By: Ahmed Zaman Qureshi
Art is as old as human history. It has been spreading emotions, expressions, and
peace since many moons. Many talented people have come out from the sea of art
and one of them is Zoha Waseem from Karachi Pakistan.
Zoha has the passion to assist needy people and those from small towns with low
income.Many ask for money when teaching, but not Zoha, she says that having good
hobbies allows one to spend their downtime smartly and productively and believes
that everyone deserves a good hobby. She is spreading her artistic knowledge
through workshops; both online and physical, and through social media. “This
artistic skill let me spread harmony, social cohesion, tolerance and
peacebuilding among all,” the artist said.
Life is nothing without difficult times and hard tasks, therefore, Zoha faced
intolerance and extremism in the field of making art.Nevertheless, it is a
positive sign that she has been keen on making different artworks to promote
peace and social cohesion since her childhood and that her interest is bigger
than the difficulties she faces. In her childhood, she used to make the
classroom’s bulletin board engaging and creative. Times do not always remain the
same so as she got busy with studies and familial responsibilities, she found it
increasingly difficult to make time for her artistic interests.
During lockdown in COVID-19, Zoha found the best way to show her skill and found
a silver lining in all the gloom. The COVID-19came up with such a fact that she
finally had enough time to allow herself to enjoy the pleasure of art. She made
various art pieces regarding peace building and harmony, posted them online, and
her artwork got appreciation and recognition from peers, friends, and relatives
which further fueled her passion. The problem was that during the lockdown,
paints, charts, and other material were not available at her doorstep with great
ease; the hurdles were resolved when she ordered online.
Zoha revealed that she has made some paintings. In one, “a girl is dragged by
two boys, but some teenagers come to her to save her from the bad boys. In
another painting I showed a girl assisting her father in writing on a
typewriter. I also made paintings which showed people from different religions
celebrating ‘Diwali’, and in some small paintings, Iput some quotes which gave
the messages of peace building, harmony, and social cohesions.
While sharing her experience she told that “I was very hurt when extremists tore
some of my paintings in my early life and even left bad comments under my posts
to discourage me. But I did not quit, I never surrendered”, said the artist
while talking about her bad experience.
It is believed that art is the window to the soul. The message of peace, unity,
and love can be spread through paintings.Give space and encouragement to all
those creative people who are interested in arts.Zohawas stumped when she came
to know that girls are not permitted to make paintings or participate in arts
and culture. Shockingly, most of the girls in villages and some towns or cities
are not encouraged to explore arts.
During the interview she expressed with a positive willingness, "I've always
been mad about art since I was a child, but I never had enough time to practice
due to my studies", saying that "During quarantine, however, I was able to
pursue my interest in art. The lockdown period was stressful and frustrating for
everyone, and I found solace in painting".
Moreover, she said that she began painting more frequently to help me escape the
feeling of being trapped at home and became passionate about it. She started
posting my paintings on Instagram and received a lot of appreciation and love
from viewers adding that one of her friends encouraged her to create a separate
account for art to showcase her work, and consequently received chi appreciation
and love for this art account.
While answering about 'Spreading Peace through Art' she put the correspondent in
the picture that the lockdown period made her realize how much she enjoys art
and how it has served as therapy for her during the COVID-19 pandemic. That is
why she decided to promote peace through art and help others in a similar
situation by delivering online art classes and workshops, which introduced her
to people from allover the world and allowed her to hear their perspectives on
how art is a therapy for them and how it brings peace into their lives
When it comes to getting connected with her to learn arts to spread peace and
diminish all types of violence, she replied that she has led many art workshops
and Zoom was initially her platform forconducting workshops. "It makes me over
excited and over the moon to deliver art workshops because I have always been
passionate about it and encouraging others to spread peace" she answered.
Finally, she briefly said, "I also throw light on facts that are to be dealt
with sincerely; I request all guardians not to stop their offspring to explore
more and more. I do know that financial issues are one of the bitter realities,
but art-lovers must not surrender to promote peace among all. as I experienced a
short time to explore the art, I am the living example that despite the fact
short time all can do so. Take care of your kith and kin when promoting peace,
listen to them but do whatever is beneficial for society, their taunt can be
your motivation. Lastly, there are some negative comments that “No scope of art
in future, if yes don't care, since the artist is not willing his/her name on
the top but peace, love, unity, and faith".