United News of Bangladesh

The Ministry of Cultural Affairs on Thursday announced seven innovative projects aimed at engaging youth and revitalizing Bangladesh's cultural landscape in the wake of the July Revolution. The announcement came during a press conference at the Secretariat, chaired by Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki. The seven initiatives, designed to foster creativity and inclusivity, are: 'Remembering Monsoon Revolution,' 'Youth Festival,' 'Countrywide Talent Hunt,' 'Digital Oral History Project,' 'Bangla Academy Creative Writing Workshop and Research Project,' 'Installation of Modern Video Projection System at the National Museum,' and 'Show-Creator Workshops.' Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki emphasized the projects’ significance in promoting cultural unity and diversity. “The establishment of a cultural bridge is crucial after the revolution,” he said. “We want to ensure that Bangladesh represents everyone—many people, many religions, many languages, and all cultures will be at the center of our policy. There will be no space for religious discrimination.” In the written statement of the ministry, it was informed that 'Remembering Monsoon Revolution' will create new enthusiasm and new wave among the youth of Bangladesh. As part of this project, 8 visual content creation workshops will be organized in 8 categories by 8 top Bangladeshi creators, and 8 medium length visual content will be produced as output of the workshop while 8 new theater productions will also be created and staged. An album of Nazrul's songs will be made with youth-favorite local artists of the country and a concert will be organized centrally in Dhaka on the occasion of its release. This concert will be telecast across the country. Besides, the July Revolution-centric photography, paintings and cartoons will be exhibited in the country through major exhibitions, according to the Ministry. A grand 'Youth Festival' will take place from December 30 to February 8 next year, where the Ministry of Cultural Affairs will organize cultural events across the country. As part of the countrywide talent search program, the ministry will organize a countrywide talent search program with the aim of creating a new cultural awakening among Bangladeshi children, adolescents and youth. 'Digital Oral History Project' will include a large-scale digital archiving. Millions of participants in the 'Remembering Monsoon Revolution' will have their involvement history captured by video cameras and compiled, and these videos will be displayed everywhere. For aspiring authors, Bangla Academy will publish books and offer creative writing classes. In addition, 10 one-year research fellowships and funds for fifty research papers will be granted to the aspiring researchers, as part of the 'Bangla Academy Creative Writing Workshop and Research Project'. Besides, it was also revealed that the projection system in the National Museum auditoriums will be modernized to screen international films, documentaries and other visual content along with stage performances throughout the year, and the ‘Show-Creator Workshops’ will be organized for the promising youth of Bangladesh with experienced trainers of internationally renowned OTT platforms. Syed Jamil Ahmed, Director General of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, and Mohammad Azam, Director General of Bangla Academy, joined other ministry officials in presenting these initiatives.  

The ICCROM Regional Centre in Sharjah will announce the winners of the 4th ICCROM-Sharjah Award for Good Practices in Cultural Heritage Preservation and the 3rd Arab Cultural Heritage Award for the Young on November 28 2024. The ceremony will begin at 9:00 am at ICCROM-Sharjah, according to a press release on Thursday. The event will recognise outstanding efforts in preserving Arab cultural heritage. Awards include the Grand Award for Good Practices, and two Honorary Awards for Community Engagement and Conservation and Innovation. It also celebrates Arab youth creativity in drawing, photography, awareness films, and folkloric dance through the Arab Cultural Heritage Award for the Young. Winners in these categories will participate in training workshops in arts, photography, and directing before the ceremony. Historian and architect Professor Nasser Rabbat, Aga Khan Professor at MIT, will be honoured for his significant contributions to Islamic architecture and heritage through his academic and research achievements. This year, 18 projects from 12 Arab countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, were shortlisted from 55 nominations for the ICCROM-Sharjah Award. These projects highlight efforts to preserve historical architecture, protect archaeological sites, and safeguard tangible heritage. The awards underscore ICCROM-Sharjah's dedication to conserving cultural heritage, promoting best practices, and fostering international knowledge exchange. By spotlighting successful initiatives, the program aims to inspire others, strengthen professional networks, and enhance public appreciation of cultural heritage in the Arab region.  

Since October 7 last year, 191 journalists and media workers have been killed as Israel is targeting and killing Palestinian journalists to suppress media coverage of the massacre in Gaza. To protest against this targeted killing of Palestinian journalists, an exhibition titled ‘Gaza Holocaust: Killing the Truthtellers’ was organised by Drik Picture Library this afternoon at Dhanmondi's Rabindra Sarobar. Along with Drik family members and friends, visitors present at the venue stood in solidarity with photographs of journalists who died fighting for the liberation of Palestine. Earlier this year, on May 5, to mark World Press Freedom Day 2024, Drik organised a 7-day exhibition under the same title and a panel discussion at DrikPath Bhaban in Panthapath. In the introduction to the exhibition, which aimed to pay tribute to the media persons killed in Gaza, eminent photographer and Drik’s Managing Director Shahidul Alam described, “With access to international media denied by Israel, the Palestinian journalists were the sole witnesses to the destruction of hospitals, where healing hands once laboured to save desperate lives and abandoned children lay in deserted incubators, to mass graves with people buried alive.” “They saw hungry people queuing outside food trucks gunned down and pregnant mothers, breasts dry and hearts heavy, buried under rubble. They saw too much, said too much and were plucked off, like carnival ducks in a shooting arcade, one by one. Sometimes alone, sometimes with families. Drones guided by technology giants honing in on the death trail of their mobile phones.” “These brave journalists, in their sacrifice, have ignited the flame of conscience. They were more than flesh and bone. Martyrs to the sacred art of truth telling, their lens a mirror reflecting humanity’s darkest corners. The weight of their stories presses upon our collective conscience.“ according to Shahidul Alam. This solidarity exhibition is part of resistance to Israeli aggression and commitment to liberating Palestine with the call for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the ongoing genocide.

Goethe-Institut Bangladesh, in partnership with Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD), presented an evening with the Franco-German Jazz Trio featuring Luise Volkmann (saxophone), Max Andrzejewski (drums), and Paul Jarret (guitar) recently at the AFD, Dhanmondi, in Dhaka. As part of a successful regional jazz tour of the trio, the concert enamoured the Dhaka audiences on Sunday, November 10. Prior to the concert, Frank Werner, Director of the Goethe-Institut Bangladesh, and François Grosjean, Director of the Alliance Française de Dhaka, welcomed the Franco-German musicians and audience with brief speeches. The concert was marked by a journey through playful elegance and energetic flow, inviting the audience to experience the trio's deeply emotional and innovative approach to jazz. Their performance brought a refreshing soundscape to Dhaka, leaving a lasting impression on the city's jazz enthusiasts. The Volkmann/Jarret/Andrzejewski trio was founded in 2023 because Volkmann had carte blanche for a new line-up at the Hanover Jazz Festival. The trio plays a convincing mixture of simple folk songs and improvised sound collages. All band members are instrumentalists as well as outstanding composers, all of whom have already written for large formations. In the trio's interplay, this knowledge of instrumentation and form is condensed into an energetic yet fragile performance that is deeply emotional. The concert featured an evocative selection of tracks depicting playful elegance in the music that took the audience on a musical journey, including "All My Forces” by Louise Volkmann, “My Ground” by Louise Volkmann, “Kitzel Skizze” by Louise Volkmann, “Roam Free” by Paul Jarret, “Odd Western by Paul Jarret, “#18” by Max Andrzejewski, and “Opposite You” by Luise Volkmann. This carefully curated setlist highlighted the trio's innovative approach, blending playful elegance with energetic flow, and left a lasting impression on Dhaka's jazz enthusiasts.

French artist-educator Élise Grosjean's exclusive solo exhibition 'Finely Tiny' was inaugurated at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD), in the capital’s Dhanmondi on Friday evening. A special artist talk, 'Mathematics and Art: Exploring the Connections' preceded the exhibition at 5pm. Art critic Moinuddin Khaled attended the event as the special guest. From a young age, Élise Grosjean began her artistic journey by drawing on her skin with henna and later transitioning to paper. To escape the monotony of school, she found solace in covering her diaries with imaginative drawings. This early passion for art persisted, even as her academic path took an unexpected turn. Elise pursued an academic career, becoming a Doctor of Mathematics (PhD in Mathematics) and an assistant professor at ENSTA-Paris, a prestigious engineering school. Her research focuses on the development of numerical methods to simulate physical phenomena. Besides solving complex mathematical equations, Élise finds every excuse to draw, experimenting with a wide range of techniques, including pencils, inks, oil paint, acrylic, watercolor, pigments, collages, henna, and even salt dough. What connects her two seemingly divergent passions—mathematics and art—is her love for intricate geometric patterns. This connection is especially evident in her paintings Classroom and Roméo & Juliette – Mathematician Version, both of which will be featured. The exhibition will remain open to all, daily from 3pm to 9pm, till Saturday, November 9.

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) will kick off the 2024 Jatra Festival on Friday at the open stage (Mukto Moncho) of Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka. This year’s festival will feature seven Jatra teams from different districts of Bangladesh, performing daily from 6 PM to 9 PM until November 7. The performances will be based on historical and social events. “Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy believes that art is at the centre of public life. We learned morality in childhood by watching social journeys, but over time, the Jatra industry has diverged in a different direction, and we need to address that situation. The Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy is working to bring traditional Jatrapala back into public life through performance, development, practice, and the patronage of Jatra artists," said Prof Dr Syed Jamil Ahmed, Director General of BSA. Israfil Majumdar, a participant in the student-led mass revolution, will be the chief guest, while eminent Jatra artist Anima Dey will attend as a special guest at the inaugural ceremony. Faiz Zahir, Director of the BSA Theatre and Film Department, will deliver the welcome speech at the programme, which will be presided over by the BSA DG. The first show of the seven Jatrapala performances, Nihoto Golap, will take place at 7 PM. Presented by Surovi Opera, the Jatrapala is directed by Kabir Khan.

Flooding remains one of Bangladesh’s most pressing natural disasters, with this year’s floods inflicting widespread damage and hardship across the country. Concern Worldwide’s Flood Resilience Programme has documented the resilience of affected communities in northern Bangladesh through a new photobook, “Surging Hope: Stories of Climate Resilience” and an exhibition of the same name. World Press Photo Exhibition begins at Drik Gallery The exhibition launched Wednesday at Aloki on Tejgaon Link Road in Dhaka, highlighting stories of resilience among flood-prone communities that have confronted the impacts of climate change for generations. The opening ceremony was attended by dignitaries. Masud Jamil Khan, Honorary Consul of Ireland in Bangladesh, expressed his unwavering support for the cause. “In Bangladesh, I fully support initiatives for youth. Concern Worldwide has been active here since 1971, working tirelessly to support communities. Flooding disrupts families, education, and livelihoods. Photographer Saikat did an amazing job capturing the various forms of flooding in Bangladesh. In terms of climate change, we focus on the Sundarbans, ensuring tiger safety, access to fresh water, and providing other environmental support for the people of Bangladesh. We believe we can continue to make a difference,” said Honorary Consul Khan. USAID to provide $ 15 mln to boost climate resilience in Bangladesh Manish Kumar Agarwal, Country Director for Concern Worldwide Bangladesh, emphasised the importance of resilience-building efforts in the face of increasing climate challenges: “Today we have organised a photo exhibition titled Surging Hope: Stories of Climate Resilience. Concern has been working in northern Bangladesh to support communities vulnerable to climate change, particularly frequent flooding, in building resilience. We provide technical support to bolster their capacity to withstand these impacts. Climate change is a ticking time bomb for us, evidenced by this year’s back-to-back natural disasters. Bangladesh feels these impacts intensely. “Bangladesh did not create this crisis but is suffering the consequences. It deserves the critical climate finance required to scale up its adaptation efforts. This exhibition, timed just before COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, aims to highlight our work in building flood resilience in northern Bangladesh. We hope to raise awareness and inspire action from the public, students, media, government, and the international community,” he added.

Speakers as a seminar organised by Bangla Academy on Sunday shed the spotlight on the life, ideology and works of eminent poet Farrukh Ahmad, widely revered as the poet of the ‘Muslim Renaissance’ on his 50th death anniversary. Presided over by Bangla Academy Director General Professor Mohammad Azam, the seminar was joined by Syed Wahiduzzaman, son of the late poet. Dr Sarker Amin, Director (Ongoing Duty), Culture, Magazine and Auditorium Division at the academy, delivered the welcome speech at the seminar. Researcher Kudrat E Huda presented the keynote at the seminar titled ‘The way we should read poet Farrukh Ahmad’, while Bangla Academy fellow and poet Abdul Hye Sikder and poet Sohel Hasan Galib spoke at the event. The speakers pointed out how the poet was misinterpreted as the Pakistan-centric litterateur while in reality, he acted as the voice of the voiceless Muslim majority in East Bengal and always cherished a prosperous and harmonious society. Bangla Academy DG Professor Mohammad Azam said, “Farrukh Ahmed has always been significant in the country’s poetry and literature; however, we did not always pay proper attention to the readings of many great writers and poets, like Farrukh Ahmad. We hope that fresh initiatives will be taken to study and practice Farrukh Ahmed in this new inclusive Bangladesh." Reminiscing his father’s relationship with Bangla Academy, Syed Wahiduzzaman said that Bangla Academy and Farrukh Ahmed shared a great literary connection from the academy’s inception. “He was the first poet to receive the Bangla Academy Award, and the academy reminisced Farrukh Ahmad at different times, which unfortunately got stagnant in the last few decades. We are happy that after a long time, the academy has organised this discussion programme to commemorate the 50th death anniversary of Farrukh Ahmad,” he said. Born in the village of Majhail of Magura District on June 10, 1918, Farrukh Ahmad is widely acclaimed for his poetic creations including ‘Sat Sagorer Majhi’, ‘Sirajam Munira’, ‘Naufel O Hatem’, ‘Muhurter Kobita’, ‘Hatemtayi’, ‘Sindabad’ and more. A receiver of major literary accolades in the country including the Bangla Academy Literary Award (1960), UNESCO Prize (1966), Ekushey Padak (posthumously, 1977) and Independence Day Award (posthumously, 1980) among others, poet Farrukh Ahmad passed away on October 19, 1974, at the age of 56 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Artist Auntora Mehrukh Azad’s maiden solo art exhibition titled ‘Solastalgia: Fragments of a Fading Horizon’ is currently underway at the gallery of Platforms by ISHO, in Pragati Sarani, Baridhara in the capital. Inaugurated on Saturday, October 19, the exhibition delves into the personal and universal experiences of environmental change, as seen through the eyes of young and promising artist Auntora Mehrukh Azad, whose deep connection to Bangladesh's rivers and landscapes represents her work. ‘Solastalgia: Fragments of a Fading Horizon’ explores the impact of climate-induced flooding and the tension between rural and urban environments. Growing up in Dhaka, one of the most climate-vulnerable cities in the world, she witnessed the powerful relationship between the landscape and water. Bangladesh’s geography, shaped by rivers and monsoons, is both a source of life and destruction. “A pivotal moment came in 2018, when I worked with flood-affected communities in Pakuria. Immersed in their lives, I began to see the landscape as one reshaped by human influence and negligence,” Auntora Mehrukh Azad reminisced about her journey behind the inspiration of this exhibition. The neon pink waters in her work represent the unnatural, manmade elements of this crisis, exacerbated by climate change - a global issue that hits the most vulnerable hardest, according to the artist. “From the Sundarbans to Dhaka’s dense urban fabric, Auntora’s works reflect the convergence of these worlds, blending internal emotions with external observations of a landscape reshaped by human activity and environmental crisis. Through the imagery of neon waters and floating islands, Auntora captures fragmented yet interconnected stories, reflecting the collective experiences of those on the margins of environmental disaster,” the exhibition’s curator Rayana Hossain, also the Founder and Managing Director of ISHO and Platforms, stated. The exhibition has been arranged to showcase the shifting scales of these transitions. It moves from intimate depictions of flood-affected communities to broader, more abstract landscapes, highlighting the internal and external journey of displacement and environmental degradation. Each painting extends beyond the frame, symbolising the magnitude of the crisis—far too vast to be confined to canvas. Read: Masudur Rahman’s solo exhibition ‘Journey of the Cosmos’ begins at AFD Auntora Mehrukh Azad is a visual artist whose work explores the evolving relationship between nature and urban life. Through an exaggerated and artificial colour palette, her paintings emphasise the gradual dominance of urbanisation over the natural world.  

A discussion meeting and cultural programme was organized on Saturday in the capital in memory of the world famous Iranian poet Hafiz and our national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. Eminent nuclear scientist and founder of Bangladesh Open University Professor Dr. M Shamsher Ali, poet of the country Al Mujahidi was present as a special guest in the event while professor of Persian Language and Literature Department of Dhaka University was present as the guest of honour. Abdus Sabur Khan, President of Bangladesh Nazrul Recitation Parishad and Shaila Ahmed, Professor of Bengali Department of Lalmatia Government Women's College and deputy secretary of Finance ministry Mohammad Jihad Uddin spoke while cultural counselor of Dhaka-based Iranian Cultural Center Syed Reza Mir Mohammadi presided over the event. Speakers in the event said that as Bengal has a deep relationship with Persia, Bengali language and literature have many influences of Persian language and literature. Many Bengali-speaking poets have been inspired by Persian literature. Bangladesh's national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam himself translated the poetry of Iranian poet Hafiz and Omar Khayyam, they added. Remembering rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam The speakers also said that the world-famous Iranian poet Hafiz and the national poet of Bangladesh Kazi Nazrul Islam were the poets of world humanity. Both of them sounded the same tone of human love and the union of humanity. Love is the only way to get rid of the incurable disease of conflict, and selfishness in today's human society.