The departing 2023 has been a significant year with different cultural festivities across the nation, many of them returning after being ghosted by the COVID-19 pandemic that allowed only web-based events for the past three years. Some major events took place in Bangladesh, making it one of the prominent cultural years in recent history. Several local-international exhibitions and festivals were organized at different venues throughout 2023, be it Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), Liberation War Museum (LWM), Dhaka University Faculty of Fine Art (DU FFA), Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD), Gallery Cosmos, Bangladesh National Museum, Gallery Chitrak, EMK Centre, Gallery Kaya, Drik, Safiuddin Shilpalay, Goethe-Institut Bangladesh, Brihatta Art Foundation, EDGE, Abinta Gallery or bother venues in the capital. Right off the bat we had the 10th edition of the Dhaka Lit Fest that ran from January 5-8, returning after a three-year hiatus due to the global pandemic. Following this auspicious start, the year continued with a string of remarkable artistic and cultural festivities. The 21st edition of the Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF), one of the oldest and most regular cultural festivals in the country, officially began shortly after the Lit Fest in the capital, showcasing 252 films from 71 countries. The long-awaited 6th edition of the Dhaka Art Summit (DAS) also made its return after three years in the following month at the National Art Gallery of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), continued till February 11 under the theme 'Bonna' (Flood). The month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair began on February 1st and concluded on February 28 at the premises of Bangla Academy and the Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital, marking the first successful edition of the fair after the COVID-19 pandemic since 2020. In celebration of World Music Day 2023, a multidisciplinary musical and theatrical performance titled "Made in Bangladesh" by Max Vandervorst of Belgium and 'Joler Gaan' band frontman Rahul Ananda of Bangladesh was staged in June at the Alliance Francaise de Dhaka, Dhanmondi - which eventually led the French President Emmanuel Macron to visit at his home in September. Several urban events captivated netizens this year at the Aloki Convention Centre in the capital's Tejgaon including the Fashion Design Council of Bangladesh (FDCB)'s flagship venture Bangladesh Fashion Week 2023 in March, the convivial urban rendezvous at the Dhaka Makers 2023's inaugural edition in June, and the tantalizing first-ever Arka Fashion Week in October. The venue was also the home of several high-profile concerts, including the musical night of popular Indian singer Lucky Ali. Gallery Cosmos, the philanthropic and artistic wing of Bangladeshi conglomerate Cosmos Group (full disclosure: UNB's parent company), organised several exhibitions and art events throughout the year. The list of events includes an exclusive Intaglio process-Softground and Stencil Workshop by internationally acclaimed art maestro Professor Rokeya Sultana titled 'Impression of Rokeyas', an exclusive watercolor art camp titled 'Splendours of Bangladesh' on August as an ode to the Father of the Nation, a joint exhibition with the Turkish Embassy in Dhaka tiled 'Smiles Around the World: An Artistic Celebration', Singapore-based Bangladeshi artist Jamil Khan's solo exhibition titled 'Inspiration' and an exclusive ceremony in honor of a seasoned group of rickshaw painters in Dhaka whose works have made rickshaw and rickshaw paintings recognized as the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Botswana, titled 'Gallery on Wheels' at the Private Museum, Baridhara in the capital. Additionally, several major solo exhibitions also took place throughout the year, including Gallery Cosmos Artistic Director Sourav Chowdhury's 5th solo exhibition 'Eternal Existence' at AFD. Several local and international festivals were also held across the country in 2023, including (but not limited to) the 9th Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival, the 16th International Children's Film Festival Bangladesh, Chhayanaut's traditional Bengali New Year celebration at the Ramna Batamul and its annual folk fest, Shuddha Sangeet Utsab, dance festival and seasonal odes; the Ganga Jamuna Cultural Festival 2023; Korean Film Festival 2023; Goethe-Institut Bangladesh's Science Film Festival 2023 and the traditional 'Zainul Utshab' by Dhaka University's Faculty of Fine Art in commemoration to the Shilpacharya's 109th birth anniversary. Throughout the year, several musical events also enthralled the audiences and music lovers at different venues including the International Convention Center Bashundhara (ICCB), Bangladesh Army Stadium, Hatirjheel Amphitheatre and Aloki Convention Center. These venues hosted several high-profile musical events, including To Gaza from Dhaka, Joy Bangla Concert, Coke Studio Bangla Live, Cholo Bangladesh Concert, Rock N Rhythm 3.0: Tribute Fiesta, The Night of Pritom Hasan, Dhaka Summer Con 2023, The School of Rock, Dhaka City Sound Project, and many more. Prominent bands and performers including Nagar Baul, Warfaze, Artcell, Meghdol, Shironamhin, Maqsood O' DHAKA, Chirkutt, Nemesis and others continued enthralling the fans in these concerts. The most talked-about musical programme was the second edition of Coke Studio Bangla, which enthralled the listeners with songs such as 'Deora', 'Kotha Koiyo Na', 'Dilaram', 'Murir Tin', 'Bonobibi', 'Darale Duaarey' and more. Besides, the Dhaka concert scene thrived throughout the entirety of 2023 with several big banner concerts and major artists and bands from India and West Bengal, including Lucky Ali, Anupam Roy, Chandrabindoo, Fossils, Taalpatar Shepai, Anuv Jain, Darshan Raval, and others. Overall, it was a tremendous year for the art-culture enthusiasts and admirers in the country, and netizens are looking forward to the forthcoming year with another great bunch of cultural festivities.

Admission test of Dhaka University's Arts, Social Science and Law faculty, previously known as Kha unit, was held on Saturday in all the eight divisions of the country. The test started at 11 am and concluded at 12:30 pm. Examinees had to answer 60 MCQ questions from Bangla, English and general knowledge and 40 number of written test from Bangla and English within the given 90 minutes. DU Vice Chancellor Prof. Mohammad Akhtaruzzaman visited the arts faculty exam hall at 11 am. He said, " We have arranged the exam of this year following a new procedure. We have renamed the test as Arts, Law and Social Science unit exam." Also read: DU admission test: Restrictions on vehicular movement in RU "Prof. Dr. Abdul Bashir, dean of the arts faculty, has been co-coordinating this exam. A total of 68000 students are sitting for the exam on Dhaka University campus and the remaining students are sitting for the exam from other seven divisional cities," he added. This year, a total of 1,22,886 applicants submitted applications to seat for the test against a total of 2,938 seats.  

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen Saturday inaugurated Sylhet Arts College in Kumarpara, Sylhet city. At the opening ceremony, the foreign minister said:  "Sylhet has a long tradition of nurturing arts and culture. Sylhet Arts College will play an important role in upholding this tradition and instil the same spirit in the next generation." "Elsewhere in the country, there are separate arts colleges and institutions for teaching music and dance. But Sylhet Arts College will offer lessons in different branches of arts and culture at the same time."

  Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Friday (March 26, 2021) jointly inaugurated the Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition in Bangladesh. It was arranged for commemorating two of the most-reputed leaders of this subcontinent, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Mahatma Gandhi, in city’s Bangabandhu International Conference Centre. The exhibition, a story of Bangladesh and India showcasing the bond of blood and shared sacrifices, was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Hasina and her Indian counterpart Modi on December 17 during a virtual summit. After Bangladesh, the exhibition will move to the United Nations for displaying and later, it would culminate in Kolkata in 2022. Read '50 Springs of Freedom’ art camp to begin in Chattogram on Independence Day Historic quotes of the two great leaders will also be exhibited on the walls in the hall apart from displaying photographs and digital contents on different historic events of the two countries. Key points of interest of the exhibition are a "meeting wall" that displays the only photo in the world that has both Bangabandhu and Bapu in one frame, a robotic signature of both the leaders and their favourite music. Historical moments like Mahatma Gandhi's salt march, historic March 7, 1971 speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman are the areas of main attractions. Read Two-month long art show on Sheikh Hasina ends with tributes to Bangabandhu The exhibition will show the pain and suffering of Indian and Bangladeshi people in the genocides by the forces General Dyer in Jallianwala Bagh in 1919 and the genocide perpetrated by the Pakistani army in 1971. The "genocide tunnel" will show the depiction, the experiences of the many Bangladeshis who were brutally tortured in the hands of the Pakistani army in 1971 War of Liberation. Photographs on the barbaric torture on Bangladeshi women by the Pakistani army during the country's War of Independence in 1971 are also on display. Read Art can boost people-to-people ties: Vietnamese Ambassador Photographs of Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnessa Mujib and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on different historic events are also displayed digitally. A Holographic Time Machine will be displayed historical photos with a timeline and provides a unique interface to the users to reference their time and lives. Both the leaders visited different sections of the exhibition. PM's younger sister Sheikh Rehana was present beside her on the occasion. Read British, Turkish envoys impressed by artworks featuring PM Hasina Indian Prime Minister Modi is in the two on a two-day official visit to attend the celebrations of the birth centenary of Bangabandhu and the golden jubilee of country’s independence. Both the leaders later attended at the cultural programme and banquet dinner hosted by Prime Minister Hasina in honour of her Indian counterpart. Curator of the exhibition Birad Rajaram Yajnik briefed the two Prime Ministers regarding the exhibition.  Read Artists did a fabulous job on PM Hasina: Information Minister He said that after exhibiting for two days at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre, it will be moved to Jatiya Shilpakala Academy for one month. Later, it will be exhibited in Chattogram, Khulna, Rajshahi and Sylhet for three weeks each. It will finally be transferred to UN Headquarters for one month where the exhibition will be open for all. Yajnik thanked Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, Liberation War Museum, National Museum, National Archive and Mujib Borsha Udjapan Committee for their support. Read ‘The Black Story’ exhibition by Gallery Cosmos launched virtually

The Latin phrase, 'annus horribilis' (horrible year), aptly sums up the story of 2020, the last year of this decade.

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram K Doraiswami on Saturday laid emphasis on an increased collaboration between Bangladeshi and Indian young artists to put together new ideas of art and reach out to more people through art.

Peers and colleagues on Monday remembered renowned music director, singer, lyricist, musician and composer Basudeb Ghose who passed away recently.

Dhaka, Oct 23 (UNB) - The first-ever international workshop on magic industry ended here on Wednesday, highlighting the importance of using advanced techniques in magical presentations, and effective networking among the magicians of various countries.

Dhaka, 26th August (UNB) - Dhaka DocLab, an international documentary co-production project market in Bangladesh which also serves workshops  for South Asian filmmakers, inaugurated its 3rd edition on Monday, August 26 at the Liberation War Museum, Agargaon in the capital.