Folk Lok
Dāphā Calling Season III
In its third year, Dāphā Calling will explore Dāphā’s intangible heritages - the dance and drama practice of Kha Pyakha within the tradition, and tangible heritages.
Folk Lok
2022-11-22
Dāphā Calling is an annual forum for the sharing of knowledge and practice on the Kathmandu Valley’s historic Dāphā music tradition. It is a platform to enjoy the beauty and creative expression of Dāphā music, allowing practitioners to reclaim their space within Nepali society. It brings together Dāphā practitioners, researchers, local stakeholders, and enthusiasts to share ideas, voice concerns, explore collaborative solutions, and build collective agency. Dāphā Calling is hosted as part of the Folk Lok program run by the Satori Center for the Arts.
In its third year, Dāphā Calling is exploring Dāphā’s intangible heritages - the dance and drama practice of Kha Pyakha within the tradition, and tangible heritages - handwritten books (safu) of Dāphā songs, physical infrastructure like phalca, and the makeup of Newa cities itself that support and shape these traditions. As part of the program, we are hosting Dāphā music exchanges between different Dāphā groups, panel discussions, and performances like in previous years. However, this year, we hosted a safu reproduction workshop and heritage walks in November, and a resultant exhibition as part of the main program days. We hope to work in close collaboration with local governments to encourage genuine discussions and support decision-making in relation to the preservation, promotion, and practice of Dāphā.
Program Schedule
Two full days of events are planned as part of this year's Dāphā Calling at Patan Museum starting on December 9, 2022. An exhibition will go on in the museum till December 17, 2022.
Friday, December 9, 2022
| 9:00 am - 10:45 am |
Opening Ceremony |
| 11:00 am - 12:30 pm |
Panel 1: Federal and Local Policies to Support Artistic Creation Speakers: Mayor of Lalitpur Chiribabu Maharjan, Deputy Mayor of Kathmandu Sunita Dongol, and Deputy Mayor of Bhaktapur Rajani Shrestha Joshi. |
| 2 pm - 5 pm |
Performances and Exchange: Dāphā Music |
Saturday, December 10, 2022
| 10:00 am - 11:30 am |
Panel 2: Revitalizing Dāphā Music in Kirtipur Speakers: Elected Representative to the Bagmati Province Assembly from Kathmandu 10 (constituency) Honorable Pukar Maharjan, Deputy Mayor of Kirtipur Subha Laxmi Shakya, Secretary of Kirtipur Tourism Development Committee Vijay Kumar Maharjan, Rupendra Maharjan from Balkumari Dāphā Khalah, and Rajendra Maharjan from Tham Baha: Dāphā Khalah. |
| 2 pm - 5 pm |
Performance and Exchange: Kha Pyakhas |
Sunday, December 11, 2022
2 pm - 5 pm
Seminar: Kirtipur as a Learning Space
How can a historic city like Kirtipur be a space for a new generation of learners? While researchers worldwide can make Kirtipur a laboratory for themselves, how can Kirtipur benefit from studies on its people and places?
Friday, December 16, 2022
11 am - 1 pm
Seminar: Archiving Nepal's musical heritage: Praxis and Developments
Who has been addressing the pressing issues of the loss of Nepal’s musical heritage and how? The seminar will be a forum for different institutions to share and discuss aspects of their archival approach and process.
December 9 to 17
10 am - 5 pm
Exhibition: Dāphā - The music of the valley
The exhibition on Dāphā music will be open throughout the week with visitors able to request tours and introductions to Dāphā music.
The event is organized by Tahnani Dāphā Khalah, Balkumari Dāphā Khalah, and Folk Lok and supported by the U.S. Embassy's Book Bus, Satori Center for the Arts, and Social Science Baha. Echoes in the Valley, Nepal Music Archive, World Newah Organization, and Heritage as Placemaking are the partners. Jyapu Samaj is the local coordinator. Jhigu Nepa Channel is the media partner.
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