“Cha-Chakra” opens at AFD
Faiham's solo photography exhibit chronicles tea gardens
A solo photography exhibition by Faiham Ebna Sharif, titled “Cha Chakra: Tea Tales of Bangladesh” opened on Friday afternoon at the La Galerie of Alliance Française de Dhaka.
New Ambassador of France to Bangladesh Marie-Annick Bourdin graced the occasion as chief guest. Prof. Dr. Fakrul Alam, pro-vice chancellor of East West University; Afroza Khan, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment and renowned freelance photographer Hasan Saifuddin Chandan were also present as special guests, while retired tea garden worker Mohabir Kal attended the occasion as the guest of honour.
A total of 48 photographs will be exhibited during the exhibition, which remains open till January 26.
Faiham Ebna Sharif has been working on the documentation of the tea garden workers and their communities since November 2015. There are around 162 tea gardens in Bangladesh and the workforce comprises approximately 90 different ethnic communities with diverse religious and cultural beliefs. Most of the tea garden workers were brought to Bangladesh by British East India Company from Bihar, Madras, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and other places in India during 1840-50.
A majority of the country's tea estates lies in the north-eastern corner of Bangladesh and Faiham has been spending time in different tea estates in Habiganj, Moulvibazaar, Srimangal and Sylhet. Apart from collecting historical documents, Faiham has been capturing the tea community as well as the social, cultural, political and economical life of tea garden workers.
There will also be an online exhibition simultaneously. The photography exhibition will also be held in the tea garden in Habiganj in February as well.
This is the first solo photography exhibition of Faiham Ebna Sharif, who finished his Honours and Masters in International Relations from University of Dhaka before completing a diploma in photography from Counter Foto.
The project is supported by Magnum Foundation and The Documentary Project Fund.