A self-defeating argument
BY deed and in words, the right in Pakistan has demonstrated often enough that it is opposed to cultural expression through performance-based media such as film, theatre, dance and television.
There is a part of the right that considers such work to be either immoral or downright sinful, and wants to forbid it altogether. Civility demands that I cede them their right to their point of view; in any case, there’s no talking to some people, so there we’ll have to agree to disagree.
But there are other conservatives, far more in number, perhaps, who are opposed to imported products of cultural expression. These are the ones who in letters to newspapers and on television call-in programmes decry the spread of vulgarity and poor family values in society through, variously, Australian soap operas or Hollywood films, Eurovision music and American apparel.
Demands have been made on the floor of no less than the National Assembly that the screening of Indian films be banned (again) in Pakistan, because they lead young minds astray and pollute the sanctity of ‘Pakistani culture’.
(A secondary argument here is that the import of cultural products from powerhouse India hinders the development of the local industries by giving audiences a choice, for which reason this demand has received support from some sections of our own film and television world; but the argument one hears more frequently is simply that it is leading our youth to turn away from their own culture.)
Instead of wittering on impotently and taking solace in forbidding their daughters from wearing jeans or their sons from listening to rap, I suggest that these people take a more constructive approach. I’m willing to cede to them their reservations about imported cultural products, but I have to point out that the line of argument they currently take — of lobbying for bans — is self-defeating.
Instead, such men and women should be the ones rooting the loudest for setting up academies and institutions in Pakistan that teach performance-related disciplines. If there are too few Pakistani films to choose between, they should be thronging the theatre halls — not to condemn, but to admire. They are the ones that consider the problem of foreign cultural invasions pervasive; they should be lobbying for solutions more long-term than merely condemning this or boycotting that.
Take television as a representative case. The fact is that as long as they have access to a set, people will want to watch it. The more channels a country has, the more airtime has to be filled up.
The businessman who runs a channel or a cable network has to have something to broadcast, after all. If not enough locally produced fare is available, or it isn’t of a quality that makes viewers choose it over the competition, then he’ll put out what is available and has proved popular — he has a business to run, after all.
As an industry we haven’t done too badly in the area of drama. Pakistan is producing a lot of soaps, sitcoms and serials, and the endless inventiveness of the news channels is legendary. But there are plenty of smaller, more niche areas, that the local industry has either overlooked or not taken enough of an interest in, and has by default left the field wide open to any other culture that chooses to peddle its ware.
This is the case, for example, with programming for children. Pakistan has done very little work in this department, and the handful of children’s channels that are beamed by most cable networks across the country overwhelmingly broadcast non-Pakistani programming.
One particular cartoon character has apparently proved very popular given that the channel airs several episodes back to back during most afternoons, which is children’s television viewing time.
The hero is immensely strong, a champion of the weak, and when not defeating villains he is generally found playing cricket, sitting with his friends under the village tree or sneaking ladoos from various kitchens. I believe he is as popular here as he is in the country of his origin, India.
Those worrying about impressionable teenage minds being polluted by adult-oriented American or Indian or any other fare might also want to look into what their five-year-olds are watching, for our hero has friends amongst the gods and there is a very discernible ideology and education being disseminated. All of it is clean, above board and imminently suitable for children, but what it definitely is not is Pakistani.
The only truly effective way of resisting foreign cultural products’ popularity in the domestic market is by providing plenty of quality local alternatives.
People the world over choose their diversion on the basis of quality and availability. Once these factors have been addressed, people tend to choose that which resonates with them, which is familiar.
In other words, a Pakistani child would prefer to watch a show or a cartoon that is in his language, and that uses a setting and symbols that is accessible. Where the effort has been made, it has been successful; few television-viewing children in this country would be unfamiliar with the name of Captain Safeguard, for example. But lacking more such choices, Ben 10 or Chota Bheem rule the roost.
And for this reason, those who want to protect Pakistani culture and Pakistani minds from being sullied by foreign influences would do well to start demanding that more emphasis be laid on training and providing opportunities for musicians and actors, theatre directors and screenwriters, dramatists and dancers.
The more that are trained and sent out to do their thing, the more we’ll be in a position to experiment with and expand the contours of — in fact celebrate — our own culture. Again, where the effort has been made, it has been successful to the point of people choosing it over other options. Coke Studio has proved that.
Arguing for shutting out other options is easy. So is raising one’s voice in defence of the local cultural cocktail. Harder but far more beneficial is lobbying for the creation of opportunities and an environment that would give Pakistanis not just a reason to take pride in their nationality, but also opportunities to explore and understand it.
The writer is a member of staff.
hajrahmumtaz@gmail.com
All our comments are supposed to be "moderated". If so, how come a comment in bad taste from Mr Sulaiman passes the moderation and gets published? DAWN should check who moderated this comment & passed it!
some countries have a vibrant culture. (They assimilate , learn from others, accept differences and their people move on in life and in lives lived.)
Others have agriculture.
(point is not that Agri is not imptt – It Is ! but the point is some love to believe that the only thing worth anything is THEM, THEIR behaviour pattern, THEIR religio-sociatal complex and spite their nose by cutting ff their own noses. I'd like to ask these folk a simple question – why is Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom the biggest Plasma TV and Hollywood movie market in ME???? Think a bot before answering – wrong, the Plasma TV is NOT used as a CCTV and wrong again, Hollywood CD's are not imported to be burnt by hate filled mobs to show anger……)
A very apt analysis by the author. Whereas India is putting its best foot forward to improve relations with its neighbour but opposite is happening across the border. A very sad commentary but nothing can be done until there is a change of mindset in Pakistan.
Bravo, Ms Hajrah. You are one brave young girl.
Excellent article. Enjoyed reading it. Keep it up.
KBK
Cutlure is an expression of varying groups lving in a soceity in peace. Culture imposed via force and violence is not a culture. It is called fascism, where a group with guns decides who to pray to and what to wear. Pakistan's culture is a mix of the two. The forces of regression imposing themsleves to skew the true identity of Pakistan. Given the chance of free thinking and freedom of expression Pakistanis will produce their own culture with values that are universal in mankind – Peace, love, liberty and tolerance. Let's give Paksitanis a chance to define their culture without the extreme polarity of right(religious) or left(complete anarchy), pulling them apart.
How is Pakistani culture is so different from the Indian one? After all we were all one not too long ago. When Indian television was in its infancy, I was told that people in Indian Punjab and Haryana turned to Pakistani serial plays which they said were far better their Indian counterparts. Culture has many, many, definitions and it is very difficult to identify only one aspect of it as one's own. All we need is an open mindset and a desire to see and understand other cultures though we need not get overwhelmed by them.
Dr. Suleman is as much right as Ms Hajra is. Means are important not Mission.
A very apt column. It is time the Pakistani Government realized the importance of "soft power". Honestly, Pakistan should worry more about how many fils bollywood churns our v/s how many tanks India has.
Cogent argument, Hajra. That's what the Iranians did, did they not. And Pakistan too, with its dramas, up until the early 1990s.
Only viable alternatives can keep the increasingly profane global monoculture at bay. Actually, legal bars against indecency etc. also play an important role. But you're absolutely right to point out that in the face of a local vacuum, legal bars alone can never keep moocuture out for long. When the populace is deprives, the legal bars become vastly unpopular and then give in. That is what happen in Pakistan under Musharraf.
In the longer run, if you consider a particular culture 'bad', you can't replace it with culturelessness – and that's what so many in the Pakistani right try doing. You can only replace bad culture with good culture. But creating good culture requires sacrifice – including making an investment in teaching your kind poetry, music, dance and painting – of the kind you like. And that means you can't make them all doctors, engineers and businessmen, which is the Pakistani right's pet dream. With that approach, I am afraid they are condemned to be no more than cogs in the monoculture, always frothing from the mouth about the loss of values, but quite unable to do anything about it.
"for our hero has friends amongst the gods and there is a very discernible ideology and education being disseminated"
I could not help but be amused by this 'concern'. I sincerely hope the author is trying to be sacastic here at the superficiality of the demands of the beards. But seriously, religion, again?? I mean, I've seen animated series for children on Indian television, on the stories from the Bible. Does that become a concern for parents who aren't Christians? I would be shocked to think so! As long as content is wholesome, let kids enjoy the stories and figure things out for themselves.
I guess, for followers of Abrahamic religions, where the world is always viewed through suspicion and proselytization-tinted glasses, that is perhaps too much to ask for.
Serious and important arguments. Could have been summarized.
Watching cartoons teaches kids language. Better to teach the ones who can learn a language other than the one they already will speak for a significant portion of their entire lives, so they can know two. Why would anyone deny them that? To harbor a culture based on the mastery of a single language? The world is certainly more plural than that, and it needs to be.
Culture is primarily defined by religion. Also now there are diffreences between various sects in a religion. Culture is sum composite of all these thoughts. However which culture will pakistan follow is still a question. Will it depict the Sufi culture of the subcontinent, or the strict Wahabi/ Salafi culture of Arabia? only once this question is answered will the TV programs find a directon and originality. ( or may be the TV is actually banned!!! ) who knows.
I am appalled at the abuse of the English language by M/s Hajrah Mumtaz. If she lacked proper command of english, she has no right in using it. It is typically bad use of grammar as well as obfuscation of the words in their expression. Indeed a painfully badly written article allowed to be published by those who edit the paper.
Please do not shoot the messenger. Though we may not agree to what she has to say or how she has said that, she has definitely put forth a very cogent argument. If we could grasp her thoughts then the purpose of writing is achieved.
"I am appalled at the abuse of the English language by M/s Hajrah Mumtaz. If she lacked proper command of english, she has no right in using it. It is typically bad use of grammar as well as obfuscation of the words in their expression."
You are appalled? In less than forty words you have mauled the language, grammar and usage. Are you just throwing stones or just didn't get what she is trying to say? She has written with insight on an issue which bears thinking by all cultures. I am not very educated but thought this was well written.
Sulaimansahab khud to likhate nahin aur jo likhate hain unko beizzat karate hain. Very bad, very bad!
Dear Mr Sulaiman,
Instead of shooting in thin air, why don't you bring out the mistakes (or abuses of the English language?) in Ms Hajrah's article including bad use of grammar? I am somewhat good in that language & I didn't notice any such problem in her article.
If you did, please enlighten all of us poor creatures!
Very Well Written. There is always a Bigger Fish who eats smaller Fish. But Their might be a solution.
I am from Maharashtra, India. We have Regional Marathi Films. Though BOLLYWOOD is in Mumbai, Maharashtra, Marathi Films were not going good because of Hindi Movies, as the Standards were not high compared to Hindi Movies.
Maharashtra govt. Started a new Innovative thing. They started giving 25 Lakhs ( of course with some conditions) for new aspiring Marathi Producers to make Marathi films. And Really it worked. Within last 5 years Marathi Regional Films are Making Impressive growth. Now the Marathi Movies are getting Nice response from Moviegoers.
Everybody has Talent, Just it needs Boost from Authorities..
Some how we Indians are not that averse to Pakistani Coke studio. One song by Arif Lohar has been incorporated into a bollywood movie and thus part of our cultural heritage as well. Cultural exchange is a two way street. If Arif Lohar can Ali Zafar can become common Indian drawing room names then I personally find it a little annoying the resistance Chota Bheem in finding in pakistan. However then again as the author has said " we'll have to agree to disagree". Indian cartoons also have loads of Alif laila, Ali baba Chalis chor, Hatimtayi in it that may apeal to Muslim audiences. However the approach of blocking Indian content is regressive as if the appoach of blocking Pakistani culture in India. Lets open our hearts and let our minds grow.