Sehar Tariq
There is dancing on the streets of Pakistan. In markets, in malls and in restaurants, groups of young people are breaking out into dance. And it’s wonderfully choreographed and spectacularly synchronized. But what are we dancing for when there is so little to be happy about?
The dancing is part of Coca Cola’s new advertising campaign in Pakistan. The phenomenon is called a flash mob and has been used a marketing gimmick in Western countries but I believe is being done for the first time in Pakistan. The company has hired groups of young people both boys and girls (yes girls too!) to dance to the new coca cola jingle in crowded public places.
It begins with one person breaking out into dance and strategically positioned “onlookers†joining in. Towards the end there are about ten people dancing. The dancers seem to be in their twenties and urban middle class youth, probably belonging to the more privileged segments of society given their trendy clothing.
The dance is fun and I cannot help but tap my foot to the upbeat music of the jingle. Also, I cannot help but be amazed at the courage of these young people dancing on the streets in such times. Yes, it’s a corporate gimmick and yes they must be paid for it but given the rising levels of intolerance in our society towards things like music and dance (especially where it involves a performance by both men and women together) it’s still pretty brave.
The locations are carefully selected. So far it’s been performed at more upscale locations in Lahore and Karachi where the crowd is more likely to be accepting of the co-ed dancing. But a group of performers performed in Liberty market in Lahore where there was no crowd screening or control.
It takes courage to perform in public. It takes even more courage when there are small but violent segments of society that are opposed to such artistic expression and have exercised violent means to put an end to such performances in the past.
What is heartening is that so far there have been no reports of any kind of violence or aggression against the dancers. Lots of videos up on you tube show, surprised Pakistanis looking at the dancers with amazement and then some even joining in with clapping or nodding or tacit smiles and in the rare case by joining in the dance!
Indeed there will be segments of our society who will claim that this must be stopped as it’s against our culture and this is an exercise in corrupting the morals of our society. There will be those who claim that this is foreign propaganda. But I believe it is an expression of our cultural evolution. The popularity of music and dance from around the world is evident in Pakistan. And while we might deny it, music and dance remain deeply entrenched in our historical and cultural legacy as well as in our displays of happiness at festivals even today.
As I see these talented young Pakistanis dance with such skill and gusto and enthusiasm, I cannot help but feel a sense of pride. The numerous complements of non-Pakistani friends on the sheer creative genius of Pakistanis and their dancing abilities also did wonders for my Pakistani ego. After all, whoever these young Pakistanis are, they do a pretty good job and would put even top Bollywood dancers to shame. And the effortless and carefree joy with which they dance makes me nostalgic for gentler and happier times in Pakistan. But as I watch these young people break out into dance I cannot help but smile as I look to those around them.
There is something strangely heartening in watching people letting go of their fear of expressing joy in public and joining in the fun. It reminds me that our spirits have not been entirely crushed by the recent years of terror and violence. It makes me proud that we still have the courage to view with tolerance a form of expression that we might not approve of. It gives me proof that we are more tolerant than the world makes us out to be. It gives me hope for a better future.
Nice to see young people enjoying themselves. The lack of opportunities for innocent fun is part of the reason for the frustrations in society which you also see in all the pent up anger in people, including in how they comment on things here.
” on this forum who would be most happy to have her dragging a tent around her body everyday because a female not hiding behind a tent is … See moreunacceptable to most of our men.”
Jamil, What about those so called “men” who keep their women in home and enjoy the dance and other “stuff” of other women on road? How would you rate them?
And, since you are not like those “so called men” who “oppress” their women by hiding them in “tents” and like women every where including your family roam free, when should I expect a show from your side? I am bored of these girls dancing on roads, when should I expect something fresh? I am waiting and I count you a lot because you are a real Man and you will not let your ladies hide behind a veil and tent. Let give them exposure so that they could be featured in next post by Pakistaniat
this is a flash mob to raise awareness of the product.it’s nice they tried it in a backward,bigoted society like ours.very brave girl for not being afraid to express herself in public considering all the ppl on this forum who would be most happy to have her dragging a tent around her body everyday because a female not hiding behind a tent is … See moreunacceptable to most of our men.
Good on you mates!!!!! keep up the good work.Don’t care about all the insecure,bigoted men in our primitive society.They can’t stand a strong,brave female who is not under their control.
One can easily find “The Arrivals” on youtube.com. The guy has done remarkable work to expose how Media and Music was used by Jewish right wingers to impose their religious values on world. MNCs and so called corporate world is just part of it.
Is it not lame and funny that so called liberals reject the involvement of religion in daily walk of lives but ‘religiously’ and “ignorantly” embrace the holidays of Saturday and Sundays in “Secular America” without knowing that Saturday(Sabbath) is the Holy day for Jews and Sunday for Christians respectively? In Islam the most holiday is Friday yet Islam did not order to abandon all business activities for the entire day? Which faith is more “conservative” and zealous?
There in Western world even corporates are even following their religious values and are not ashamed of it and here our so called Muslims are ashamed of calling themselves as Muslims and feel proud to be labeled as Seculars. “Parhay Likhay Jahil” can’t not be defined much better than them.
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/5580080- psuedo-pakistaniat
Psuedo Pakistaniat
Huntington wrote that “the fundamental source of conflict in this new world will not be primarily ideological or primarily economic. The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural… [The] principal conflicts of global politics will occur between nations and groups of different civilizations. The clash of civilizations will dominate global politics.” A recent post on a Pakistani blog about the hype created by a Coca Cola “flash mob” dancing gimmick really made think long and hard on Huntington’s words. The author of the piece was thrilled at seeing Pakistan’s “brilliant young boys and girls” expressing their joy and happiness by dancing and prancing while being videotaped (and paid) for a Coke ad. For her and many others who commented positively on this “bold and courageous act” this was what true “Pakistaniat” was all about. One that should especially be shared with “American friends” to assure them that Pakistan is not just about bombs, terrorism and poverty.
Frankly, I’m not really concerned that because a few young people, even girls, took to Masooms or any of these places for the sake of a giant multinational corporation, Pakistani values or culture are suddenly at risk of disappearing. After all, it is this very youth, who with civil society organizations led a very successful campaign to support the lawyers’ movement not so long ago on the streets as well as on university campaigns. The very same youth that rallied to raise funds for the South Asia earthquake and the refugees pouring into cities from the war-torn Northern areas. If anything, this one act clearly highlights the negative affects of the homogenizing consequences of Western, media-fed forces. From the comments I read on the article to what friends discussed about it, I think people in general are more aware of the differences as cultures rub against each other. I think, it’s important to not let go off this self-awareness.
And let us be fair, there are not a whole lot of healthy, lucrative job options for a majority of our youth. Not to mention the fact that all those big, bad, bearded Talibans or terrorists have left very few info-entertainment options for our youngsters. The question is not what is Coca Cola’s strategy behind using talented, “courageous” youth to dance and increase their sales. The bigger question is HOW they are doing it and WHAT are its impacts on the society as a whole.
I think the issue here is the way we always tend to politicize and “religiousize” such debates by creating a tug a war between “Eastern/Muslim” values and “Western/Non-Muslim” values and how the two can somehow never live in harmony because they have nothing in common. What this East-West dichotomy does is make us exaggerate and generalize how terrible so-called Western “values” or lifestyles are because in the West, they suffer from broken families, individualism, decadence and last but not least “moral degeneration.” On the other side, we “over celebrate” our sense of community over individualism and the family as the basis of society.
The elite, liberal and secular Pakistanis (many of whom hide their green passports at airport security checks to flash their American, UK/Canadian passports) are welcome to “tap their feet” to such corporate gimmicks and call this phenomenon “progress and development.” I think we should be wary of such “Pseudo Pakistanis.” Those who probably never found themselves toe tapping to the “bansari” of the village musician (who plays and smiles despite his growing poverty, lack of clean water, sanitation and electricity) or took part in traditional, sufi festivals to dance with the “malang babas”.
Its time to move past conspiracy theories of Western attempts to “impose” their values and agendas on us. As a nation, we need to lift ourselves up from the hole someone else has dug for us (we as individuals are divine and faultless!) Its time to start learning from what is best in this “morally degenerate” Western culture we are so afraid of, after all THEY are learning from our best practices and values now, so why not vice versa. Its time to look for common grounds between us—for those universal notions of human/animal/plant rights, of peace, dignity and mutual respect. Let us not fall prey to the media-MNC fed Coca-Colanization, McDonaldization and Americanization. Cultures with deep roots never die, they evolve and grow stronger. Whilst acts like dancing in streets or posh stores may reflect a superficial Westernization, they can lead to a renaissance of indigenous values. The author of the piece termed the Coke ad gimmick as “cultural evolution.” For her sake, I hope such “evolution” does not lead to “cultural erosion.”
“I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any.”
Aneel Salman, is an academic, based in New York, USA