Spanning across 60 countries worldwide, the British Council Dickens 2012 programme has reached thousands across the globe through a diverse range of educational and cultural projects.
British Council Pakistan recorded this Read-A-Thon as a part of Dickens 2012 Project. The passage is taken from, 'The Uncommercial Traveller', one of most famous books written by Charles Dickens.
Dickens 2012The British Council is working with over 50 countries worldwide to coordinate an exciting range of arts activities celebrating the bicentenary of the UK's most prolific and influential novelists, Charles Dickens.
Through our range of exciting activities we explore the cultural and social significance of Charles Dickens on an international scale.
To celebrate Dickens 2012 the British Council is holding a variety of activities in Pakistan too, such as:
Dickens 2012 Performing Arts Festival in coordination with Arcola Theatre UK and the Knowledge Factory Lahore
A two-day Dickens 2012 Performing Arts Festival was held in Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore on 21 and 22 January 2012. Groups of young artists/students from Lahore trained by the British Council in December 2011 prepared their theatrical performance based on Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist within a given budget. These performances were showcased at the Festival along with film screening of various works of Dickens. The festival aimed to reach many aspiring performers and art lovers.
Creative Writing Competition inspired by Sketches by Boz
Charles Dickens was the first novelist of the industrial city; a writer who strove to document and capture the human impact of the rapid expansion of his native city London. As an emerging writer, Dickens captured the stillness and calm on the London roads at dawn. He sneaks to the backstage limits of a London theatre, witnesses a pick-pocketing scene in a crowded street and describes in profound detail the daily commute on a regular omnibus.
Taking inspiration from Dickens’ “Sketches by Boz”, the British Council held a creative writing competition for young Pakistani writers to share their perceptions of the cities of Pakistan, just like Dickens did in his time for London.
The response was amazing and many aspiring writers submitted their entries in the competition. After a tough process 15 contributors were short-listed to attend the Creative Writing Workshop at the third Karachi Literature Festival on 11 February 2012.
Top 3 winning entries of the writing competition:
Click here to see the list and the top 3 contributors.
The winner received cash prize of Rs. 20,000 at the Launch of the third Karachi Literature Festival.
Photography Competition – Dickens and the City
Charles Dickens’ writings reflect his fascination with the city of London. As part of the celebrations of Dickens 2012, the British Council also held a photography competition for young Pakistanis with an aim to stimulate creative thinking in young people using photography and literature.
Through the competition, the participants got an opportunity to photograph their cities in a unique way, motivated by the writings of Charles Dickens.
The competition received a tremendous response and we have received a lot of good entries. The top 15 entries were displayed at the third Karachi Literature Festival. The list can also be seen at www.Dawn.com – Pakistan’s renowned English language news website.
Click here to see the list of top 15 entries.
The winner received cash prize of Rs. 15,000 at the third Karachi Literature Festival.
The ‘Uncommercial Traveller’ – A Theatre Workshop
The Uncommercial Traveller is Charles Dickens’ non-fiction account of his wanderings around London. One of the great socio-realists of his time, Dickens documented life in a rapidly developing London, capturing the joys and tragedies of this great city. This little-known work features people and places which inspired many of his future works and gives the reader a glimpse into the personal thoughts and opinions of a man fascinated by cities and those living in them. Dickens (an insomniac) walked the back-streets of London in the early hours of the morning, revealing parts of the city which remained hidden from public view.
This theatre workshop will engage young local artists from Pakistan to create audio guided tours of spaces that have personal significance to them in the cities in which they live. Inspired by the Dickensian accounts of the city of London, participants will experience their own cities and create performances using techniques of immersive theatre. Punchdrunk and Arcola Theatre, UK will work with these participants to create this tour inspired by The Uncommercial Traveller.
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