Bangladesh’s first-ever manga Kinsa Khyong has celebrated its 9th anniversary with an important legal milestone as the Bangladesh Copyright Office recognised it as the country’s first manga and its creators Shantona Shantuma as the first manga artists of the country.
Originally published in the October 2016 issue of Kishore Alo, the country’s most widely circulated juvenile magazine, Kinsa Khyong is based on a Marma legend centering the Karnaphuli River in Chattogram, said a press release.
Its adaptation into manga form received widespread acclamation from readers and was also praised by the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh for its cultural significance.
Shantona Shantuma have gone on to pioneer a new art form—Bangladeshi manga—by fusing traditional Bengali stories with the aesthetics of Japanese manga.
Their notable works include the Agnijoddha series published by Panjeree Publications Ltd and several other acclaimed titles like Locker er Chithi, Tanaporen, Bashap, Protik, Shikar, Bohurupee, and Augustbabur Diary.
This copyright win is seen as a significant step forward for intellectual property protection in Bangladesh’s creative sectors, said the press release.
To mark both the legal victory and the 9th anniversary of Kinsa Khyong, Shantona Shantuma have planned to organise commemorative events aimed at engaging both longtime fans and new readers of Bangladeshi manga.