Sharp eloquence, humanist philosophies, and mystic poetries are given a global voice by Arieb Azhar — acclaimed musician, cultural promoter and producer. Arieb was exposed to the performing arts and activism from a young age by his father, who was a renowned director and founder of Pakistan Television, and his mother, who is a life-long human rights activist.

After actively engaging in the ‘80s progressive movement of Pakistan through theatre and music, Arieb went to Croatia where he spent 13 years. During his years abroad, he studied Philosophy and Indology, and worked as a professional musician, performing Irish, Balkan and Pakistani music with his band The Shamrock Rovers. While living in Zagreb, he also witnessed the break-up of Yugoslavia and the civil war that ensued.

Arieb returned to Pakistan in 2004 and became a pioneer of performing and interpreting Punjabi Sufi poetry for urban audiences. He co-founded the Music Mela festival of Islamabad in 2014, which he curated for three years, and then his own festival platform, “Art Langar, in 2017, which connects music and arts with ecology, entrepreneurship, and community development. In 2018 Arieb took charge of T2F (The Second Floor) — a popular social venue, art gallery, and cultural hub of Karachi, spearheading its activities as executive director for two years. During this time he also curated the third edition of the multidisciplinary Creative Karachi Festival. In March 2020 Arieb shifted back to Islamabad, where he has been producing an educational web series, Maqaam — Life After Corona.

Arieb has been performing in Pakistan and abroad for over 30 years and is a regular speaker on the topic of Sufi poetry. He has produced several films on music and culture, including award-winning documentary Indus Blues on Pakistan’s endangered musical heritage, and a 13 episode travel show, Salaam Balkam, on the music of Bosnia and Croatia. Arieb has also been featured in the award-winning US-Pakistan film Without Shepherds, of which he was also the narrator. Currently, Arieb is working on his single Charsi Bhangi at A for Aleph.