Shahidul Mamun and Faiz Zahir to represent Bangladesh at Ulster University symposium

Two Bangladeshi theatre scholars will represent the country at “The World Ritual Arts Symposium: Performance, Practice, and Presence”, an international gathering on ritual and performance studies scheduled for May 22 to May 24 at Ulster University.

Shahidul Mamun of Prachyanat and the Bangladesh Centre for Theatre Arts and Design (BACTAD), alongside Faiz Zahir of Aranyak Natyadal, have been invited to deliver a hybrid presentation at the symposium’s Derry–Londonderry campus venue.

Their presentation, scheduled for May 24, is titled “Blood, Breath, and Belonging: Preserving Mro Culture and Cosmology through Nasyatpa Ritual Performance”.

The research focuses on the sacred ritual traditions of the Mro community in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, examining the Nasyatpa ritual as a living expression of Mro cosmology, spiritual heritage and cultural identity. It also highlights the urgency of documenting and safeguarding indigenous ritual practices amid rapid socio-cultural change.

The symposium is being organised by Giuliano Campo in collaboration with LUXe, the Ritual Arts Forum, and the academic journal PRS: Performance, Religion and Spirituality. It will bring together researchers, artists, practitioners and community leaders from around the world to exchange ideas on ritual and performance across artistic, cultural and spiritual contexts.

The participation of the two Bangladeshi scholars is being facilitated by BACTAD, which also serves as the Bangladesh centre of OISTAT,  the International Organisation of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians.