Bangladesh environment and Bangladeshi community abroad

The Champion of the Earth makes Bangladeshi community abroad happy. Now what?

Even though most of the adult Bangladeshis never heard of climate change, Bangladeshi community abroad, specially Bangladeshi community in New York in general, expressed their happiness when Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, was awarded ‘Champions of the Earth’. The prize was given in recognition of her policy leadership to Bangladesh environment, such as, drafting Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan, creating Climate Change Trust Fund, earmarking money for climate change adaptation, amending constitution to protect the environment, etc.

To celebrate the event, supporters of Sheikh Hasina in USA have advertised their happiness in the local Bangla newspapers, displayed on posters, distributed in flyers, aired on TVs, conveyed by statements, and finally gave the Prime Minister a public reception in New York while she was in the city to attend 70th General Secretariat meeting of United Nations.

Sheikh Hasina with Bangladeshi community in New York
Sheikh Hasina with Bangladeshi community in New York

After Dr. Atiq Rahman, who got the UN environmental prize in 2008, Sheikh Hasina is the second Bangladeshi to win the award. On the eve of the event, the Prime Minister also wrote an article on Huffington Post about her government’s response to mitigate the effects of global climate change. Bangladeshi political leaders usually do not write. Therefore, this writing effort in an international media was nice, noteworthy, rare and long overdue.

Although overall Environmental Performance Index for Bangladesh is very poor (169 out of 178), any award given as a recognition is a big motivation for Bangladesh. Indeed, Bangladesh has been doing whatever it can do slowly to improve environmental condition and fight climate change with its limited resources. Plastic bag ban, boat school, solar panels, etc. are few examples.

But they are certainly not enough. Bangladesh has to do more and do it quick to prepare the country for climate change. Hope the Prime Minister will consider the award not as a reward for her past achievement but a future motivation to do more.

Now what for Bangladeshi community abroad?

Besides being happy what Bangladeshi community can do? It is very possible for Bangladeshi community to be active abroad, to be a vanguard of protecting environment of Bangladesh. As a pressure group, they can easily keep the PM on her toes to do more. Even with some improvements, Bangladesh is still facing many environmental degradation each day. Many environmental issues got international attention, such as, ship breaking industry in Chittagong, oil spill in the Sundarbans, Rampal coal-based power plant, tannery pollution at Hazaribagh, etc. Between development and climate change, keeping environment clean is a hard choice in conventional sense, but Bangladesh has to do its part to be active and innovative.

Bangladeshi community living abroad themselves can act as a role model as environmental champion. Here are some thoughts:

  • Select and celebrate a day each year as ‘Bangladesh Environment Day’ within the community. Encourage the new generation of Bangladeshis to plan, organize and implement the event. Join the event as one community. Organize environment-friendly street fairs, environmental picnics, join in neighborhood clean-ups etc.
  • Countless Bangladeshi regional and community associations are formed abroad. They can adopt a clause into their constitutions to protect environment and designate a person (an Environment Secretary like General Secretary!) to work on the issue. Even if it is not serious enough, doing it diligently could prove a great fun! Celebrate Earth Day each year as Bangladesh community do for Bangladesh Independence Day, Chadni Raat (pre-Eid night) etc.
  • Join local environmental groups and/or participate in activities. Get informed, educated, connected and committed. Work as a pressure group and lobby home and abroad to protect the environment of Bangladesh. Last year, only two Bangladeshi organizations joined the People’s Climate March in New York! Will they miss this year too!

Indeed, some Bangladeshi groups are active in environmental issues abroad. Bangladesh Environmental Network (BEN) has been organizing meeting and seminars to inform about the environment for more than a decade. Recently, a Bangladeshi youth group – Youth Congress of Bangladeshi-American – has taken an initiative to stop using plastic bag in New York. Phulbari Day was observed in UK by Bangladeshi community to protest coal mining in Bangladesh. These are few examples of activities but they are still a drop of water in a ocean if one thinks about Bangladesh’s stake due to climate change (PDF).

To conclude, is there a way Bangladeshi community abroad can lead the way, innovate the path, motivate the expatriates do more to protect and improve the environment of Bangladesh? Is it possible for the Bangladeshi community abroad to be the next Champion of the Earth?

Bangladeshis abroad expressing solidarity with Bangladeshi Bloggers in Brooklyn NY

Solidarity with Bangladeshi Bloggers

A new generation of Bangladeshis living in USA took stage to express their solidarity with Bangladeshi bloggers in New York City. Many civil rights issues, including freedom of expression in Bangladesh have been severely curtailed by means of killing, mutilating, threatening, kidnapping, etc. The event ‘Unslain Words: Solidarity for Bangladeshi Bloggers‘ was organized to protest against these trends and rise of religious fundamentalism there.

Picture of Bangladeshi Bloggers killed in 2015
Avijit Roy, Oyasiqur Rahman Babu, Ananta Bijoy Das and Niloy Neel

Four Bangladeshi bloggers were brutally killed this year in different parts of Bangladesh. Avijit Roy on February 26th, Oyasiqur Rahman Babu on March 30th, Ananta Bijoy Das on May 12th, and Niloy Neel on August 7th. Threat is still looming over more than 70 other Bangladeshi bloggers in Bangladesh, many of whom are in hiding. Bangladeshi bloggers living abroad are also threaten. Many have stopped writing out of fear, others continue, knowing that they do so at immense threat to their own lives. Those who have the means have fled the country. Others are desperately seeking an exit strategy. These successive killings and threats towards the writers have drawn a negative image of Bangladesh around the world again after Rana Plaza disaster in 2013.

Mindless killing of bloggers have brought wide condemnation everywhere. Many asked the Bangladeshi authority to provide security for the bloggers, urged to keep them safe, demanded justice. Bangladesh Government attested some perpetrators but also advised the bloggers to tone down their rhetoric against Islam. Bangladesh Police advised them not to cross the line or to leave the country or hide!

The reaction of Bangladeshi community living abroad varies. Some said it was bloggers who are at fault by disrespecting the religious value of Muslim people of Bangladesh through their writings. Others said the bloggers have the right to express their views in a civil democratic society without fear. Whatever the view, majority of Bangladeshi community in USA condemned the killing of bloggers. Religious fanatics committed hideous crimes. Some Bangladeshi organizations protested against the brutal killing. Some gave statements in local Bangla community newspapers.

Bangladeshi new generation living abroad, especially in USA, was perhaps not sure what to do and how to react to this kind of incident! Yet, a solidarity event was held in Brooklyn, New York on September 16th by some non-resident Bangladeshis in collaboration with PEN America, Roulette Intermedium and Center for Inquiry. They expressed their solidarity for Bangladeshi bloggers by words – by reading from their own literary works, from slain bloggers last writing and through live music.

A good number of audience attended the event and it was well presented. The event also provided opportunity for attendees to support Bangladeshi authors who are at risk. Fund collected are specifically earmarked for Bangladeshi authors in need of emergency help due to extreme threats and legal, medical, or security expenses.

Solidarity with Bangladeshi Bloggers in Brooklyn NY
Unslain Words: Solidarity for Bangladeshi Bloggers

Among the Bangladeshi participants, Abeer Yusria Hoque, a Nigerian born Bangladeshi American writer and photographer recalled her experience with religion in her family. As she was growing up, she remembered, her sister and classmates who were learning Islamic education was not happy with the system. With time she was losing her faith in Islamic teaching. Islam’s inheritance and witness law, Islam’s view on girl’s romantic relationship, imposing religion to mend behavior, etc. forced her to seek refuse in the verses of Sura Al Kafirun where it states “For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.

Aladdin Ullah, a comedian, playwright, and actor of Bangladeshi origin, recalled his struggle to fit into his parent’s Bangladeshi value versus his own American identity, his experience of visiting Bangladesh for the first time and find out a lot of cultural and religious practices that made no sense – secular Bangladesh turned into non-secular country, loud call for prayers, exploitation of children, throwing acid to women, color discrimination in American Club in Dhaka…etc. made him think is this why Bangladesh was born in 1971?

Farah Mehreen Ahmad, a Brooklyn-based Bangladeshi writer, researcher and translator, read about a short story in three parts about coercion, domestic violence, and rape.

Javed Jahangir, a writer, essayist and novelist, wondered about George Orwell’s answers to the question  ‘Why I Write’, where Orwell told the readers that he writes because of sheer egoism, aesthetic enthusiasm, historical impulse and political purpose. Javed finds new insights in Orwell’s reason for writing in political purpose. Political writing is an art form of highest purpose. The political purpose of writing may not always be appreciated but when needed, the writing can give a boost to overcome the apprehension to achieve something great.

Tanwi Nandini Islam, a writer, multimedia artist, and business entrepreneur, read a travelogue about visiting Bangladesh. She recalled her trip to Sylhet, its indigenous people, lush green, rock, river, flora and fauna etc. that contributed to her recently published book.

Bangladeshi hip-hop singer Anik Khan
Bangladeshi hip-hop singer Anik Khan

Anik Khan, a Brooklyn based Bangladeshi hip-hop singer, energized the audience with his great music.

Bangladesh’s culture of violence has been a constant problem in its development. Bangladeshi community living abroad, especially new and second generation of Bangladeshis can help to curb that culture by showing better alternatives. This event was one example. An important aspect of the event was that it was organized jointly with non-Bangladeshi organizations. This kind of endeavor could bring more attention to a wider audience about Bangladesh.

Hope the participating Bangladeshis will not stop there. They will continue writing about Bangladesh on blogs, newspapers, magazines, social medias, etc. Words, music, drama, painting, photo, video – all can be instruments for a powerful dialog to promote a civil society in Bangladesh from abroad.

Is it possible to organize such event by any Bangladeshi organization where the new generation of Bangladeshis will speak their minds freely!

Tiger-Tiger-Bengal-Tigers-of-Bangladesh

Tiger, Tiger: A film on Bengal Tigers of Bangladesh

Bengal Tigers of Bangladesh are one of the most beautiful animal in its territory. They are exquisite, magnificent, royal, dangerous and in danger. It is sad that the Royal Bengal Tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) of Bangladesh are in decline. In a recent report, it has been suggested that Bangladesh may have 100+ tigers left instead of 440. Over the last 100 years, hunting, habitat loss, prey depletion, forest destruction and climate change have reduced tiger populations drastically. Today, it is estimated that there are fewer than 2,500 Bengal tigers left in the wild in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan. Indeed, all species of tigers are considered endangered.

Apart from being the national animal of Bangladesh and happily exist in the Bangladesh Cricket Team logo, the survival of Bengal Tigers of Bangladesh indeed a constant struggle. One recent danger was due to an oil spill in the Sundarbans area. Then poachers are still a big threat, tigers are killed in retribution as a result of general human-tiger conflict, negative attitudes towards tigers among local people etc. are making the situation even worse.

A film was released this year that touches these issues. Tiger Tiger – a documentary by George Butler – follows Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, a world renowned big cat conservationist, as he travels through the tiger habitat he has never before seen. Like the tiger he faces his own diminishing timeline. Diagnosed with leukemia, Alan makes what may be the last expedition in his long career in search of the last wild tigers of the Sundarbans. Set in one of the least-known landscapes left on earth, the beautiful Sundarbans forest, Tiger Tiger is the story of a man with numbered days seeking to save an animal whose days may also be numbered.

Tiger Tiger Trailer

Tiger Tiger (2015), George Butler, 90 mins, USA

The documentary follows Alan as he explores the relationship between local people who live on the margins of the forest and the fearsome, but threatened predator. Alan visits the Indian side of the Sundarbans where tiger and human coexist relatively well and tiger habitat is carefully monitored. In contrast, Bengal tigers are less secure in Bangladesh side. Environment, economy, ignorance and stigma all are working against the tiger population of Bangladesh. Here is a snapshot of what is at stake:

But the documentary, Tiger Tiger, focuses more on the bigger picture – not only the peril, also the possibilities – how to save these rare, mystique, gorgeous, majestic animals in its natural habitat. Few remaining tigers are indeed fighting for their lives with the smartest predator on earth – human – the only predator who can also save them from total extinction.

In a sense, Tiger Tiger is more of a spiritual film than conservation or environmental related film. It has been shown many places and won some prestigious awards. Is there a way, the film could be shown in Bangladesh? There are other films available on Bengal tigers (Swamp Tigers, 2001; Man Eating Tigers of the Sundarbans, 2009). How hard is it to make an arrangement to translate/dub these films in Bangla and show on Bangladeshi TVs, schools and local communities to create a greater awareness and seek support!

After all, what is Bangladesh without Bengal Tigers! Who will love them, save them if it is not the people of the same land? Tiger Tiger is a compelling story – “a dying man is trying to save a dying species.” What about you Bangladesh?

Second Generation Bangladeshis holding vigil for Rajon in Brooklyn, New York.

Second Generation Bangladeshi

It was a small but an important event. There were only 30-35 people – some second generation Bangladeshi young, some first generation adults, some men, some women – all living in New York City. They get together to remember a boy who was not known to them even few weeks ago. The boy, 13-year-old  Samiul Alam Rajon, was killed brutally by a group of men in Bangladesh on July 8, 2015.

These second generation of Bangladeshis – some are as young as Rajon, met in Brooklyn to hold a vigil, demanded justice and asked to stop nonsensical death of so many innocent kids in Bangladesh and across the world.

They said what others have already said. But what was new is their presence as a second generation Bangladeshi community. They poised as a voice of the community. They did not make huge banner, bought newspaper and TV ad but the effort itself was a good and right step toward.

Violence in Bangladesh is common. As mythical as it may sound, as a tolerant country, Bangladesh also condone tremendous amount of violence. Mixed with despair and disability, fate and faith, history and heritage, police and politics, life of Bangladeshi people just go on with varieties of violence. On the other hand, people routinely protest of violence, demand justice, government make task force, sometimes take action, few are punished but most of them are forgotten from the public mind as this routine never changes.

The first generation Bangladeshi immigrants abroad know all these too well. For them Rajon’s are killed, protests are done, promises are made, steps are taken – right or wrong. Time passes by and life goes on. The second  generation Bangladeshis, some know about this trend, most not. Some can make sense, most not. Some understand, most not. But none wants to be part of their prior generation’s mundane cyclical state of mind that goes on and on and on like an endless bad dream.

Not bad but as part of a bold dream, they organized a ‘Vigil for Rajon’ in Brooklyn.

Again, what they did was more important than what they said. They created an event on Facebook, invited others, communicated with their peers, asked non-Bangladeshi friends to join in and brought few first generation Bangladeshis who care. Not much was said, indeed. Everyone decently took their turn to say something – short, sharp and to the point – a rarity among Bangladeshi society.

They circled the Church-McDonald Avenue crossing – where many of the Bangladeshis meet, mingle, gossip, chitchat, live and work in Brooklyn – with vigil and slogan. It was not just to say that they gathered only for Rajon’s in Bangladesh – indeed, they were there to tell that they care for the community they belong to and the country their parents came from. That they want to act with resilience and responsibility.

This second generation Bangladeshi initiative seemed like kind of isolated as there was less enthusiasm among the local Bangladeshi people. They reacted with cautious curiosity, passed by as evasive onlookers. From a nearby mosque, more Bangladeshis Muslims came out after prayer – none stopped by to ask about the event or to attend the Vigil for Rajon!

In a sense, outside of Bangladesh, first and second generation Bangladeshis have a cultural gap. They are connected but understand each other less. How come when Rajon’s are dying in Bangladesh, first generation Bangladeshis gave wordy statements, but none came out to support this event of young Bangladeshis! On the contrary, any establishment coming from Bangladesh got kind of ‘mini-humongous’ reception at airports, hotels, houses, restaurants, streets and even in picnics. Seems like for the first generation, the first event has little clear goal, the second events have specific ‘aim’.

Again, it is what it is. Child violence happen, people protest, leaders give statements, committees are formed, investigations are ordered, recommendations are submitted, and outcome remains obscure! Violence happens, people protest, leaders…the cycle goes on and on until it [does not end]. This is what most Bangladeshis living abroad saw and take it for granted. These are part of the payment for being a Bangladeshi. For the first generation of Bangladeshis abroad, it is still that reality here.

They can show that a better alternative is possible.
What the second generation Bangladeshis can do? Nothing much or very little, perhaps. They can show that a better alternative is possible. Less talk, more work; less division, more unity; less shout, more think, less newspaper, more book; less drama, more diversity; less popularity, more responsibility. To do this little, second generation of Bangladeshis do not need any confrontation or even conversation with the prior generation. Remember Nike?

Bangladesh will not get back Rajon and many others, but if the sad demise of Rajon can give birth some spark among the new generation of Bangladeshis to be deeply dedicated, highly motivated and create a new breed of Bangladeshis in distant lands, then the nation might not have to ask for endless forgiveness from the Rajons who are facing violence and being killed everyday.

Hope those tiny little lights of vigil were meant not to remember Rajon only but also to welcome a new generations of young Bangladeshis activists who are living abroad – across the world.

Violence-in-Bangladesh-Who-killed-Rajon

Violence in Bangladesh: Who killed Rajon?

Violence in Bangladesh is not new. In fact, violence is one of the many reasons Bangladesh gets some media attention around the world. Recently, a 13-year-old boy, Rajon, was beaten to death by a group of men in Bangladesh who accused him of trying to steal a bicycle. The incident was video recorded and posted on Facebook. In Bangladesh and other countries, this savagely cruel act made people very angry, heartbroken, and upset. The accused were arrested – one from Saudi Arabia after he fled there. Many people in Bangladesh called for the death penalty for the accused.

Violence in Bangladesh against children is not new either. Bangladesh is one of the top-ranking countries in violence against children in peaceful times. What was new in this incident was that the torture was posted online. The people of Bangladesh are rightly outraged at this act of brutal torture and demanding justice. But here are some questions to consider – who really killed Rajon? Why are people angry? Angry against whom? It seems everyone knows the answer (after all, it was posted online! The accused confessed the crime!).

Therefore, the real questions are, if the beating of Rajon was not posted online if it did not go viral, and more importantly if Rajon was not dead, how significant is the event in the Bangladeshi context? Was Rajon protected when he was not beaten?

Most Bangladeshis understand violence in terms of physical, visual, and exposed shape. If the violence is structural violence, psychological and private violence, then that kind of cruelty is almost incomprehensible in Bangladesh. Violence is so cleverly hidden, silently active, subtly present, carefully nurtured, and culturally blended into the social fabric of Bangladesh that it feels like second nature.

So, who killed Rajon? Perhaps he was killed by society as a whole with the initiative taken by the killers!

Rajon was beaten to death by his killers because they thought they knew better than the authorities (the police, the political leader, the judge, etc.). They caught Rajon, accused him, tied him, interrogated him, beat him, broke him, and at last killed him. Did they do anything wrong? If it were bad, this kind of attitude would be the norm in Bangladesh. They took the initiative to correct an issue that they (in their sick mind) thought needed to be taken care of. In Bangladesh, these kinds of behaviors are expressed in many ways. Here are a few examples from this year:

These incidents are all wrong, but they are also part of the norm in Bangladesh. In every case, from the police to political parties, to interest groups, to private citizens, all took law and order into their hands. So, what did Rajon’s killers do differently? Rajon’s killers even made an agreement with the local police to set them free – again, wrong but a norm in Bangladesh.

Bangladeshis are victims of violence in a real sense as well as offenders of violence in a metaphysical sense. Therefore, any cause of violence is everybody’s responsibility. When the presence of violence becomes intensely internal, then it is hard to understand that we are also offenders! When animated and undetected violence takes forms of accepted ideas in general, that is a very dangerous situation. For example,

  • Political violence is the political dialog of Bangladeshi society!
  • Two-thirds of Bangladeshi children are beaten as the name of child discipline!
  • Husbands beat wives as part of conjugal discipline!
  • Police take bribes to expedite criminal investigations!
  • Organizations are broken into pieces to accommodate personality and practice democracy!
  • Fast, repeated, senseless, and too many words are used to express ideas in meetings! Etc.

No one likes to take responsibility for the crimes committed by others. Criminals must be punished for a safe, sound, and successful society. But to create that kind of society, the people of Bangladesh need to address the underlying causes of violence, identify connecting nods of violence and societal values associated with violence, and think outside the box to reduce violence. Until then, many Rajons will be beaten to death, and so-called ‘we’ will be angry and demand justice. To save Rajons, the people of Bangladesh have to act together soon!

Vulnerable-children-in-Bangladesh
Who should protect the children in Bangladesh?

 

Documentary Films on Bangladesh – Part 7

Documentary Films on Bangladesh – Part 7

Fictional film industry in Bangladesh is dominant, dramatic, distorted and surreal but still profitable. Therefore, non-fiction films or documentaries are neglected. Also the genre is not popular. Documentaries made by Bangladeshi filmmakers are rare, however, some new generation of independent filmmakers are trying to change the scenario. We will cover that story in another post.

This list of documentary films on Bangladesh are all made by non-Bangladeshi documentary makers. Some are feature-length, some are shorts, some are old, some new. The list is in random order. Previous lists can be found here – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6.

The True Cost

The True Cost documentary cover

Director: Andrew Morgan
2015 • 92 Min • USA

The True Cost is a documentary film exploring the impact of fashion on people and the planet. This is a story about the clothes we wear, the people who make them, and the impact the industry is having on our world. The price of clothing has been decreasing for decades, while the human and environmental costs have grown dramatically. The True Cost is a groundbreaking documentary film that pulls back the curtain on the untold story and asks us to consider, who really pays the price for our clothing? Filmed in countries all over the world, from the brightest runways to the darkest slums, and featuring interviews with the world’s leading influencers including Stella McCartney, Livia Firth and Vandana Shiva, The True Cost is an unprecedented project that invites us on an eye opening journey around the world and into the lives of the many people and places behind our clothes.

The film got some funding through KickStarter.

An Unfashionable Tragedy

An Unfashionable Tragedy cover

Director: John Pilger
1975 • 27 Min • Australia

John Pilger travels to Bangladesh to report on the horrors of the famine in the country, its causes and tragedies, circa 1975. With people passing away on the street on a daily basis from starvation and US foreign policy continually ignored, An Unfashionable Tragedy documents the plight that continues to this day, showing that food is a powerful weapon, more powerful than oil.

Threads

Threads documentary cover

Director: Cathy Stevulak
2014 • 30 Min • Canada

Thread is a documentary about an unconventional Bangladeshi woman liberates herself and hundreds of others from social and economic hardships by creating timeless works of art. World leaders such as Queen Elizabeth II and Kim Il-Sung were given her art, yet she is virtually unknown in her own country. Surayia Rahman, one of the first women artists of Bangladesh, looked to her own inspiration and ancient kantha quiltwork to support her bedridden husband and her children. But she never expected that destitute young mothers would come searching for her, nor that the elaborate art that they created together would find its way to royalty, museums and private collections around the world.

Paddy Field Still Green

Paddy Field Still Green documentary cover

Director: Camile Raillon
2015 • 15 Min • Spain/France

Communities, societies and individuals all have the capacity to thrive no matter what the circumstances are. This is the message of our latest documentary “Paddy Field Still Green” showing the impact of cyclones on the local communities but also their ability to counter adverse affects and turn the situation around. This documentary tells the story of adaptation to the impact of the cyclones in Bangladesh. The film explores how local communities and NGOs have tackled the impact of these natural disasters and how the beauty of the region is emerging once again.

Gum for My Boat

Gum for My Boat documentary cover

Director: Russell Brownley
2009 • 33 Min • USA

An alluring documentary that touches on the redemptive power of surfing in Bangladesh. This short feature tells the story of how a group of more than 30 boys and girls, many of whom are poverty-stricken street kids, are making a difference in their community and how the surf club they started is the catalyst for this change. Due to a fearful, conservative culture, the ocean was once deemed off limits to these children, who now see surfing as a source of fun, escape, and even a way to make a living. The film follows professional surfer Kahana Kalama (A guest on Fuel TVs series On Safari) as he works with Hawaii-based nonprofit Surfing The Nations and learns that sometimes surfing involves more than catching waves.

Gum for My Boat won the people’s choice award at the 5 Point Film Festival in 2010.

Made in Bangladesh

Made in Bangladesh documentary

Presenter: Mark Kelley
2013 • 45 Min • Canada

A lot of our clothes bear the label ‘Made in Bangladesh’. But before the deadly collapse of a garment factory there last April, most of us never thought about the people who make them. After clothes bound for Canada were found in the rubble of Rana Plaza, Canadian companies reacted with surprise – how could such a tragedy happen? The Fifth Estate’s Mark Kelley went to Bangladesh and tracked down workers who say they are still forced to make clothes for Canada in dangerous conditions. And Kelley goes behind bars for an exclusive interview with the jailed owner of one of the biggest factories inside Rana Plaza, who details his long-standing, multimillion dollar connections to Canada.

CBC’s the fifth estate won International Emmy for ‘Made in Bangladesh’ documentary. A similar short documentary was broadcasted on Al Jazeera – Fault Lines with same name in 2013 which won a Peabody Award.

Bangladesh: A Climate Trap

Bangladesh A Climate Trap - documentary cover

Director: Ami Vitale
2011 • 27 Min • USA

In Dhaka, climate change refugees are moving from the countryside and into squalid slums due to environmental degradation. Like millions of others, Alam Mia has been forced to make the teeming capital of Dhaka his home. We follow his journey as he leaves his homestead in search of a livelihood in the city. Dhaka feels more like a foreign country than home. For the family, it is a struggle for survival. Alam Mia is trapped. His move to the city is not a beginning full of possibilities. Korial, Dhaka’s largest slum signifies the bitter culmination of his dreams.

Bangladesh: A Climate Trap was selected for official selection at Portland Maine Film Festival 2012 and at New Filmmakers, New York 2013.

Are We So Different

Are We So Different documentary cover

Director: Lok Prakash
2011 • 37 Min • India

Amra Ki Etoi Bhinno… Are we so different‘ is a documentary film on Bangladeshi Hijra, Gay and Bisexual community. It was awarded the ‘The Best Documentary Short Film 2012′ at “Kashish 2012– 3rd Mumbai International Queer Film Festival”, India’s (and South Asia’s) biggest Queer Film Festival. Kashish 2012 was held from May 23 to May 27, 2012 in Mumbai, India, and featured 120 films from 30 countries

The film talks about a range of masculinities and its impact on people’s lives, and about how different people have unique experiences of coping and surviving in Bangladesh, often ruled by strict masculinist and patriarchist ideals. The stories of those who challenge these strictures and notions are told in this film in their own words.

A Boat For Bangladesh

A Boat For Bangladesh documentary cover

Producer: David G. Conover
2013 • 16 Min • USA

In northern Bangladesh exists an ephemeral group of islands that are locally known as ‘chars.’ For an estimated 3 million people without room to settle on the mainland, the chars are home. Everything here is transitory and difficult in a land challenged by climate change. Agricultural land appears, then disappears. The average char islander moves 12 to as many as 40 times in a life. Ten years ago, an NGO named Friendship began to provide health, education and community infrastructure using boats. The NGO is led by a Bengali woman named Runa Khan. A Boat for Bangladesh was triggered by the arrival of a new boat in the Friendship fleet -Greenpeace’s iconic RAINBOW WARRIOR 2, which extends Friendship’s reach to the Bay of Bengal.

BIPA Bangla Mela Parade

Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts: Caring for a Culture

Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts (BIPA) celebrated a colorful, joyous, participatory, and cross-cultural ‘Pohela Boishakh‘ (Bangla New Year) in New York. Bangladeshi community participated in a block parade and enjoyed a cultural event afterward to taste ‘Bangla Noboborsho‘ in New York. Hundreds of children, young, and adults marched several blocks of Astoria/Long Island City with flags, banners, festoons, ‘dhol,’ ‘kashor‘, ‘palki,’ and lots of jingles.

BIPA Bangla New Year Parade Route
BIPA Bangla New Year Parade Route

The parade was noticed and welcomed by many ethnic communities, from real-life delivery man to poster-size Run DMC! New York City Council Member Daniel Dromm lead the parade with Bangladeshi community leaders. Not a moment Annie Ferdous failed to motivate the marching trope with her chorus of exhilarating slogans. The whole marching party was something to do on a beautiful sunny Sunday. Even without the NYPD escort, the parade was safe, peaceful, and disciplined. BIPA planned a day-long Bangla New Year festival with a street fair, youth singing competition, children’s entertainment, dance, music, recitation, awards, etc. It was packed with attendees, filled with excitement, and grabbed with attention.

Practicing Bangladeshi culture abroad is accessible to the Bangladeshi community; however, persistently practicing it in their adopted country is a different ballgame. Bangladeshis love their own culture. They need a gathering place, a few friends/family, food, and appreciation to indulge themselves with Bangla songs and poetry. However, it is hard if someone dares to do it for a longer time, with increasing audiences, in an inclusive way, and with reputation. Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts (BIPA) has been at the forefront of keeping Bangladeshi culture alive in the USA since 1993. The organization has been promoting and spreading Bangla culture by teaching the new generation of Bangladeshi kids, organizing events, reaching out to elected officials, and embracing multicultural aspects of American cultural life.

To care for Bangladeshi culture in the USA, BIPA has set forth several aims: First, teach the Bangla language to the new generation of Bangladeshi Americans; Second, patronage local Bangladeshi artists and act as a platform to showcase their talents; Third, build a bridge between Bangladeshi and other ethnic communities of USA through cultural exchanges.

Among all the aims, cross-cultural exchange among communities seems to be the most essential activity of BIPA in a larger context. At the event, this characteristic of BIPA was in full display when BatalaNYC, an Afro-Brazilian Samba Reggae group, was invited to perform some heart-pounding drumming! Colors of the Wind, a Chinese folk dance group of full-time mothers, performed popular oriental fan dance. Kathak Ensemble presented classical Indian Kathak dance, and Sri Lankan Dance Academy of New York showed their traditional Sri Lankan dance. Cross-cultural exchange through active participation is very important both for the Bangladeshi community and other communities. Indeed, it seemed like the audience was more attentive and intrigued by their performances!

The new generation of Bangladeshi Americans – Jersey Wave and The Feringhees – played band music. Students of BIPA performed several theme-based dances and music. Enough ice creams were licked. Hungry folks enjoyed Bangladeshi food. Shoppers purchased their favorite clothes and jewelry. The audience was interested. Children were laughing, running, and playing hide and seek everywhere. An excellent Bangladeshi Mela!

Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts Bangla New Year Celebration

So what was absent? Only two things were missing at the event – a Bangladeshi river and some good clapping from the audience. Bringing a river to the audience may be nearly impossible, but supporting and motivating Bangladeshi kids and non-Bangladeshi guest performers with vigorous clapping should not be so difficult for the viewers.

Now, please, ladies and gentlemen, thank the Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts for successfully organizing another delightful Bangla New Year in New York and for their excellent work around the year.

Councilman Brad Lander and Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer sponsored the BIPA Bangla New Year Festival.

Shapes of Enclaves near Bangladesh-India Border

Maps of Bangladesh you may never seen or how to draw map the British way!

To draw a map of Bangladesh is not easy. It is nearly impossible for anyone to draw an accurate and complete map of Bangladesh if all the enclaves are included in the account. No geography books in Bangladeshi schools have them drawn! These enclaves are also unseen, forgotten, and neglected because they are difficult to visit, communication is controlled, daily life activities are limited, and developments are unworkable.

What is an enclave? Enclaves (Chitmahal in Bangla) are defined as a fragment of one country surrounded by another. They are not uncommon – many enclaves in many parts of the world were created due to historical, political, or geographical reasons. However, Bangladesh-India enclaves represent 80% of the total number of enclaves in the world since the 1950s.

A British Lawyer, Cyril Radcliffe, was given 37 days to draw a border between so-called ‘Hindu’ India and ‘Muslim’ Pakistan in 1947. And he did it – without visiting the area, without knowledge of culture, in complete secrecy, and destroyed all his papers before he left India. The border affected people, culture, geography, history, and politics. The last Viceroy of India, Lord Mountbatten, thought a hundred thousand deaths as “an acceptable level of violence” – indeed, millions died.

The number of existing enclaves in Bangladesh and India varies from source to source. The partition of the Indian subcontinent left 111 Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh and 51 Bangladeshi enclaves inside Indian territory, according to one source. Other estimates count 130 Indian Chitmahals in Bangladesh and 95 Bangladesh Chitmahals in Indian territory or 102 Indian exclaves inside Bangladesh and 71 Bangladeshi ones inside India. [Source] Whatever the accurate number of enclaves, the combined population in these areas is between 50,000 to 100,000.

All these enclaves are different in shape, size, and characteristics. In fact, Indo-Bangladesh enclaves are perhaps the most interesting, enigmatic, strange, complicated, and ‘Swiss cheese’ kind of map that exists today. Some enclaves are inside another enclave! Dahala Khagrabari is the world’s only third-order enclave, being Indian territory inside a Bangladeshi territory inside an exclave of India in Bangladesh. Suppose a resident of Dahala Khagrabari, India, wishes to reach Delhi. In that case, he/she must cross four international borders: first over into Bangladesh, then into India, back into Bangladesh again, and then, finally, into India.

Enough introduction. Let’s look into some of the enclaves via Google Maps! Some enclave maps have direct links for further exploration.

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Documentary Films on Bangladesh, Part 6

Documentary Films on Bangladesh – Part 6

Forty-five documentary films on Bangladesh were previously listed in five parts – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4, and Part 5. Here are a few more. They are in random order. Bangladesh was part of a documentary or an episode in a document series.

Call Me Salma

Call Me Salma

Director: Sébastien Rist & Aude Leroux-Lévesque
2009 • 53 Min • Canada

Call Me Salma‘ is a documentary film about love and loss. Salma enters the mysterious and rich world of transsexuality in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s crowded back alleys. Salma, a 16-year-old Hijra, abruptly left her village and family to enter the effervescent city life in search of a clear identity, a new family, and a sense of acceptance. Emotionally torn between her youth and her desire to be a woman, Salma decides to return to her village and face events that force her to question the preconceived notions of gender, family, and love.

The documentary was broadcast on ARTE (Europe), EBS (South Korea), and Direct 8 (France). Official Selection of Artivist Film Festival, Los Angeles, 2010; Festival des Films du Monde de Montréal, 2010; Warsaw Film Festival, 2010, Poland; EBS International Documentary Film Festival, 2010, South Korea; Bangladesh Documentary Film Festival, 2010; Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois, 2011 and Vancouver Queer Film Festival, 2011. The doc is made by Bideshi Films.

To Catch a Dollar

To Catch a Dollar

Director: Gayle Ferraro
2010 • 85 Min • USA

To Catch a Dollar: Muhammad Yunus Banks on America is a powerful documentary by Gayle Ferraro. Her film follows Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Yunus as he establishes his unique and revolutionary microfinance program in the US. Witness the birth of Grameen America and the compelling stories of the first micro-entrepreneurs, from their challenges to their successes. These inspiring women learn to rise from poverty by starting and growing their sustainable businesses with the education, peer support, and non-collateral microloans they receive from this innovative and successful system of not-for-profit banking.

Buy this doc.

Fashion Victims

Fashion Victims

Directors: Mary Ann Jolley, Sarah Ferguson
2013 • 42 Min • Australia

Fashion Victims looks at the actual cost of cheap clothes based on the conditions of sweatshops in Bangladesh. On 24th April 2013, more than a thousand people were killed when an eight-story building collapsed in the heart of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. The collapse of Rana Plaza turned the world’s attention to the shocking conditions workers in the country’s clothing industry are forced to endure. In recent years, Australian companies have flooded into Bangladesh to take advantage of lax labor laws and the lowest wages in the world, paid to the predominantly young female workers in the factories.

Desert Riders

Desert Riders

Director: Vic Sarin
2011 • 78 Min • Canada

Human traffickers use children to race camels in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and other countries. Camel racing is a popular sport in the Middle East. In past years, thousands of young boys have been trafficked from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Mauritania, and other countries to work as jockeys in the UAE under excruciating conditions. Over the last ten years, some governments have tried to put an end to the use of child jockeys. Desert Riders will examine the situation before and since these government policies were enacted, as well as the arduous journey to retrieve and recuperate these children.

‘Desert Riders’ Examines Abuses in the Camel Race Industry.

The Bitter Taste of Tea

The Bitter Taste of Tea

Director: Tom Heinemann
2008 • 59 Min • Denmark

Millions of tea workers struggle every day to survive in the beautiful, lush tea gardens in Kenya, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. They are plucking tea for multinational companies such as Lipton and Finlay’s. The companies promise the consumers that they will act as responsible members of the global society, protecting the environment and ensuring good working and living conditions for the workers. Nothing could be more wrong. Western consumers have turned to Fairtrade because Fairtrade/Max Havelaar guarantees that the workers in the Fairtrade-certified tea estates get a little extra money every time they buy their tea. This film tells the true story of how Fairtrade is not at all fair.

The Bitter Taste of Tea is the 3rd documentary of Flip the Coin series. The other two docs in this series, ‘The Micro Debt’ and ‘A Tower of Promises,’ also discussed issues related to Bangladesh. The film is sold for distribution in 10 countries and has won ‘The Al Jazeera Film Festival’ and the FAO ‘OSIRIS’ award.

Indian Ocean – Sri Lanka to Bangladesh

Indian Ocean – Sri Lanka to Bangladesh

Director: Olly Bootle
2012 • 59 Min • UK

This is a six-part nature and travel documentary hosted by Simon Reeve. In 5th episode, Simon reaches Sri Lanka, whose strategic location and tropical spices made it a target for invaders and colonizers for centuries. In the north, he visits the scenes of vicious battles between the Tamil minority and the Sri Lankan army, traumatic events from which the population is still recovering. On his way to Bangladesh, he hitches a ride on a trawler, highlighting one of the Indian Ocean’s fastest-growing industries – providing prawns for the West. But as he reveals, it comes at a price for the environment.

Tropic of Cancer – Bangladesh to Burma

Tropic-of-Cancer

Director: Olly Bootle
2010 • 59 Min • UK

A sociopolitical and travel documentary presented by Simon Reeve and made by BBC, the series has six episodes. The fifth episode takes Simon through Bangladesh and on a difficult covert journey into Burma, where Western journalists are banned. In Bangladesh, Simon sails down the mighty Padma River and visits fishermen who use trained otters to drive fish into their nets. Further, he sees the river banks crumbling before his eyes – increased river erosion is thought to be caused by global climate change – and in the capital, Dhaka, he meets some of the millions of child workers. From North East India, Simon treks through jungles and across rivers into Burma to meet the Chin people – an ethnic group who are brutalized and oppressed by the Burmese government.