www.thegreatsilkroad.com The National Folk Festival (Lok Mela) took place in Islamabad. This annual festival is the largest cultural event in Pakistan and is aimed at preservation and promotion of authentic traditional crafts and arts of the peoples of Pakistan. This year more than 500 artisans, musicians and craftsmen from all parts of the country were participating in the festival.
During the festival the visitors had the unique opportunity to see and experience an assortment of Pakistan's traditionally rich culture. Within a fortnight folkloric song and dance ensembles in colourful costumes performed all over the festival grounds, inviting visitors to join in.
Each province set up beautifully decorated pavilions with colourful display of national craftsmanship: shawls, earrings, necklaces of gleaming stones, rugs , carpets, leather embroidery, crafts using date leafs, glittering metal crafts of brass and copper, stone carving on slate in diversified fashion, planters, wall hanging , lamps, trays, replicas of well-known Mohenjadaro pottery and figurines and hand-painted wooden toys.
The festival also featured artisans-at-work: some weaving shawls, others making pottery, still others engraving stones or making shoes. These maestros at work were quite an attraction for the visitors.
Over the past two decades, this festival has taken on an international flavour and so far more than 20 different countries have sent their artisans and performers to participate in the festival. This year the added attraction was the participation of Norwegian team "Fryd and Rikskonsertene" which performed with Pakistani folk musicians.
Lok Mela Festival provided memorable experience both to the participants and the visitors. |