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KARACHI, Nov 21 (APP):The 22nd day of the “World Culture Festival 2025” brought a burst of color, music, and dramatic storytelling to the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi.
The event featured the inauguration of an international collaborative mural Art, screenings of acclaimed Lebanese films, and the staging of three major theatre Plays.
The day began with the inauguration of mural art created by French and Pakistani artists on the outer walls of the Arts Council building. The mural was inaugurated by the Consul General of France, Alexis Chahtahtinsky, and Mayor Karachi, Barrister Murtaza Wahab, accompanied by Arts Council President Muhammad Ahmed Shah. French artists Nasty and Seth Globe, along with Pakistani artist Affan Tariq and Talal (Spray Therapy), transformed the Arts Council’s outer walls with world-class mural art, using vibrant spray colors. The theme of the mural was “Peace and Freedom.”
Speaking at the inauguration, French Consul General Alexis Chahtahtinsky said that it was an honor for French artists to participate in the World Culture Festival. He added that the collaboration between Pakistani and French artists was a gift to the people of Karachi. “Mural art fills empty spaces on walls, and it has the power to change people’s lives,” he noted.
Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that Karachi is a beautiful city, but its beauty is often hidden. “Our walls are covered with vulgar messages and advertisements. Do you want walls stained with paan and gutka, or walls glowing with beautiful colors?” He emphasized that the KMC and Arts Council are working together to beautify the city and invited young artists to collaborate with them. Arts Council President Muhammad Ahmed Shah said that the French Embassy has shown consistent interest in the World Culture Festival. He shared that three French artists were participating and that the festival has become a global event featuring artists from 142 countries.
As part of the film screenings, Lebanon presented two films: “Lebanon by Night” and “In Out.” Director Bonnie J. Evans’ theatre play “Heroes of the Fourth Turning” was staged, featuring powerful performances by Hannah Di Bella, Sarah Dillamore, Alex Liu, Kyle Scudder, and Erica Lauren Wise. Lebanon also presented the theatrical performance “Stories from the Room,” in which Sahar Assaf, Suleman Roomi, Shahryar, Alaiza, Faisal, M. Ali, Daniyal, and Maati delivered compelling performances, transforming real stories, interviews, and documents into live theatre. In Auditorium I, the Urdu theatre play “Khudkhushi se pehle ” was performed, written by Bee Gul and directed by Khalid Ahmed. The cast included Nazar ul Hasan, Tariq Raja, Hanif Khan, and Sumaira Ali, who delivered strong performances. The play was a multi-dimensional production incorporating dialogue, movement, music, and poetry.