IT was quite heartening to read your editorial on cultural freedom (April 28).

It was a most encouraging expression of the views held by those desirous of pursuing a career in or wishing to engage in the promotion of the performing arts. This matter has been neglected far too long and needs to be taken up seriously, from a united platform, by all groups and individuals involved in this field.

The weakest argument given by the establishment to maintain the status quo is that there has to be some check upon the danger of obscenity on stage practised by some people in the name of stage shows, which is giving the whole business such a bad name.

The fact of the matter is that such shows continue unabated and very profitably too, despite the draconian laws. This clearly proves that a bad law only makes the ‘cost of doing business’ higher, the gainers being the police and the underworld.

Performing arts are the most fragile kind of collaborative art to engage in and can be disrupted at any time by any a single incident, whether technical or human interaction-related.

Why should we be forever beholden to such an arbitrary application of the rules, giving such discretionary powers to the administration, whether it is the Press Information Department, to censor the script, the police to give clearance that the show will not cause civil unrest, the district commissioner for the final no-objection certificate and the Excise Tax Department for recovering the full tax, calculated at full capacity in advance without a single ticket being sold.

The absurdity of it is quite Kafkaesque but is understandable if we admit to the world that we as a people want no truck with the freedom of expression, cultural liberation or any kind of enlightened pursuits.

Any pertinent advice from the legal fraternity would be highly appreciated. It must let us know whether such laws can be challenged through a constitutional petition on grounds that our fundamental and basic rights as a community are being denied.

Until the this change is brought about effectively the debate on whether theatre is alive and kicking or why it is not flourishing will continue endlessly, leaving those involved in this art form languishing in the dungeons of obscurantism and rabid extremism. Still awaiting a new dawn.

SOHAIL MALIK
Producing Artistic Director
Karachi Drama Circle
Source: Dawn
Date:4/30/2010