This video interview with Stanford’s Thomas Blom Hansen, Danish anthropologist and one of the leading commentators on religious and political violence in India, was produced by Habib University’s media club, Purple Lion Productions. It was meant as the first episode of a series called ‘Statementors’ (combining the words ‘statement’ and ‘mentor’). The idea was to not ask researchers ie academic mentors any questions, but to  confront them with blunt statements like: “Multiculturalism is bureaucracy” or “University = factory”. 

PLO also recorded two concerts organized by Dr. Markus Heidingsfelder that took place at Habib University – one with Bugge Wesseltoft and Gumby, one with German musician Ada, who was joined by local Pakistani musicians. Both videos are available on Facebook and here.

Unfortunately, shortly afterwards the club broke up. Although restructured and newly established, it never fully recovered and has not been realizing any more media events since then. A second episode of ‘Statementors’ that was recorded with musician Bugge Wesseltoft was never released. We have published the transcript on mediastudies.asia instead.

Watch the promising start of the ‘Statementors’ series here. (And kindly ignore the microphone cable – the students were too afraid to put it under Hansen’s shirt.) 

The start animation of the ‘bouncing’ university was created by German VFX artist Min Tesch. Camera and sound: Mohammad Hamza Alam. Interview: Arqam Khan. Typo animation: Anne Martin. Many thanks  to Dr. Hansen for participating in this little experiment.

SJ