Voice of a People – Detailed Event Agenda

Decolonization of Thought & Identity; Through Conversation & Poetry

20 MAY 2023;
01:00 PM UK (05:00 PM PST)

EVENT CHAIR:

Emran Mian, Public sector / Government Professional in a Senior Leadership role – currently serving as Director General Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and also experienced in senior roles in education, social mobility, business; Previously ran the think tank, Social Market Foundation; Chair of Maslaha, a charity that challenges inequalities; Author of two published books: “Send in the Idiots” and “Banker’s Daughter”

PANEL ONE: DECOLONISATION OF THOUGHT AND IDENTITY

This panel will be led by Professor Salman Sayyid, who will be giving the main talk on decolonisation of thought and identity. The contributing panelists will speak further to the subject and engage in further conversation, and share poetry recitations.

Professor Salman Sayyid, Head of the School of Sociology and Social Policy – University of Leeds; Professor of Social Theory & Decolonial Thought; Founding editor of academic journal, “Re-Orient”, for the discipline ‘Critical Muslim Studies’; author of works translated into multiple languages (books and articles)

– CONVERSATION on Identity, the loss of the identity of a people, and decolonisation of thought In-person participation; Approx: 20 min

Dr Salma Siddiqui, Dean – School of Social Sciences & Humanities, NUST, Pakistan; Clinical Psychologist; contributing poet (English/Urdu) with extensive knowledge of classical and contemporary poetry and prose

– Connecting a past heritage with the youth and the future: a psychological, academic and poetic perspective; poetry recitation (online participation)
Online participation; Approx: 10 min

Shaheryar Mirza, Corporate Marketing, Communications and Advertising Leader; Musician and Poet
– How perception of identity influences poetry: balancing the influences of heritage and globalisation; poetry recitation (online participation)

Online participation; Approx: 10 min
Panel conversation and concluding notes; Approx. 10 min

PANEL TWO: SHORT ANECDOTAL CONVERSATIONS Akbar Khan – Nephew of Munir Niazi

– Remembering Munir Niazi & the magic of Lahore’s culture in the 1960s-70s; poetry recitation

Online participation; approx: 7 min Natasha Qureshi – Grand-daughter of Siddiq Kalim

– Remembering Siddiq Kalim: his contribution to culture, literature and the academic world; poetry recitation
Online participation; approx: 7 min

PANEL THREE: CREATIVE AUTHENTICITY

Qudsia Akhtar, Published poet represented in a number of literary publications, and final year PhD candidate in creative writing at the University of Salford – exploring the complexities surrounding British-Pakistani experience

– Maintaining creative authenticity: the journey and learnings of a British-Pakistani poet and researcher; poetry recitation
In-person participation; approx. 15 min

Rafey Zuberi, Executive level corporate and marketing lead, with experience working in multiple international markets, and some of the most acclaimed Pakistani ads of the past decades to his credit

– The evolution of art and poetry in a world of mass media and globalisation, and how to keep up with changing trends without losing authenticity: a marketers perspective; poetry recitation
Online participation; approx. 10 min

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