e_Paper 20-11-2016

18
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2016
DT
Juddho Sheshe Juddho
• Saqib Sarker
Television journalist Nobonita
Chowdhury is widely known as
a talk show host and moderator.
But she’s rarely known to have
moderated her opinions during
hosting debates. But that doesn’t
have to be a bad thing. It certainly
isn’t when you have a jam packed
live audience that is engaged
and clinging onto every word
spoken by the speakers. Nobonita
provided the fuel that lit the fire at
the ‘Juddho Sheshe Juddho’ panel
discussion on the third and final
day at Dhaka Lit Fest 2016.
Held on the main stage
and moderated by Nobonita
Chowdhury, the panel consisted
of Akimun Rahman, Mahbub Aziz,
Ahsan Akbar, and Faruk Wasif.
The title of the discussion alludes
to Bangladesh’s struggle after the
country won independence from
the brutal repression of its former
Dhaka Lit Fest
Photo: Rajib Dhar
West Pakistani rulers.
The discussions invariably
revolved around the idea of a
secular state, minority rights,
repression, Muslim identity, and
the way forward for Bangladesh,
among others.
Host of primetime political
talk show, Rajkahon on DBC
News, Nobonita, the moderator,
objected when Faruk Wasif said
that secularism is better translated
in Bengali as “humanitarianism”
instead of “religion-neutral”.
Wasif implied that the point of
being secular is not espousing an
anti-religious stance but it is to
treat everyone equally.
An assistant editor at Prothom
Alo, Faruk Wasif also writes a
weekly column on socio-political
issues. He has published two
books on politics and literature
and two works of translation.
Wasif said the divides among
the people of the country is
purposely kept alive to reap
political benefit off of them.
“There was no conflict between
the Bengali and Muslim identities.
It was concocted by few
intellectuals who had agenda,” he
said.
Ahsan Akbar said the Dhaka
Lit Fest is truly representative
of Bangladeshi community
because of its reach. “People
asked me ‘why don’t you do this
at Radison?’ But we rejected
that idea. We wanted to it at
the Bangla Academy, within
the Dhaka University Campus,
and free for the general public,”
Akbar said as he was heartily
applauded by the auditorium
full of audience members. Ahsan
Akbar is a poet and writer and
has been a key organiser of the
festival since its beginning in
2011. His debut book, The Devil’s
Thumbprint, is a collection of
poems and it has been recently
included in the English literature
programme at SOAS, University
of London.
Poet, writer artist, and essayist
Mahbub Aziz said that ‘Bengali
Muslim’ is not an identity that we
should endorse. He said that the
conflict of identities is not over.
“If it had been over then August
15 could not have happened,” he
asserted. Aziz won the Citi Anondo
Shahitya Puroshkar In 2015. He is
currently the feature editor at the
Daily Samakal.
Akimun Rahman’s calm and
compose demeanor was only
matched by her eloquent words.
A teacher from Narayanganj,
Akimun Rahman has a PhD
from Dhaka University, and has
taught at Independent University,
Bangladesh. Her books include
Purush Prithibite Ek Meye, Ei Shob
Nibrito Kuhok and Bibi Theke
Begom.
“I have tried to inculcate
the native philosophies and
indigenous folk literature within
my works in my own way. They are
simplified and presented easily but
folk literature like the Maymensigh
Geetika is represented in in my
work,” Akimun Rahman said while
commenting on the importance of
representing and preserving the
folk literature.
The audience that filled the
large auditorium was heard
murmuring excitedly to each other
as the discussion ended. Some
were flocking around Faruk Wasif
to ask him further questions.
The session apparently provoked
further discussion and left the
audience contemplating.•
Words under siege
• Farina Noireet
On the last day of this year’s Dhaka
Literary Festival, Uzbek journalist
and writer Hamid Ismailov, Nepali
publisher, editor and writer Kanak
Mani Dixit, Thai screenwriter,
novelist and artist Prabda Yoon
and Professor of sociology and
development Shapan Adnan, came
together in a panel session titled
‘Words under siege’. Moderated
by Romana Cacchioli, Director of
International Programs at PEN
International, the engaging session
revolved around the subject of
‘freedom of speech’ and ‘selfcensorship’
and the many forms of
‘powers’ that exist in the modern
world, which suppress writers and
activists who dare to think out of
the box.
The session opened with an
introduction of the panellists and
an open question from Cacchioli
on what it was that got them into
trouble in their respective countries.
Ismailov, who was forced to flee
his country in 1992 for his writings
that antagonised the authoritarian
government, and has been living
in the UK ever since, said, “When
you are writing about the reality as
you see it, you are deconstructing
this reality because you are
becoming subversive, because
you are showing this reality as
you see it, not as the government
sees it. The government sees it
with lots of propaganda, which
you are dismissing by recreating
this reality. And in that sense, any
good, honest writing is submersive
by its nature.”
Yoon commented on the
state of mind of his own country
and people when he said, “A
majority of Thais live under a very
strict, conservative outlook of
themselves and to most, stability
comes with three things – country,
which basically means military,
religion, which is Buddhism, and
monarchy, which is the king –
these three things sum up what
it means to be Thai. And if you
are a liberal who questions these
things, not necessarily attacking or
defaming any of these ideals, but
if you criticise them, then you can
get yourself in trouble.”
In talking about the current
situation in South Asia, Kanak
stated that, “There is a particular
power of ultra-populism from
different sources – from religious
fanatics, to ultra-nationalists –
that are cowing down media and
making media curl into a selfcencorship
mode, and those who
continue to speak out are the ones
who need understanding and who
need protection.”
“While literary writings are at
the centerpiece of censorship and
pressures, even writings which
are part of the social and political
discourse of the country are
also constrained. And these are
also limitations on the freedom
of speech,” stated Adnan when
talking about the constraints he
had to face in his line of work.
The session ended with an
enthusiastic round of questions
from the audience. •
Photo: Rajib Dhar