Faiz Ahmed Faiz Centenary Celebrations
12th - 18th June 2011

As part of this year's centenary of the birth of the renowned Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz, The Drum Arts Centre and the Faiz Centenary National Organising Committee Birmingham have organised a programme of events commemorating the life and times of arguably the greatest South Asian poet of the 20th Century. The celebrations, that include a film, a symposium and a Mehfil-e-Mushaira, will run from 12th - 18th June 2011 in Birmingham.

About Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Faiz was a renowned Urdu poet from Pakistan. He was born in 1911 in British India in the small Punjabi village of Kala Kadar near Sialkot. Faiz was educated initially in a mosque school and then in Scott and Murray Mission School in Sialkot and he subsequently went to Lahore, graduating in English Literature (BA) and Arabic (MA). His mastery of four languages (Arabic, English, Persian and Urdu) enabled him to craft poetry of exquisite beauty in coming years.

In the 1930s, Faiz became active in the Progressive Writers’ Association, a powerful cultural movement that shaped the struggle against the British Empire in India. He also joined the Communist Party of India. After the partition of India in 1947, he remained committed to the movement and was influential in developing the newly-formed Communist Party of Pakistan.

Apart from a being great poet, Faiz edited several journals and newspapers, and authored film scripts and documentaries. His inspirational poetry and prose won him the accolade of being the first Asian poet to be awarded the Lenin Peace Prize in 1963, and he was also nominated for the Nobel Prize four times. His works have been translated into many languages including almost all the languages of the erstwhile Soviet Union, the Americas and China.

Faiz’s poetry has no bitterness. It articulates the aspirations, anguish, pain and suffering of not only the people of Pakistan but of the whole world, as well as reflecting their unremitting resolve to create a more just society. His was the voice of sanity, for he sought peace in a troubled world. He used his art and his colossal international status as a poet to fight for the rights of the poor, the dispossessed and the oppressed. With his work taking him all over the world, Faiz’s name became indelibly linked to progressive political causes and liberation struggles across the globe.

Lionised by the masses at home and abroad, Faiz nevertheless incurred the wrath of military dictatorships in Pakistan and spent many stints in prison for his political values and beliefs, eventually leading to periods of exile. It was whilst in exile that he spent time in Birmingham and developed close ties with the city and its people.

This year sees Faiz’s centenary being celebrated by his admirers across the globe and in many cities in the UK. Given Faiz’s special connection with the city of Birmingham, a group of like-minded individuals and organizations have come together to develop a programme of events aimed at broadening the scope of his contributions in the spheres of culture and politics in and beyond South Asia.

The programme of commemorative events is supported by the South Asian Alliance, a Birmingham based organisation dedicated to promoting understanding and harmony amongst Birmingham’s diverse communities, while other participating organisations include Fanoos Literary Society, Women Together and the Indian Workers’ Association. Through the programme of events, the Birmingham Faiz Centenary Committee seeks to project Faiz’s political ideals and the central concerns of his poetical work to a newer generation of young people.

Faiz Ahmed Faiz Birmingham Programme

Film: Faiz: a Poet in Troubled Times
Thursday 9th June 2011 7pm
Admission: £5 (£3 concessions)
At the Drum Arts Centre, Birmingham B6 4UU

This moving and revealing documentary on the life and times of the Pakistani national poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz, narrated by the writer and political activist Tariq Ali, has become a cult classic. Using archival and original footage including interviews with his family members, intellectuals and activists, and Faiz’s poetry itself, the film tells the story of how the writer, trade unionist and political activist used his creative endeavors to defend human rights and further the universal causes of social justice and liberty, and of his imprisonment and eventual exile.

Romantic Revolutionary: A symposium on the life and times of the People’s Poet, Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Sunday 12th June 2011, 3pm
Admission: £5 (£3 concessions)
At the Drum Arts Center, Birmingham B6 4UU

This special symposium brings together prominent academics, poets and political activists to mark and celebrate the life and poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Invited speakers include Abid Manto, I A Rehman, Raza Ali Abadi, Amin Mughal, Irfan Hussein, Dyal Singh Bhagri, Imran Bhinder,

Mehfil-e-Mushaira in memory of Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Saturday 18th June 2011, 2pm
Admission: £5 (£3 concessions)

At the Birmingham Library Theatre, Paradise Place, Birmingham City Centre
Organised by Fanoos Literary Society, this Mushaira promises to be one of the largest and most prominent gatherings of renowned poets in the United Kingdom. Birmingham poets will be joined by leading poets from all over the UK and abroad to pay homage and honor the memory of Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Taking inspiration from Faiz’s work, they will recite their poems and make reference to the impact and influence of Faiz on their poetry. Invited poets include Saqi Farooqi, Iftikhar Arif, Basir Kazmi, Safi Hassan, Raiz Majeed, and many others.
A must for all writers, poets, activists and connoisseurs of Urdu/Punjabi poetry.

About The Drum

The Drum is the national centre for Black British culture and arts, dedicated to developing and promoting the contemporary art and culture of British African, Asian and Caribbean communities. Through its various initiatives, The Drum continually strives to become a centre of national and international renown firmly rooted within its local community.