Wakhi (ethnic group)

Inhabitants of Wakhan. An ethnic group consisting of speakers of the Wakhi language. Also known as Pamiri or Mountain Tajiks.

Population and Demographics

A very rough estimate puts the population of Wakhis at about 50,000. The population is divided among four different countries, i.e., Pakistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and China. The religion of the Wakhi Tajiks is Nizari Ismaili Shia Muslim, being followers of Prince Karim Aga Khan. The literacy rate among Wakhi Tajiks in the northern areas of Pakistan is about 60%.

Organizations

Wakhi Tajik Cultural Association

In Pakistan, the central organization of Wakhi Tajiks is the Wakhi Tajik Cultural Association Pakistan (WTCA), an organization that is working with the Pakistani Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Lok Virsa Pakistan. The WTCA aims to preserve the Wakhi Tajiki language and culture and to record its poetry and music. The WTCA has arranged more than twenty programmes since 1984, including cultural shows, musical nights, large-scale musical festivals with the collaboration of Lok Virsa Pakistan, Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan (AKCSP), and Pakistan Television. In 2000, the WTCA won a "Best Programme" organizer award in the Silk Road Festival from the President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf.

Media

Radio Pakistan's Gilgit station broadcasts the Wakhi radio programme "Sada-e Baam-e Dunya" (the Voice of the Roof of the World).

A computerized codification of Wakhi script has been released. It is hoped that this will help researchers record and document Wakhi poetry, literature and history.

References

The Kirghiz and Wakhi of Afghanistan: Adaptation to Closed Frontiers and War [ISBN 0295982624]