IT'S FOBANA TIME!
Bangladeshi festival fever hits Atlanta
July is less than a month away, and festival fever is beginning to take hold among the estimated 10,000-strong Bangladeshi expatriate community in greater Atlanta. All hands are on deck for the 32nd FOBANA convention, the upcoming Bangladeshi jamboree to be hosted at the World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta. All told, at least 5,000 attendees are expected, by conservative estimates. At least a few thousand will come from out of state. Organisers claim—with some justification and a lot of pride—that this is the largest gathering of Bangladeshis outside the old country anywhere in the world.
By any measure, it's a mammoth undertaking. Hurried meetings, brainstorming, rehearsals for cultural performances, frantic efforts at fundraising for an event that runs easily into several hundred thousand dollars—it's all happening.
Atlanta entrepreneur Jashim Uddin, the ebullient convener of this year's FOBANA convention sounds pretty gung-ho: "We want the FOBANA convention to be a showcase to highlight how Bangladesh is rising. The main goal of FOBANA is not just to bring Bangladeshis in North America together, but Bangladesh and America together."
FOBANA is an acronym for the Federation of Bangladeshi Associations in North America—an umbrella organisation that has a storied past, to put it delicately. The original plan to host an annual cultural celebration of all things Bangladeshi was a laudable one—until it hit reality. The Bangladeshi penchant for organisational chaos, bitter bickering and battles royal of gargantuan egos soon asserted itself, and within a few years, the annual conventions were plagued by dysfunction and—this will surprise no Bangladeshi who has grown up with political parties that have a disconcerting habit into breaking up in warring factions—FOBANA conventions became multiple, competing affairs.
Thank goodness sanity has finally prevailed. After years of efforts simultaneous FOBANA events are a thing of the past.
There's a fairly impressive line-up of stars this year. Singers James, Fahmida Nabi, Kanak Chapa and Habib are expected to come, among others. TV celebrity chef Alpana Habib, whose bilingual book of 250 recipes has just been published, will be present with her new coffee-table book. Bhaswar Bandyopadhyay, reputed for his skills in poetry recitation will be part of a poetry recital event. Organisers have also personally invited Asaduzzaman Noor MP, the Bangladesh minister of cultural affairs. Bangladesh's ambassador to the US will also be in attendance, organisers said.
Last, but not least, local artists, both from Atlanta and elsewhere in the US will perform. BUET, Jahangir Nagar University, Chittagong University alums are planning reunions, with the vice-chancellor of Chittagong University coming to attend.
It cannot be gainsaid that given the—how to put this delicately—mixed track record of previous FOBANA conventions, there is some reason for scepticism.
Organisers want to dispel any such qualms by pointing out that this year's FOBANA convention will be a much more streamlined affair. A professional team of directors are working to ensure events are on time, sparing attendees the frustration of waiting till late (and I mean really late) night for top artists from Bangladesh to perform.
Jashim Uddin, the convener of this year's event, is an indefatigable promoter with enough chutzpah to give PT Barnum a run for his money. He makes a compelling case that for all its flaws, FOBANA conventions are beginning to have a real impact. Last year's convention in Orlando included leaders of the Asian American Hotel Owners' Association, the huge, predominantly Indian American, hospitality industry association, as well as top executives from Bangladesh's NRB Bank and Max Group.
This year, Georgia Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle has already posted on his Facebook page expressing his keenness to attend the FOBANA convention, Uddin said. Uddin said his fond hope is to build bridges between Bangladesh and the US so that US-raised fresh college graduates of Bangladeshi descent from top universities get involved and contribute to the progress of Bangladesh.
"We're working really hard, and many mainstream US businesses and politicians have shown keen interest, as have Bangladeshi business groups," Uddin said. "We invite Bangladeshi businesses to take this opportunity to come and network."
Being waist-deep in FOBANA activities, I can tell you that it has a quintessential Bangladeshi feel. It has all the ambiance of a biyebari, or wedding festivities. Not today's weddings, which, particularly of Dhaka's nouveau riche variety, often feel like an exercise in conspicuous consumption where no tacky Bollywood-style excess is spared.
No, old-timer that I am, FOBANA reminds me of the biyebari several decades back in my youth.
Even in those days, spending beyond one's means was still the norm, but wedding festivities used to be a far more cozy, familial affair. Flocks of relatives used to descend from out of town, and the whole event was planned and executed by rank amateurs. Joy, excitement, trepidation, stress—it had it all. In an elaborate complicated event like a desi wedding with gazillion moving parts, things could—and often did—go wrong. Tempers would flare, old grudges would surface, and putting it all together required superhuman tact, the patience of Job and the wisdom of Solomon.
Yet at the end of it all, everything would magically come together. It's my fond hope that this will be true for this year's FOBANA convention as well.
That's because for all its foibles—and Lord knows there's no dearth of it—FOBANA captures some of that old-world Bangladeshi biyebari charm that springs from an honest-to-goodness effort to put together a celebratory event for public benefit, and unbelievable hard work and affection is lovingly lavished upon it.
Interested readers can visit http://www.fobanaonline.com or email atlfobana@gmail.com for more information.
Ashfaque Swapan is a contributing editor for Siliconeer, a monthly periodical for South Asians in the United States.