The Story Share Initiative

By The Citizens Archive of Pakistan

The Citizens Archive of PakistanThe Citizens Archive of Pakistan

The Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to cultural and historic preservation, operating in Sindh and Punjab. We seek to educate the community, foster an awareness of our nation’s history, and instill pride in Pakistani citizens about their heritage.

Story Share InitiativeThe Citizens Archive of Pakistan

The Story Share Initiative (SSI) is a project of the Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP) which allows individuals to relate personal stories and create sustainable dialogue founded on civic engagement, freedom of expression and shared interests in arts and culture.
Through connecting individuals in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Europe, and America we aimed to build community spirit, rekindling the people’s connection with their past and generating a sense of active citizenship in the people of Pakistan.

The Lahore and Chicago portals connected Elliot Ackerman and Lea Carpenter with young journalists and authors in Lahore.The Citizens Archive of Pakistan

Elliot Ackerman and Lea Carpenter
2nd May 2019
The Lahore and Chicago portals connected Elliot Ackerman and Lea Carpenter with young journalists and authors in Lahore.

The conversation included a realistic viewpoint on the state of the press and journalism in Lahore and press freedom in Pakistan - how aspiring and even senior journalists are facing more and more hurdles into telling stories that they want to tell. Ackerman was quick to state, "This is the best worst time to be a journalist in the world right now." He explained that while media and journalists are under attack across the world, financial issues have now culled the ideal of the "foreign bureau head" that was once so popular with large media houses. Now there are hardly any foreign reporters stationed permanently in far-off countries. More and more newspapers are relying on native journalists to tell local stories for an international audience and this is providing a chance to younger, social media and tech savvy journalists to shine.

The Karachi portal connected with Laura Sage in Chicago.The Citizens Archive of Pakistan

Laura Sage
26th June 2019
The Karachi portal connected with Laura Sage in Chicago.

Laura and the participants had a primary value in common: they were all searching for something more than the traditional forms of success and peace, and found their calling by embracing the opportunities life threw their way. Laura led a meditation session with the participants, reminding the participants that ‘mindfulness means to be in the present in a particular way.’ Laura and the participants ended the session feeling present and connected, a result of both the meditation and the stimulating conversation.

The National Academy of Performing Arts in Pakistan connected with the Afghanistan National Institute of MusicThe Citizens Archive of Pakistan

Afghanistan National Institute of Music
27th June 2019
NAPA connects with the Afghanistan National Institute of Music

Expert musicians from the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) in Karachi were connected with students from the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul. Both sides performed instrumental pieces. The teachers from NAPA, Mr Intizaar Hussain and Mr Waqas Gulzar performed Raag Abhogi Kanhra on a harmonium and tabla, while students from the music institute performed ensembles of ethnic Afghan, as well as western fusion music. There was a vibrant display of instruments such as the Rubab, the Dilruba, Cellos, Violins and Keyboards- all complex instruments mastered by very young boys and girls.

The Young Chicago Authors Club with Kevin Coval and The Citizens Archive of PakistanThe Citizens Archive of Pakistan

The Young Chicago Authors Club arranged this dialogue with Kevin Coval and The Citizens Archive of Pakistan crowd searched for emerging talent in Karachi and found these young folks.

This particular International Story Share Initiative session was about rap and hip hop. Underground artists from Karachi were connected to underground artists from Chicago. Poet and publisher, winner of the 2017 John Peter Altgeld Freedom of Speech Award Kevin Coval was in conversation with a group of b-boys, rappers and dancers called Anarchy and two independent artists, Ali Akbar Soomro and Muneeb Baloch (J-Zee).

This session was a very powerful one, where we saw artists speak their heart and their life stories through lyrics and beats. Synchronized and expressive movements and fusion of English, Urdu and Punjabi rap really amused peers from Chicago as well. The boys showcased their talent and took the opportunity to thank us for this platform. The session came to end but left behind a lot of inspiration and room for more ventures in the service of this art.

Arieb Azhar spoke to us about his experience at the SSI portal session.The Citizens Archive of Pakistan

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

Interested in Natural history?

Get updates with your personalized Culture Weekly

You are all set!

Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.

Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites