DESH belongs to Bangladesh...Akram Khan
Just three days in the countdown to his grand show, internationally acclaimed dancer/choreographer Akram Khan, at a press conference, said, “DESH belongs to Bangladesh.”
A press conference focusing on DESH was held yesterday at Bengal Shilpalaya in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. The British Council, in partnership with the Bengal Foundation and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) worked together to invite and host DESH onto the Bangladeshi stage.
Robin Davies, Director of Programme and Partnership, British Council; Luva Nahid Choudhury, Director General of Bengal Foundation; Liaquat Ali Lucky, Director General of BSA; noted cultural personality Nasiruddin Yousuff and Akram Khan were present at the press conference.
Akram's relationship with Bangladesh is special. He said, “Performing in Bangladesh is a great pleasure for me as well as my mother. I was born and brought up in London but my parents are from Bangladesh. I am connected to Bangladesh through them. The country comes alive to me through the stories and memories shared by them.
"In my childhood my mother never talked to me in English and it was when I was in grade 10 that I learnt that my mother spoke English. Thus my parents forced me to learn Bangla. Bangladeshis carry their memories and culture wherever they go. None of my childhood heroes belonged to Bangladesh and I was brought up as British person, but I ended up becoming the person I never wanted to be. Now I teach my daughter Bangla. DESH is a query, which leads to many more queries. It is a drama that belongs here.”
Luva Nahid Choudhury also spoke about their initiative to bring the show in Bangladesh, saying, “Practicing arts and culture gives one an opportunity to discover their inner selves. Akram Khan is a Bangladeshi, though he is a British citizen, he will uphold his identity as a Bangladeshi through his performance. We had to work hard to prepare for the show in Bangladesh since this is a highly technical performance. We had to change and upgrade many things so that we could host the show. We have a lot to learn from this performance. Bengal Foundation is happy to be a part of the initiative.”
Liaquat Ali Lucky said, “Shilpakala Academy is glad that it is hosting Akram's first ever show in Bangladesh. For DESH, we made the best preparations despite our limitations. We cannot hold such a high quality performance often and DESH will definitely have a positive impact on our cultural arena. Many young activists also took part in the workshops on DESH and this will tremendously inspire them. We hope Akram will work as a cultural ambassador to place our culture on the global stage.”
“Because of space limitations, Akram Khan couldn't bring his entire team. The show is highly technical and cannot even be held in India since they don't have the necessary infrastructure. We are happy that Akram's technical director approved BSA for the show,” said Nasiruddin Yousuff.
DESH is set to be staged on September 18 and 19 at the National Theatre Hall of Shilapakala Academy.
The Daily Star, The Daily Prothom Alo and Channel i are media partners of the event.
Comments