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DT 20 Editorial FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2016 TODAY The long shadow of Ayub Khan Srabon protested the decision last year and so it has been banned from hosting a stall for the next two years PAGE 21 Oppressors and exploiters, be careful While the posters are visual representation of the Santal, taken from their muddy house walls around the villages, the messages reflect and convey the historical roots of their struggle PAGE 22 Second time’s a coronation The same Ivy registered a preciously rare show of strength at the ballot box for the ruling party -- in the form of a victory unsullied by accusations PAGE 23 Be heard Write to Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com www.dhakatribune.com Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/ DhakaTribune. The views expressed in opinion articles are those of the authors alone and they are not the official view of Dhaka Tribune or its publisher. These bans must end Bangla Academy’s decision to ban Srabon Prokashoni from the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela simply cannot be justified. The publishing house has been barred from participating in the annual book fair for two years only because of its vocal protest against the shuttering of Badwip Prokashoni’s stall at this year’s Ekushey Boi Mela. Earlier this year, Badwip Prokashoni’s stall was raided by the police in the Suhrawardy Udyan part of the book fair. Law enforcers justified the raid by claiming that the publishers had been carrying a book that was said to have offended a group of religious extremists. In a country where freedom of expression is a constitutionally protected fundamental right, the decision to ban Srabon Prokashoni from the book fair for protesting a ban that they felt was misplaced, is unacceptable. The rationale expressed by the authorities in placing the ban holds little water when we consider what an event like the Ekushey Boi Mela represents. Freedom of thought and expression are the cornerstones of what makes for a book fair -- to say that a publishing house’s peaceful protest was “upsetting the soundness of the fair” makes a mockery of the entire concept of a festival dedicated to free expression. Frankly, there was very little justification for the original ban on Badwip Prokashoni to begin with. To small-time publishers such as Badwip and Srabon Prokashoni, the Ekushey Boi Mela is a rare chance to make their mark on the industry. And doing so requires them to go through innumerable hurdles and layers upon layers of bureaucracy. Bans such as these are a slap in the face to anyone attempting to break into the publishing business and have a negative impact far beyond the publishing houses that are affected. Instead of shuttering their stall, we believe that the Bangla Academy, and perhaps the police, should have taken a more nuanced approach to deal with the issue. We understand that public sentiment needs to be protected, but there are ways to do that without compromising the sanctity of an event such as the Ekushey Boi Mela. There may be many reasons for a publisher to be banned from the Boi Mela, but protesting an unjustified decision is not one of them. Bangla Academy needs to realise this, and lift the ban as soon as possible. MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU There may be many reasons for a publisher to be banned from the Boi Mela, but protesting an unjustified decision is not one of them
Opinion 21 DT FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2016 Bangla Academy, the Srabon Publishers ban, and the long shadow of Ayub Khan Is Srabon Prokashoni’s ban from the Ekushey Boi Mela a sign of our culture being compromised? The Ekushey Boi Mela is synonymous with Bengali culture MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU • Afsan Chowdhury Bangla Academy, in its infinite wisdom, has banned Srabon Publishers from having a stall at the Ekushey Boi Mela this year. The excuse is that it disrupted the book fair last year by protesting the closure of a stall and the arrest of a fellow publisher. This publisher was accused of publishing books which were considered anti-religious in nature by the police, but the legal verdict is not there. Srabon protested the decision last year and so it has been banned from hosting a stall for the next two years. Not only is this decision insensible but, given the fact that court judgment on the case is not out, also illegal. Guilt has been assumed of a case still not decided. * * * * * Most people are not familiar with the name of Field Marshall Ayub Srabon protested the decision last year and so it has been banned from hosting a stall for the next two years. Not only is this decision insensible but, given the fact that court judgment on the case is not out, also illegal Khan, the man who ruled Pakistan from 1958 to 1969 and basically killed Pakistan. He did the most of playing politics with culture. Ayub tried to ban Tagore, arrested cultural activists of East Pakistan, promoted a military brand of civilian culture, promoted wealth-making and wealth concentration, initiated the Agartala conspiracy against Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib and others, and considered Bangalis uncivilised all in the hope of strengthening Pakistan. The result was, of course, the exact opposite. And East Pakistanis gave up on whatever little confidence they had in Pakistan and began to make their own plans. It made Bengali culture strong, created many resistance points, and basically initiated the 1969 political movement which ended his rule. Ayub was followed by Yahya Khan’s rule and finally the elections of 1970 which ended Pakistan itself. Among other things, the biggest lesson from his history is that don’t play a cultural mastaan in a neighbourhood which has a long history of resistance to similar efforts. Chances are, the mastaan exits but the neighborhood stays on. * * * If certain rumours are to be believed, then a political disservice is done through this incident as well, and the price may have to be paid by the party in power in terms of its popularity. The Bangla Academy is a symbol of resistance, and is rooted in the 21 points of the United Front of 1954 which birthed and organised Bengali nationalismbased politics, so please respect the spirit of the birth of the institution. It’s not always about singing and dancing and chatting and walking around the Mela -- it’s about upholding the cultural essence of a people who have a long tradition of not taking it lying down. One may not have liked the fact that Sarabon and others had protested, but to accept protest as a valid form of cultural activism is important. Compliant culture is impotent. When protest dies, so does culture. Srabon is more in line with the spirit of Ekushey than any of the parties involved in its ban. * * * * * Protest, small or big, will happen and it may well grow on the issue. The Bangla Academy belongs to the people, not the government. Unless the ban is withdrawn, which has been put into effect on such absurd grounds and with the intent of punishing a dissident protestor, the consequences will have an impact on all parties involved. History shows that trying to kill dissidence never works, and Pakistan and the Soviet Union are two very good examples. Why try to be yet another? • Afsan Chowdhury is a journalist and researcher.
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