At UNGA80 arts festival, first-ever Pakistani panel links climate justice and cultural survival
ISLAMABAD: In a first, a panel of Pakistani experts, artisans and heritage keepers convened online during Climate Week NYC, warning that environmental changes are eroding the country’s intangible cultural heritage, organizers said in a statement on Friday.
Titled “Stitching Survival: Reclaiming Heritage and Climate Justice Through the Art of Displaced Pakistani Artisans,” the session was held as part of the Arts for the Future Festival, an international gathering that brings together artists, activists and policymakers to explore how culture and heritage can help build more resilient futures.
Held on Sept. 27 during Climate Week NYC alongside the UN General Assembly, the panel highlighted how extreme weather is damaging Pakistan’s landscapes as well as its traditions, crafts, oral histories and indigenous knowledge systems.
“Pakistan is too often missing from the global creative economy but when we are left out, the world loses centuries of sustainable knowledge and artistry,” said Amneh Shaikh-Farooqui, chair and curator of the Women of the World Festival in Pakistan.
