Jamdani Weaving More than Meets the Eye

Source: Photo: Zahedul I Khan

Lest one fear the end of Bangladesh's centuries old weaving panache, UNESCO officials in December enshrined the “Traditional Art of Jamdani Weaving” as part of the “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity,” alongside Italian “Celebrations of big shoulder-borne processional structures” and “Turkish Coffee Culture and Tradition”, among others. “The inscription of Jamdani will ensure the visibility and awareness of the socio-cultural significance of this intangible heritage which is expressed in a body of knowledge, practices and traditional craftsmanship,” says Shamsuzzaman Khan. “It will encourage dialogue among various stakeholders, thus increasing cooperation among practitioners and consciousness among the civil society. It will also promote womens empowerment and cultural diversity because weavers, consumers, entrepreneurs, organisatiions and suppliers of raw materials will be motivated to work together for the development and enrichment of this tradition.” Khan, eminent folklorist and Director General of Bangla Academy led a three-member Bangladesh team to the Eighth Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at Baku, Azerbaijan from 2-7 December 2013. The committee consists of representatives from 24 countries.
The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity is made up of those elements of a culture that help demonstrate the diversity of a particular heritage and raise awareness about its importance. The Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage was introduced in 2003 to defend and incorporate intangible culture such as folklore, oral traditions, language, music, crafts, knowledge and rituals into the heritage agenda. The Intangible Cultural Heritage list not only represents inherited traditions from the past, but also contemporary rural and urban practices that reflect and perpetuate the world's cultural diversity. The point, according to UNESCO guidelines, is not to preserve and protect, which is to freeze something in time, but to safeguard. Traditions can change and evolve as they are passed down through a living heritage that is continually being recreated. During the period from 2009 to 2013, UNESCO has inscribed 192 elements from the all over the world on this list. By meeting all the five criteria, Bangladesh's Jamdani qualified for inscription on the Representative List. “M Shahidul Islam, Bangladesh's ambassador to France and representative to UNESCO was really helpful in all matters dealing with this,” says Shamsuzzaman Khan. “Dr Firoz Mahmud, Md Altaf Hossain and Shahida Khatun of Bangla Academy worked tirelessly for months leading up to this proud moment. But it would never have been possible without people like Ruby Ghuznavi, Perveen Ahmad, Bibi Russell, Monira Emdad and others who worked for years towards the preservation and promotion of this tradition both at the national and international level.”
The intergovernmental committee said Jamdani satisfies all the criteria for inscription on the representative list. The art form is transmitted from generation to generation and the art of Jamdani weaving reinforces the social and spiritual cohesion among the people of Bangladesh. The committee also said inscription of Jamdani on the representative list could contribute to the visibility of the intangible cultural heritage, while encouraging intercultural dialogue and promoting respect for cultural diversity. It also proposed safeguarding measures like research projects, documentation, awareness-raising activities and education programmes with the involvement of the bearers of the art and national institutions.
Now that it is done, it may seem to be an easy job. Dr Firoz Mahmud who prepared the nomination file for submission at UNESCO will tell you why it was not. “The nomination file had to be prepared by experts trained by UNESCO. When we filed the paper, there were no trained personnel in Bangladesh. I felt confident that I could do it. We had a lot of limitations. For example, it seemed difficult to meet criterion 5 that says: the element must be included in an inventory of the intangible cultural heritage present in the territory(ies) of the submitting State(s) Party(ies), as defined in Article 11 and article 12 of the Convention. The problem was we had no such list in our country. We came up with an idea. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs, in 2005, commissioned the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh to undertake a cultural survey with a view to preparing a national inventory of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Bangladesh. The Asiatic Society of Bangladesh conducted the survey for two years during 2005-2006 and published the results of the survey in 12 volumes in 2007. The 11th volume contained the inventory of some elements under the broad category of traditional craftsmanship. Jamdani was one of the elements included in the inventory of this volume. And we presented it as our inventory of the intangible cultural heritage of Bangladesh. Much to our relief, it was accepted.” Dr Mahmud who has a PhD in folklore from Indiana University is a researcher and consultant at Bangla Academy.
“I think it is a great achievement for Bangladesh. You know, India also laid a claim to Jamdani. At that time we did not have the GI law in this country,” says Ruby Ghuznavi. “So we were anxious about the whole thing. Now with the passing of the GI law by the parliament on November 5, 2013 and this recognition by UNESCO, Jamdani has become one of our intangible cultural heritages in the eye of the world. National Crafts Council of Bangladesh and others worked for a long time with our government for passing the GI law. Now we will have to register it with WTO. Jointly with CPB National Crafts Council of Bangladesh is conducting extensive research in this context. We hope that many other crafts of Bangladesh will also be recognised by the international community in the same manner. But we will have to do all the research and other necessary groundwork for that.” Rubi Ghuznavi is a founding member of National Crafts Council of Bangladesh and currently serves as an executive committee member of the body.
 A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on certain products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or a town, region, or country. The use of a GI may act as a certification that the product possesses certain qualities, is made according to traditional methods, or enjoys a certain reputation, due to its geographical origin.

Team Bangladesh was well prepared for the tough competition from India. “We submitted the nomination file long before India thus strengthening our case,” says Shamsuzzaman Khan, who along with his team, in between sessions at the convention, met delegates from other countries to lobby for Jamdani Weaving. “On missions like these relevant experts instead of bureaucrats should represent the country abroad,” says the world renowned folklorist.
Master weaver Anamul Haque who has 15 hand looms and has been producing Jamdani since 1988 cannot hide his excitement at the news. “I cannot put in words how happy we are. I hope this will trigger higher demand in the international market.” Haque went to Japan earlier this year with a group of craftspeople and in forty days, from scratch, weaved a Jamdani that was sold at a price equivalent to BDT 100,000. Some of his works are being showcased in the national museum. Unfortunately, every weaver has not found this kind of success despite all their hard work and skilled craftsmanship.
“I am not only happy but hugely gratified that UNESCO has acknowledged the status of Bangladesh's Jamdani handloom fabric in the world heritage,” says Perveen Ahmad, “Those of us who have witnessed this craft heritage go through many ups and downs over the last several decades have never given up our struggle nor our belief that Jamdani will someday surely get its place in the world culture. The main credit for this lies with the village weavers of Bangladesh who despite their lack of fair monetary gain, constraints of raw material supply, the exploitative middlemen, and unstable market have never given up their occupation. Few and small awards have come their way and patronage has sporadically come from craft activists through exhibitions and exposure abroad. But the weavers are not honoured as they should be.” Perveen Ahmad is a writer, researcher and handicraft preservation activist who has written extensively for the preservation and promotion of traditional arts and crafts of Bangladesh.
Bibi Russell, fashion designer and former international model says, “Everyone should know about this great news. It will give us a lot of strength going forward. I am glad that earlier this year our parliament passed the GI law which is the first step toward giving such recognition to a particular product or heritage.”
On December 4, when Shamsuzzaman Khan said at the convention that one of the members of the Bangladesh team would demonstrate what a Jamdani looks like, Shahida Khatun, wearing an elegant Jamdani sari walked around the conference room where 800 representatives and 700 observers from 108 countries gathered. “During the thunderous applause that lasted for about two minutes, words seem inadequate to describe how proud I felt of my country”, says Shahida Khatun, a director of Bangla Academy.
The UNESCO recognition has given Bangladesh confidence. “Our goal now is to get Nababarsha and 21st February on the list,” asserts Khan.