Lok Virsa competence programme for art, culture starts

The National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage, Lok Virsa in collaboration with Norway has started the programme of competence building of heritage museum and music exchange programme with emphasis on school concerts. Under the programme, three museum personnel from Lok Virsa proceeded to Oslo on Saturday to obtain advance training in museum conservation techniques from renowned Norwegian museum Norsk Folkemuseum, Oslo.
They would have extensive interactions and learning under the supervision of museum experts in Norway and would return within a month, Executive Director, Lok Virsa, Khalid Javaid, said while talking to APP. In its second programme between Lok Virsa and Riksconsertene, two Pakistanis Muhammad Ajmal, tabla player and Shaukat Manzoor Ali, folk artist and harmonium player are also leaving for Oslo on October 20th.
During their stay in Oslo, they will hold interactive workshops with Norwegian musicians including Rikke van Ommeren, accordion player, Marie Forr Klapbakken, violin player, Nina Fjeldet, violin player and Audun Fremmerlid Skjolberg, guitar player and vocalist and perform in different schools in Norway in fusion with Norwegian musicians. In school concerts, children of 7 to 15 years of age belonging to Norwegian and resident Pakistani families in Norway would be the audience of the musicians.
Previously under this activity, Pakistani traditional drummer (dholi) Saghir Hussain from Jehlum participated in the school concerts. In February, a workshop on "Keeping Traditions Alive" was also organised in Norway with Pakistani sarangi player Taimur Khan and table player Muhammad Ajmal. After return of the Lok Virsa delegation, Norwegian experts are also likely to visit Pakistan to work with Lok Virsa personnel and hold school concerts.
Under the umbrella cultural pact between the government of Pakistan and Norway, a Joint Institutional Co-operation Programme was initiated between Lok Virsa and Riksantikvaran (Norwegian Directorate of Cultural Heritage-NDCH). It held with an objective to enhance cross-cultural understanding between the people of Norway and Pakistan, based on the principles of peace, tolerance and harmony.
The programmes also involves other Pakistani and Norwegian institutions within the framework of this co-operation. The significant programme activities revolve around research and documentation, institutional strengthening of Lok Virsa Heritage Museum, exchange of exhibitions, programmes and promotion, institutional strengthening and competence building within Lok Virsa and innovative activities.
The preceding year became successful as a whole in terms of the fact that a number of new activities which were initiated by Lok Virsa in consultation with Norwegian partners within the approved framework, are becoming more and more popular and also proving beneficial for the local/ethnic groups, artisans, and artist communities.