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An honest review of the Lahore Literary Festival

How did LLF 2017 fare with last-minute venue changes and security hazards?
Updated 06 Mar, 2017

This year's Lahore Literary Festival had to contend with last-minute venue changes and security hazards. How did it fare despite the disruption?

A brief review below.

1) A bomb blast in Lahore meant LLF had to be rescheduled, relocated and remixed within 48 hours so that it was safe for people to attend. This is admirable.

Kamila Shamsie and Daniyal Mueenuddin
Kamila Shamsie and Daniyal Mueenuddin

Rejiggering a three-day festival that takes the better part of a year to plan is no small feat. It would’ve been easier, logistically at least, to cancel the festival altogether. Yet this didn’t happen, and people who chose to ignore their security concerns in favour of hearing Teju Cole or Mohsin Hamid or Kamila Shamsie speak were rewarded for their effort.

Of course, by the time the bomb went off, team LLF was deeply invested in the festival (foreign panellists had already arrived! Talks had been scheduled!) and calling it off would’ve meant a hit to the fest’s credibility. So it wasn’t just security or a proximity to the arts that was at stake. But still, kudos to the team for pulling it off.

2) Featuring Michael Palin was random but it worked.

Michael Palin (of Monty Python fame) with a fan
Michael Palin (of Monty Python fame) with a fan

Looking at LLF’s schedule one might ask: how is Michael Palin (of Monty Python fame) relevant to Pakistan... or to contemporary conversations on anything, pretty much? I know I did.

But you know what? It didn’t really matter that he wasn’t the most timely or incisive speaker. His presence added a certain nostalgic value that operated entirely outside the realm of politics, meaning it was a welcome respite from the heaviness of the day. Palin’s talk was a throwback that didn’t try to be anything other than what it was: a satisfying indulgence. And maybe for this reason alone, it worked.

3) Mohsin Hamid shouldn’t have been paired with Teju Cole.

Teju Cole and Mohsin Hamid
Teju Cole and Mohsin Hamid

In possibly one of the fest’s most-awaited talks, Mohsin Hamid was paired with Nigerian-American writer Teju Cole.

And while it was a treat to hear them speak... they really shouldn’t have been speaking exclusively to each other. The session begged for a moderator’s gentle nudges and occasional outright redirection. Without this the two writers’ meandering conversation became insular. Being confident, erudite personalities they each spoke the other’s language well but often forgot to direct their exchange at the audience. I got the impression that I, along with other spectators, was an uninvited guest pressed up against Hamid’s living room window eavesdropping on an intimate chat he was having with Teju over drinks. It’s the kind of voyeurism that gets old quickly.

So it wasn’t surprising that the session really kicked off in the question and answer session. Faced with questions from a third party the writers began to express themselves more clearly. That’s when Teju began passionately holding forth on what it means to be a black man in today’s America and how he means to navigate Trumpism. I wish the question and answer session had lasted longer.

4) The session ‘Art in the Age of Fascism’ featuring Molly Crabapple with Salima Hashmi was excellent.

Salima Hashmi and Molly Crabapple
Salima Hashmi and Molly Crabapple

If we speak of relevance, well, you don’t get more relevant than this. It’s hard to host a lit fest today without questioning literature’s ability to get us through this present surge in populist nationalism. Paired with Salima Hashmi, American artist and illustrator Molly Crabapple spoke of how art can be used to stand against authoritarian regimes, and in this was a lesson for us all.

Her statement that “for art to mean anything under authoritarianism artists cannot ensconce themselves in wealthy enclaves. Art must go out into the streets...” might just be a good jumping–off point for discussions on the future of lit fests in Pakistan.

5) Ayesha Jalal made no apologies for being the smartest person onstage. This was great but also awkward.

Ayesha Jalal and William Dalrymple
Ayesha Jalal and William Dalrymple

Ayesha Jalal is a brilliant scholar, this is widely known. A note for the uninitiated: she also doesn’t mince words, suffer fools, or hesitate to correct people who diverge from her opinion. In the context of a lit fest this means pains must be taken to pair her with a co-host or moderator equipped to handle her searing intelligence and quick wit.

I couldn’t help but feel William Dalrymple wasn’t up to the task. A competent commentator in his own right, Dalrymple’s style – which depends on twinkling charm and good humour – couldn’t stand up to Jalal’s unapologetic focus on substance. Early on in their discussion Dalrymple misquoted a fact and was swiftly correctly by Jalal. He appeared thrown.

This wasn’t the only way Dalrymple was underutilised or misused. I felt he would’ve been more valuable on a panel discussing litfests in South Asia rather than one rehashing 70 years of Pakistan.

Still, listening to Ayesha Jalal is always invigorating. It’s a pleasure to watch a woman confidently own her success without worrying about offending the man she might inadvertently be discombobulating.

6) Mohsin Hamid’s talk with Dwight Garner was excellent.

Mohsin Hamid and Dwight Garner
Mohsin Hamid and Dwight Garner

A book critic at The New York Times, Dwight Garner proved a skilled moderator. He asked probing questions so affably that Hamid was put at ease and began to talk with refreshing candour. Hamid spoke at length about his process, his personal life, his fears and reservations... the whole talk was a series of fascinating insights and really brought to the fore the importance of competent moderation.

7) Local heroes were celebrated and that's important.

LLF did its part in honouring local heroes by organising a session on one of Pakistan's greatest humanitarians Abdul Sattar Edhi and awarding a lifetime achievement award to SIUT's Dr Adeeb Rizvi, who has dedicated his life to providing free public healthcare to millions in Karachi and beyond.

8) LLF’s truncated schedule featured some speakers twice. This felt unfair.

The revised LLF schedule could have accommodated more of the axed panellists
The revised LLF schedule could have accommodated more of the axed panellists

Team LLF had to axe a whole day’s worth of sessions to create a new truncated agenda. And yet, even though time and speaking spots was scarce several panellists appeared in more than one session.

This shouldn’t have been the case for anyone except the fest’s headliners. I can think of at least two sessions that could’ve been rejiggered to include axed panellists – or could’ve been done away with entirely to include book launches that never were.

9) Venue changes and security issues meant LLF was mostly just attended by the elite and their friends.

Who's to blame for this one? Had the event been held at the Alhamra as planned instead of at Faletti’s I’m sure Lahoris from a wide range of backgrounds and persuasions would’ve felt welcome.

But things being as they were, the audience at LLF comprised mostly of the elite. It was a sad reminder of how much more we need to do to make art and literature relevant to Pakistan.

Next year team LLF might want to have a solid Plan B and Plan C in place well in advance on the off chance security concerns make hosting the event at Alhamra untenable.

Comments

MB Mar 01, 2017 12:12pm
The bulk of LLF should be in Urdu to make it accessible beyond elite circles
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AGHA PASHA Mar 01, 2017 12:12pm
Well done in such a short time and notice.
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Mehr Mar 01, 2017 12:29pm
Why doesnt LLF call Karachi based writers? Like Nadeem F Paracha, Mohammed Hanif etc?
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Mehr Mar 01, 2017 12:31pm
Btw, great review :)
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M. Emad Mar 01, 2017 03:36pm
Over 4,000 new books published in the month-long Dhaka 2017 Ekushey Book Fair and Literary Festival (1 - 28 February).
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Mehr Mar 01, 2017 04:42pm
So many Karachi writers missing from LLF? What gives? What is keeping them away?
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Maria Mar 01, 2017 05:53pm
Beautiful, am deeply impressed!
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JAMIL SOOMRO, NEW YORK CITY Mar 01, 2017 06:21pm
@M. Emad You only and always talk about Bangla. You have never appreciated anything good happening in Pakistan or connected with Pakistan, why?. My heartiest congratulations to the Organizers of the Lahore Literary Festival for holding the Festival with the participation of the International Personalities.
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YOlo Mar 01, 2017 07:18pm
Super review! Felt like I was there though I'm a zillion miles away geographically..sigh.
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Asif A Shah Mar 01, 2017 09:17pm
@MB The world famous books have not been translated in Urdu, therefore, the bulk of LLF cannot be in Urdu. However, if you prefer " Bashti Zevar" to have a conspicous place at LLF then your quest for prominence of Urdu language can be addressed.
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Naveed Rehan Mar 01, 2017 10:03pm
I wonder if this festival was more about history and politics than about literature. And though literature includes history and politics, it involves a lot more than that.
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bond Mar 01, 2017 10:46pm
Asia is full of literally figures then why invite so many whites - inferiority complex I guess?
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A Mar 01, 2017 10:52pm
I love books and I love the way things went there. Very well done to the organisers. I hope we get more of the events like these.
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Fauzia Zubair Mar 02, 2017 08:42am
An excellent review. It covers all aspects of the event and I feel well-informed. Thanks Hamna.
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Reader Mar 02, 2017 09:55am
Any Punjabi, Sindhi or other language books discussed?
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shereen Mar 03, 2017 01:35pm
@Asif A Shah and have you read any prose or potery by Jon Elia.... its in Urdu fyi. Unfair to assume that people reading local languages favour baheshti zever alone.
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tahira naqvi Mar 04, 2017 11:19pm
There was a good panel on the Marsiya, and was in Urdu, but Ms.Zubair has chosen not to mention it. Quite possibly she was attending other more "interesting" panels during this time slot.
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