Dameli Migrant People in Karachi Reunited

FLI supported Dameli language group, living in Karachi to get together for a cultural festival aiming to reconnect them with their language and culture. The event, ‘Jashn-e-Daman’, or the Festival of Dameli People was organized under the auspices of the Anjuman Taraqi Damyan (ATD), the newly established organization by the migrant Dameli speakers in the city. ATD has been founded to work for strengthening of their language as the Dameli speakers in Karachi are feared to break away from their language. More than 200 people attended the event. Earlier, a tournament of traditional games of Dameli culture was held at Secretariat Ground in Norther Nazimabad featuring native games like Khosal, Chemtaekh, Kelimastrang, Pilat, Shel, Danda Goli, etc. which were participated by almost age groups of the community, many of young Dameli speakers were participating in their traditional games for the first time in their life.

The participants were initially briefed about the importance of revitalization of their mother language while living out of their native place. Few speeches delivered in their language. They were also enlightened of the language development work and introduced to the publications developed so far in their language. At the end, a poetry session was organized which was the most liked and appreciated item of the festival. A dozen of Dameli poets who came from various parts of the city expressed themselves in their language and entertained the crowed. Although, all items of the festival were new to the participants in the metropolitan city but poetry session in Dameli was much loved by the audience.

The purpose of the event was to relink Dameli migrants in the city with their language and culture. FLI has been supporting this kind of initiatives as the migrant people are prone to language shift due to being influenced by the major languages and the community people being out of their native environment. We hope that the Dameli group would continue to engage in language and culture related activities in future and this event would not be the last one but would play a role of the starter.