands of the project.
Ghiasuddin Pir, Meeza Ubaid, Mehreen Mustafa, Qaisar Abbas, and Syed Atef Amjad Ali lived with the Kalasha community for an approximate period of four months to gather the data collected for the purposes of the book, a nomination for a UNESCO Urgent Safeguarding List nomination, and the making of an ICH inventory for Pakistan.
Year of publication
2018
TITLE: “INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF THE KALASH – PROMOTING CULTURAL DIVERSITY; SAFEGUARDING INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF THE KALASHA, BUMBURET VALLEY."
Between December 2015 and March 2016, THAAP, in collaboration with UNESCO was involved in a project funded by the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) aimed to safeguard the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of the Kalasha Community. The Kalasha are an indigenous community residing predominantly in three valleys: Mumuret, Biriu and Rukmu, in the Chitral district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Using the UNESCO Convention 2003, as a framework, during the four-weeks fieldwork, a total of 15 Kalasha ICH elements have been inventoried from the Bumburet Valley and the goal to create Pakistan’s first ever intangible Cultural Heritage inventory was started. This was an outcome of the initial four-month project funded by CFLI.
CONTRIBUTORS
- THAAP Field research team
Sajida Haider Vandal (Team leader)
Tariq Khan (Field team manager)
Imran Munir (Researcher)
Ashfaq Toru (Field coordinator)
Ghiasuddin Pir (Project Manager)
Zamir Hussain Abbasi (Researcher)
Ahsan Masood (Researcher)
Year of publication
2016
Kalasha community researchers
Imran Kabir
Arab Gul
Luke Rehmat
Zarin Khan
Sher Alam
Shah Feroz
Ishfaq Ahmad
TITLE: “NATIONAL GUIDELINES FOR INTEGRATING INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE (ICH) INTO TEACHING AND LEARNING FOR PROMOTING EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT."
Within the framework of UNESCO Convention 2003 for Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage, UNESCO Asia-Pacific office at Bangkok initiated a project for promoting integration of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) to reinforce education in the Asia-Pacific region. The project was piloted in four countries: Pakistan, Palau, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. While UNESCO Bangkok and Islamabad provided overall guidance, it was left largely to each country to develop the specificity in resonance to their own particular context. The Project generally followed a step-wise methodology, each stage focusing on a particular critical aspect of the Project and designed to be inclusive of stakeholders. Pakistan developed its methodology to include all key stakeholders such as teachers, curricula developers, school principals, government line departments including culture and education from all provinces, and cultural organizations. Each of this group contributed to the shaping of the final output which is the National Guidelines. Thus, these National Guidelines are a consensus document with many people contributing to its making, sharing their experiences and ideas generously.
CONTRIBUTORS
- THAAP
- UNESCO Islamabad
Year of publication
2015
EDITOR
Prof. Sajida Haider Vandal
TITLE: “Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage for Educators to Reinforce Education for Sustainable Development in the Asia-Pacific Region Pilot Project Pakistan"
Resource Kit: Modules and Lesson Plans for Lahore and Islamabad
PUBLISHERS:
UNESCO (Regional Office Bangkok) & THAAP
CONTRIBUTORS
Sajida Haider Vandal
Lala Rukh Hayat
Saba Samee
Year of publication
2013
TITLE: “CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS OF SOUTH PUNJAB,” UNESCO-THAAP JOINT PUBLICATION "
The book is sourced from the material and information available through a UNESCO, Islamabad spearheaded project carried out in the three districts of South Punjab in 2009-2010 and the writers’ own knowledge of the region. It gives an insight into some aspects of the cultural assets of South Punjab.
The cultural assets of the communities of South Punjab encompass a vast gamut of their intangible and tangible heritage. This not only gives identity and a sense of pride to the present generation by providing a critical link to a past of which they are the inheritors, but also identifies the need for its safeguarding for the future generations. South Punjab has a distinct and unique culture influenced by the inherited ancient civilizations and historical past which flourished in this region and has permeated their present-day culture and its expressions.
Funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy at Islamabad and the Joint One UN Program, this wealth of information provides a unique opportunity for researchers and scholars to delve further into the identified cultural assets, intrinsic to the local communities, to enable a better understanding of the nuances therewith. It also provides the opportunity of safeguarding these assets through various programs to ensure that the communities and the nation can continue to enjoy and take pride in its cultural identity. Several scholars and researchers contributed to this work. It begins with a chapter, by Sajida Vandal, giving an overview of the cultural heritage of South Punjab; Nasrullah Nasir of the Islamia University, Bahawalpur has written about the Rohi, its musical traditions and the associated folk heritage of stories, songs, traditions, proverbs and anecdotes which continue to be a part of the intangible culture of the nomadic tribes of the desert terrain; Saba Samee’s contribution is on the architectural development of the State Architecture of the Capital city of Bahawalpur while the contribution of Aisha Imdad is on the living textile craft traditions of the region. A chapter on the decorative building crafts, by Sajida Vandal, reflects on the ornamentation of the extant architectural heritage of the Sultanate period and its present relevance.
CONTRIBUTORS
- Sajida Haider Vandal
- Nasrullah Nasir
- Aisha Imdad
- Saba Samee
Year of publication
2011
EDITOR
Sajida Haider Vandal
TITLE: “: THE RAJ, LAHORE AND BHAI RAM SINGH. NCA-RPC Publication "
The genesis of this book lies in the question that both of us faced at the start of our teaching careers. Students of architecture wanted to know ‘the appropriate architecture for Pakistan’ and its sources. The question was sometimes well articulated in written papers, and at others, it cropped up at the time of examinations, juries, as we architects call them. This book is an attempt to define the broad outlines of the answer. People of a variety of ethnic, linguistic and cultural subjectivities live in Pakistan. We feel that such diversity is a sign of richness of culture and is a cause for celebration. All efforts to impose uniformity have, understandably, not been successful. In architecture too, therefore, it is foolhardy to seek a single style to call Pakistani. Architecture of the cold northern areas, having societies with agricultural and pastoral cultural inclinations, is necessarily different from the urban milieu of Karachi. Both are equally Pakistani and it is this unity in variety that we appreciate. Due to colonial history, the education system, cultural values and indeed all governance in Pakistan, continue to have a colonial stamp. By large, it is to the West that our intellectual elite looks for approval or approbation. Architects of this bent are seen emulating European architecture, depicted in magazines and other sources resulting, as one example, in facades of buildings more suitable to cold climates and less for the strong sun of the lower latitudes. This mindless aping of the West, produces, as a knee-jerk reaction, thinkers who reject everything that the West offers, creating two antagonistic views. They would resurrect the tradition of the region and turn it into a static dogma to be followed literally. Unknowingly they, too, represent a colonial hangover. This reactive line of thinking has resulted in the transformation of religious-building symbols into mere signboards used rather incongruously in a superficial manner. Domes and arches, for example, are touted as Islamic, forgetting that a large number of buildings built by non-Muslim rulers have also used them throughout the world. Discounting the two prevalent approaches, the pro- and anti-West, we feel that the issue may best be understood at a regional level rather than at the national or international level. The Punjab and Lahore in particular, have a rich history of clashes and assimilation of cultures going back to the earliest incursions of the Aryans in the area. Having experienced the wonderful variety that human beings can generate, the Punjab has been home to a multiplicity of religions, ethnic groups, ideas and ideologies, fighting among themselves, but nevertheless, ultimately, creatively coexisting.
Year of publication
2006
EDITOR
Prof. Pervaiz Vandal
Prof. Sajida Haider Vandal
BOOKLETS AND MANUALS
TITLE: “Strengthening of Hand Embellished Fabric Value Chain in South Punjab,” prepared under USAID Entrepreneurs Project. "
EXHIBITION BOOKLETS
- Rang-e-Rohi of South Punjab
- Woven Winds (Chikankari of South Punjab)
CONTRIBUTOR / TRANSLATOR
- Sajida Haider Vandal
- Shajia Azam
- Aisha Imdad
Year of publication
2013
Exhibition Booklets UNESCO Published in 2010
- Connecting People through Crafts
- Empowering People through Crafts
CONTRIBUTOR / TRANSLATOR
- Sajida Haider Vandal
- Aisha Asim Imdad
TRAINING MANUALS FOR ARTISANS
Resource Material was developed under the Project for the mainly women Artisans living in several villages of South Punjab Districts Bahawalpur, Multan, Lodran, Vihari, DG Khan and Rahim Yar Khan. The 9 booklets cover the following topics.
- رنگوں اور تصاویر کے حوالے سے ترتیب دیا گیا کتابچہ
- گھر پر کڑھائی کرنے والی خواتین کی رہنمائی کیلئے کتابچہ
- مصنوعات کا تصویری کتابچہ
- ڈیزائن کی تخلیق، رنگوں کی مطابقت اور تکنیک کا تربیتی کتابچہ
CONTRIBUTOR
- Shajia Azam
- Aisha Asim Imdad
- مارکیٹنگ مینوئل دیہی دستکاروں کے کاروبار میں اضافے کے لئے بنیادی اقدامات
Text: Shajia Azam, Aisha Asim Imdad
- تکنیک
CONTRIBUTORS
- Chunri: Shajia Azam, Aisha Asim Imdad, Ustad Nusrat and Ustad Saleem
- Pakka Chapa: Shajia Azam, Muhammad Jameel
- Zardozi: Shajia Azam, Ustad Muhammad Saeed
- ٹانکے
CONTRIBUTOR
- Shajia Azam
TRAINING MANUALS FOR ARTISANS PSDF (Punjab Skills Development Fund)
- ڈیزائن کی تخلیق اور رنگوں کی مطابقت کا تربیتی کتابچہ
CONTRIBUTOR
- Shajia Azam
- Aisha Asim Imdad
- مارکیٹنگ مینوئل دیہی دستکاروں کے کاروبار میں اضافے کے لئے بنیادی اقدامات
CONTRIBUTOR
Saleem Abbas
- Shajia Azam