20 BRITISH COUNCIL & INTBAU PAKISTAN PRESENTS

22

EMPOWERISTAN
PAKISTAN'S
CLIMATE-SMART, WOMEN-CENTRED
EMPOWERMENT

MARCH 21-25,
2022 PAK/UK FRIENDSHIP
10AM - 7PM LONDON SEASON

GRANARY SQUARE, LONDON

IN-CONFIDENCE @ 2022
THE CONCEPT

All over the world, movements are gathering momentum to give women their equal due. Neither
the developed nor developing countries have achieved parity as yet. All nations are struggling
with how, who and when. Equality is a word used often in rhetoric but has been proved difficult to
achieve.

INTBAU Pakistan, in partnership with British Council, is launching EMPOWERISTAN- Pakistan's

movement for Gender Equality, Heritage & Environment, to celebrate and raise awareness about
all such initiatives and women who are trying to change this paradigm.

On 21st March 2022 a chain of events will be launched in Granary Square London including
celebration of March 23rd, Pakistan day. Here, the public will view and interact with climate-
resilient zero-carbon construction of a home and hearth. This is the work of the architect for the
poorest of the poor, Yasmeen Lari, who trains rural communities to self-build strong, efficient,
green structures on a budget. The women she has trained will be on site, building the award
winning Pakistan Chulah stove in the square, where they will cook and share the food and love of
Pakistan.

Pakistan and UK friendship season is being celebrated simultaneously. For five eventful days in
Granary Square London from March 21st-25th a series of discussions will take place with
empowered women, interspersed with showcasing of talent: painters, artists, folk dancers and
musicians to share the rich culture of Pakistan, all under the Bamboo LOG (Lari Octagreen)
pavilion and on the Pakistan Chulah.

We invite you to join this movement for gender equality, climate change innovation and heritage
and cultural protection, and show up in large numbers to make your presence felt at this
interactive event.
Celebration Plans

Pakistan (PAK) is celebrating its milestone 75th anniversary of Independence. The British
Council will run a PAK-UK Season to highlight the connections between UK and PAK, their
contemporary context, their future and shared history. Our activities will be part of the
Season programming, showcasing the central role of women in revolutionising climate
resilient and sustainable architecture.

The PAK/UK Season will include strategic programming to celebrate the anniversary with
partners and highlight the significant cultural wealth of both countries. It will showcase
contemporary perspectives, providing professional engagement opportunities for cultural
and educational sectors. The Season will facilitate collaborations, focusing on voices from an
emerging generation of artists and young leaders, and creating platforms for exchange in
areas including Arts, Education, Heritage, Climate Resilience and Women and Girls. The aim is
to increase cultural engagement, improve perception of Pakistan in the UK and open doors
for UK diaspora and non-diaspora communities to engage through exchanging knowledge
and expertise in designated areas.

We are planning to build a "Lari OctaGreen" pavilion LOG as an example of a green initiative
of resilience and zero carbon architecture. Next to it we are placing the award-winning
Pakistan Chulah at the Granary Square and we are hosting activities around this e.g.
programming around women, food and climate resilient construction drawn from vernacular
traditions and the processes that equip women for building their habitat/amenities, including
the Pakistan Chulah itself e.g. rolling, mixing and familiarity with materials. A series of
talks/discussions highlighting the role and importance of women in preparing communities
for the impact of climate change based on cultural traditions particularly the green craft skills
that are passed on to women from their mothers and their mothers before them - it’s a
chance to create some unique activations around it to involve the public, around the earthen
platform, including engagement of the Pakistani diaspora, particularly youth and women.
HAND-MADE & ZERO CARBON

LARI OCTAGREEN-
LOG
Young Female architects being trained to build prefab bamboo
structures.
Hand-crafted, Self-built Earthen Pakistan Chulah Stove Rotis

While construction of the Pakistan Chulah Stove and LOG will be taking place in Granary Square, on
March 26-27th along with other cultural activities, the LOG after being dismantled will be
reconstructed in HRH Prince of Wales Estate Highgrove.

Pakistan will provide its cultural offerings to familiarize the people with its country and its people.
Those visitors participating in the interactive programmes will be offered momentous as a
remeberance of the occasion.

There will be cooking demos by the women of Pakistani and its diaspora who will make, and
encourage visitors to also pitch in to make parathi/rotis, both with savoury herbs as well as sweet
jaggery ones and chai. No food makes sense without entertainment so singing sessions will fill the
air along with folk dance sessions. Aside from these there will be:

1. Musicians on site
2. Painters/artists sessions
3. Crafters on site
4. Mehndi applications
5. Choorian on display
6. Clay Products
7. Hopscotch/Shtapoo
8. Kites on display
9. Skits & performances
10. Dastangoi (story telling)
ZERO CARBON, WORLD HABITAT WINNER 2008

PAKISTAN CHULAH
Providing dignity for women, better health for children
and improved environment.

THE PAKISTAN CHULAH IS BUILT WITH

EARTH/LIME BRICKS & STRAW.
Rural women are being trained in making their own homes,
earthen stoves and terracotta tiles for income generation.
Tapestries

The tapestries that will hang in the LOG pavilion will speak volumes about
who these Pakistani women are and how they live in the varied
geographical locations. Artists par excellence - they will be celebrated for
their creativity and their enterprising spirit. The hand-crafted items are a
legacy that is being passed on to generations and generation of mothers.
These crafts hold histories, stories and colours of their ancestors.

The LOG pavilion will have 6 tapestries from Pakistan provinces:

Sindh
Balochistan
Punjab
Khyber Pukhtunkhwa- KP
Gilgit Baltistan
Kashmir
2 tapestries will be provided by our partners in Bangladesh.

These hand-made embroideries are a montage of the variety of stitches

that exist in the regions. From 'rillis' (patch work) to mirror work to hand-
died threads with chain stitch, marori gota to square chain and cretan, the
variety is mind boggling and a treat for the eyes.

This passion to bring these diverse pieces together reflects the effort that is
being put together in crafting a space for the silent presence of these
powerful women and their offerings.
5 days of free interactive action-
packed activities around
earthen Pakistan Chulah Stove
and Lari OctaGreen (LOG)
Bamboo Pavilion

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

15-20 March: Erection and display of decorated

Pakistan Chulah at Granary Square by Mirpur Khas
female artisans.

18-20 March: Construction of bamboo LOG (Lari Octa Green)

in Granary Square, London by 12 female students (3 Pakistan,
3 Bangladesh, 6 UK).

21-25 March: Inauguration of PAK?UK/ Season and

Celebration of the Pakistan Day 23rd March – Activities around
LOG and chulah stove.

24-25 March: Presentation at INTBAU Congress in London of

Bangladesh BC-HF-BRAC activity conducted in 2021

25 March: Dismantling and transportation of LOG from

Granary Square.

26-27 March: Erection of LOG at HRH Prince of Wales

Highgrove Estate, London by 12 female students (3 Pakistan, 3
Bangladesh, 6 UK).
Creators of resilient communities
and the backbone of nations.
Sponsorship Required
Cost of tapestry panels (4’3”x 6’8” each) to be prepared from women’s crafts from 6
different provinces.
Marquee, LED Screen and audio system in both Granary Square and Highgrove.
Lighting Requirements for evening at both places
Decorations and Signages.
Making, packaging and transportation of indigenous prizes such as clay tiles.
Ingredients and utensils for cooking demos (tawas, rolling pins, pans, woven chabbas
(baskets).
Stipend for folk dancers and singers to perform daily.
Purchasing of clay, mehndi, kites, painting materials, bangles
Biodegradable leaf plates and clay mugs for food service.
Bins for disposing used items.
Cost of expert for compiling documentaries of the events.
Compilation/editing of various videos on sights and sounds of Pakistan to run on loop.
Travel costs of core event, experts and artisans team.
Local transportation of volunteers.
Accommodation for team.
Food catering for volunteers and team at Granary Square.
Marketing Material- Banners and Social Media ads.
Transportation of moulds for on-site clay crafts.
Transportation to, and setting up the above at, both venues.
Transportation of pieces and assembly and stitching in one place.
Transportation of panels to London.
 PARTNERS

In this endeavour we would like to record our warm thanks and appreciation to our
Bangladesh partners from BRAC university and other institutions for their contribution in
nominating their female students to build and dismantle the LOG at Granary square and
for re-erecting it at High Grove in London.

https://www.intbau.org/chapters/pakistan/
shanaz.ramzi@starlinks.pk
+92 (0)334 3989335
+44 (0)7469231868