ISLAMABAD: The grounds of the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) were transformed on Saturday into the Euro Village, where hundreds of guests were treated to European cuisines, cultural displays, and live shows by European and Pakistani performers.

The event was organised by the European Union Delegation. Its Deputy Head of Mission Anne Marchal said the Euro Village was a way to “celebrate the 9th of May to commemorate the declaration of a vision for Europe by French statesman Robert Schuman in 1950”.

“That was a seminal moment that led to this European integration. We decided to celebrate on the weekend so we could reach the greatest number of people and share the ideals behind the 9th of May, which are peace and reconciliation.”

“What we want to do with the Euro Village is to bring all the European Union, all 17 member states which are present in Pakistan to the Pakistani public, to meet with them as a people to people event. We held a Euro Village last year so we had the experience of last year and I think this year will be a greater success than last year,” the delegation’s ambassador Jean Francois Cautain, said.

The village featured various pavilions, one for each member state, that offered activities typical to the country in question.

At the Austrian pavilion, for example, people queued for a quiz on the landscapes of Pakistan and Austria, a selfie-stand in traditional Austrian dress, and a chance to toss a ball at a stack of Red Bull cans.

For the German pavilion, the embassy, the Goethe Institute and GIZ came together to create various displays on Germany, the German contribution to the development and energy sector, and cultural collaboration between Pakistan and Germany.

A large cut out of Brandenburg Gate served as the backdrop for photographs as people queued to attempt a quiz on Germany and win mugs, pens, balloons and flags.

The Swedish stall had products from famous Swedish companies such as Ikea and food including meatballs with a cherry sauce and cookies.

The Netherlands pavillion had games and quizzes while the Hungarian pavilion had baked goods for visitors to try as they solved questions.

At the Czech Republic stall, adults and children could take a selfie with a cut-out of Krteček, an animated mole created by Czech animator Zdeněk Miler, which has gained international popularity as it is largely non-verbal and appeals to children worldwide.

Bulgaria too had a quiz while Spain had set up a reading corner for children and was serving chicken and green bean paella prepared fresh at the stall.

At the Italian pavilion, a test had given the wrong answer, and visitors were being rewarded indiscriminately.

Romania too, displayed promotional and informative material about the country and baked goods. Laurentiu Ciocan, the Romanian deputy head of mission, said: “This year we also celebrate our hundredth anniversary, the Great Union Centenary, and we are delighted to welcome everybody to our stall.”

At each stall, visitors vied for a small flag sticker of the member state. Those who called all 18, including that of the EU, would receive a prize.

European delicacies from each member state were also available at the food court, prepared by Marriott Hotel.

Visitors could partake in Austrian wiener schnitzel, Belgian fries, Kashkaval - cheese on bread with pickles - from Bulgaria, smazenysyr - fried elemental with tartar sauce and potato salad – from the Czech Republic, fiskefrikadeller (fish patties) from Denmark, fish and chips from the United Kingdom, buletten from Germany Buletten, Greek tzatziki with pita, Hungarian chicken paprika, pasta ala Napoletana from Italy, a Dutch that is beef stew with vinegar and vegetables known as hachee, a Polish meat stew known as bigos, Portuguese egg tarts, Romanian cabbage rolls known as sarmale, Spanish flan, French éclairs and butterkaka from Sweden - a cinnamon bun with custard filling.

A special attraction for the evening was a performance by Charlie Caper, an award-winning illusionist and winner of Sweden’s Got Talent who mesmerised audience with a unique combination of high-tech tricks, fun facts and banter.

The musical performances began with Austrian jazz duo Lohninger and Fischbacherwho, followed by the Hungarian-Pakistani rock band Wild ManGoes, the Danish band Hun Solo – who also performed a song with Pakistani singer Maria Unera, and a final performance by Zeb Bangash.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2018