Cricket, Curry and Terrorism were the three words that sprang to mind when a group of British teenagers was asked to summarise their preconceptions of Pakistan.
Offscreen Expeditions, a UK-based not-for-profit organisation working in partnership with the British Council, took them on a visit to Pakistan to explore Pakistan away from the headlines and tell the story of a country rocked by difficulties, but full of hope. They went beyond ‘cricket, curry and terrorism’ and created a first-hand portrait of the country to educate and inspire their peers in the UK.
It’s a great project and the sort of trip I wish more young people could experience.
Here is the first video they made upon arriving in Pakistan.
You can watch how the team got on in the end at the Offscreen Expeditions website.
Awesome idea, shame in the UK so many people have so many misconceptions about countries such as Pakistan. The press only concentrates on the bad stories coming out of the country, not the good ones that I’m sure there are!
Thank you for sharing this Al.
I grew up in the northwestern province of NWFP (now Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa), where as a kid (till early 80s) I used to frequently run either into the mountaineers heading towards extreme northeastern tip of the country or the western Hippies headed towards the western tribal regions to get grass. The hidden face of Pakistan is still all about cricket, wedding ceremonies, pop and rock music, dining out, etc. I am still so heavily anchored on that country that I have historically named all my dogs after landmarks from that region – K2, Falaksair, Tirichmir, Baltoro, SnoLep (from Snow Leopards), Bolan, Darra, Thar, Gorakh, etc. I am sure one day that country will become a cherished destination for tourists from all over the world.