Written by: Shahnawaz Ramay
Posted on: December 28, 2018 | 
| 中文
The Holographic Projection of Quaid
For the first time in Pakistan, holographic projections of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah are being displayed across the country, in order to counter extremist narratives. Hive Pakistan, the brainchild behind the technology and the initiative, is a social development company that has been working in Pakistan on various community issues since 2007 and this is a part of their program, “Aik – Better Together.”
Even though hologram technology is not new, this is the first time that such an initiative is being deployed at the grass root level, in neighborhoods, communities and semi-urban cities of Pakistan. The need for community engagement is ever increasing, and the utilization of this technology enables an interactive and engaging way to involve everyone. “We have developed a speech from the excerpts of Quaid-e-Azam’s speeches that talks about the need to reclaim the identity we are fast loosing as a united country,” said Hassan Raza, social media manager for the initiative.
Hive Pakistan has launched an aggressive campaign to publicize the events, and it has paid off tremendously. Previously in Kasur and Swat, thousands of people ranging from men, women and children attended the screenings. The speech and projection of Jinnah proved to be a captivating experience for the crowd, with many reduced to tears due to the life-like representation of the founder of the nation. “It was an amazing experience and it felt as if Jinnah himself was directly speaking to us,” said Kamran Afzal, a resident of Kasur city.
The holographic projections are displayed in semi urban areas with special emphasis on grass root communities, schools and colleges. Prior to the projections, an intense workshop session is conducted with the upcoming participants that talks about the different dynamics of how religious tolerance, interfaith harmony and pluralism can be seen and practiced in our lives today. The workshop also touches on issues of religious minorities, and compels the participants to engage in a constructive dialogue about it.
The holographic technology and concept draws inspiration from Narendra Modi’s political campaign where he addressed the entire country of India, in real time. The hologram technology has been extensively used in the entertainment industry as well, with the revival of legends such as Tupac Shakur, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Umm – e – Qulsoom (an Egyptian contemporary to Noor Jehan).
It’s amazing to see how far technology has come in terms of helping in social good. This demonstrates the potential for the successful marriage of technology and activism, to help promote sustainable models of community engagement in far flung areas. This will help in addressing multiple topics such as social cohesion, women empowerment, impact of youth, terrorism and interfaith harmony.
The recent most screenings were held in Karachi, in Ibrahim Hyderi, Layari and on the tomb of Quaid-e-Azam, to commemorate Jinnah’s birth anniversary on 25th December. Here is to hoping that the initiative has its intended effect, and brings together the diverse communities of Pakistan through the words of the leader of the nation.
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