Shilpakala academy: Cultural affairs ministry refutes Jamil’s claims

The cultural affairs ministry yesterday refuted many of the allegations brought forth by Syed Jamil Ahmed while he stepped down from the post of director general of the Shilpakala Academy.

"The ministry deems it necessary to refute and clarify the untruthful, fictional and personally motivated slander made by the eminent cultural personality," said a press release.

The claim that the cultural ministry pressured Shilpakala authorities to release funds without a formal letter for a 15-minute video on International Mother Language Day is untrue, it said.

The ministry had sent two letters to the Shilpakala authorities: first on February 2 and again on February 10. And yet Ahmed refused to provide the money to the video's director and 'misbehaved' with him, the press release added.

Ahmed insisted that the ministry allocates the respective budget to Shilpakala first although the second paragraph of the letter mentioned that the finance ministry would send the money.

He also left the WhatsApp group chat meant for swift production of the video to be showcased at UNESCO headquarters on February 20–21 to depict Bangladesh's efforts in preserving the history of International Mother Language Day.

The group included the cultural affairs adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki and high-ranking officials from the UNESCO headquarters, the Bangladesh embassy, and the ministries of foreign affairs and cultural affairs.

"Therefore, the allegation that the ministry 'pressured' the academy to provide money for the video is untruthful and personally disrespectful to the cultural adviser himself."

The ministry also refuted the allegation that there was unduly interference in the academy's proceedings as it neither interfered nor stopped any programme.

"Rather, it suggested increasing the number of cultural programmes to bring forth a collective cultural statement."

The ministry suggested nationwide filmmaking initiatives across eight districts. It also allocated increased and special budgets for eight new theatre productions and the establishment of guerrilla theatre.

On the allegation of improper budget allocation, the ministry said the matter is under the jurisdiction of the finance ministry.

"When the prescribed budget of Tk 200 crore was presented by Shilpakala at a meeting on February 27, the finance adviser said that due to the current economic recession and other limitations, the prescribed budget might be re-evaluated. However, the next allocated budget for Shilpakala will be more than the current one, and special allocations will be provided in case of new projects at Shilpakala."

Ahmed intentionally held up the musical composer from taking part in rehearsals for the recital of the national anthem and the background score for the Ekushey Padak award-giving ceremony in the name of a meeting, the press release said.

He also held up a singer who was supposed to take part in the musical arrangement.

Ahmed's claims of bureaucratic delays are untrue too, the ministry said.

On February 28, Ahmed handed in his resignation after giving a fiery speech in which he made several allegations against the cultural ministry.

He alleged financial mismanagement within the academy, claiming the administration treated allocated funds as "personal assets".

"My request for a Tk 165 crore budget was not fully met. If we [Shilpakala authorities] must repeatedly call upon the administration and still fail to establish a collaborative and peaceful working environment due to bureaucratic obstacles, I don't see how I can effectively fulfill my role here.

"I've given this decision a lot of thought. It's now time for me to return to my own theatre work," he said in his speech.