Musings
Taking Solace in the Arts
Despite the political violence that has gripped the country, people find a way to escape -attending festivals that celebrate the arts and literature
- On the third day of the four- day Bengal-ITC SRA Classical Musical Festival, the organisers counted over 31,000 people attending. Photos: Prabir Das
Hay Festival Dhaka. Photo: Prabir Das
Events such as the Bengal-ITC SRA Classical Music Festival are rare occasions in Bangladesh. In a nation starved for entertainment, these events offer a respite from the ennui of their daily routine. Thus, you find people from all walks of life making their way to the Army Stadium to enjoy a night of unalloyed music. On the third day of the four- day concert, the organisers counted over 31000 people attending.
Culture has taken on a new meaning for the people of the country. Exhausted with age-old offerings by the same troupes and groups, Bangladeshis have become more demanding, more receptive to original ideas and presentations. People don't necessarily feel constrained by a unique definition of culture any longer. An event such as the Classical Music Festival is a draw even for those who may not already be avid followers of whatever aspect of culture the event is promoting and celebrating. Call it idle curiosity or attribute it to a friendly form of peer pressure, people of all stripes are coming in to listen to sarod maetros, taken part in 'cosplay' competitions, and attend lectures on world literature. And they are going home having had a good time and having learned something new.
The Hay Festival is a literary event that originated in Wales. Iterations of the literary festival are now held annually in places ranging from Beirut to Belfast. Dhaka-ites have experienced the Hay Festival twice before. In Dhaka, the festival had humble beginnings. It started off as a small one-day event in 2011, hosted for readers and aspiring writers who were hungry for some sort of an platform that allowed for cerebral conversations with litterateurs from around the country and the world. This year, the Hay Festival returned in its biggest and best incarnation yet, intent on exposing its audiences to what Sadaf Saaz, one of the festival's organizers, calls "the best writing, conversation and dialogue in the world."
Think comic conventions and you picture hordes of comic-book and sci-fi aficionados in costumes, perhaps in an American metropolis like San Diego. Dhaka isn't necessarily the venue that springs to mind for an event of this nature. Now get this: the first Dhaka Comicon attracted over 10,000 attendees. The second Dhaka Comicon, held recently, had nearly 15,000 people taking part in fan art contests, crowding different comic book stalls, and witnessing the birth of a new generation of Bangladeshi graphic novel writers and artists.
“I went to the festival as Batman, my favourite superhero. I'd heard of comic book conventions being held in the West. As a graphic novel enthusiast, I was upset that we had no access to a similar experience in Dhaka just because people think that the segment of Dhaka society that enjoys comic books is insignificant in size. The Dhaka Comicon changed that perception for most people,” says 16-year old Shumon Ahmed.
It's not just the novelty of the experience or the promise to be entertained that attracts people to such events. It's also a feeling of being one with hundreds of others, the fear of missing out on something momentous. These events highlight values like tolerance and inclusiveness while promoting artistic expression and staging impressive shows that reinvigorate our tired hearts and minds. If organised every year, these events will become rituals for the people of the city, and engines in our society's cultural evolution.
Many argue that organising large-scale cultural events during a time of such political turmoil is insensitive, as it undermines the sufferings of the country and its people. They fail to understand that these festivals and conventions give people the reason to get away, to find some respite from the chaos, and to then return to their lives energized and inspired. This is a cultural revolution, and thankfully, we are all a part of it.
Festivals and conventions give people the reason to get away, to fin d some respite from the chaos, and to then return to their lives energized. Photo: Prabir Das
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