Voices of Adolescents

(R-L) Ranjan Karmaker, Britt F. Hagstrom, Sultana Kamal, Rokeya Sultana, Mehrab Khanum, M. Habibur Rahman and Mainul Huda at the DVD launchPhoto: STAR

The three-day documentary screening, titled Voices of Adolescents, started at the Shawkat Osman Auditorium, Central Public Library on February 4. A total of seven documentaries are being screened at the programme. Each film is 30-40 minutes in duration, and all of them are produced by the Audio Visual (AV) Centre of the NGO, Steps Towards Development. The programme also includes discussion on adolescence everyday prior to the documentary screening.
At the inaugural programme, human rights activist Advocate Sultana Kamal was present as the chief guest. She also chaired the first day's discussion. Britt F. Hagstrom, the Swedish Ambassador and Rokeya Sultana, Secretary, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs attended the event as special guests. M. Habibur Rahman, Director of Education, Save the Children UK and Dr Mehrab Khanum, Professor of Psychology, Dhaka University, were the discussants at first day's programme.
The event opened with Sultana Kamal formally unveiling the DVDs of the documentaries. Ranjan Karmaker, Executive Director of Steps Towards Development and Mainul Huda, Director of the AV Centre spoke at the programme.
The discussion included speeches by M. Habibur Rahman, Dr. Mehrab Khanom, Britt F. Hagstrom, Rokeya Sultana and Sultana Kamal, along with two school students -- Habibur Rahman and Nusrat Rafsani, from the Birsreshta Abdur Rouf School and the Birsreshta Matiur Rahman School respectively.
Students are expected to participate at the coming discussions.
The films screened on the first day (February 4) were I Had Something to Say and Intimate Talks. Generation Gap and A Tale of Transformation were screened yesterday. Barren Dreams, A Tale of Faraway Hills and Heaven Searcher will be screened today.
Bazlur Rahman, editor of the Daily Sangbad, chaired the second day's (yesterday) discussion with theatre and television personality Sara Zaker as the discussant. Writer Selina Hossain will chair the last day's (today) discussion with Gawher Nayeema Wahra, Head of Programme, Save the Children UK, and social activist-columnist Sanjeeb Drong as discussants, according to sources.
Adolescence is a time when boys start to explore the world and become men while girls become women but for them the external world begins to shrink. Before girls can start to understand their physical changes they are often forced to become embarrassed about it. I Had Something to Say by Fauzia Khan brings to light the lives of a few such girls.
Intimate Talks by Hamed Kibria explores the lives and dreams of three adolescent musicians of Dhaka. Rafi studied folk music at Chhayanat and performs at national and international programmes, while Iftekhar and Moin are influenced by western music and are members of a band called ABHROK.
Generation Gap by Moinul Huda attempts to show the differences in opinion and understanding among three boys and girls and their predecessors.
A Tale of Transformation by Tasmiah Afrin Mou portrays adolescence in the rural society and how the young men and women are affected by globalisation.
Barren Dreams by Anwar Chowdhury is about the struggles of the adolescents living in the Patilbari-Dighalkandi -- chars of Jamuna -- who are often deprived of basic rights and modern facilities.
A Tale of Faraway Hills by Khaleda Akhtar Rosy portrays the lives, trials and tribulations of the Tripura adolescents. The Tripura is an indigenous community in Bangladesh, living amidst nature.
Heaven Searcher by Mushfequa Alam Camellia is about Shyamoli, an adolescent girl in purdah (in veil) and others who are busy preparing for the after-life.
The screening session starts at 5.30 pm and is open to all. The programme ends today.