A cabaret of talent
Over two recent weekends Kathmandu saw its first and fabulous cabaret. Featuring dance, music, mime, and one-act plays it prompted me to think about all the wonderful art and cultural events that happen here. I think many people do not realize just how talented the Nepalis are as a nation. With an ancient tradition of wood and stone carving, thanka and religious paintings, architecture, bronzes, pottery etc, Nepal, and particularly, Kathmandu Valley, is a place with art and culture in its blood.
It’s no surprise then that there is so much talent among the youth as well. Art, music, drama, to name just a few, are not only vibrant but positively electric. I can say, and frequently do say, I am not an artiste (no talent, sob!). But I am what every artiste needs, the audience. And at that I am extremely experienced and talented!
Having said that, however, it can be so hard to keep up with all the social events happening around town. Maybe I should become a critic of the arts and actually get paid to attend events. Now there’s a thought! I love to attend the theater and was really disappointed when my favorite, and ‘father’ of modern theatre in Nepal, Gurukul, had to give up its premises some years ago.
Meantime, Mandala, Shilpee and a few others are still going and have opened their doors to other groups to use their premises. While most of the theater groups produce in Nepali, there are one or two who do produce in English. But there is something refreshing about the audiences who go along to the Nepali productions.
They are, in general, young and enthusiastic with no pretentious intentions we often see at the theaters in the West. They are there purely because they enjoy it. My level of understanding varies depending on the difficulty of the subject matter but regardless as to how much information I gain through my ears, the acting is of such a high standard, my eyes provide enough information to keep me engaged!
Sometimes there are stunning performances and theater events, such as ‘Arjuna’s Dilemma’ staged at Patan Museum, a collaboration of actors, musicians, dancers and opera singers from Nepal, US and Europe. Based on a text from the Bhagavad Gita this production was the first opera in Nepal and outdid itself visually and musically.
In the past Gurukul was host to an annual International Theater Festival with theatre groups coming from all around the globe. More local productions I have loved include an interesting adaptation of ‘Swan Lake’, and one where a character zip-lined above the audience in a replica ropeway crossing the Karnali River.
Painting and installation art is another genre populated by very talented artists, and whether it is images of landscapes, portraits, or more contemporary styles such as a huge red rectangle painted onto the buildings of Kirtipur, there are frequent exhibition openings happening around town. One of my favorites has come firmly onto the Kathmandu scene after a bit of a rocky start—street art.
A few years ago Color Kathmandu took to the streets with dozens of local and international street artists and created murals to represent the 75 districts of the country. These beautiful works were somehow not very popular with the authorities that took a dim view of street art appearing overnight on public buildings. Thankfully, with two embassies entering into the spirit of brightening up the city streets, the local authorities have accepted that street art can be beautiful, enlightening, and educational.
Festivals celebrating art such as Photo Kathmandu, Kathmandu Triennial, and the International Tattoo Convention, cover more styles that I can fit in this short column. But you get the idea. So much talent, not enough time to enjoy it all! And then there is the music scene in Kathmandu, which must, I feel, wait for another week to write about…
A cabaret of talent
Over two recent weekends Kathmandu saw its first and fabulous cabaret. Featuring dance, music, mime, and one-act plays it prompted me to think about all the wonderful art and cultural events that happen here. I think many people do not realize just how talented the Nepalis are as a nation. With an ancient tradition of wood and stone carving, thanka and religious paintings, architecture, bronzes, pottery etc, Nepal, and particularly, Kathmandu Valley, is a place with art and culture in its blood.
It’s no surprise then that there is so much talent among the youth as well. Art, music, drama, to name just a few, are not only vibrant but positively electric. I can say, and frequently do say, I am not an artiste (no talent, sob!). But I am what every artiste needs, the audience. And at that I am extremely experienced and talented!
Having said that, however, it can be so hard to keep up with all the social events happening around town. Maybe I should become a critic of the arts and actually get paid to attend events. Now there’s a thought! I love to attend the theater and was really disappointed when my favorite, and ‘father’ of modern theatre in Nepal, Gurukul, had to give up its premises some years ago.
Meantime, Mandala, Shilpee and a few others are still going and have opened their doors to other groups to use their premises. While most of the theater groups produce in Nepali, there are one or two who do produce in English. But there is something refreshing about the audiences who go along to the Nepali productions.
They are, in general, young and enthusiastic with no pretentious intentions we often see at the theaters in the West. They are there purely because they enjoy it. My level of understanding varies depending on the difficulty of the subject matter but regardless as to how much information I gain through my ears, the acting is of such a high standard, my eyes provide enough information to keep me engaged!
Sometimes there are stunning performances and theater events, such as ‘Arjuna’s Dilemma’ staged at Patan Museum, a collaboration of actors, musicians, dancers and opera singers from Nepal, US and Europe. Based on a text from the Bhagavad Gita this production was the first opera in Nepal and outdid itself visually and musically.
In the past Gurukul was host to an annual International Theater Festival with theatre groups coming from all around the globe. More local productions I have loved include an interesting adaptation of ‘Swan Lake’, and one where a character zip-lined above the audience in a replica ropeway crossing the Karnali River.
Painting and installation art is another genre populated by very talented artists, and whether it is images of landscapes, portraits, or more contemporary styles such as a huge red rectangle painted onto the buildings of Kirtipur, there are frequent exhibition openings happening around town. One of my favorites has come firmly onto the Kathmandu scene after a bit of a rocky start—street art.
A few years ago Color Kathmandu took to the streets with dozens of local and international street artists and created murals to represent the 75 districts of the country. These beautiful works were somehow not very popular with the authorities that took a dim view of street art appearing overnight on public buildings. Thankfully, with two embassies entering into the spirit of brightening up the city streets, the local authorities have accepted that street art can be beautiful, enlightening, and educational.
Festivals celebrating art such as Photo Kathmandu, Kathmandu Triennial, and the International Tattoo Convention, cover more styles that I can fit in this short column. But you get the idea. So much talent, not enough time to enjoy it all! And then there is the music scene in Kathmandu, which must, I feel, wait for another week to write about…
Misplaced optimism
We are often told by our leaders and analysts toeing the “line” that we are on our way to prosperity. With democracy, a federal set-up and a young demographic, there is no way to stop us from achieving our dream of a prosperous Nepal. And before you could question them how exactly these factors influence economic growth, they will be quick to add that we will become a vibrant bridge connecting India and China and benefit from their economic growth. This is all humbug.First, we are pinning our hopes on others—India and China—for our economic growth. It is no different to expecting your rich neighbor to give you money to renovate your house. You need to have money or the ability to make money yourself to get things started and if you run short of it, then your neighbor may loan you some if you ask for it. But you cannot be certain of it as your neighbor’s generosity or lack of it depends on many factors. It is the same with nation states. But we seem to forget this simple fact.
To further trick us into believing that they know what they are talking about, our leaders and scholars often invoke the trickle-down effect—that we will reap benefits from the growth of our neighbors, even if we do nothing. It’s like dreaming that part of the interest earned by your neighbor on his huge bank deposit is going to automatically seep into your account. No, that’s not going to happen. So there goes the money-will-follow-even-if-we-stand-idly-by argument. No country helps another develop without considering its own interests. If we want development, we need to bury our desire to become a bridge connecting the two and the nonsensical equidistance idealism. We need to wisely choose one of our neighbors to be our strategic partner. Then, development will likely follow.
Misguided optimism about neighbors aside, another huge impediment to our economic growth is our total disregard for the rule of law, which is a polite way of saying we are quite lax when it comes to the morality of our leaders and bureaucrats. We have come to accept bribery, embezzlement and nepotism as part and parcel of our democracy. While we may accept all these as normal, it distracts foreign investors. And without Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), a country like Nepal has no way of embarking on economic growth. Since many leaders and analysts ether benefit or harbor dreams to benefit from the present chaos, it is no surprise that hardly anyone is serious about upholding the rule of law.
While the prevalent narrative is that all the previous systems were feudal, unfavorable for economic growth and couldn’t manage affairs with the neighbors, we seem to forget we entered a new system over a decade ago. And what are the signs of development or of better things to come? Ten years is a long time during which many constructive things could have been done.
China, for example, made economic reforms in 1978 after the decade-long Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) and was bidding to host the Olympic Games in Beijing in 1998. Japan was bombed to ashes during the Second World War, but it hosted the Olympic Games in 1964. They could do so as their leaders understood the importance of a strategic ally or development partner and of the rule of law for their country’s development.
Although we are more than a decade into a new and “better” system, we are still dependent on aid and remittance, while forgetting the importance of major infrastructure projects. We are yet to reconstruct the fallen monuments even almost three years after the earthquake.
Yet our leaders and analysts are optimistic. They must be smoking something.
Oli and oligarchs
Finally, we have found an old new prime minister in the form of KP Sharma Oli, who has risen to power on a platform of delivering stability and prosperity. Oli is arguably the most admired living politician in Nepal right now, thanks to his nationalist rhetoric the last time he was prime minister in 2015-16, and more recently with the formation of the Left Alliance and its promise of stability and development. The last time Oli was prime minister, the country was reeling from the devastation wrought by the earthquake and strangled by the Indian blockade. Oli took a strong stand against the blockade, for which his party, the CPN-UML, has been rewarded with a solid majority across the three tiers of government—local, provincial and central.
As such, the public has great expectations from Oli. He has repeatedly made big promises to transform the country. Now he has been given a chance.
So the question is whether Oli will be able to keep any of his big promises. Whether it be bringing Chinese railway or developing hydropower or increasing ordinary Nepalis’ per capita income, Oli will need to find some ways if he intends to maintain his popularity.
But if we look at his record, Oli has not delivered much. Although he stoked nationalist sentiments, he could not go beyond rhetoric. He signed some bilateral deals with China during his tenure as prime minister, which was the backbone of his ‘development’ agenda on the campaign trail. But infrastructure deals are not new for Nepal-China relations; it is their implementation that is novel.
The rise of Oli in Nepali politics is quite mysterious. What we do know for certain is his ties with various goons and mafia figures and his assertive words and body language. In recent years, Oli grew to be the most powerful man in UML.Under Oli’s protection, a new group of oligarchs has emerged in Nepal. These people do not hold formal government positions; they are in the private sector, but control much of what is going on in the public sector. These oligarchs care little about who is in the government, but work to ensure that major political actors across the spectrum have been won over.
Oli was one of the strongest supporters of this group of criminal businessmen, and now that their power is no longer under the control of the political class, Oli will have to negotiate with them at every step while he leads the government. How Oli will manage to deliver on his development dreams in the face of powerful resistance by the goons he once groomed and sheltered will be interesting to watch.
In essence, Oli projects two images of himself—the protector of oligarchs and the messiah of development. For instance, one day he speaks publicly in favor of the likes of Ajaya Sumargi, a nouveau riche oligarch who, it is suspected, became an overnight billionaire with the blessings of the Maoists and plenty of money laundering. The next day, Oli is back to feeding the masses the promise of increased income and high speed transit.
Interestingly, in Sumargi’s case, even the Supreme Court seemed to side with Oli and allowed the scandalous man to access funds frozen by the central bank. The popular understanding is that with the shift in power, Sumargi’s loyalties have also shifted to Oli.
Likewise, a recent picture of Oli and Prachanda having lunch with the owner of the proposed B and C Medical College went viral on social media. Nepal’s political future is being mediated by such middlemen. And as long as these middlemen meddle in our statecraft, the promise of development will likely remain just a promise.
As for Oli, two conflicting images of one man cannot coexist forever. He will have to choose one and reveal that choice based on the decisions he makes in the coming weeks. KP Oli’s public trial begins now.
