Folk puppet festival to keep alive waning craft

ISLAMABAD, Nov 23 (APP): The Rafi Peer Theater Workshop is all set to hold its Folk Puppet Festival from November 27 to maintain the identity of the waning folk craft.
“There was a time when puppetry was considered as the main source of entertainment for rural class as the puppet theaters use to attract the audience through thought provoking and lesson oriented stories presented by colorful costumed puppets. But with the passage of time the identity of puppet theaters faded and this festival is an annual attempt to keep this
identity alive,” said the organizers.
Rafi Peer Theater Workshop in collaboration with the Royal Norwegian Embassy will present the Folk Puppet Festival 2015 which is the largest cultural event held in Pakistan and is dedicated to promoting folk arts and crafts. Since the inception of the Folk Puppet Festival 10 years ago, this platform has been instrumental in bringing the cultural heritage of Pakistan back to the mainstream.
In a grand celebration of cultural performances from around Pakistan, the Folk Puppet Festival is set to be a delightful display of music, puppetry, dance and crafts.
The festival will showcase a large collection of puppets from all the nations to be displayed at one place. It is a unique festival where the master pieces of puppeteers from different cultures and backgrounds will be exhibited for students, connoisseurs and followers of this art form.
“Such events promote human values such as peace and mutual understanding between people, regardless of race, political or religious convictions and differences in culture. The festival provides a forum for the promotion of puppetry through various means,” the organizers said.
The puppets shows will be live, active and vibrant entity with
a wide range of activities that will serve to preserve the folk puppet
theater as well as entertain the audience with infotainment.
With various facial expressions and reflection of the cultures
through their costumes, the puppets will allure the audience with their
glittering, royal and rural look that capture the glimpses of the faded
folk culture.