Lahore Literary Festival kicks off with a focus on enlightenment

The thirteenth edition of the much-awaited Lahore Literary Festival on the theme of enlightenment with writers and scholars coming from twelve countries of the world opens at the Alhamra Art Centre on Friday.This edition of the three-day literary fest will open with the keynote address by historian Ayesha Jalal, the author of Muslim Enlightened Thought in South Asia, and Mary Richardson, professor of history at Tufts University. Her address will be followed by a session on historical methodologies and historical resources obtained by historians with input from Eduardo Manzano Moreno, a Spanish historian specialising in Al-Andalus, and Diana Darke, a Middle East cultural writer. BBC journalist Mishal Husain will chair the session.Speaking to Dawn, Razi Ahmed, the chief executive officer of the LLF, said this edition of the festival features scholars from 12 countries besides Pakistan and the theme of this edition, enlightenment, is inspired by Jalal’s book.He said the session after the...