Literature Festival for teachers and children starts in Lok Virsa
Islamabad, Pakistan: The three-day literature festival for teachers and children started here Thursday at National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage, Lok Virsa to create the interest of children towards reading, self expression and critical thinking.
The first day of the festival has been dedicated to teachers literature festival in which specially designed programs, sessions, workshops and performances for teachers were hosted while the following two days (Oct 2 and 3) children from twin cities will be enjoying not only literature but also culture, drama, puppet shows, story-telling sessions and other interesting activities.
The event aims to promote the reading culture for creativity, imagination and multi-sensory stimulation beyond classrooms and textbooks. It is a social movement that was triggered by data on low learning levels, obsession with textbooks and tests across the country, sacrificing creativity and wonder in children and youth. The festival is an equalizer, said the organizers of the event.The festival is open to all children and all school systems as it is designed to unlock the power of reading through multi-sensory experiences.
The Children Literature Festival (CLF) has not been limited to eminent  authors, poets and institutes only in Pakistan but also got participation from writers, story tellers and teachers from across the border and from other countries like Nepal and Afghanistan.
The CLF mobilizes schools by sending invitation and school guidelines to all schools irrespective of whether the schools are government schools, private schools, low income schools or madrassahs.
The Lok Virsa is focussing to invest on children and give them a sound cultural identity well rooted in the folk heritage.
The Lok Virsa has added a cultural dimension to the event and will have sessions and musical performances by children folk artists and musicians.
A children artisans-at-work featuring siblings and students of master artisans in various specialized craft fields such as lacquer art, embroidery, doll making, pottery making, wood carving, weaving, truck art, basketry, etc. will also be organized during the festival wherein these artisans will demonstrate their workmanship at the beautifully designed pavilions at the Heritage Museum, says Executive Director Lok Virsa, Dr. Fouzia Saeed.
The event is being organized by Lok Virsa, Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA), Oxford University Press (OUP), Open Society Foundations (OSF), Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) and others.
After the phenomenal success of the Children Literature Festivals across Pakistan with the attendance of more than 380,000 children, this event is the 21st CLF that features interactive readings, discussions and workshops by famous children’s writers, poets and resource persons.
Activities for children (age group: 4- 10 and 11-17) include: Readings and storytelling -sing aloud by well known writers; Creative writing and book making; Book Launches of Children Literature; Cultural activities and their importance in school curriculum; Poetry reading and `Writing Poems’ with renowned poets; Writing book reviews; Workshops on illustrations, digital stories, comics and managing libraries; Debating and Writing sessions – Bol Ke Lub Azad Hain Teray; Interactive pottery, arts and crafts; Book fair and Stalls for interactive work on learn; Live Puppets, cartoons, theater and music shows.
Each hall of Lok Virsa has been named after classical and popular literature, authors, poets and characters such as Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Kitab Ghar, Iqbal Room, Manto Room, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Bagh-e-Sheherezade making them come alive in the imagination of children.
