Jan 13, 2007 | The Opinion
I am impressed to see the love of peoples to the Thai King. People respect him and his ministry without question. He also invested his all effort centering on people and become the longest ruling monarch in the world. On the eve of King Bhumibol Adulyadej 60th birth day places with heart as like as a god. His Majesty has truly won the heart of his people! I saw in billboard, gate, traffic island, avenues event in the personal room king portrait. I was Thailand from 06-11 January, 2007; I saw the great mode of Royal Kingship both in city terrific and meditative rural life.
More info at: http://www.bangkokpost.net/60yrsthrone/
Nov 6, 2006 | The Opinion
Today I have started my own company Machizo Multimedia. The Japanese word “MACHIZO” comes from “Machi Ukegazou” which stands for “waiting for change”. Machizo is a Dhaka based social entrepreneurial multimedia communication organization. The mission of Machizo is to provide professional media services and introducing latest media technology for social development. It will actively promote ethical uses of multimedia, majority access to knowledge and information, online activism as well as human rights and human potential development beyond the racial, geographical and gender boarders through the creative media production on social issues.
Aug 22, 2006 | The Opinion
Coronet is my son, was born in Japan. As he is by born Japanese but living and growing in Bangladesh. I and my wife say him “ Jabani”, not Japani nor Bangladeshi. His always smiling face, and wants to use computer. Even though he can not seek word < just sound> but dance with Bangla song. CDROM player is favorite tools more than key board. When keyboard can not control the CDROM, he become angry and change continuously the CD/DVD. We are very worried as, my destroy official CDs. Two months before he destroyed one laptop by his too much beating as that could not control the CDROM . His web log address ishttp://corophoto.seesaa.net/
Mar 23, 2006 | The Opinion
Hamni Hiki Bangladeshi , was the first performance by an Oraon young group in the festival. This three days annual festival organised by SEHD (Society for Environment and Human Development) that was inaugurated by Kumudini Hajong, a famous woman leader of the historic Tanka Movement at 4:00pm of 20 March at National Museum. In the inaugural ceremony speakers said Adivasi language and culture are now on the verge of extinction. The struggle to establish right to the land of the Advasis has not yet come to the end though it started during the British rule. During the Liberation War the Adivasis sacrificed their lives for independence but they are now living as aliens in their own country. Speakers also demanded that the government take initiative for the education of the Adivasis through their own language.
The State Minister for Cultural Affairs, Selima Rahman, attended in the festival as chief guest. Chingku Roaza, a leading intellectual of the hill tracts, Khushi Kabir, coordinator of Nijera Kori, and professor Mahmudul Haq, director general of the National Museum and Prof Sakhawat Ali Director general of the SEHD specks strongly to ensure the citizen and equal rights of the Adivasi people.
In the opening ceremony of ` Forests and Forest Culture `, the photography exhibition by Philip Gain and display of adivasi , the speakers said about the peaceful life and living of Adivasi with the nature. The stunned by the present situation of the environment and development approach by distorting forest and forest culture. They explained the dangers of the hazardous practices. The exhibition was opened by Mr. Dwijen Sarma, an eminent environmentalist, Mr. Goutam Dewan, convener, Movement for the Protection of Forest and L and Rights in the Chittagong Hill Tracts; Mr. Abir Abdullah, photojournalist. Prof. Sakhawat Ali Khan preside over the inauguration. The exhibition will continue 18 to 24 March 2006 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM .
However 17 cultural groups and people particularly youth from 21 ethnic communities participated in the festival. With the participation of a number of Adivasi artistes and traditional indigenous cultural programmes were performed at the festival, which will exhibit at Drik gallery for seven days.
Mar 11, 2006 | The Opinion
`For a long time culture was considered an obstacle to development. Art was a luxury, reserved for the elite. And artists were irrelevant when it came to achieving ambitious development objectives. The priorities were limited to water pumps, dams, food, factories and houses. However, the realisation that culture not only plays a role in development, but is even the foundation for it, is slowly beginning to dawn on people. These days, statements such as ‘Culture is about people and their intellectual, emotional and spiritual existence. Support for culture enables people to define their future and to progress’ appear in policy documents.` I agree with this statement of `Power of Culture`.
In culture language is the most powerful elements. It is not just combination of words and or phonetics. It is the history of a community or nation; resultant of thousand years of experiences, glorious lifestyles, and means of communication as well as the expression of a people’s heart, that precedes the civilization. Bangalis have great experiences on language. In 21 February 1952 Bangali youth Barkat, Rafiq, Shafiq made an unprecedented record in world history by sacrificing their lives for their mother tongue. Facing the reality of `Language Movement` the `Culture of Unity` was cultivated in which consequence is today`s Bangladesh. The reality, with the muscle strength and huge global content in colonial English as well as less practices of small and local language, phasing the struggle of existence. Local values, knowledge and practices can not be developing as its needed. Half of the 6,000 or so languages spoken in the world are under threat. Last three centuries thousand languages passed way at a dramatic increasing pace of English-centered modernization, especially in the Americas and Australia . At the present moment, on average 2 indigenous languages per month are disappearing due to improper record of wisdoms alighted in that language. To inspire and protect the local and aboriginal languages as well as survive with self-pride and identity UNESCO has declared February 21st ( Shahid Dibos ) as International Mother Language Day.
Since last decade a big change happened in Bangladeshi culture; peoples view, life style, development approach, knowledge practice, media presentation, even the use of words has been changed abruptly. Multinational`s monopoly, NGO business, leadership thinking, Bangla cinema, bombing, silence youth, media entrepreneurship as well as westernizing are now in headline. People’s participation, philanthropic approach, alternative thinking, civil voice becomes dull. Art, literature, science and philosophy practices become centralized and limited. However crimes, misuse of public money, political conflict become major national problem. Peace seeker individual life also influence dangerously by entertainment media. Negative values `Meism` (extreme selfishness/ individualism) , Nihilism (is a potent and seductive option of young people who are growing up without proper parental love, and or in broken family ) and fundamentalism growing up silently and riskily. Personal peace ( mind body unity ), family prosperity ( husband-wife unity ) and national harmony ( leaders- people disagreement ) are facing questions, although we all are looking freedom, peace, unity and happiness.
This change is far from local values, needs, knowledge and practices are mostly contaminating by misuse of global culture and free flow of information. I believe, by strengthen the practice of `Cultural of Unity` as like as 1952 with unselfish with public mind, the nation can unite; and can initiative a flow of `New Development` with patriotic spirit.
Nov 30, 2005 | The Opinion
First Grassroots Educational Video Festival in Bangladesh, 23-30 August, 2005
The idea of the ‘Grassroots Video Festival’ came from the vision to involve and inspire the rural people particularly the grassroots youth leaders and children and to convey basic information which are not mentioned in the text book for ‘new leadership development’.
Black scenes
Countrywide 459 blasts in 63 districts within 30 minutes at August 17, 2005 has made a black scene in history of Bangladesh. This terrorism mostly involve misguided grassroots youth who are innocent belivers and have no clear concept about the modern world, faith and life style. General finding is that this incidence is not the cause but the reselt. It happened because we could not educate and train the youth generation as universal minded as to encounter fanaticism, hateism and prejudices at last to ignorance. The grassroots reality is that majority of rural people don’t have minimum access to basic life information; the youth and children grow up without knowing and live high risk of invisible conflict (sometime exposed) of HIV as well as other degradation of human values.
In Bangladesh, the mainstream media events are mostly held in cities and are arranged aacoding to the city people like and demand, with commercial and entertainment approach. Here majority grassroots people are back of scenes, or, in some case represented as hero of disaster, poverty and literacy. This steriotypic presentation also have been damely followed by the international media which together influences negatively and abstract the development process. Along with the negative aspects every society has positive cultural power and historical heritage which can advance and unite the whole nation unpresidently. Mostly media forget this sense while representing lives and stories of developing countries like Bangladesh. Power of culture and communal spirit can easily rise up by proper media presentation that can procede us despartely towards true freedom, peace, unity and happiness breaking through all the borders.
Credit: Shahjahan Siraj/UnnayanNet
The idea of the ‘Grassroots Video Festival’ came from the vision to involve and inspire the rural people particularly the grassroots youth leaders and children. The motivation of the festival is to convey basic information which are not mentioned in the text book for ‘new leadership development’. The theme of the festival was ‘Unite Us’ which comes from the patriotic slogan, ‘Unity Saving the People, Unity Saving the Nation’.
The festival
With huge participation of the students and youth, Bangladesh 1st Grassroots Educational Video Festival –2005 (http://www.festival.unnayannet.org) was held at Muktagacha and Kushtia, from 23-30 August, 2005. The first phase of the festival was held from 23 – 25 August 2005 at three colleges of Muktagacha. In Khushtia, it was held at Doulotpur Shilpokola Academy, Zilla Porishod Auditorium and Police Line College. Here along with the video show, ‘Youth leadership and development’ related workshop and cultural event were held.
Twenty-two documentaries collected from different countries had been screened in the festival which were contributed by – TVE Asia Pacific, BCCP, Youth Channel, ULTRALAB, Drik, Pluralism, UNDP, SEHD, Out Of Focus, WITNESS, Steps Towards Development and UNICEF – Bangladesh. The festival covered the issues of MDGs, human rights, Tsunami, acid violence, child rights, HIV/AIDS, Youth leadership, trafficking, environment, gender equality, small arms issues, etc. The documentaries on HIV/AIDS, acid victim, and Tsunami were highly appreciated. During show, evaluation form, festival sticker and postcard on ‘Truth Taking Project’ were distributed to the audience. Request has come to include the documentaries on the social problems and issues particularly on drug abuse, gender equality, global culture, etc., in the next year. The documentaries of the festival 2005 would be screened in ‘Rights and Development Convension 2005’ at Chittagong in Bangladesh on 25-27 November.
The festival proved that such kind of grassroots media event would surely advance the sustaining development and participatory process, and would help the unprivileged grassroots youth and children to meet with the today’s world.
Specifically the vision of the festival was to make a small step to inform the grassroots youth who don’t have minimum access to basic information. Even they don’t know about Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and basic human rights; but whole world including Bangladesh are going with the millennium targets 2015 to make a povertyless ‘new world’. Is it possible without giving priority and equal opportunity to majority grassroots people’s participation in development process to achieve the goals? Five years for MDGs and 50 years for Universal Human Rights Declaration have already passed but still now more than 95 percent Bangladeshi don’t know MDGs and/or rights.
Credit: Shahjahan Siraj/UnnayanNet
The experiences
As festival coordinator, I am very impressed and moved to see the huge participation and cooperation of grassroots people. I understand that this festival is beyond the educational curriculum and provides the much needed ICT and development education to the grassroots youth. However, visual and multimedia presentations are effective for quick understanding and result. In the region, there is no such community media centre, or knowledge centre or tale centre. Children and youth are learning with struggle by their own initiatives. Privileged are wining in the competition. As a result, the digital divide, information and opportunity gap are becoming sharper, which are not favourable for the future leadership and development. I believe a small ‘Grassroots Media Centre’ can make bridge and open the gate for access to information and opportunities for local people.
Credit: Shahjahan Siraj/UnnayanNet
To arrange the festival 2005, I knocked many doors for a small grant but without result. At last with self-finance, Machizo’s volunteer contribution, and local partnership with SETU and Borno we organised the festival in two districts which have been made pillar to arrange the festival every year. Within limited time and resources, we organised the festival and it was highly appreciated by audience and local civil society. For the following years, any kind of contribution from similar minded organisation and individual would be highly appreciated. My commitment in the year 2006 will be to organise the festival more widely and go forward with highest spirit to establish an ideal community based youth media centre.
In the way, UnnayanNet nowadays is making efforts and doing advocacy to establish an alternative, ‘Grassroots Youth Media Centre (UnnayanNet Info Centre)’ which will profoundly contribute to ‘new leadership, new development’ that will help to establish harmonious and peaceful information society, and to expand the ownership of modern technology and global information system to rural and disadvantaged people by solving the digital divide properly.
(One InfoCenter in One Village –
http://bangladesh.takingitglobal.org/express/panorama/article.html? ContentID=4494)
As a part of the initiave and in order to get better results, in the early 2006 UnnayanNet will organise workshop ‘Introducing ICT and Global Information to Grassroots Youth for New Leadership Development’. It is planned to expand this festival in the whole Bangladesh through the partners and stockholders of UnnayanNet.
Note: The article was published in I4D Magazine, November 2005 Issue | The original article as PDF
