Zeeshan Khan Rokhri, a popular Pakistani folk singer is set to tour UK starting 12 November. Roped in by businessman and philanthropist Shakeel Faraz Zeeshan will tour multiple cities in UK till 16 November, with a show in Bradford on 14 November.
Shakeel Faraz who is one of the founders of the Magic Wishing Well and Heckmondwike’s first Food Bank, has been bringing music and cultural events from the sub-continent to the UK for the past few years.
Shakeel has already brought successful shows with some of the biggest musicians and artists from Pakistan such as Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi and Naseebo Lal to name a few. He is now bringing raw talent Zeeshan Khan Rokhri to the UK for the very first time, in an attempt to increase engagement in culture and arts for South Asian communities.
Zeeshan Khan Rokhri is a Pakistani Saraiki folk singer who is popular all around the world, with millions of followers on Tik Tok and other social media sites. He produces music under his own label Rokhri productions. His late father Shafaullah Rokhri was also a huge folk singer in Pakistan.
Shakeel told Asian Standard: “I am born and bred in this country, but I have South Asian heritage and growing up I realised, there was very little in the way of entertainment that was from my heritage. Whenever there were cultural events, I realised the atmosphere wasn’t often suitable for women or families. So now I’ve made it my mission to celebrate my heritage by bringing world renowned artists to the UK, where families can come and enjoy in a safe and welcoming atmosphere.
“I am delighted to be working with Zeeshan Khan Rokhri for my next show, as he is a profound artist who has touched my soul and has millions of fans across the world. The community and lovers of folk music are really going to be wowed by his performance and of course we will be making history as this will be his first ever UK tour. I am really looking forward to show and will continue working hard to showcase the best of South Asian culture and arts.”
There has been a concern of lack of representation and engagement of South Asian arts and culture. On 6 June 2014, the then Cultural secretary Sajid Javid said “adults from black and minority ethnic groups are significantly less engaged with the arts than their white counterparts and are much less likely to visit a performance or gallery.”.
Things have improved since then, as data collected by Department of Culture, Media and Sports on “Share of adults who engaged with the arts in the last year in England 2019/20, by ethnicity”, in 2019-20 revealed that, 62.9% of Asian people were willing to engage with arts, compared to 78.3% whites.
A higher representation of South Asian Arts and folklore through concerts and exhibitions, will only solidify the common South Asian identity, whether it be from India or be it Pakistan. The representation also works as an awareness tool for second/third generation South Asians in the UK, who through such events can discover their roots and will only push for higher representation.
Zeeshan Khan Rokhri’s tour begins on 12 November and finishes on 16 November. The Pakistani legend is set to perform in Bradford on 14 November.
For full details on the concert and venue visit here
