Manto Festival to commence in Alhamra Arts Council Lahore today

After so many controversies and rumored cancellations, the Alhamra Arts Council in Lahore is finally holding the Manto Festival, starting today on January 29th and 30th. The event will celebrate Saadat Hasan Manto and will be held under the supervision of the Lahore Arts Council.

According to Express Tribune, an official at Alhamra Arts said, “ There have been numerous literary discussions and events on Manto’s life which both local and international fans have attended. However, the current administration earlier decided to cancel the festival for no good reason.”

Plays will be performed as part of the two day festival in Lahore. Ajoka Theatre, Azad Theatre, Aks and Maas Foundation have been invited to present drama performances based on Manto’s works.

The Manto Festival was previously going to take place on January 14 to 17. It was canceled after concerns over the ‘bold nature’ of the author’s work. However, protests regarding the canceled released on Nandita Das’s film Manto and condemnation for Alhamra’s administration for calling off the festival resulted in the administration rethinking and postponing the festival.

The protests were led by Salima Hashmi (daughter of Faiz Ahmed Faiz) senior journalist Hussain Naqi, Hassnain Jameel, Farooq Tariq, and others.