WORKSHOPS AUDIO VISUAL CULTURES By Zahra Hussain &Fatima Hussain We are interested in mapping processes of cultural practices and indigenous knowledge in instances of crisis or a rupture where common practices come to a complete halt and responses to the critical moments are introduced. Our research questions focus on how the indigenous knowledge is lost or displaced within such ruptures, if at all and how can it be revived, improvised and used for rehabilitation and reconstruction processes. Indigenous knowledge comes from analytical and experimental approaches to learning.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT There is a rising need to revisit our approach to academia that contributes to critical awareness and sound co-shaping of our shared environment. Encouraging interdisciplinary academic discourse, Laajverd initiates its visiting school that responds to conditions of ‘crises’. Crises are instants of shifting modalities – they mark points of change in a multilayered program. It is a specific period of time that is crucial in several ways of identification and determination of a system that is being regulated in an escalated force field. Combined systems of humans and nature are convoluted in terms of how they anticipate and respond to disturbed environments: disasters and conflict zones. The capacity to deal with the types of uncertainties and surprises requires innovative approaches, creative combinations of strategies, and the ability to adapt to the changing environment. The governance of such areas is exercised by the state and the development sector that deals with the conflict that arises due to the crises. Often, disaster zones prove as a fertile ground for the conflict to foster. How does the creative and developmental faculty respond actively to shifting environments? This intensive invites the creative and developmental faculty, students and field experts to join this visiting school in chalking out a more effective academic methodology. Based on the project Academy for democracy (AFD), Laajverd’s visiting school encourages interdisciplinary academic discourse that employs creative negotiation as a method to address the communities undergoing conflict. AFD is a practice led research project that aims to analyze, understand and refine the role of the creative faculty in order to equip them with the precise body of knowledge that will aid them during humanitarian activities. Experimental cooperation across disciplinary boundaries exemplified in this project seeks to address the educational skills needed to tackle the critical environmental and humanitarian challenges. The immediate goal of the AFD 2014 is to collaboratively engage with the community under study in order to analyse the context and experiment multiple ways of reconciliation. The research and seminar topics are designed by instructors from different fields that not only present a broader understanding of the subject under study but aims to experiment with the various ways in which we perceive the human condition within the geo-fabric.
By Zahra Hussain
By Hyder MI & Hala Bashir Malik The built environment is the result of a number of processes that have come together over time in service of man. These processes include both social and technical parameters, both of which work together to produce a final spatial entity that becomes useful, mainly as shelter. When thinking about ideas of mitigation, reconstruction, rehabilitation or resettlement, one must wary of the meaning they imply. The real challenge is to be able to deploy these ideas without falling into the pit of opportunistic development, and to be able to derive sustainable solutions using limited resources.
ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY Saeed Abbass-WWF The workshop is conducted as a Nature Walk in the beautiful valley of Naltar due to its rich bio diversity; wetlands, bird species, glaciers and wild life. On the larger region of GB, the group has been exposed to the effects of Karakoram Highway on the natural environment of Karakoram ranges and valleys on the glaciers, water management systems, agro-pastoral lands, Alpine Forests and the movement of human settlemets to higher altitudes causing conflicts between wild life species and livestock. The Nature Walk is followed by a discussion on Bio Diversity in GB area.
CLIMATE CHANGE & DISASTER MANAGEMENT Fatima Yamin Laajverd Visiting School 2014 is an excellent initiative developed for emerging graduates as an inter-disciplinary insight into the various dimensions of built environment and the socio-cultural interactions that exist within. The workshops on disaster management and climate change exclusively focused on the impact of geographical hazards existing in the environment and atmosphere. In addition to the scientific aspects of these impact, it also highlighted the effects of socio-economic and cultural interactions on the geographical factors..
LAAJVERD VISITING SCHOOL 2014
SHARMA
INDIGENOUS CARPET MAKING
TERRITORIAL CRISIS
Huma Tassawwur
UTILIZING THE 60%
Zahra Hussain
APRICOT PRODUCTION IN HUNZA Faryal Arif
My research was on the locally produced handmade carpets called Sharma. This is the traditional carpet of Hunza, manufactured and produced locally. From the yarn, which is made from the hair of the local mountain goats, to the local design and aesthetics of Hunza. What led me into my research on Sharma was the fact that there was a cultural shift to be seen in Hunza, mainly due to the rise ofeducation and the awareness of its importance in people, leading to, along with other things, a decrease in the production and manufacturing of Sharma in households. As mentioned earlier, the Sharma is all handmade, of yarn, which is made of goat hair. (This yarn is mostly used in it’s natural colors but it could also be used in color with the help of chemical dying.) People themselves made it, for themselves, in their houses. And around a decade ago, a local from Aliabad Hunza invented the spinning wheel which made the process of making the yarn from the goat hair easier. During the research I found out the introduction of Handmade Carpets in Hunza. These carpets are handmade but not Sharma. The handmade carpet is made from sheep wool, which is not locally produced or manufactured, in fact it is brought from Peshawar, Islamabad and other cities due to its unavailability in Hunza. Not only that but the design and aesthetics or even the color schemes are all predetermined by the retailers or the carpet shopkeepers who are given the designs by the prospect customers or people who take these carpets and sell them in cities. Hence, proving that the locals are now just being used as laborers, doing unskilled manual work and not using any of their local design sense and incorporating it in the production of the product. Ironically, in 1994 when the Handmade carpet production was introduced in Hunza by the AKCSP, simultaneously KADO started the Sharma Rehabilitation center. The Sharma Rehabilitation Center, as the name suggests, is a place for the mentally disabled men who come here to make the Sharma, using their own aesthetics and traditional designs, and is then marketed locally as well as to the tourist market. After conducting this research I came up with an implication of transition, which could be the new infusion of foreign design with local craft. My proposition is that, what if, the effort put in developing a new way of carpet making was put into the indigenous craft of making Sharmas?
My major concern is the preservation of the social and cultural heritage of the people of Hunza by providing them with assistance to utilize and benefit from their own natural resources. My research topic is the apricot grown in the Hunza valley. The effects of the after-math were not only the loss of housing – swallowed by the ensuing lake – but of lifestyle. That caused a major setback to the socio-economic position: from a self-sufficient people to the status of internally-Displaced-Persons. It is important to engage these IDPs – of the Attabad Lake disaster – in a process of rehabilitation that may help them resettle and re-engage into their system of life, with minimum alterations, before their previous identities are completely transformed. To me, the fruit in Hunza is the real jewel of the valley. The exquisite apricot is at the head of the list. Apricot alone has an immense amount of potential. Naturally packed with many nutrients, having great medicinal properties, and of course delicious to taste, makes it a favorite. Only forty percent of that is utilized while the remaining sixty percent plainly wasted. This usually happens due to poor protection of the fruit at the point of reaping and inadequate transportation down to the plains, and poor packing engendering the fermentation. What measures can we take for the arising problems? Not enough products are being made to consume and maximize the usage of this precious fruit. There are plenty of ways and production ideas to choose from. But we must choose those that favor the local environment and society. During this research I discovered that the “Red Zone” areas of Sarat and Attabad still had some agricultural land but people either refuse to budge or go back to this cultivable land for lack of money. There is the proposal to utilize these areas as communal farming zones where apricot trees may be planted, densely, not just to hold land from sliding into the river but also to provide affected people with some farming-work opportunity – helping themselves to get back to normality in life. Another idea is to establish small setups that produce organic apricot jam, chutney, and pickle. One popular apricot product is its oil, extracted from the kernel. Beauty products like handmade soap, body-lotion, cream and balm can be the by-products. Made of natural ingredients these can quickly make a niche among the beauty-conscious masses in the plains, and elsewhere. Hunza is a unique place blessed with the abundance of nature and beautiful people who have a deep connection with their land evident from their history and customs. It is important for the people of this valley to be able to benefit from their cultivation in more ways than already undertaken.
STAYING AFLOAT Abdullah Aslam
Almost 5 years on, many IDPs are still without a permanent home. Administratively, there has been no solution for their plight, as almost all habitable land in the region is already inhabited. However, due to the KKH’s importance vis-à-vis Pak-China trade (and for Chinese trade in especially), the submerged portion of the KKH is being substituted with a 9km tunnel and multiple bridges. Recently, the Fisheries and Wildlife Department in collaboration with AKRSP have released 20,000 trout into the lake, with a view to licensed fishing in the next few years. There are also plans to build a PTDC motel, exploiting the view of such a large and pristine body of water. Given the status quo, it is largely possible that the IDPs will remain IDPs even while commercial and touristic activity increases, with extreme potential to damage the socio-cultural and environmental fabric of the area. It is therefore imperative to find innovative approaches to the problems of housing the IDPs respectfully and permanently, while making sure that they have a stake in tourist activities in the region, which themselves are not short-term cash grabs but sensitive to their context and that over time add value to the area.
ME BESAN CHE CHAN? WHAT DO WE EAT Batool Ali Hunza a beautiful valley full of vast colours of life and culture lies in the Northern land of Pakistan. Hunza is famous for its ripe and juicy apricots, mouth watering apples and dry fruits and fresh vegetables which include scrumptious potatoes, pumpkins, spinach and cabbages. These crops and fruits contain energy to fulfill their nutritional requirements. Attabad Lake is a glorious reminder of beauty and tragedy that started on 4th January 2010 and has not ended yet as the people of Gojal valley still are displaced and in a way still facing a life of hardship and chaos. Their unsuitable temporary placement caused a lot of damage to their routine and the government did more because they did not have any means to buy the right food or to buy a land to make a home because all the funds the Chinese’s people had given was spent on various of things like clothes, schooling, and for daily needs. The stove given as a temporary cooking range was not the one which the women’s were used to make their local food in for example; Phitti their daily bread which they used to have in breakfast is made on a stone oven or electrical one (but they did not have the funds to buy one). So to some up all this is simple. People were displaced hence no land, no orchids, no vegetable, no live stock so no milk (the Chinese people gave milk powder but that gave the people more problems and costly visits to the doctor with stomach issues) then, what do the people eat?
DEATH OF THE CRAFT WOOD WORKSHOP WITH CIQAM Wajid Ali When I started to research on Handicrafts, there were so many questions that came to mind. E.g: What are their Traditional Crafts and why they are not making them now? And what the main reasons to craft utilitarian goods? Importance of this Craft in the Region Every settler of Hunza Valley needs to work for the revival of the disappearing crafts. Design Need: to fulfill their needs only? Desire: to gain capital? It was a great day in wood workshop (established by the Norwegian Government) with students, who are learning design and skills as carpenters. They worked on different product mainly: chairs, doors, frames, tables, door panels, windows, frames, beds, cupboards, bookshelves, racks, stools, staircases etc. They use different kind of woods for different products. But I was little disappointed to know that they are wasting 40% of the wood while they produce these mentioned products. Proposition This 40% wood can be used for the decorative items like: lamps, trophies, souvenirs, toys, cooking sets, plates, ash trays, candle stands, wooden key chains and many other things.
Employment opportunity promises a better future for the affected. Since the lake poses a huge challenge for transportation and communication, food items and other packaged goods have being transported from China. Everyday household use items are laden with Chinese names and instructions for use hence teaching the local people the basics of Chinese language. Shops too have Chinese items symbols on their boards. The Chinese population in Gojal has also increased in the recent past for the highway tunnel project due to which the visual culture resembles that of a Chinese regional province. Chinese presence in Gojal has increased and strengthened in the past few years. Pro-Chinese sentiments are felt in Gojal valley for they have been saved, favoured and helped by the Chinese government in the times of crises and are being supported by the Chinese Government even now through employment opportunity and limited relief goods. The Chinese government did not stop at relief efforts but also introduced an apparatus for rehabilitation; employment through the new transport link construction project. Gojal’s local population does not direct the same sentiments towards Hunza/or Pakistani Government as they feel a strong neglect and lack of communication from the other side of the Attabad lake. The lake acts as a border that restricts access, communication and control of the province on the other side of the lake. With limited area and Pakistani population between the lake and the Khunjerab pass (Pak-China border), Gojal becomes a “ liminal zone”. Although the Lake has become an obstruction or is more likely seen as one, it is required that the link with Gojal from this side of the Lake is established again. The lake should be used an opportunity, a junction, a point of intersection, rather than a border that cuts the places, people and cultures apart. Attabad Lake, the beautiful water body between mountains holds great potential for the affected people around it as a natural reservoir and a scenic place. Efforts should be directed towards bringing the people around the lake/affected by the lake together to gather around it, exchange a dialogue of potential progress about it rather than turn their backs and stay away from it.
SILK ROUTE AGRI Khurshid Khan
Attabad lake incident shaped up in to a disaster as it directly affects the livelihood of the people living in these areas disaster has directly affected the Karakorum Highway (KKH) and indirectly the Agriculture, Livestock, Forest. So the effect of this disaster are not just physical but also psychological as well. The negative impact of Attabad Disaster can be viewed as follows: a) From attabad destruction, the area of cultivation reduced. b) The excess quantity of agriculture output stopped. Promote Agriculture, Build Future: As agriculture is the primary source of income for the people of Hunza. So through promoting agriculture, the lives of Hunza people can be rebuilt without affecting their culture and heritage. The promotion of agriculture in Hunza is very easy because its people need only proper direction as they possess key knowledge of agriculture and their land. - Participation of women in agriculture: From ancient times women have been seen taking active part in agriculture along with men. The agriculture activities are mostly dependant on women because men have to do other tasks in order to fulfill day to day needs. - Training of agriculture: Training must be provided in the field of agriculture not only to farmers but to students as well. - Use of hybrid Seed - Kitchen Gardening and Tunnel Farming: The farming in Hunza is slightly random. There is no proper pattern of crops and fruits with respect to area. In some area, soil may be perfect for potato while some places can produce more fruits than vegetables. So therefore, the farmers must be supported through the identification of right crop for right place so that the productivity may be increased along with the promotion of systematic farming. Also kitchen gardening and tunnel farming be introduced which will improve agricultural output.
// LAAJVERD VISITING SCHOOL 2014 - LAAJVERD - COPYRIGHT TEXT & IMAGES // Contact: laajverd@gmail.com / web: lvs.laajverd.org // Director LVS: ZAHRA HUSSAIN // SUPPORTERS: IDARA-E-TALEEM-O-AGAHI, Saulat Hussain, Hyder MI SCHOLARSHIP //