Baacha Khan Trust Educational Foundation

The need for promotion and preservation of culture, arts and heritage of Pakhtunkhwa (NWFP) was never as severe as it is now. Culture being the most effective means of communication, can serve as potent instruments. Art, Culture and Heritage cut through diverse rigid attitudes to foster understanding and reflection. Culture is a unifying feature between different cultural groups of the province. People of Pakistan (Particularly of Pakhtukhwa) have suffered immensely due to war and conflicts in the region during last three decades. The prevalent extremism and hostility towards Art and Culture has created a vacuum that has been filled either by extremist forces, violence or foreign vulgarized cultural interventions purely commercial in nature, there for alien and harmful to our way of life. The existing situation offers a unique opportunity to reinvigorate the culture and traditions a counter – measure to religious extremism and intolerance. In this regard, a pilot project, the introduction of cultural activities in schools at primary level will lay a strong foundation for the promotion and preservation of culture and integrate different religious and cultural groups of the province.

Given the fragile nature of the political situation in NWFP, with increased militarization and basis for fundamentalist Taliban forces in the communities, the “Culture for Social Change “program can be seen as a soft, but powerful weapon against the Taliban and an alternative tool to development, to building self-esteem, building on positive values and as a way to build stronger linkages between concerned communities and the government for peace in the region. However, due to security and other risk factors in NWFP, there is a need for a step by step approach.  Thus the BKTEF Pilot project for The Promotion and Preservation of Arts, Culture and Heritage of Pakhtunkhwa (NWFP) has been visualized in response to and based on the Programmatic Framework for Norway’s Culture Cooperation in NWFP.

The Baacha Khan Trust Educational Foundation (BKTEF) has a network of 12 schools spread over various districts including FATA and has also established a professional Development Academy in Peshawar. The foundation is well equipped and has professional staff in its head office at Peshawar and is capable of undertaking the proposed project. The pilot shall revolve around the following framework;

1. Establishing the culture resource cell
2. Introducing culture to the school system
3. Strengthening Traditional community cultural institutions
4. establishing opportunities for youth to access new media
5. Strengthening cultural/social exchange and interaction amongst communities in NWFP