Love for Bangla in Congo

In the Central African country of Democratic Republic of the Congo, a Bangladeshi will be pleasantly surprised to hear sweet Bangla songs, drifting in from somewhere.

Such a song in Bangla, some 8,000 kilometres in a faraway land, transfers Bangladeshis back to a traditional village back home, despite the geographical distance between the two countries.

But thirty-year-old Zippe is the man who reminisces his cherished memories working with the Bangladeshi peacekeepers for five years.

Zippe learnt the Bangla language in order to communicate better with the blue helmets. In between, he also learnt some Bangla songs.

This, however, comes as no surprise to frequent visitors of the country.

“Bangla officers are very good. I was with them for five years in a camp. Still I have contact with many Bangla officers though they have already left my country. I feel comfortable to work with Bangla officers,” Zippe told The Daily Star.

He said, “When you (this correspondent) go to Bangla, give my Salam to all the people of Bangladesh.”

Many African people work closely with the Bangladesh army personnel deployed in various African countries as peacekeepers.