I AM KARACHI also known as IAK is a non-profit organization working on a city-wide movement to bring about social change at grass roots level. I AM KARACHI aims to collectively rebuild the diverse social and cultural fabric of the city by providing a platform for like minded organizations and individuals committed to promoting socio-cultural activities and campaigns as vehicles for peace building through Art, Culture, Sports, Music, Talks and Dialogue. [1]

For a city like Karachi that has been burning for decades due to gang wars, political instability, inappropriate integration of migrants, terrorism and violent radicalization, murder and kidnapping – for religious, criminal, ethnic and political reasons. Karachi needs a savior. An organization which mobilizes the civil society and brings together all the concerned individuals; communities and government to campaign and conduct events that inculcate Art, Music and Sports back into the root of society making the city more resilient and vibrant again.

• Promotes social and cultural activities in Karachi that encourage positive exchange of ideas, dialogue, sports, arts, theater, music, heritage preservation etc. • Revives existing public spaces and cultural institutions for greater inclusion and engagement. • Creates fresh, safe public spaces promoting open interaction and positive exchange of ideas. • Increase public entitlement and access to public spaces in the city while preserving existing public spaces and creating new ones.

• Create a common platform to enhance synergy and collaboration. • Share and strengthen existing resources, expertise and networks to maximize outreach and impact. • Increase interaction and engagement between the civil society and other relevant stakeholders in the city including the government, media, business/private sectors etc.

• Enhance awareness about the importance of physical, social and intellectual public spaces for a vibrant and tolerant city. • Promote and supporting arts, sports, culture, literature, dialogue by engaging all stakeholders in the city including media, government, civil society, private sector etc. [2]

The idea behind ‘Peace Walls’ by IAK was to remove hate graffiti and violent content from walls of Karachi, paint them artistically and make the city look more alive and colorful by making the local communities take ownership of these walls. I AM KARACHI collaborated with multiple artists and painted over 2700 walls. An open call was given to the artists of Karachi to submit their artworks out of which art pieces were selected for the walls and over 200 artists were taken on board to complete the project. Out of these walls, one single wall constituted of 456.75 feet and was painted over by multiple artists who believed that the city needs an uplift and Art is a key factor to change the mood and vibe of a place. [3]. Under the same umbrella, this public art movement painted a lot of positive and inspirational messages of pride, glorification and hope. Within 6 months over 16 walls were painted in the Cantonment Railway Station area. [4] A painting of Dr. Pfau has been painted and is now placed in MALC hospital under the IAK Peace Walls initiative. [5]

IAK held a music festival for the first time in 2015, this festival had three main goals: • To reclaim public spaces of Karachi • To alter public discourse • To create a platform for likeminded people of civil society [6] This festival included Music Mentorship Programs, Music Dialogues with an interactive panel of speakers from Karachi and a 2-day Music Festival presenting a wide range of music genres to the listeners on two different stages, a modern & a traditional stage. [7] Despite the plethora of challenges, in 2016, IAK conducted a second music festival in a city of 20 million with an aim to revive arts and culture in Karachi. At Frere Hall an open for all 7 days event was conducted where more than 30 different organizations collaborated with I AM KARACHI providing range of activities from put up a smile campaign to book drives to thriving music concert which was attended by more than 10,000 people. [8] Third music festival was held in November 2017 in collaboration with Mekaal Hasan, IAK brought in Lok Virsa from Islamabad for the first time in history of Lok Virsa. Executive Director IAK, Ambareen Kazim Thompson said ‘Karachi was a city of 23 million people, with only three per cent open spaces and a single arts council for such a large population’. This festival lasted for 5 weeks bringing in more than 15000 people on the event nights. [9]

I AM KARACHI conducted an Award show to celebrate the spirit of the city and honor the resilient unsung heroes of Karachi on March 26, 2016. These awards are one of a kind to appreciate the acceptance of diversity and show of civic responsibility by Karachiites. These awards are given out throughout the year as stated by then President IAK Jameel Yusuf. [10]

IAK collaborated with UBL, United Bank Limited to initiate a dialogue on ‘Transforming Public Spaces into Cultural Spaces and reclaiming and owning these spaces’ conducted at the UBL Head Office auditorium. [11] IAK joined hands with K-electric (Karachi electric) to increase public awareness and advocacy and bring society closer through cultural and social events. IAK and KE collaborated for KE’s Lyari League. [12] [13]

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