Ajoka Theatre (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

not-for-profit arts organization A not-for-profit arts organization, also known as a nonprofit arts organization, usually takes the form of a not-for-profit organization, association, or foundation. Such organizations are formed for the purpose of developing and promoting the wor ...

based in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

, with focus on producing and performing social theatrical stage productions, founded in 1984.Singh Bajeli, Diwan (2 February 2007
''A voice for peace and amity''
The Hindu The group was formed by director, actress and playwright,

Madeeha Gauhar Madeeha Gauhar (; 21 September 1956 – 25 April 2018) was a Pakistani TV and stage actress, playwright and director of social theater, and women's rights activist. In 1984, she founded Ajoka Theatre where social themes were staged in theat ...

at peak of the tensions during the state of emergency under the regime of General

Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, (Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial law in ...

. Ajoka Theatre received the prestigious

Prince Claus Award The Prince Claus Fund was established in 1996, named in honor of Prince Claus of the Netherlands. It receives an annual subsidy from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Fund has presented the international Prince Claus Awards annually si ...

in 2006 and the International Theatre Pasta Award in 2007. Since its inception, the group have staged many popular society critical pieces in theatres, on the streets and in public spaces, as well as in productions for television and on video. Ajoka Theatre has not only performed in Pakistan, but has also in the

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

n region, in countries like

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, as well as in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

.Prince Claus Fund
profile
/ref> The group focuses on promotion of a

just Just or JUST may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Just (surname) * Just (given name) Arts and entertainment * ''Just'', a 1998 album by Dave Lindholm * "Just" (song), a song by Radiohead * "Just", a song from the album ''Lost and Found'' by Mudvayne ...

humane Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, an ...

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...

and

equal Equal(s) may refer to: Mathematics * Equality (mathematics). * Equals sign (=), a mathematical symbol used to indicate equality. Arts and entertainment * ''Equals'' (film), a 2015 American science fiction film * ''Equals'' (game), a board game ...

society, alongside the subject of

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

in a society that is greatly dominated by men. The group's first ever theatrical performance was ''Jaloos (Procession)'' written by veteran Indian playwright

Badal Sarkar Sudhindra Sircar (Born 15 July 1925), also known as Badal Sarkar, was an influential Indian dramatist and theatre director, most known for his anti-establishment plays during the Naxalite movement in the 1970s and taking theatre out of the pros ...

. The style of Ajoka's performances can be characterised as an elaboration on the

oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985 ...

Bhand Bhānds (Devanagari: भांड; Urdu: بھانڈ, Gurmukhi: ਭੰਡ) are the traditional folk entertainers of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. In India and Nepal, the Bahand are now an endogamous Muslim community, which is no longer ...

and

Nautanki Nautanki is one of the most popular folk performance forms of South Asia, particularly in northern India. Before the advent of Bollywood (the Hindi film industry), Nautanki was the biggest entertainment medium in the villages and towns of north ...

that found a flourishing base in the area that currently overlaps the province of

. In spite of the Western education of Gauhar, she does not limit herself to classical Western theatre techniques. Instead, she mixes authentic Pakistani elements, combining it with contemporary sentiments.

History

Gauhar was born in 1956 in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

. After she obtained a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree in

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

, she moved to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

where she obtained another master's degree, in

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

sciences at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

.Rashed, Fariha (16 October 2005
''The Ajoka awakening''
/ref> In 1983, after returning to

, Gauhar and her husband

Shahid Nadeem Shahid Mahmood Nadeem ( ur, ; born 1947) is a Pakistani journalist, playwright, screenwriter, theater and television director, and a human rights activist. He served as the general manager, program director, and deputy managing director of ...

founded Ajoka Theatre, the first theatre group of significance there. In 2007, Ajoka performed a piece that was written and directed by Gauhar, called '' Burqavaganza'' (''

Burqa A burqa or a burka, or , and ur, , it is also transliterated as burkha, bourkha, burqua or burqu' or borgha' and is pronounced natively . It is generally pronounced in the local variety of Arabic or variety of Persian, which varies. Examp ...

-vaganza''), which led to great controversy. Actors dressed in burkas put themes on the stage like sexual discrimination, intolerance and fanaticism. From a Western perspective, the piece was a rather innocent performance on hypocrisy of a society that bathes in corruption. In her own country though, Members of Parliament called for a ban of it, and the Minister of Culture threatened with sanctions when it would be staged any longer. In spite of the ban,

non-governmental organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

s and

activists had the theatre piece translated into English and staged performances internationally as a sign of support to Ajoka. On 23 August 2008,

Alhamra Arts Council Alhamra Arts Council (also known as the Alhamra Hall, Alhamra Cultural Complex, Alhamra Art Gallery and Lahore Arts Council Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

(OUP) and written by

with the help of Ajoka. The book contains seven of his famous plays ''Teesri Dastak'', ''Barri'', ''Aik Thi Nani'', ''Kala Meda Bhes'', ''Dukhini'', ''Bulha'' and '' Burqavaganza''. The book again launched at the

Pakistan National Council of the Arts Pakistan National Council of the Arts ( ur, , or PNCA) was set up to spearhead the development of arts in Pakistan by an Act of Parliament in 1973. It aims to build a robust arts ecosystem by creating an environment conducive to the flourishi ...

(PNCA),

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...

on 25 August 2008 with the help of

Pakistan Academy of Letters The Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) ( ur, ) is a national academy with its main focus on Pakistani literature and related fields. It is the largest and the most prestigious learned society of its kind in Pakistan, with activities throughout th ...

. His book, ''Selected Plays'', a collection of his six famous plays in an English translation was published by OUP in August 2008. Two collections of his Urdu and Punjabi plays has been published. In 2012, Nadeem wrote a play ''Kaun Hai Yeh Gustakh'', directed by

and first played at

Alhamra Arts Council Alhamra Arts Council (also known as the Alhamra Hall, Alhamra Cultural Complex, Alhamra Art Gallery and Lahore Arts Council National School of Drama National School of Drama (NSD) is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India. It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and became an indepe ...

(NSD) in New Delhi but was cancelled due to security concerns. In February 2013, play was held at

Nishtar Hall Nishtar Hall is a cultural centre and music venue in Peshawar, Pakistan. It was established to promote and represent the Pashtun culture and music. Hall was established in 1985. It is an only and large entertainment venue in Peshawar with a capacity ...

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

by Ajoka.

Productions

Ajoka Theatre has staged several theatrical performances, mostly all plays have been adapted or written by

and

. * 1984: ''Jaloos'', by

* 1985: '' Chalk Chakkar'', by

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

* 1987: ''Barri'', by

* 1987: ''Marya Hoya Kutta'', by Shahid Nadeem * 1988: ''Itt'', by Shahid Nadeem * 1989: ''Choolah'', by Shahid Nadeem * 1990: ''Jhali Kithay Jaway'', by Shahid Nadeem * 1991: ''Teesri Dastak'', by Shahid Nadeem * 1992: ''Lappar'', by Shahid Nadeem * 1992: ''

Toba Tek Singh Toba Tek Singh ( pnb, , ur, ) is a city and capital of Toba Tek Singh District in the Pakistani province of Punjab. It is surrounded by cities of Gojra, Kamalia, Rajana, Pir Mahal and Shorkot. History The city and district is named afte ...

'', by

Saadat Hassan Manto Saadat Hasan Manto (; Punjabi, ur, , ; 11 May 1912 – 18 January 1955) was a Pakistani writer, playwright and author born in Ludhiana, who was active in British India and later, after the 1947 partition of India, in Pakistan. Writing ma ...

* 1992: ''Dekh Tamasha Chaltha Ban'', by Shahid Nadeem * 1993: ''Aik Thee Naani'', by Shahid Nadeem * 1994: ''Kali Ghata: Acting for Nature'' by WWF Pakistan * 1994: ''Talismati Tota'', by Shahid Nadeem * 1995: ''Jum Jum Jeevay Jaman Pura'', by Shahid Nadeem * 1996: ''Kala Mainda Bhes'', by

* 1997: ''Dukhini'', by Shahid Nadeem * 1998: '' Bala King'', by Bertolt Brecht * 2000: ''Adhoori'', by

Kishwar Naheed Kishwar Naheed ( ur, ) (born 1940) is a feminist Urdu poet and a writer from Pakistan. She has written several poetry books. She has also received awards including Sitara-e-Imtiaz for her literary contribution towards Urdu literature. Early l ...

Fehmida Riaz Fahmida Riaz ( ur, ) (28 July 1946 – 21 November 2018) was a Urdu writer, poet and activist of Pakistan. She authored many books, of which some are ''Godaavari'', ''Khatt-e Marmuz'', and ''Khana e Aab O Gil'' the first translation in rhyme o ...

and Ishrat Afreen * 2001: ''Chal Melay Nu Chaliay'', by Shahid Nadeem * 2001: '' Bullah'', by Shahid Nadeem * 2004: ''Mainoon Kari Kareenday Ni Mae'', by Shahid Nadeem * 2004: ''Piro Preman'', by Dr. Swarajbir * 2004: ''Shehr-e-Afsos'', by

Intezar Hussain Intizar Hussain ( ur, ; 21 December 1925 – 2 February 2016) was a Pakistani writer of Urdu novels, short stories, poetry and nonfiction. He is widely recognised as a leading literary figure of Pakistan. He was among the finalists of the Man Bo ...

* 2005: ''Border, Border'', by Shahid Nadeem * 2006: ''Dukh Darya'', by Shahid Nadeem * 2006: ''Dushman'', by Shahid Nadeem * 2006: ''Maon Kay Naam'', by Saadat Hasan Manto * 2007: ''Surkh Gulaaba'n Da Mausam'', by Mazhar Tirmazi * 2007: '' Burqavaganza'', by Shahid Nadeem * 2008: ''Hotel Mohenjodaro'', by Ghulam Abbas * 2009: ''Raja Rasalu'', by Malik Aslam * 2010: ''

Dara Dara is a given name used for both males and females, with more than one origin. Dara is found in the Bible's Old Testament Books of Chronicles. Dara �רעwas a descendant of Judah (son of Jacob). (The Bible. 1 Chronicles 2:6). Dara (also known ...

'', by Shahid Nadeem * 2011: ''The Dreams Can Come True'', by Shahid Nadeem * 2011: ''Mera Rang De Basanti Chola'', by Madeeha Gauhar * 2011: ''Amrika Chalo'', by Shahid Nadeem * 2012: ''Rozan-E-Zindan Se'', by Shahid Nadeem * 2012: ''Kaun Hai Yeh Gustakh'', by Shahid Nadeem * 2014: ''Lo Phir Basant Ayee'', by Shahid Nadeem * 2015: ''Kaun Bane Ga Badshah'', by Shahid Nadeem * 2016: '' Kabeera Khara Bazar Mai'', by Shahid Nadeem * 2016: ''Anhi Mai Da Sufna'', by Shahid Nadeem * 2017: ''Intezaar'', by Shahid Nadeem * 2018: ''Chairing Cross'', by Shahid Nadeem

References

Bibliography

Literature

* *

External links

* {{authority control Theatre in Pakistan Theatre companies in Pakistan Arts centres in Pakistan Arts organizations established in 1984 Urdu theatre 1984 establishments in Pakistan Organisations based in Lahore

Culture in Lahore Performing groups established in 1984 Entertainment in Pakistan