1pm BST / 5pm PKT / 8am EST (As part of our Welcome Event)
A Journey of Struggles and Triumphs
A Tour of the Faizaan Peerzada Museum of Puppetry in Pakistan.
A conversation between Sonya Rehman and Saadaan Peerzada, co-founder of Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop combined with a tour of the Faizaan Peerzada Museum of Puppetry in Pakistan. Live Q&A with Yamina Peerzada and Alena Peerzada of Rafi Peer.
Saadaan Peerzada
Saadaan Peerzada is the Co-founder of Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop. The company has been involved in Puppetry in Pakistan since 45 years since 1978. He along with his twin brother Faizaan, developed the first puppet theatre of Pakistan in 1986. RPTW hosted and created the First International Puppet Festival of Pakistan in 1992 and to date have done 30 International Puppet Festivals which brought almost 230 International Groups from 56 countries to Pakistan.
He co-founded the first and only Museum of Puppetry in Pakistan which is built over 44000 sq feet with a display of Puppets from around 36 countries.
He is the Creative Director of Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, Chairman of the World Performing Arts Festival Pakistan, International Mystic Sufi Festival Pakistan, President for Youth Theatre Festival and International Puppet Festivals.
RPTW also developed creative educational programmes for Pakistani children such as Fun Time and Sim Sim Hamara, a Rafi Peer and Sesame Workshop collaboration.
He is one of the most renowned Puppeteers of Pakistan. He specialises in Rod Puppets, Muppets, Mime and Set Design. He has performed extensively in Pakistan as well as internationally at festivals. He is a household name in Pakistan and has created a legacy in the field of puppetry and performing arts in Pakistan.
Sonya Rehman
Sonya Rehman has been an art and culture journalist for over 15 years, writing and reporting for a number of local and international publications such as; Forbes, Al Jazeera, The Diplomat, Esquire, The Wall Street Journal, The News International, The Friday Times, and more.
Apart from her writing career, Sonya has taught at both the school and college level, such as; the Lahore School of Economics, Information Technology University (ITU) and The City School, in addition to conducting workshops on journalism and creative writing at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), The British Council and The Last Word.
In 2012, Sonya founded From Lahore With Love, a start-up which not only aims to revive the joy of snail-mail in Pakistan through a series of postcards, but also pays homage to Lahore’s cultural heritage.
A Fulbright scholar and Pulitzer-Moore Fellow, awarded during her MS in Print Journalism from Columbia Journalism School, Sonya’s first book, Embroidering Dreams – 50 Years of Empowering Women and Preserving the Craft of Needlework, explored the creation and the journey of the Behbud Association of Pakistan, one of Pakistan’s oldest non-profits.
Her first fiction book for children is slated for release in September 2022.
Alena Peerzada
Alena has graduated with a Masters in Media and Communication from the University of Westminster, London (2005) and also trained at Central Saint Martins, London in Film making (2005).
Alena Peerzada is the Director Programs and Operations at Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop since 2001.
Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop has hosted and curated over 80 festivals including The World Performing Arts Festival, The International Folk Puppet Festival, The Youth Performing Arts Festival, The International Mystic Music Sufi Festival, The International Film Festival and the Saanjh Amritsar Lahore Peace Festival.
Alena also launched Rafi Peer Global Entertainment, one of Pakistan’s largest artist management companies aiming to promote cultural artists and legends of Pakistan through festivals, tours and cultural exchange.
She is the Co-founder of The Creative Academy that focuses on creative learning through a digital platform.