Pakistani Voices: Speakers, Artist, and Authors
Learn more about all of remarkable and inspirational speakers, artists, authors and intellectuals.
Harris Khalique is a leading Urdu and English language poet from Pakistan. He is also an essayist and columnist. His major poetic works include ‘Ishq Ki Taqveem Mein’ (Urdu, 2006), ‘Between You and Your Love’ (2004/Revised and Expanded 2012) and the award-winning collection ‘Melay Mein’ (Urdu, 2012). His Urdu collections include a few poems in Punjabi. He also co-wrote a book of creative nonfiction, ‘Unfinished Histories’ (2001). During the 1980s and 1990s, some of his poems faced censorship in Pakistan. His work is anthologised by Oxford University Press, University of Georgia Press, W.W. Norton and Co., Penguin US, SAARC Writers Forum, Pakistan Academy of Letters and the German poetry website www.lyrikline.org. He has been translated into Arabic, English, French, German, Romanian and Spanish. He is a University of Iowa Honorary Fellow in Writing and has spoken widely on themes straddling culture, politics, human rights and international development.
Naheed Raza is an artist whose career spans at least four decades and her paintings, which are a candid reflection of her life, have been auctioned at Christie's. The daughter of a journalist, Nahid, spent a peripatetic childhood moving from Karachi, to Hyderabad and Khairpur and back. Consequently, her schooling was interrupted repeatedly. She recalls that this made her more aware of her surroundings and enriched her in ways that a 'normal' childhood would never have. While growing up, Nahid looked up to her two uncles — Raza, a prominent artist who lived in Paris and Ali Imam, one of the better-known personalities of Pakistani art. When Nahid finished her first year at university, Imam returned from his sojourn abroad and accepted the responsibility of heading the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts at the Arts Council in Karachi. Recognising his young niece's talent, the maestro took her under his wing. At the CIAC, Nahid Raza started her life-long career devoted to art. She recalls how she left Pakistan in the '80s to study art in the US and how this had a profound effect on her work, centralising her artistic focus on her own experience as a woman — as a mother, a daughter and a wife.
Musarrat Mirza an artist and a professor of fine arts by profession. She has lectured at the University of Jamshoro, Sindh. She started painting at an early age, during a time when hardly any woman was seen outdoors in the area. She owed her artistic sensibilities to her father. Her father had a great appreciation of art and Mirza followed in his footsteps. Her earliest paintings reflected many social problems but with the passage of time the paintings became more solitary: mud houses, pigeons, sparrows, kites, shadowy lanes, lonely animals, light, half-closed doors, windows and stairs. She says that all these elements are similes of her expression. She elaborates- "I see myself dwelling in a mud house, captivating walls, birds, shadows with rays of light, patches of deepest dark. And amidst them are unseen hidden people. Their unfulfilled desires, their hopes and aspirations all seek the external light of fulfilment." She recently received a Life-time Achievement Award at the 2016 Lahore Literature Festival.
Nageen Hyat, curator, filmmaker, HR activist and founder of Nomad Gallery. In 1984, Hyat startet the Nomad Gallery in Islamabad. Nomad's mission is to promote the rich heritage of Pakistan through art and culture, crafts development, human rights, and Peace. Through various programmes it has made major contributions in creating awareness and providing skills training and income generation schemes for artists and members of various communities. Another program, "Shanaakht – A Nomad Forum for the Arts," is a voluntary group involved in fund-raising, art workshops, film screenings, talks, and presentations that offer a platform for fledgling artists, poets and writers. Mrs. Hyat is also producer of documentaries focusing on women, professions, culture and taboos, human rights and heritage.
Naiza Khan trained at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, University of Oxford, and the Wimbledon College of Art, University of the Arts, London, UK. Her work has been widely exhibited internationally, including at the 2012 Shanghai Biennale and exhibitions such as Hanging Fire: Contemporary Art from Pakistan at Asia Society, New York, USA; XV Biennale Donna, Ferrara, Italy; Desperately Seeking Paradise at Art Dubai 2008; Manifesta 8, Murcia, Spain; and the 2010 Cairo Biennale, Cairo, Egypt.The artist has been selected for residencies at the Gasworks, London and at the Rybon Art Center in Tehran. As a founding member and longtime coordinator of Vasl Artists’ Collective in Karachi, Khan has worked to foster art in the city, and participated in a series of innovative art projects in partnership with other workshops in the region, such as Khoj International Artists’ Association, New Delhi; Britto Arts Trust, Dhaka; Sutra Art Foundation, Kathmandu and Theertha International Artists’ Collective, Colombo, Sri Lanka. In addition, she has curated three exhibitions of Pakistani contemporary art, including The Rising Tide: New Directions in Art from Pakistan, 1990–2010 at the Mohatta Palace Museum, Karachi.In 2013, Khan had her first major retrospective in an American museum: Karachi Elegies at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA. In 2013 she was the recipient of the Prince Claus Award in recognition of her exceptional initiatives and activities in the fields of art and culture. Her artworks are held in private and public collections around the world.
Omar Shahid Hamid is Head of Asia Pacific Country Risk at IHS Inc. Prior to joining IHS, he served as a senior counter-terrorism police officer in Karachi, Pakistan, for 13 years. He has been targeted by various terrorist groups and was wounded in the line of duty in 2005. In 2010, the Taliban flattened his offices. Omar specializes in terrorism risks in South Asia, specifically Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. His recent research has focused on the implications of a BJP government in India, growing divisions within Jihadist groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the political dynamics of crime and terrorism in Karachi. He has also recently written white papers on topics including: How ISIS is replacing al-Qaeda on South Asia Social Media sites and scenarios for Afghan peace talks. Omar has featured regularly on print and digital media, including CNBC, BBC, Bloomberg, Sky News, Al Jazeera, France24, Channel News Asia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Radio France, Reuters, AFP, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today among others. Omar received an MSc in Criminal Justice Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science, an LLM from the University College London, and an LLB from the University of Kent. His first book, 'The Prisoner,' was longlisted for the DSC South Asia Literature prize, and was published India by Pan Macmillan in 2013 and by Arcade in the US in 2015. His second, The Spinner’s Tale, was published by Pan Macmillan in 2015.
Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy is currently the Zohra and Z.Z.Ahmad distinguished Professor of Physics and Mathematics at FC College, Lahore. He has previously taught for 40 years at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad. He graduated from MIT with undergraduate degrees in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics, a Master's in Solid State Physics, and a Ph.D degree in Nuclear Physics. In 1968 he won the Baker Award for Electronics, and in 1984 the Abdus Salam Prize for Mathematics. In 2003 he was awarded UNESCO's Kalinga Prize for the popularization of science. In 2010 he received the Joseph A. Burton Award from the American Physical Society and the Jean Meyer Award from Tufts University. In 2011, he was included in the list of 100 most influential global thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine. In 2013, he was made a member of the UN Secretary General's Advisory Board on Disarmament Affairs, a position he currently holds.
Rafia Zakaria is the author of The Upstairs Wife: An Intimate History of Pakistan which was named one of the best non-fiction titles of 2015 by Newsweek Magazine and was an Indie's Next Selection for Spring 2015. She is a columnist for Dawn Pakistan and writes the "Read Other Women" Series at the Boston Review. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The Guardian, The New Republic, The Nation, The Los Angeles Review of Books and various other publications. Rafia is a human rights lawyer and served on the Board of Amnesty International USA 2009-2015.
Sabir Nazar is an artist & cartoonist. Sabir Nazar works for the daily Express Tribune and weekly, The Friday Times. He is also a regular contributor to popular magazines in Pakistan such as Newsweek Pakistan and The Herald. His other interests are water colour paintings, sculptures and studying comparative mythologies. Over the course of his career, Nazar has produced over 5,000 illustrations, depicting a broad spectrum of political events and social issues, including human rights violations, women's voter rights, madrassa reforms, sectarian strife, and extremism. In addition, he illustrates cartoons, posters, and publications for a number of human rights organizations, including the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, the Center for Civic Education, UNDP, Action Aid, the Alliance against Sexual Harassment, OXFAM, the Democratic Commission for Human Development, and the Omar Asghar Khan Foundation. In 2009, Mr. Nazar received an "Editor's Pick" award from Himal Southasian, a Kathmandu-based magazine that covers political and economic trends in South Asia.
Rukhe Nilofer Zaidi is a female artist who has been teaching at school and university level for more than 20 years. Born to a family of artists she says; "I consider myself extremely lucky to have parents who had many artistic talents; my father played many musical instruments, painted very well, made beautiful boxes and other paper/wood toys for us. He had his own photography studio where he spent hours developing pictures of his children. Both he and my mother wrote poetry and had very melodious singing voices. Almost all of my 10 siblings have some artistic gift transferred from my parents. Therefore, it is not surprising for me to take a natural inclination toward visual arts".
She has held many exhibitions of her paintings in Pakistan and abroad. She worked in New Delhi, India for a month on a residency in 2007 and Montserrat College of Art, USA as a visiting artist/lecturer in 2004.
Salima Hashmi was born in 1942 in New Delhi, British India. She is a painter, cultural writer and an anti-nuclear weapon activist. Salima has studied at National College of Arts (NCA), Bath Academy og Art (BAA) and the Rhode Island School of Design. She also served for 31 years as professor and head of the National College of Arts in Lahore. She is the eldest daughter of one of Pakistan's most renowned poets, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, and the British-born Alys Faiz. She represents the first generation of modern artists in Pakistan who carry an artistic identity different from indigenous artists. She is among one of the few Pakistani intellectuals who condemned the nuclear tests by India and Pakistan in 1998. She has received the award, Pride of Performance from the government of Pakistan for her works. She has taught at the Beaconhouse National University (BNU) and the Government College University, Lahore.
Tabassam Rizvi is an artist who uses the ancient classical technique of encaustics – painting with hot wax, consisting of purified beeswax, resin, and coloured pigment. "There is an exquisite freshness and spontaneity in the brush strokes of Tabassam Rizvi, using gold and deep red hues. Tabassam Rizvi said that women radiated an aura of light, colour, warmth and radiance with the fleeting forms and their expressions, enhanced by the effects of light and shade. "I have captured all of that in my work using impressionistic strokes, creating a mystery associated with form and expression, leaving a lot to the imagination of the viewer".
Panel participants:
Amar Bokhari heads the Norway-based LAMS Foundation in support of the LAMS school in Pakistan (www.lams.no/english). LAMS is an initiative that offers quality education to 700 girls and boys aged 4 to 18 years in Sultan Town in the outskirts of Faisalabad. The school was established in 1996 to offer education to the children of staff at the neighbouring textile factory. Throughout its 20 year history, LAMS has particularly focused on providing girls a progressive learning environment. LAMS is a part of a broader social entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility initiative and represents a beacon of hope and innovation amongst CSR-initiatives in Pakistan. Amar Bokhari, who has recently relocated to Oslo, has had a distinguished career in the United Nations and has held several key positions worldwide in the organisation, including most recently in Jerusalem, Palestine. He holds a Master’s degree in Development from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Kent. Bokhari was born in London, has a Norwegian mother and Pakistani father, is married and has two daughters.
Arshad Butt (Visjon Forum)
John Peder Egenæs (Amnesty)
Roar Hagen (cartoonist VG)
Tina Shagufta Munir Kornmo (ALMA CC) was born in Lahore, Pakistan and moved to Norway at the age of four and has since lived in Oslo. Tina is a medical doctor graduating from University of Oslo 2001. She is a specialist in general surgery and urology. Tina is the founder of ALMA Culture Center (former Alma’s Development Initiative). She has been engaged in the public debate, especially on issues related to women, gender equality, and children’s upbringing. She contributed with an essays in the anthology “Utilslørt- muslimske råtekster” (Aschehoug 2011). She has also participated as “The statistical Oslo citizen” at the Nationaltheateret on the main stage in the play "An Enemy of the People» by Henrik Ibsen by Rimini Protocol. She has given lectures about integration issues, sense of belonging, parental guidance, radicalization, communication and health challenges to minorities in the healthcare system.
Iram Haq (b. 1976) was educated at Westerdals School of Communication as art director. She has worked for many years as an actor on stage and in feature and TV films. She also wrote and starred in the short film Old Faithful which was selected for the short film competition at the Venice Film Festival in 2004. She had her directorial debut with Little Miss Eyeflap, which had its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival and has been traveling to numerous festivals and won several prizes. I AM YOURS is Iram's feature debut which had world its premier at the Toronto film festival 2013. Iram Haq's debut feature I Am Yours (Jeg er Din) has been selected by Norway's Oscar selection committee as the country's best foreign-Language Oscar submission. Iram's debut film won the main prize for best feature at the Nordic Film Days in Lübeck 2013.
Jørn Mortensen is currently the rector (since August 2015) at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts. From 2011 to 2015 he acted as the dean at the Department of Art and Craft at the same institution. Previous jobs include Associate director at Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA) (2007-09), Head of communication and programming at Public Art Norway (KORO)(2005-07), Director at Momentum – Nordic Festival for Contemporary Art (2001-05), Director at Young Artists Society (UKS)(1993-01).In 2011 he edited “Visual Art in the Oslo Opera House” (Press Publishing 2011) with essays from amongst others Marta Kuzma, Hans-Ulrich Obrist and Jürg Heisser. Jørn Mortensen chairs Kunsthall Oslo. He also chairs the art selection committee responsible for establishing two national memorial sites after the July 22 attacks in Oslo.
Moderators:
Usman Asif is a writer and blogs at Baghi. He is an active member of the Labour party. Asif is also among the founders and a member of board for the website “Minareten” which focuses on current contemporary issues in society. “Minareten” has a broad spectrum of young contributors and is a constructive challenger of various narratives about muslim’s. Usman Asif has written several articles for newspapers such as Vårt Land, Minerva, Dagsavisen, and Tribune. He has also contributed with an essay in the anthology “iLove” and “Radikalisering”.
Laila Bokhari is the State Secretary at the Office of the Foreign Minister, currently on maternity leave. Bokhari is a political scientist and terrorism researcher. She has also studied international law, international politics, Arabic and Middle Eastern politics. She has worked at the Defense Research Institute, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), the UN Security Council, Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH), PRIO, NATO and the OSCE, and worked as a diplomat at the Norwegian embassy in Islamabad. Bokhari has been a member of the Government Security Policy Board, the July 22 Commission, a number of NATO working groups and the Advisory Board of the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies.
Oda Bhar is an art and film critic based in Oslo, working for the weekly newspaper Morgenbladet and the film quarterly magazine Rushprint. She has been a guest curator at several Norwegian film festivals, and recently at the Short Film Festival of Oberhausen, Germany. She is a trained psychologist with a special interest in creativity, play and cross-cultural identity, and has even studied social antropology, French and German languages in Oslo, Paris and Berlin.
Per Elvestuen is a seasoned editorial cartoonist with more than 20 years of experience from Norway's leading business daily, Dagens Næringsliv. He has won several awards for his cartoons, and was named the cartoonist of the year by the Norwegian Editor´s association in 2003. Beside cartooning and journalism, Elvestuen also has extensive work experience from both the public and private sectors in Norway and abroad. He was one of the Co-Founders of the annual international human rights conference Oslo Freedom Forum, which this year was held for the eighth time. Elvestuen has been a strong public voice for unlimited freedom of speech and the right to offend following the controversy over the publication of the Danish Mohammed cartoons in 2006.
Kjetil Mujezinovic Larsen is Professor of Law, Director of Research and Deputy Director at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights at the University of Oslo. He has a wide field of expertise within human rights law, ranging from international humanitarian law (the law of armed conflict) to European human rights law and general issues relating to non-discrimination. He is the author of “The Human Rights Treaty Obligations of Peacekeepers” (Cambridge) and the editor of “Searching for a ‘Principle of Humanity’ in International Humanitarian Law” (Cambridge) and “Promoting Peace through International Law” (Oxford).
Asma Chaudhry (ALMA CC) is a social worker by profession and has been working for NAV. Her focus of interest is women's rights, diversity and integration. She does projects and speeches regarding these issues. She contributed an essay in the anthology - "Utilslørt- Muslimske råtekster» Aschehoug 2011 and operates the blogazine "www.northernchowk.com" . She is a board member of LIM (Likestilling, Integrering og Mangfold). Asma was born in Pakistan and raised in Africa.
Announcers:
Assad Nasir is a well-known teacher and lecturer who works at secondary schools in Oslo. His fields of interest include the Norwegian language and social sciences. He has been an active social commentator and writes about religion, immigration and education. Lately he has contributed with articles on women’s rights and honour issues. Nasir is currently working on a book about Pakistani immigrants and has previously launched a publishing company.
Assad Siddique is an acclaimed Norwegian actor of Pakistani ancestry. His career in the limelight started already at the age of thirteen as a co-host of the popular youth TV show "Midt i Smørøyet" on NRK (the National Norwegian Broadcasting Company). In recent years he has been seen in several major productions, feature films such as "Izzat", "I'm Yours" (the Norwegian Oscar candidate and winner of several awards), "Johan Falk, Spelets Regler", the tv-series "Ali Reza and the Rezas " (TV2) and "Taxi" (NRK - winner of Gullruten for best TV Drama in 2012 and sold to the US), to name a few.
He currently acts in Scandinavia's longest running soap opera "Hotel Caesar" (broadcast on TV2 and sold to Estonia and Ukraine). For his debute as an actor in the feature film "Import Export" (2003) he was recognized with reviews like : "Assad Siddique has a talent for comedy rarely seen in Norwegian film Productions." -Filmmagasinet (Movie Magazine), 2003.
Asma Chaudhry (ALMA CC)
Friends of Alma Culture Center:
Åse Kleveland is a well known Norwegian-Swedish musician who started out on the road to stardom already in 1964. Back then she was fifteen and a solo artist. She released three albums and participated in the Eurovision song contest in 1966. She came in third place in the international finale. Kleveland had huge success with the band "Ballade" during the period 1977-1980 releasing two albums. Since 1979 Kleveland has been engaged in various positions in cultural life, from being a presenter to being appointed as the Minister of Culture (1990-1996. Kleveland has also served as the President of the Svenska Filminstuttet (2000-2006), has held numerous concerts (2006-2012) and is an honorary member of different boards. She has been awarded several prizes for her work, including the Spellemannsprisen (1983), Ingmar Bergman's Honorary Award (2006) and Knight of Légion d'Honneur (2003).
After over 30 years in leading positions in cultural life, she recently made a comeback as an artist. Kleveland has provided valuable inputs during the development of ALMA's Art & Literature Event. Åse Kleveland will be giving her thoughts on why sharing culture is important in reference to " Pakistani Voices"
