While getting her children to school in her pyjamas and ruffled hair one early morning, one mother saw another with her children, “in a three-piece Lawn suit and blow-dried hair.” Despite the fancy getup, this woman looked miserable. This is where the idea of the recently published coffee table book, ‘Pakistan: A Fashionable History’ (2020) came about. The author, Mehr F. Husain was the pyjama-and-chaos-embracing woman looking at the other woman who dedicated her morning to looking flawless. Mehr thought to herself:

“Who has told this woman to dress like this at this hour? …

With Zahra’s huskies in the background, ambulance sirens on my end, and past the Zoom-call inadequacies, we dove right into how and why an artist does what they do. Zahra Khan, alongside her mother, is the founder of Foundation Art Divvy, a contemporary art platform in Pakistan. Researching about her before the interview, I was both impressed and overwhelmed by all that she’s accomplished. Other than the foundation, she has curated exhibitions across the globe, from collateral exhibitions for the Lahore Biennale, to Manora Field Notes at the Pavilion of Pakistan, Venice Biennale.

Our focus, however, was on her latest…

Areesha Khalid is a designer whose unique and striking pieces of art seek to capture identities that are not often highlighted, and to bring about a change in attitudes through her art. A recent graduate of BA Architecture from Westminster University, she currently works at a design studio in London, creating bespoke work.

Although her initial plan was to go to medical school, it did not bring her a sense of fulfilment. Soon enough she began researching into architecture, a fascinating blend of arts and sciences, both of which she enjoyed greatly. Without much hope, she applied to Westminster’s Architecture…

We tend to overlook the challenges children face in their daily lives. Especially during pandemic, the socially isolated environment has brought about specific obstacles for children. At Bumbuku Creatives, we have been contemplating how digital storytelling and digitalisation of information can help children at this time.

The pandemic has led to school closures impacting over 1.5 billion children globally. Major instigators like movement restrictions, loss of income, and high levels of stress and anxiety among family members have led to an increased risk of mental health issues for children, especially caused by domestic abuse.

Usually when children face these problems…

To fill the gap for South Asian representation in international literature, the recently published book ‘Fearless: Stories of Amazing Women from Pakistan’ (2020) tells us stories of Pakistanis that we should know of. This book represents 50 Pakistani women who’ve led inspirational lives as leaders, innovators, activists, entrepreneurs, change-makers, and much more. We interviewed the author Amneh Shaikh-Faooqui and illustrator Aziza Ahmed for a better understanding of the behind-the-scenes decisions which resulted in the final product.

As for ‘Fearless’, it is a wonderfully conceptualised work that cleverly uses design and illustration at its forefront to convey its powerful message.

The incomplete South Asian narrative

Lahore’s…

What is the relevance of art in times of social crises? It’s a question that crops up often in difficult times, and the present moment is no different. In the current pandemic we’re facing, several art fundraisers were introduced globally with the purpose of raising capital for those affected by the pandemic. One such fundraiser was created in Pakistan called ‘Prints for Pandemic Relief’ (PfPRP). It is an independent online print sale mobilising art for aid towards all those affected by COVID-19 in Pakistan. …

After the current pandemic, COVID-19, was confirmed as a zoonotic disease — transferable from animals to humans — there came an increasing need to understand how animal rights play a role in containing future diseases.

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has been working towards the closure of unregulated wildlife trade across South-East Asia. They run a campaign in Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Honk Kong and Japan. The pandemic outbreak has placed immense focus on wildlife crime and the campaign.

In order to benchmark their stories and the impact they are trying to create during these turbulent times, Bumbuku Creatives reached…

Trigger Warning: this article contains descriptions of gender violence that may not be suitable for all readers. Fearless community, please read with care.

During my undergraduate studies, my thesis was on how drone warfare during the War on Terror was normalised in society.

Before the pandemic-paranoia, I was consumed by other, more regular dysfunctionalities of life. One afternoon, riled up after seeing scriptwriter X verbally destroy activist Y on a news channel, I felt a familiar normalisation of violence — but a different violence. …