News Analysis |
American DJ Diplo is all set to bring Mad Decent Block Party to Pakistan in February 2018. Major Lazer announced that part of the earning from the concert would be donated to an NGO ‘Sahil’ that works for child protection in Pakistan.
The trio states the donations will go in the name of Zainab Ansari, the eight-year-old victim of child sexual abuse from Kasur, Pakistan. Her death not only caused an outrage in Pakistan but shook the international community too.
Frieha Altaf, a goodwill ambassador of Sahil contacted Diplo and they subsequently agreed to donate a part of the proceedings to support the organization.
In the West, most celebrities are associated with a certain charity and they take part in various activities, such as game shows, to raise money for them and support different causes. We need a similar culture here to address these issues seriously.
Mad Decent Block Party, which is an international musical event, makes it’s way to Pakistan for the first time. Joining Diplo’s world-renowned music group Major Lazer will be local Pakistani artists Adil Omar and Talal Qureshi who have made a name for themselves by performing at international festivals like South by Southwest.
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Apart from them, lesser-known local artists like rap group Lyari Underground, Shamoon Ismail, and rapper from Islamabad Mikail Murshed will all perform at the event on the 3rd of February. She has herself been in the news recently for intrepidly sharing her experience of being a victim of sexual abuse in childhood.
“Look, I am a small fry. I am behind the scenes creating celebrities, but I’m not a celebrity myself. So, we have established Catwalk Cares – a CSR division of Catalyst, to work towards several social issues in the country,” Altaf shared.
Shahzad Roy has been continuously making efforts for education for seven years. Ahsan Khan is doing his part through plays. Shoaib Mansoor has been a spokesperson for such causes.
“We have now joined hands with Sahil in the light of Zainab’s case. This is what I can do. All I have is my PR, and I can use it to help bring artists onboard and facilitate the process.”
Altaf says with greater unity our society could make tangible efforts to tackle the issue. “I just want to say that three women speaking up are not enough. We need more people talking about it and taking action,” she said.
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“Shahzad Roy has been continuously making efforts for education for seven years. Ahsan Khan is doing his part through plays. Shoaib Mansoor has been a spokesperson for such causes. In the West, most celebrities are associated with a certain charity and they take part in various activities, such as game shows, to raise money for them and support different causes. We need a similar culture here to address these issues seriously.”