The multifunctional urban space for people in Karachi District 19 has indefinitely canceled its Girls Night event after artists and staff were “exploited” to be humiliated by the crowd.
The organizers of the event posted a statement on their Instagram stories, “We have been humiliated by harassment and attacks.” [the artist] It was welcomed by our parents.”
District 19 is known for holding a variety of events and giving opportunities to different talented local and international artists to perform. District 19 in Korangi has hosted several Girls’ Nights organized by women, exclusively for women. Girls’ Nights are ticket-based events for women to enjoy music, a “safe haven” for them.
According to District 19, they get the most complaints during and after Girls’ Night. “We first adapted this to bring predefined playlists to our artists, but eventually we realized that it wasn’t fair to our artists either. We need to give our artists a platform to share their music,” they wrote on Instagram.
As the complaints were predominantly about music, the MCs wrote, “Girl’s Night is not just about music and dance, it’s about bringing girls from all backgrounds together, and music can be a reflection and resonance of diversity among all women. As in ALL clubs and parties around the world, various women are different. and it is essential that the music is at the discretion of the DJ.
They invited two artists to perform at Son Girls’ Night – DJ Nabihah Iqbal from London and local artist Chiara Dsouza. images reached both and has yet to receive a response.
Organizers said the women were “attacked” for their music selections, which the DJ later expanded to include staff members. “We welcome feedback and value your opinion, but attacking the DJ, using abusive language is not the way we want to receive that feedback.”
They said that “the crowd littered the place so much, and even though this is a very basic thing to be aware of, they weren’t at all careful about littering.”
Although the District 19 team regretted the decision, they noted that the amount of negative comments they received after Girls Night was greater than after other events such as EDM nights. “We do not tolerate any disrespect to our talents or staff members by anyone. Regular bosses or not. When we talk about providing a ‘safe space’ we mean everyone, including our team, our staff, and especially our artists.”