- Dhaka Tribune

| vo l 2 I ssu e 4 | F R I D AY, M ay 30, 2014
Identity:
Who am I?
5
Hometown
stereotypes
8
Endangered
Languages
15
Transgender
Beauty
CONTENTS
1
A Weekly Pro ducti on of
DhakaTribune
Volume 2 | Issue 4 | May 30, 2014
Editor
Zafar Sobhan
NEWS
Features Editor
Sabrina Fatma Ahmad
2This week
Assistant Magazine Editor
Rumana Habib
Weekend Tribune Team
Tasnuva Amin Nova
Promiti Prova Chowdhury
Farhana Urmee
Rifat Islam Esha
Faisal Mahmud
Shah Nahian
Syeda Samira Sadeque
Adil Sakhawat
Tausif Sanzum
James Saville
Art Direction/Photography
Syed Latif Hossain
Cartoons
Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy
Rio Shuvo
3Say what?
FEATURES
4Film Cannes Film Festival
5Culture Desher bari koi?
9
6Feature Bengal Lights Literary Conclave
8 Perspective Endangered languages
Photo story
The Faces of Boga lake
12 Listology Bangla expressions
13Education Lively learning
Contributors
Ahmed Muztaba Zamal
Shaikhul Apon
G’son Biswas
Jennifer Ashraf Kashmi
Chanchal Kamal
DIna Sobhan
15Society Transgender beauty
17Standpoint Fighting the right fights
20 Last word What are you?
Graphics
Sabiha Mahmud Sumi
Mohammad Mahbub Alam
REGULARS
Colour Specialist
Shekhar Mondal
Kazi Syras Al Mahmood
14Legalese Citizenship conundrum
16 Tough love Ex schemes and Dhaka dreams
Production
Masum Billah
Advertising
Shahidan Khurshed
Circulation
Wahid Murad
Website
dhakatribune.com/weekend
facebook.com/WeekendTrib
18Stay In Selfies for good cause
13 Education
the cover
Identity:
Who am I?
This week’s cover selection
was inspired by Magritte’s
painting Son of Man.
Photographer
Shaikhul Apon
19 Go Out Can you handle the truth?
Lively learning
Who are we?
| vol 2 Issue 4 | FRIDAY, May 30, 2014
Email your letters to:
weekend@dhakatribune.com
9 Photo story The faces of Boga Lake
stereo
5 Hometown
types
Languages
8 Endangered
11
Transgender
Beauty
How do we define our identity? Is
it by our desher bari, as in “BNCC:
Hometown stereotypes” (pg 5)?
Are we our cultural pursuits?
We attend a film festival as
“Deshi cinephiles at Cannes”
(pg 4), attend “Nalanda: The
school of joy” (pg 13) run under
Chhayanaut, and go to a literary
conclave to meet the bright lights
who examine the big questions
intellectually in “Beyond Identity
narratives” (pg 6).
Are we our gender? Two
transgender people rise above
their constraints in “The many
Editor’s note
faces of beauty” (pg 15). And,
staunch womens’ rights advocates
though we are, we deconstruct
some “Flaws of feminism” (pg 17).
Are we our language? We
celebrate “Very bangla” words
that defy translation (pg 12),
while to our dismay, indigenous
languages are becoming
“Endangered alphabets” (pg 8).
“The faces of Boga Lake” (pg 9)
strike our hearts.
And then there are
stereotypes that inspire political
overcorrectness and “An identity
paranoia” (pg 20).
We’ll figure it our eventually.
Meanwhile, enjoy.
WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, M AY 3 0, 2 0 1 4
2 News | This week
Hopeful
Afghans
Supporters of Afghan
presidential candidate Abdullah
Abdullah last week attended his
election campaign gathering in
Paktiya province. The second
round presidential election will
be held on June 14.
News and photo: AFP
Pope for peace
Flowers in bullet-holes
Flowers fill bullet-holes on the
window of IV Deli, which was
one of the nine crime scenes,
where a series of drive-by
shootings left 7 people dead
in Santa Barbara, California on
May 26.
Twenty-two year old Elliot
WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, M AY 30, 201 4
Rodger killed six people
before taking his own life in a
rampage through a California
college town shortly after he
posted a threatening video
railing against women, police
said on Saturday.
News and photo: AFP
Pope Francis (2nd L) last week
conducted Mass beneath a
large mural at Manger Square,
outside the Church of Nativity
in the West Bank town of
Bethlehem. Pope Francis on
Sunday invited the Israeli and
Palestinian presidents to come
to the Vatican to pray for peace
a month after US-backed talks
aimed at ending the Middle
East conflict collapsed.
News and photo: Reuters
Say what? | News
3
For a
skin-blank
canvas
This summer, artists from 45
countries will compete with each
other on human canvases. The
competition will take place in
Pörtschach, Austria. The World
Bodypainting Festival, which
will take place from June 29 to
July 6, will celebrate the unique
art of painting directly on the
human body – with models as
the canvases. The competition
includes multiple categories,
such as sponge paint, airbrushing
and face painting, all featuring
different techniques and
materials. Often, the models are
fully nude, with their whole bodies
covered in paint whereas others
wear props such as headgears.
News and photo: BBC
Haiti lights
A long exposure shows
lightning in the sky with
reflection in the water on
the floor of a building under
construction during an
evening thunderstorm in
mid-May in the Haitian capital
Port-au-Prince.
News and photo: AFP
Chinese elderly commit
suicide to avoid coffin ban
Six elderly people in China
are said to have committed
suicide to ensure they died
before new regulations
banning coffin burials come
into force, a newspaper
reported on Wednesday.
China has a tradition dating
back thousands of years
of ancestor worship, which
usually requires families
to bury their relatives and
construct a tomb.
But in recent years local
governments across the
country have demolished
tombs as part of a national
campaign encouraging
cremation, in an attempt
to save on limited land
resources.
Government officials in
Anqing, a city in the eastern
province of Anhui, ordered
that all locals who die after
June 1 should be cremated,
the Beijing News daily
reported.
It said government
officials began forcibly to
confiscate coffins from locals
in May, which “had a huge
psychological impact” on
them. News and photo: AFP
WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, M AY 3 0, 2 0 1 4
4 Film | Cannes Film Festival
A Deshi cinephile at Cannes
Ahmed Muztaba Zamal, just back from this week’s 67th Cannes
Film Festival, brings us the details from the front row
T
he prestigious Cannes
Film Festival is held
annually in the south of
France, and previews
new films of all genres, including
documentaries, from around
the world. Founded in 1946,
the invitation-only festival is
held annually at the Palais des
Festivals et des Congrès.
I’m extremely lucky to have
had the opportunity to visit the
festival seven times. Attending
the Cannes festival has given
me experience and knowledge
that I try to apply to the Dhaka
International Film Festival, for
which I am responsible as festival
director.
Matir Moyna (Clay Pigeon),
directed by Tareque Masud and
Catherine Masud, which featured
at the Cannes Film Festival in
2002, rising up to the surface and
grabing everyone’s attention. We
hope our young film-makers will
strive to reach that level with the
support of our authorities; we
want to move forward with this
hope.
Anyway, the beauty of France
is, in itself, a motivation to make
it there.
At Cannes this year, 18 feature
length films competed for awards,
while many other films (including
short films) were screened “out of
competition.” But, interestingly,
We dream OF more films like Tareque and
Catherine Masud’s Matir Moyna (Clay Pigeon),
which was featured at Cannes in 2002, rising up to
the surface and grabing everyone’s attention
An international film
festival is a platform for artistic
development, bridging the
gap between cultures. Cannes,
alongside the Venice and Berlin
film festivals, has become one
of the most significant events
for film buffs around the world.
For filmmakers, producers,
distributors, actors/actresses and
film journalists – it is the place to
be.
On every trip, the beauty of
France amazes me; it is such a
wonderful place, peaceful and
relaxing.
Cannes has become a place
where I enjoy meeting people,
new people and old friends with
a similar outlook. But, much
to my dismay, unlike every
other country, Bangladesh has
no official representative. The
government of Bangladesh
should instruct the Bangladesh
Film Development Corporation
(BFDC) to represent the
Bangladeshi film industry at the
Cannes Film Festival. Failing
that, some privately owned
Bangladeshi organisation should
send someone.
We dream of more films like
Ahmed Muztaba Zamal is president
of the Rainbow Film Society, and the
founder and festival director of the Dhaka
International Film Festival. He also runs
Celluloid, a quarterly cine-magazine.
WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, M AY 30, 201 4
you can’t buy tickets for the films
being screened for competition
at Cannes. Tickets are available
on an invitation-only basis and
cannot be transferred. These
invitations are mostly reserved
for people of Western origin.
People from developing countries
are not prioritised on the
invitation list.
More than a thousand films
are submitted every year at
Cannes, and directors hope their
masterpiece wins the coveted
Palme d’Or prize.
But elsewhere at the festival,
movies are bought and sold,
and distribution deals made, in
the most mercenary fashion.
The Marché du Film (The
Film Market) is the business
counterpart of the Cannes Film
Festival and one of the largest
film markets in the world.
Established in 1959, it is held
annually in conjunction with the
main festival.
In addition to awards for
best director, actress, actor,
screenplay, and short film –
Cannes rewards the overall “best
picture” with the Palme d’Or, the
runner up with the Grand Prix,
and third place with the Jury
Prize. There is also an award for
the best debut film, the “Camera
d’Or.”
Every year the Cannes Film
Festival has a Master Class where
The author at the festival with
Iranian actress Simin MotamedArya and Bangladeshi filmmaker
Samia Zaman
Photo: Courtesy
renowned directors “share their
experiences and memories of
filmmaking, and debate with
an audience of film activists.”
This year’s Master Class featured
director Jacques Audiard.
The big picture
Winter Sleep, the new film from
Turkish filmmaker Nuri Bilge
Ceylan, a movie on few people’s
lips two weeks ago, won the top
prize. It beat a number of films
that had been praised highly by
critics since they premiered. It
was Ceylan’s first Palme d’Or.
Jury president Jane Campion,
the New Zealand filmmaker,
handed over the trophy to Ceylan,
who beat 17 other contenders
including David Cronenberg,
Jean-Luc Godard and the Oscarwinning director of “The Artist,”
Michel Hazanavicius.
It was Turkey’s first win since
1982, when Yol by Yilmaz Guney
shared the Palme d’Or with
Missing by Costa Gavras.
The film, at about three hours
and 15 minutes long, tells the
story of a former actor who runs
a small hotel in Anatolia, where
he lives with his young wife and
divorced sister. Ceylan’s films
have grown longer and deeper
over the years, but Winter Sleep is
particularly courageous.
In 2002, Ceylan’s “Distant”
won the Grand Prix, the secondmost important prize at Cannes.
In 2008, his Three Monkeys won
the best director award, and in
2011 Ceylan won the Grand Prix
again for One Upon a Time in
Anatolia. But the Palme d’Or
eluded him – until this year.
.
Winners of the 67th Cannes Film Festival
• Palme d’Or: Winter Sleep,
directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan
• Grand Prix (runner-up to
Palme d’Or): The Wonders,
directed by Alice Rohrwacher
• Jury Prize: Mommy, directed
by Xavier Dolan; Goodbye to
Language, directed by JeanLuc Godard
• Best Director: Bennett Miller
for Foxcatcher
• Best Actress: Julianne
Moore for Maps to the
Stars, directed by David
Cronenberg
• Best Actor: Timothy Spall for
Mr Turner, directed by Mike
Leigh
• Best Screenplay: Leviathan
by Andrei Zvyagintsev and
Oleg Negin
• The International Federation
of Film Critics (FIPRESCI)
Jury also presented three
prizes:
• Official Competition: Winter
Sleep, directed by Nuri Bilge
Ceylan,
• Un Certain Regard: Jauja,
directed by Lisandro Alonso
• Parallel Sections: Love at
First Fight (Les Combattants),
directed by Thomas Cailley
Desher bari koi? | culture
5
BNCC: Hometown stereotypes
A light-hearted survey of what people think of other districts in
Bangladesh Promiti Prova Chowdhury
A
re you a “BNCC?”
Denizens of these regions
are the butt of many jokes.
If you don’t know what
I’m referring to, go to Facebook
and feast your eyes on the page
devoted to “pochafy-ing” people
from Barisal, Noakhali, Comilla and
Chandpur (BNCC). Here you will
find helpful advice on dealing with
these “selfish, uncultured misers.”
Visitors are reminded to always
Chandpur, Satkhira, Kushtia
refuse marriage proposals from
anyone hailing from these regions.
This is meant in good fun of
course, but certain stereotypes do
seem to be pervasive. What have
BNCC folk done to earn this place
of (dis)honour? Is it what they
eat? Does it have to do with the
topography of these districts?
As with most stereotypes, it
is most likely just a self-fulfilling
prophecy.
.
North v south
“Oh boy, I would never marry a girl from
Chandpur, Satkhira, or Kushtia. Two of
my ex-girlfriends are from Chandpur and
Kushtia,” says an otherwise level-headed
acquaintance. “The Chandpuira one was
shrewd, and the Kushtia one was overemotional.” But it wasn’t just a broken
heart behind his prejudice. “I have an
aunt from Satkhira. She slapped her oneyear-old kid just because some maid had
angered her!”
Roksana, a student of
Jahangirnagar University, says
people from the northern parts
of the country are very “hostile
in nature,” which she attributes
to the droughts they suffer on
account of their dry climate.
On the other hand, she says:
“People from the southern
parts are generous as there
are a lot of rivers there and
paddy grows in plenty!”
Chittagong
Gopalganj
Tushar, a student at Dhaka University and
native “Gopali” says: “There is this widespread
notion that whenever Awami League is in
power, natives of Gopalganj try to impose their
will on others, as if they owned the world. To
avoid the hassle, I just say I’m from Faridpur!”
pabna
kushtia
Barisal
A close friend of mine
believes Chittagonians
spend too much on weddings
– information he gained from
regularly crashing them. He tells me
a wedding in Chittagong was actually
called off because the bride’s father,
a poor school teacher, wouldn’t
have been able to cater for the
700 people who’d been
invited by the groom’s
side.
“Barisaila people are
so miserly, I tell you!” says
Rajib, a student. “I had a friend
from there named Kishore who we
called “Kipta Kishore.” Whenever it
was his turn to pay for cigarettes, he
would give the shopkeeper a Tk500
note – knowing that the stall
owner would have no change.
We always end up paying
comilla
chandpur
gopalganj
barisal chittagong
noakhali
satkhira
instead!”
Pabna
As everyone knows
people from Pabna
are mad. That’s why
they built the famous
mental asylum there.
But say that to a
Pabna local and you’ll
get the reply: “We are
the ones who fix the
crazies!”
Double talk
We have a range of regional
dialects that can also be a source of
comedy, especially when speakers
of different dialects try to make
themselves understood to one
another.
Khamakha
The word “khamakha” in standard
Bangla translates as “for no reason,”
but in Chittagong it is used to mean
“for sure.” When my mother was
a newly married bride, and visited
her in-laws in Chittagong for the
first time, her new relatives invited
her to their places “khamakha,”
much to her befuddlement.
Puri
In the rest of the country, it is short
for dalpuri, but in Sylhet the word
“puri” means “girl.”
A friend of mine visited
Sylhet, and went to a roadside
teastall. Imagine the look on
the shopkeepers face when he
demanded: “Mama, I’d like 10
puris. How much?”
WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, M AY 3 0, 2 0 1 4
6 feature | Bengal Literary Conclave
Beyond Identity Narratives
Speaking in
Writers and cultural tastemakers from Bangladesh and
abroad come together to define a new world fiction for
South Asia James Saville
T
he weekend of May 16-17
saw the inaugural Bengal
Lights Literary Conclave
held at the University
of Liberal Arts Bangladesh’s
Dhanmondi campus. The event
consisted of panel discussions,
readings, and vigorous Q&A
sessions, all broadly related to this
year’s theme: “Beyond identity
narratives: Defining a New World
Fiction.”
The first panel, entitled “Native
informants: The Art of Sabotage,”
was dominated by a lively
discussion between the BritishIndian author Farruk Dhondy, and
chair of BRAC University’s English
department Firdous Azim.
The former challenged
the latter on the efficacy of
academic terms such as “Native
Informant” – a phrase used by
some cultural theorists to denote
a kind of pandering to orientalist
sensibilities that often occurs when
non-European authors write about
their own cultures for European
audiences. Farruk noted dryly: “As
far as I can tell, the phrase is one
of those things that keeps a lot of
literature professors in PhDs, but
that has absolutely no meaning.”
Later on the Saturday afternoon,
we were treated to the second
panel, “Muslims in Fiction: New
Prototypes.” Fakrul Alam began
by asserting that “Islamophobia is
the new racism … suddenly people
are aware that they are Muslim.”
To this, the speakers attributed the
sudden feeling that authors from
Muslim countries were obliged to
give a defence of Islam.
Moderator Khademul Islam
argued publishers of South-Asian
fiction are increasing using book
titles such as “The Reluctant
Fundamentalist” or the “The Good
Muslim” to create a sense of “us”
and “them” – Muslims versus the
west.
Cypriot writer and professor of
English at Greenwich University,
Alev Adil, talked of Islam
increasingly being seen as a religion
of excluded outsiders in the UK,
suggesting that a book exploring
the conception of Islam as a
subversive punk-like movement is
long overdue.
On the second day, the
proceedings kicked off with the
next panel: “New Lines New
Letters.” This exciting panel gave
the audience an insight into the
booming cross-pollination of
national literatures currently
occurring.
Panelists observed how the old
paradigms of “World Literature”
are breaking down, with many
internationally acclaimed
authors, from disparate corners
of the globe, appearing to neither
conform to the literary culture
they were born into, nor the one
their “foreign” audience hails
from. The cultural identity of such
authors is indeterminate, and thus
interesting.
After lunch, the next discussion:
“Post-Post-Colonials Breaking
Bad” awaited us. This dealt with
the welcome demise of exoticism
in South Asian literature. Whereas
before many characters from
post-colonial societies had often
been little more paper-thin cultural
stereotypes, authors now felt the
confidence to have more developed
characters that deal with more
interesting, and more universal,
problems.
The final panel, “Neither
reportage, nor fantasy: The
speculative sphere of fiction,”
promised to be a break from
colonial considerations. The
panellists discussed the move
towards ever-more fantastical
fiction, and explored the increasing
popularity of the kind of magic
realism that seamlessly balances
reportage with fantasy.
The knowledgeable Guardian
Review critic, Maya Jaggi,
reminded everyone of Ezra Pound’s
dictum that: “Literature is news
that doesn’t stay news.”
Another panel member, Syed
Manzoorul Islam, in fact confessed
to stealing from newspaper reports
to find inspiration for his stories,
but stressed the importance of
using one’s own experiences to
lend colour to his tales: “Making
use of memory, the feeling of a
place and its history … that is what
good reportage is all about.”
.
tongues with
Chandrahas
Choudhury
Rumana Habib
I
n an interview with WT,
panellist Chandrahas
Choudhury, the Mumbai-based
columnist and author of Arzee
the Dwarf, compares the burden
of writers in West Bengal and
Bangladesh, translates the South
Asia world into English, and reveals
his complicated relationship to his
Oriya heritage.
You mentioned earlier today that
your mother speaks Bangla.
Yeah Odisha is not very far, only 20
minutes by plane. An Oriya person
can understand Bangla. My mother
has just taken it a bit farther. Earlier
a girl gave me a book of her poetry,
and she was crestfallen when I said
I couldn’t read Bangla, so I said my
mother would read it aloud to me,
and I can understand it.
(Laughs). No South Asian male
writer can avoid mentioning his
mother at some point, very early on
in an interview.
So we’ve gotten that out of the way!
You also said something earlier
about not being able to get away
from Bangali writers.
English is full of Bangali writers.
It’s very freeing not to be Bangali
in Indian literature. You don’t
have to deal with the history of
[Satyajit] Ray and Tagore and all
the “bhadralok” stuff. West Bengal
has a sense they brought India
independence, social reform,
bureaucracy, freedom, and Subhash
Chandra Bose. Therefore other
Indians should say thank you
before talking about anything else.
In Bangladesh, writers are more
open. That’s my experience.
Why do you think that is?
Maybe they don’t feel the weight
of history so much. Bangladesh is a
newer country.
There was a lot of discussion about
translations in your last talk,
how they lack the essence of the
original.
I always shudder when, in an
Indian novel someone is eating a
puri, and it says someone is eating
WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, M AY 30, 201 4
7
Literature
of my cousins
Rumana Habib
environment, this environment of
multiplicity, would welcome her.
Quite a lot of young women were
coming up to me. It’s just really
nice when younger people look up
to you.
I recently won an award as a
Turkish community role model in
London, which I couldn’t get my
head around because the idea of
a role model can be problematic
because I think we make our own
individual paths. But on the other
hand, I did recognise that one of
the motivations for why I write is to
engage in conversation.
Photos: M R Rana
a “fried fritter of bread.” Better to
leave some things be. It’s the work
of a reader to discover what a puri
is, contextually or otherwise.
In [his novel] Arzee, someone
started out saying: “Don’t think
it’s all milk & honey for me.” I felt
I could take the liberty of turning
that into “milk and cream” because
malai is a very South Asian thing,
and English readers would still hear
the echo of “milk and honey” at the
back of it. So you can do things like
that to translate the reality of your
world.
You write in only English?
Yes. I wouldn’t be a very good a
writer in Hindi. I use it less and
have less of a vocabulary. Also,
it’s very interesting to write about
Indian democracy in English
because a lot of these concepts did
not exist in other Indian languages,
ie you’re not falsifying that world.
It’s more genuine in some ways. It
changed from what it meant in the
west; it has Indian manifestations
now.
Although, many people would
love me to write in Oriya. I feel this
pressure, since I’m supposedly a
person from Odisha, or whatever.
I’m sure people are reading you in
Odisha, and proud of the fact that
you’re a native son.
Native. (Pauses). I don’t want to
be claimed by Odisha. I have a
complicated relationship with
Odisha, I must say. My mother’s
family disowned her when she
married because my father’s family
was of a lower caste. I grew up in
Tell me about this new literary
journal, Critical Muslim
It wants to be a Granta of the
Islamic world, because we do have
so many challenges and issues to
deal with. It’s trying to create a
space for diversity in the discussion
of Islam, in a political, cultural
and literary context, and put the
issues on the table. It’s a beautifully
produced journal, and not in any
way proselytising.
a city outside of Odisha, exiled by
family. So I don’t see why people
should say I am not Oriya enough.
Oriyas are so invested in being
Oriya that they cannot see another
version of Oriya-ness. There’s
no reason for me to accept the
argument on their terms. I would
rather hold out.
That’s a very interesting lens
of South Asian identity to look
through.
It’s a very important time to talk
about identity, especially in new
literary cultures. It would be useful
for young people to think through
concepts in a light-footed way.
Which concepts?
Like: “What is a Bangla book?” An
English novel about Bangladesh
could be more Bangali than a fake
novel in Bangla. I imagine the idea
of “who is Bangladeshi” and “what
is Bangladeshi” is a big debate in
Bangla literature.
And there may be very
conservative ideas coming out on
the Bangla side, and much more
liberal ideas about that citizenship
and identity coming out on the
English side. So what is supposedly
authentic is also dragging you back
to some mythical past.
Like what you said earlier about West
Bengal and the weight of history?
Yes. West Bengal is moderated by
the fact that there are so many
other realities to speak to. Whereas
here maybe Bangladeshi literature
could say: “This is the real world:
Bengal as it is.”
.
P
anellist Alev Adil is a
UK-based lecturer at
University of Greenwich
of Turkish Cypriot origin.
She is the author of Venus Infers,
founder of online exhibition space
MemoryMap, and contributing
editor of the Critical Muslim.
You've been really engaging with the
students between sessions.
Yes! We’re going to be Facebook
friends. I would have liked more
opportunity to spend time with
young people.
For instance during the
discussion about Islam, a young
lady in full niqab stood up during
the Q&A and spoke about cinema.
I’d asked her to write me a list
of Bangla films I should watch,
because it’s a joy for me to learn
from young people.
She'd had her hand up for a while,
and you made sure she got the mike
to speak. Was that because she was
in niqab?
Yes, I’ll be honest it was. I wanted
her to feel that she could speak out
in this environment. That a secular
How did you get involved?
Aamer Hussein invited me to be a
contributing editor, and I wasn't
sure at first, because my spiritual
views are very private to me.
But he said he saw a strong strain
of Sufism at work in my writing.
It’s interesting when other people
talk to you about your writing. You
see yourself in a different mirror,
and I found that creatively quite
interesting to explore.
There are probably many people
who could relate to that, having a
complicated relationship with their
Muslim identity.
To be a Turkish Cypriot… See
Cyprus was colonised by the British
and the majority of the population
is Greek Cypriot. Only 20% are
Muslim. After independence came
there were ethnic clashes, which
led to war and eventually in 1974
this led to the partition of Cyprus.
It has a lot of parallels with the
Indian subcontinent, so I’ve always
had a close affinity to the literature
of the Indian subcontinent. And
these questions of “Should we
write in English?” all these issues
resonate.
I've always felt that South Asia
literature is a literature of my
cousins.
.
WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, M AY 3 0, 2 0 1 4
8 perspective | Endangered Languages
Disappearing mother tongues
Indigenous languages are being allowed
to die out Muktasree Chakma Sathi
A
ll these stories and
findings have some
common features. It is
about the indigenous
communities’ distinct cultures,
which they are supposed to be
proud of. And It is about their
language and scripts, which are
on the path to extinction.
At least 18 indigenous
language are
endangered, despite the
fact that Bangladesh
has an International
Mother Language
Institute (IMLI) to
protect languages from
extinction
According to Bangladesh
Bureau of Statistics data from
2011, the country has 27 “small
anthropological groups” (aka
distinct indigenous groups)
consisting of 17,84,000 people in
total.
Indigenous leaders, however,
claim that there are 5 million
people belong to more than 48
such communities across the
country.
Within Bangladesh, there
are at least 18 languages that
are endangered. Shockingly, all
of these languages belong to
indigenous communities. This is
despite the fact that Bangladesh
has an International Mother
Language Institute (IMLI), which
is supposed to protect endangered
languages from extinction.
The IMLI is supposed to
complete an “Ethnolinguistic
survey” by July 2014. So far,
barely 20% of the work on the
Tk3.89 crore one-year project has
been completed.
Despite the availability of
funds, sources from IMLI say,
their officials have been negligent
in ensuring the project stays on
schedule. The institution has
not contacted any indigenous
community leaders, nor local
professors or researchers on
Muktasree Chakma Sathi is a
journalist and activist concerned with
minority rights.
Follow her on Twitter: @SathiChakma
WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, M AY 30, 201 4
indigenous languages.
When probed about this, Jinnat
Imtiaz Ali, director general of
IMLI, told the media they could
not start the survey because they
needed technical assistance and
researchers from abroad that
could not yet be brought in.
If duly implemented, the
survey could be the saviour
for many of the endangered
indigenous languages, as it would
catalogue all the local indigenous
languages and document the
written scripts.
It would also provide the data
needed to rescue another failed
project for indigenous childern.
The primary and mass
education ministry was to publish
textbooks in six languages:
Chakma, Marma, Santali, Tripura
(Kok-borok), Garo (Achik) and
Sadri. The aim was to ensure that
the indigenous children begin
their initial education in their
mother tongue, so they would
not find it difficult to follow
lessons, and eventually drop-out.
However, the ministry has missed
the deadline, which was set for
January 2014.
People get understandably
frustrated when the failure of
preservation initiatives allows
the extinction of their language.
But people become truly
enraged when, despite having a
reasonable budget, initiatives fail
simply because the institutions
running them do not seem to
care.
.
UNESCO classifies a language
as “endangered” when parents
are no longer teaching it to their
children and it is not being used
in daily life.
Case 1
One day, twelve-year-old
Roopmoni Hajong, from Sylhet,
asked her parents what the
Hajong alphabet looked like.
She had just heard that the
Hajong language had its own
unique characters. Despite
being of Hajong origin herself,
she had been completely
unaware of this.
Her parents did not know
either. They had also heard that
they “had” their own font, but it
was presumably now lost.
Case 2
a Six-year-old Joytu told his
mother that he didn’t want
Photo: Courtesy
Only 67% of indigenous children are being enrolled
in school, while the overall school enrolment rate
for the country is 97-99%
Feeling invisible
to go to school anymore.
Joytu is a student of class
II in a remote village called
Khedarmara in Rangamati.
Sheuly Bala, his mother, asked
why. He answered that he
doesn’t understand most of the
things his teachers say in the
classroom due to the language
barrier. Sheuly laughed out
loud and told him he would
eventually understand.
“But I can’t even make the
teacher understand when I want
to go to bathroom,” he replied.
“What about that?”
According to a survey
conducted by UNDP, only 67%
of indigenous children are being
enrolled in school, while the
overall school enrolment rate
for the country is 97-99%. The
discomfort these children due
to language barriers may be a
contributing factor.
Case 3
“Forget about people who are
racist. I don’t think even the
education system provided by
my government has ever taken
care of me and my culture,”
Samir, an indigenous youth,
recently posted on Facebook.
He said in his 28 years of life,
he had never felt he belonged
to this country. “Throughout
my student life, I have never
come across authentic pictures
or information regarding my
community’s culture, cuisine
or language. I don’t even know
what my native language’s
script looks like.” According
to a study by the Manusher
Janya Foundation published
in September 2012, 70% of
teachers in the Chittagong Hill
Tracts say national textbooks
do not reflect the way of life of
indigenous peoples.
IN BANDARBAN
The faces of
| Photo story
9
G’son Biswas studied photography
at the Alliance Francaise, and is
currently pursuing a BA Honours in
English at Jahangirnagar University.
Boga Lake
G’son Biswas
L
ast summer, as I was
trekking in Bandarban,
I was struck by the
beautiful faces of
the people I met: Young and
innocent, old and bold.
I found them busy weaving,
filling the fabric with their
trademark patterns. The smoke
of the local bidis wafted around
their heads in the stillness of
the afternoon. The local kids are
used to tourists with cameras.
They were happy to jump into
spontaneous poses. After every
click they rushed over to see
how the picture had come out,
their little faces breaking into an
easy smile. There are 15 ethnic
groups in Bandarban: Bomong,
Marma, Mru, Tanchangya,
Khyang, Tripura, Lushei, Khumi,
Chak, Kuki, Chakma, Rakhaine,
Riyang, Usui and Pankho. Despite
the differences in lifestyles,
attributes and ethnicities, one
thing in common is their eyes
that are filled with brightness
and vibrancy. The photos were
taken on my way from Bandarban
town to Dragon Lake, commonly
known as Boga Lake.
.
Turn Page for
photographs
WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, M AY 3 0, 2 0 1 4
10 PHoto story | IN BANDARBAN
WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, M AY 30, 201 4
11
WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, M AY 3 0, 2 0 1 4
12 LISTOLOGY | BANGLA EXPRESSIONS
Very Bangla
I
n addition to practical matters,
language is designed to convey
thoughts and feelings. Part of
its magic is that it evolves to
suit its time and place, reflecting
the nature of the society in which it
exists.
The Eskimos have 40 words
for snow. We have a thousand
words for rice. We can learn much
about a culture by studying it’s
untranslatable words and certain
concepts that are unique to their
region. Even the closest translations
cannot express the core emotion or
sentiment that is associated with
them.
Tiring-biring
A fidgety restlessness, often
endearing. A person who hops
around, unable to concentrate on a
single thing or sit quietly.
Potibrota
A wife who loves her husband
unconditionally, and has
Language is all about
communication. It reveals more
than we realise Farhana Urmee
dedicated her life to serving him
with the utmost care, sincerity
and affection. “My husband is my
god.”
Shoteen
It is the relationship between
the multiple wives of the same
man, know as sister-wives in the
polygamous Morman community
in the US. Polygamy is permitted
in Islam, though is not as common
here as it once was.
Ponchayet
A council of leaders in a village,
often compo sed of elders, that
solves social and legal disputes
through discussion, thus avoiding
going to court. Villagers are obliged
to follow a ponchayet verdict.
Here are some words which are
quintessentially Bangla, but hard to
express in English.
Obhimaan
The offended state of mind when
one’s unspoken needs are not
understood by a loved one. “Does
everything need to be uttered?”
Nyakamo
Playing dumb to seek attention,
It’s a combination of coyness and
illness, with a tinge of drama and an
undercurrent of manipulation.
Adda
Intense chats, ranging from idle
gossip to heated debates. They
can last for hours and are essential
to building lifelong relationships.
Subjects include politics,
relationships and food. The adda
is a common scene in the living
rooms and tea shops of big cities,
small towns and villages across the
nation.
Apni
An honourific form of “you.”
Bangalis address someone as “apni”
when they are senior in age or
hierarchy. English has dispensed
with such formalities. It is also used
with strangers or in a formal setting
to show respect.
Dhuludhulu
The slow-motion batting of eyelids,
often used by females to captivate
their lovers. Hopefully they look
seductive instead of sleepy.
Totostho
Panicked preparation for a disaster
that someone has anticipate or is
anticipating “I am Bangali and I
cannot keep calm.”
WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, M AY 30, 201 4
I AM
BANGALI
I DON’T
KEEP
CALM
.
Lively Learning | Education
13
Nalanda: The school of joy
A kinder, gentler way to learn Farhana Urmee
I
magine a school without
taskmasters and full of play; a
school that has boundaries, but
where the children's spirits run
free. It is run under the auspices
of Chhayanaut Sangeet Bidyaton,
a well-known music and dance
school in the heart of Dhanmondi,
and offers classes from plagroup to
Class X.
Unlike most schools in
Bangladesh, where teachers are
generally revered and addressed
as “sir” or “madam,” at Nalanda,
students call their teachers
"Bhaiya" and "Apumoni" (terms for
older siblings) creating a relaxed,
familial environment.
Nalanda does not
want their students
to treat education as a
commodity
Nalanda does not believe in
conventional teaching methods,
like evaluating students only
on the basis of their results. “A
student should be assessed on
their overall performance as a
student: participation in class,
peer activities, involvement in
extracurricular activities. All these
should be taken into account,” says
Belal.
The teaching staff do not try
to teach the students by force,
rather they ingrain openness and
acceptance of the new. The school
aims to make education fun for
students, not something that is
imposed.
Although Nalanda does not
follow the conventional system of
holding internal exams throughout
the year, its students do well in
public examinations like the PSC,
JSC and SSC. There are no fails on
record.
These results show how the
school's environment is critical in
nurturing a desire to learn among
the children – a prerequisite for
achieving great things.
The grades given out to
Nalanda's students are A-, A
and A+. Students are taught
throroughly in school, so they do
not require any extra tuition after
class. And anyhow, Nalanda does
not want their students to treat
education as a commodity.
Children are encouraged to not
only memorise scientific facts and
formulas, but to grasp the logic
behind the science. In geography,
they are not taught only maps, but
the development of peoples' lives
in certain areas.
In history classes, they are
not simply furnished with dull
numbers and dates, but are asked
to conduct plays about the lives of
people from bygone ages. This is
how they learn to relate to others,
empathising with the lives of
people mentioned in the books.
It is one of the very few schools
in Dhaka that issues the same
uniform for both girls and boys;
they wear cotton shirts and pants.
This does away with any sense of
gender discrimination: "It helps
them burst the bubble of gender
stereotypes as they socialise
at school," says Belal Siddique,
coordinator of Nalanda.
There is no hard and fast rule
followed in the training provided
to Nalanda's educational activists.
The learning system is entirely
developed by Principal Sanjida
Khatun, in consultation with
other staff. The teaching staff
must undergo an interview, and
familiarisation with the school’s
unique teaching system. This
process includes attending
trainings conducted by the
principal herself.
The staff believe that maturing
into a great teacher is a lifetime's
journey. They like to call
themselves "educational activists"
who direct the students' academic
endeavours – present in the
classroom not as an instructors, but
as guides.
“If a teacher comes to school
a bit less prepared than usual,
students can tell the difference,
and they will tell the teacher that
they did not enjoy the class. So it is
The teachers, or
‘educational activists,’
try to teach students by
ingraining openness and
acceptance of the new
a constant challenge for Nalanda’s
teaching staff to do better in every
class, every day," says Belal.
As Nalanda tries to admit
students from all walks of life, it
has a quota for children of families
from certain income brackets.
Nalanda started its journey
in 2003 with 16 students. Before
moving to permanent premises
in Dhanmondi, Nalonda was run
at different venues, mostly other
schools in the city. The name
of the school is inspired by the
ancient Nalanda University, built
in the fifth century at Pataliputra
in India – the historic capital of the
Magadha Kingdom.
Nalanda has since introduced its
curriculum to other institutions,
to spread their teaching style
throughout the country.
Photos: Courtesy
.
WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, M AY 3 0, 2 0 1 4
14 Legalese | With Jennifer Ashraf Kashmi
Q
Citizenship A
Jennifer Ashraf Kashmi is a barrister
and solicitor of England and Wales.
She is currently Senior Partner at
Legacy Legal Corporate.
conundrum
Cartoon: Rio Shuvo
WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, M AY 30, 201 4
I am a UK citizen who was born in
Bangladesh but left in the 70s. I
would now like to get a Bangladesh
passport. The problem is I have
no birth certificate, or indeed any
personal documents from this
era that can prove I was born in
Bangladesh. I have no surviving
relatives in Bangladesh either. What
should I do?
Dear Reader:
My mind is boggled by the fact that
you, despite being a UK citizen,
are now choosing to obtain a
Bangladeshi passport. Usually it
is always the other way around –
Bangladeshi or other countries’
citizens are the ones clamoring
for UK citizenship or the much
coveted Green Card. I am also
curious about why you would
need it, or whether you are a proud
Bangladeshi and wish to return
back to your homeland. Regardless
of the reasons, your desire to obtain
a Bangladeshi passport is definitely
inspiring and I hope that I can help
you out today.
My first question – what
documents do you currently
possess to prove your ancestry?
You mentioned that you have no
birth certificate or any personal
documents from this era which
would help prove that you were
born in Bangladesh, but this can
be resolved with other supporting
documents. As a UK citizen, you
must possess a British passport,
correct? Your passport should also
have your personal details i.e.
your date and place of birth, your
mother’s name, father’s name
and so forth. This should help
immensely and serve as a personal
document when you apply for your
Bangladeshi passport.
In Bangladesh, at the moment,
the Citizenship Act 1951 will apply
in this instance. You mentioned
that you were born in Bangladesh.
One of the provisions states that “Every person born in Bangladesh
after the commencement of this
Act shall be a citizen of Bangladesh
by birth: Provided that a person
shall not be such a citizen by virtue
of this section if at the time of
his birth- (a) his father possesses
such immunity from suit and legal
process as is accorded to an envoy
of an external sovereign power
accredited in Bangladesh and is not
a citizen of Bangladesh; or (b) his
father is an enemy alien and the
birth occurs in a place then under
occupation by the enemy.” I am
taking a wild guess that neither
of these conditions would have
been applicable to your father and
therefore you would qualify for
“citizenship by birth.” You also
didn’t mention anything about
your parents. You left Bangladesh
in the 70s, so I am presuming that
your parents were Bangladeshi
citizens as well during that time.
The Citizenship Act also states
that – “a person born after the
commencement of this Act, shall
be a citizen of Bangladesh by
descent if his [father or mother]
is a citizen of Bangladesh at the
time of his birth: Provided that
if the [father or mother] of such
person is a citizen of Bangladesh
by descent only … ” This provision
therefore also entitles you to
“citizenship by descent” if any one
of your parents was a Bangladesh
citizen when you were born. For
this purpose it would be helpful to
obtain your parents’ documents
and your current passport can also
be used to establish and prove your
relationship with your parents.
The Citizenship Act also
contains a provision which could
prove to be quite favorable to
you. This provision is applicable
in instances where there is doubt
as to citizenship and it states
that – “Where a person with
respect to whose citizenship
a doubt exists, whether on a
question of law or fact, makes
application in that behalf to the
Government, the Government
may grant him a certificate that
at the date of the certificate he
is a citizen of Bangladesh … The
certificate, unless it is proved to
have been obtained by fraud, false
representation or concealment
of any material fact, shall be
conclusive evidence of the fact
recorded in it.” This is massively
helpful as it is supportive to the
applicant and enables the grant
of citizenship to avoid being an
onerous process.
In conclusion, I see no reason
why you cannot finally obtain
your Bangladeshi passport if you
truly want it. It may take time and
a whole lot of paperwork, but you
know what they say: “Nothing
worth having is ever easy to come
by.” Also, I do advise you to apply
through a specialist or a lawyer,
in order to avoid any confusion
or accompanying pitfalls. Best of
luck!
.
Got a
problem?
Write to Jennifer
at weekend@
dhakatribune.com
transgender beauty | society
15
Third gender:
the many faces of beauty
Jhinuk and Nodi, two transgender people who have forged their path to
self reliance, and became role-models in their community Adil Sakhawat
Jhinuk: Beauty role model
E
ight years ago, like many
other transgender people
in Bangladesh, Jhinuk used
to beg or engage in sex
work for a living. But her fortunes
changed when she snapped up
an opportunity to get trained in
beauty parlour courses, arranged
by the NGO Susthho Jibon (which
translates to “Healthy Life”).
Today, 45-year-old Jhinuk has 50
students, who are in turn receiving
training from her on how to run
a beauty parlour business. She
operates Banoful Beauty Parlor
in capital's Gandaria, which she
established in 2005.
Upon arriving at Jhinuk's parlour,
I found a vibrant atmosphere.
Jhinuk was busy attending
customers, and there was a line of
people waiting to be served by her,
despite a number of other available
staff.
Sonia, a bride who came from the
Shonir Akhra area of Narayanganj,
said: “Jhinuk Apa is an expert in
adorning girls according to their
expectations. My elder sister also
came to her to get her wedding
makeup done.”
While attending to the rush of
customers, Jhinuk shared: “I have
30-50 customers everyday. Usually
the weekends and weekdays
afternoons are rush hours. But I try
to make all of my customers happy.
They are women of all different ages
and classes. They do not hesitate to
come to a transgender person for
their beautification.”
“After 5pm I am usually busy
with my students. The classes
continue up to 8pm. After that I am
free,” she said.
Jhinuk charges Tk30-200
for different services including
manicure, pedicure, makeup, hair
colouring, haircutting, fair polish,
bleach, and facials done with
gold, neem, chandan, fruits and
cucumbers. Special bridal packages
are also available at her parlour.
She offers fellow transgender
customers a discount. She also
sometimes gives them a discount
on the beauty courses, for which
she usually charges Tk10,000 per
student and Tk500-1000 for certain
courses.
Jhinuk said: “I want all
transgender people of this country
to join honourable professions like
the parlour business. That is why I
charge them less. Sometimes I do
not take any money at all, if they
can convince me that they really
want to do something good.”
Jhinuk is content with her
parlour business which has a
monthly income of Tk25,00035,000. She has left the dark
chapter of her life some 10 years
ago. “People used to mock me by
calling me a hijra. Sometimes I
could earn well, but there were days
when I could not even earn a penny.
Now people in this area respect me
because a number of women who
are operating parlour businesses
in this area also happen to be my
students.”
Next month, 17 transgender
people from New Delhi are
scheduled to arrive to take training
from her.
Zafar Ali, a local man, said: “We
are proud of Jhinuk because she
helps many women in this area to
earn a living by doing a respectable
job. She also stands beside poor
people in the time of their need.”
.
Nodi: Dhong and honour
N
odi started operating her
fashion house Dhong in
the capital's Khilgaon
area in 2004, with an
initial investment of just Tk50,000.
Today Dhong is a renowned
fashion house that designs attire
for popular brands like Jatra and
Noborupa.
Business starts at 9am sharp
everyday, and remains open until
9pm.
For Pahela Baisakh this year, she
designed 500 pieces of panjabis
and saris ordered by customers.
Nodi has 15 people working
under her who also receive her
training. She has an additional 30
transgender students who come to
her for training in design.
“I am very busy the whole day.
So I have told my transgender
students to come whenever they
have free time, and I manage to
give them some time while also
handling my customers.”
Nodi currently earns Tk50,00060,000 a month from designing
clothes and offering training
classes, which are taken by women
of a range of socioeconomic
classes. Shahina Akhter, a teacher,
said: “Nodi apa has unique design
ideas. I come to her for training
and to design my own dresses.”
All of Nodi's “chalas” (disciples
in the transgender community)
now hold paid jobs at various
organisations, rather than
collecting alms from markets as
many others do.
One of them, Songita, said
of Nodi: “Guru Ma trained us
in a different way, and showed
us to live with honour. It is true
that we do not disclose our
identity as transgender people
at our workplace but we are
transgenders.”
Nodi plans to set up another
show room in Dhaka next year to
make her business more profitable
and raise its prominence.
“No one should treat
transgender people as a burden.
We have the ability to work, to run
businesses, to work in honourable
profession, if we could be
educated like mainstream people,”
says Nodi.
.
Jhinuk busy attending a client at her parlour
Photo: Sebastian Chatelier
WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, M AY 3 0, 2 0 1 4
16 TOUGH LOVE | DINA SOBHAN
Ex schemes and
Dhaka dreams
Got
a problem?
Write to Dina
at weekend@
dhakatribune.
com
Q
A
An ex-boyfriend of mine recently
invited my parents to his
wedding, which will take place in
a few months. The news came as
a shock. He’d mentioned that he’d
met his now-future bride over the
internet, and they’d been dating
for just a few months. What’s
more, I think it was mean of him
to invite my parents, even though
he is on good terms with them. I
would never do that to someone.
I have a gut feeling he may have
invited them just to make me
jealous. What do you think?
I think it’s irrelevant what his
intentions were, especially since
he’s the guy you (hopefully)
dumped for being the kind of
pathetic loser who marries a girl
he’s only known for a few months
over the internet.
If he’s trying to make you
jealous, you need to demonstrate
how insanely unjealous you are
by not even acknowledging the
invitation. I do think it would be
a bit odd if your parents were to
attend, unless they were already
good friends with his parents
prior to you two dating. However,
if they did attend the wedding, it
would show him and the world
how above it you are and how
trivial his marriage is to you.
Of course, better yet would
be for you to accompany your
parents to the wedding, dressed
to the nines – making his bride
look like an overdressed trollop
by comparison – and congratulate
him warmly and sincerely on
his rapid wedding (the meaning
fully implied), then proceed to be
the most radiant and charming
woman in the room.
That would be not only turning
the tables on your petty ex, but
beating him at his own silly game.
Dina Sobhan is a freelance
writer, and cautions readers
not to take her ‘advice’
here too seriously!
WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, M AY 30, 201 4
Q
I grew up in Dhaka,
but my husband
is from Kushtia,
and we’ve been
living here with
his family for the
past three years.
He has three brothers (two
older, one younger), but he’s
the responsible one, and earns
the most money. My in-laws are
A
Well, let me start by
commending you
on your ability to
survive in Kushtia for
three years. I think
you can safely tell
your husband that you have done
your penance and played the role
of dutiful wife to completion,
and must now go and suffer like
everyone else in the city.
Who would prefer the quiet
and peaceful existence in Kushtia
to the crowded, polluted and
dirty metropolis that is home?
I think everyone deserves a
good meal or mela, as the case
may be, and you have earned
Cartoon : Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy
decent people, but I hate this
small town! I miss the hustle and
bustle of the city: the shopping,
the concerts, the melas … I feel
like crying every time we leave
after a visit. How can I convince
my husband to move back? I’m
willing to get a job to help cover
costs, if only he could get over
his guilt at not being there for his
(perfectly healthy) parents.
your right to shop for formalincoated fruits and veggies at the
Gulshan-1 market ‘til you’re
blue in the face. Apply for a job
at Grameen phone, much like
every other citizen in town, and
what little money you save after
all the kamizes are bought from
Rina Latif and meals eaten at
the Westin can be sent back to
support the family.
And if you find yourself
without funds and a nice place to
live by the end of the year, well,
there’s always good ol’ Kushtia
and your family waiting to
welcome you back home.
.
Fighting the right Fights| Standpoint
17
Flaws of Feminism
The fight for equality is a just one – but we must accept the differences
between men and women Shah Nahian
E
ven in the 21st century,
there are many women
in our country who are
denied basic human
rights. They are denied the right
to a proper education; they are
not allowed to work, and mostly,
their voice is not heard in our
patriarchal society.
Women, in many cases, are
prisoners in their own homes.
If we are to move forward to a
brighter future, women along
with men, must stand up against
these atrocities. Under the eyes of
the law, it is essential for men and
women to have equal political,
social and economic rights.
That being said, one also has
to take into account that men
and women are not exactly the
same. Feminists constantly
ignore the fundamental
fact: men and women are
different psychologically,
temperamentally, socially and
physically. The pronounced
differences between males and
females can be observed from
the early stages of their infacy.
This is why I believe a few of the
core ideologies of feminism are
flawed. I think because of the
nature of the cause, people often
do not like to question feminism,
but if we are to take a more
realistic approach to the equality
of the sexes, we also need to
take into account the reality of a
developing country such as ours.
Most women dream of having
kids and raising them from a very
early age. Feminism can easily
Photo: Bigstock
be mistaken for an ideology
designed to make women feel
that it is wrong for them to want
to be the primary caregivers to
their own children.
Complaints about inequality in
the roles of parents are nothing
more than misconceptions.
The man’s position as the
breadwinner is not more
important than the woman’s
position in the home, as a wife,
mother and homemaker. Both
are essential building blocks of
society – equally important but
different in function.
Feminism has also built an
appearance, rightly or wrongly,
as an aggressive, hate-fuelled
movement with the intolerance
of differing opinions, including
those of other women.
Gloria Rachel Allred, an
American civil rights lawyer
who has been a feminist for
over 30 years, boldly states in
an interview: “If you’re not a
feminist, you’re a bigot. There’s
nothing in between.” This
statement assumes that women
with different opinions are
oppressed by a male dominated
society. However, that is not
always true. Countless women,
including many I know, enjoy
chivalry from men such as
picking them up/dropping them
off cars, paying close attention to
their wants/needs, and keeping
them “safe from harm.” These
women are far from oppressed.
Travelling around Dhaka city
is a dreadful mess if you are
stuck using the public transport
system. Usually, inside the
already over-crammed buses,
seats are reserved for women in
the front of the bus while men
(figuratively) fight each other for
the remaining seats. To treat both
sexes equally in this particular
situation means seats will no
longer be reserved for women
in the front row - resulting in
women competing for seats
with men. There is a 40-50%
difference in upper body strength
Dr Elly Tams
“One of the things I have found
hardest to accept about feminism
is just how incoherent it is, and
how it often uses dodgy data and
– well, actual lies – to promote
and justify its statements. I
studied gender at a PhD level
and beyond, and so have based a
lot of my own work on feminist
theory and feminist-influenced
research. Was it all wrong? The
answer is yes and no. But I do
not claim everything written by
feminists to be useless. Feminist
theorists and writers whose work
I have not abandoned altogether
include Camille Paglia, Judith
Butler and Gayle Rubin. But I
think they all still focus too much
on women, and women’s issues,
which weakens their arguments.
I need another article, or maybe a
second PhD to demonstrate how
feminists are inconsistent in their
views, and how research they
between men and women and a
20-30% difference in lower body
strength, according to a report by
amStatz.com, an online reference
for personal trainers. Now, if
men are allowed to compete for
a seat with women, that is hardly
a fair fight. The reasoning for
misguided ideologies in feminism
is often influenced by dodgy
statistics and data. Feminists tend
to propagate their misinformation
and faulty reasoning, frequently
stating the accusation as the
evidence. Ex-feminist Dr Elly
Tams, a freelance researcher
and writer, explains one of her
reasons for leaving feminism
behind was the inconsistency
of many feminists. Some often
tend to focus only on women and
women’s issues and thus betray
the fundamental point of gender
equality.
So, do I truly believe women
deserve equal rights? Absolutely!
However, I also believe that
the policies demanded for
empowering women need to be
practical and based on proper
statistics and data. If we base our
policies for an ideal world on data
that is inconsistent or incorrect, it
is bound to create more problems
than it actually solves.
.
use is often very poor. But here
is a recent example: The Fawcett
Society provides us with another
example of inconsistent feminist
data. They currently have a
campaign about the way women
are hit harder economically by
the recession than men. I find the
figures they use to be particularly
insulting to all of our intelligence,
because they ignore the ‘fact’ that
we all know from our own lives,
that in the vast majority of cases,
men and women live together,
are in families whether nuclear
or extended, and support each
other.
Another fact ignored by
feminists is how fathers who do
not live with their children and
who often don’t even have much
access to their children, tend to
pay the mothers of their children
considerable amounts of money
in child support.”
WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, M AY 3 0, 2 0 1 4
18 Stay in
Sudoku
Use the numbers 1-9 to complete
each of the 3x3 square grids such that
each horizontal and vertical line also
contains all of the digits from 1-9
Selfies for a good cause Rifat Islam Esha
S
ocial media recently
underwent a storm of
selfie campaigns, most of
which deal with serious
issues. Selfie, a social media term
for self portrait, can be seen as a
self-gratifying gesture (see pg 4),
but netizens have started posting
pictures of themselves to convey
serious messages and awareness.
Many important and renowned
individuals have also participated in
these selfie campaigns, boosting their
reach. All you need to participate is a
camera phone and a hashtag.
“Breaking Stereotypes”
Rajesh Dudeja, an activist, posted an
album called “Breaking Stereotypes”
full of selfies of people holding
WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, M AY 30, 201 4
placards with different messages on
them which challenge the everyday
stereotypes we face.
their selfies with placards with the
hashtag #BringBackOurGirls written
on them.
#BananaSelfie
#nomakeupselfie
Another selfie campaign which used
two hashtags #BananaSelfie and
#WeAreAllMonkeys was a reaction
against the racist act of a football fan
who throw a banana at Barcelona star
Dani Alves during a game.
#BringBackOurGirls
Netizens from around the world
participated in the campaign
#BringBackOurGirls to urge the
Nigerian authorities to bring back
more than 200 school girls who have
abducted by extremist group Boko
Haram. Many tweeted and posted
Earlier this year, the #nomakeupselfie
was trending, triggered by the
remarks on the 81 year old
actress Kim Novak at the Oscar’s.
Novelist Laura Limppman posted
a picture of herself on facebook as
an act of protest to support Kim
Novak which quickly picked up
popularity and became viral on
Facebook and trending on Twitter.
#nomakeupselfie started trending
on twitter as women posted photos
of themselves asking their friends to
do the same, and helped raise more
than $13m in six days. The campaign
Last week’s sudoku solutions
became so popular that it ended up
raising funds for cancer patients.
#YesAllWomen
Straying a bit from selfies, the
#YesAllWoneb Twitter campaign has
emerged as a response to the recent
mass murder in California, where
Elliot Rodger killed six people.The
campaign that focuses on issues such
as consent, sexual harrassment and
boundaries of men. The mentally
disturbed Rodger claimed in a prerecorded video that the spree was
triggered by his frustration at being
rejected by women. #YesAllWomen
was a response to the heated
discussion that followed on women’s
freedom to reject, and men’s
perception of consent.
.
Go out
19
Weekly Planner
May 30
May 31 June 1
Film | Jibondhuli
Shopping | Fashion &
Lifestyle
WHEN 4pm-6pm
WHERE Short Film
Forum, Aziz
Super Market
WHat Tanvir Mokammel’s latest
feature film on the life of a
drummer during the Liberation
War 1971.
Cartoon : Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy
Exhibition
Can You Handle the Truth?
Faisal Mahmud
When
May 31- June 7
From 9:30am to 8pm
This week, check out the
exhibition of 25 political
cartoons drawn by cartoonist
Syed Rashed Imam Tanmoy.
The show features cartoons
published in the Dhaka
Tribune during its first year of
publication, and runs until next
Saturday.
Talking to the Weekend
Tribune, Tanmoy said a cleverly
drawn cartoon is worth a
thousand words.
“Especially the political ones,
which you can use to highlight
discrepancies, and provide
food for thought,” he says,
adding that it demands great
skill and ingenuity to present
major news stories in such a
widely accessible form every
day.
Political cartoons can tell a
truth that everybody knows,
Tanmoy says, but cannot
be said aloud. Sometimes
they focus more on thought
provoking subjects like the
suffering of ordinary people and
economic neglect.
“Sketching a political cartoon
is not an easy task. First, it
requires news sense. Then you
need to create a theme, based
on which you can convey a
message with an equal amount
Where
EMK Center, House 5, Road 27
(old), Dhanmondi
of satire and seriousness,” says
Tanmoy.
Very few exhibitions of
political cartoons are held in the
country. “This is mainly because
of the content. Galleries, and
even the cartoonists, fear
that their work might cause a
backlash. But in a democratic
country, such exhibitions should
be held on a regular basis,” he
says. The last exhibition was
of Shishir Bhattacharyia’s work
many years ago.
Controversial elections,
debates over national identity,
and the failure of politicians to
reach a consensus on burning
national issues have all come
up in Tanmoy’s cartoons.
“This is just the start for
me. I hope to hold a lot more
exhibitions like this in future,” he
says.
“Can you handle the truth?”
is Tanmoy’s first solo cartoon
exhibition, though he has
participated in more than 50
group shows.
Eminent writer and cartoonist
Ahsan Habib will grace the
occasion as chief guest, while
seasoned political cartoonist
Asiful Huda will be present as
special guest. The exhibition will
continue until June 7.
.
WHEN 11:30am-10:30pm
WHERE Steak House, House
8,
Road 53, Gulshan 2
WHat The exhibition will
showcase imported sarees,
salwar kameezes, designer
gowns, and imported jewellery
ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.
Music | An Evening of
Classical Music
6:30pm-8:30pm
Indira Gandhi Cultural
Centre (IGCC), House 35, Road
24, Gulshan 1, Dhaka.
WHat Pandit Amaresh Roy
Chowdhury will perform
classical music at the
programme.
WHEN
WHERE
Food | Burger and
Biriyani Fest
WHEN 12pm-10pm
WHERE Emmanuelle’s
June 4 - June 18
Exhibition |
Unconsciously
Conscious
WHEN 5:30pm
WHERE La Galerie,
Alliance
Française de Dhaka, 26 Mirpur
Road
WHat Solo painting exhibition by
artist Md Abdul Guffar Babu.
Banquet
Hall, Gulshan, Dhaka
WHat Dhaka Foodies caters a
variety of food items from your
favourite brands. Entry ticket for
the festival is Tk50 per person.
June 5 - June 7
MAY 31
University
Bangladesh, Plot 16, Block B,
Aftabuddin Road, Bashundhara
WHat An Engligh language interuniversity debate. Registration
fee is Tk3,000 per team and
Tk1,000 per adjudicator. You
can register your team and
confirm your registration by
paying to the bKash number
01787719193.
Art | Second Sight
WHEN 12pm-8pm
WHERE The Daily Star
Centre,
64-65, Kazi Nazrul Islam
Avenue, Dhaka
Eighteen paintings and 15
drawings of SM Sultan will be
exhibited.
Music | An Evening of
Sitar Recital
6:30pm-8:30pm
Indira Gandhi Cultural
Centre (IGCC), House 35, Road
24, Gulshan 1
Satyajit Chakraborty will play
Sitar at the musical soiree.
Competition | IUB
Parliamentary
Debating
Championship
WHEN 9am-10pm
WHERE Independent
WHEN
WHERE
MAY
2014
Send your events to
weekend@dhakatribune.com
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
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1
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WE E K E N D TR I B U N E | F R I DAY, M AY 3 0, 2 0 1 4
20 Last word | What are you?
Anti-stereotype: an identity paranoia
The line between stereotype and identity Syeda Samira Sadeque
D
uring my first week
at Grinnell College,
a (very) liberal arts
institution in the United
States, I was hanging out after
dinner with a dorm-mate. She
mentioned she was Jewish. My
immediate response was a joke:
“You’re a Jew? How come I didn’t
know this? Oh my god you’re
Jewish!” This proved fatal in my
attempt to create a good first
impression on those around me,
not only because of the painful
lack of humour in the joke,
but because it portrayed me as
insensitive to issues of race and
religion. She seemed offended at
my tone and I never knew why –
until I moved back to Dhaka four
years later, and began to view this
incident and my whole college
experience from a different
perspective.
In South Asia, if you ask
someone about their racial or
religious identity, it is not taken
as an offence but as a gesture
of curiosity. Even in France, an
acquaintance recently blogged
about that she does not mind at
all when about her multicultural
heritage.
But it is not taken so well in the
US. Many Americans dislike being
questioned about their identity,
and are often fidgety about asking
others about theirs. This stems
from a fear of stereotyping and
thus appearing to be racist.
Still, there is no doubt that
racism is rampant in the United
States. During my time at
Grinnell, which is renowned for
social activism, I learned all about
racism – by observing others’
experiences, by experiencing
it myself, and also through
numerous conversations and
debates on how to identify and
tackle racism.
But it was not until I left
college that I realised what a deep
effect these conversations had on
me, particularly my willingness
to make associations between
people and their specific cultural
traits.
While my college education
taught me a great deal about the
ghastly effects of stereotypes –
racism, sexism, extremism – it
also left me incredibly paranoid
about making any associations.
At all.
The fact that America has a
racism problem is illustrated
by the Trayvon Martin case,
which is not an isolated incident.
Martin was a 17-year-old AfricanAmerican from Florida who was
fatally shot and killed by George
WEEKEN D TR I BU N E | F R I DAY, M AY 30, 201 4
Zimmerman, a neighbourhood
watch volunteer. Despite shooting
Martin when he was unarmed and
without any reasonable grounds,
Zimmerman was recently
acquitted of the murder charges,
sparking a national conversation
across the US about racism. It
is unfortunately common in
the US that a person of colour is
deemed more of a danger than
a white person, and this story
illustrates just that. With such
which a girl of African-American,
Italian, Mexican, Native American
and Swedish origin rants about
how she dislikes being asked
what her heritage is, and how
“exotic” is not a term she likes
being used in reference to herself.
While “What are you?” may
be a very crude question, is it
offensive to ask someone what
culture they identify with, if any?
The author likes being identified
first as a New Yorker and as a
While my college education taught me a great
deal about the ghastly effects of stereotypes, it
also left me incredibly paranoid about making any
associations. At all.
grave incidents plaguing America,
it is only natural that people are
extremely uncomfortable about
any associations being blown out
of proportion.
Yet, while racial associations
can have grave implications,
an innocent curiosity about a
person’s race is still legitimate,
and does not always need to be
deemed offensive. I recently read
an article entitled “PSA: ‘What
are you?’ Is not an icebreaker,” in
woman – which is a valid choice.
It varies from person to person
whether they want their primary
identity to be their culture, race,
city, nation, gender, passion – or
lack of any of these.
And that is where we are
different.
While my primary identity
is that of a Bangali, someone
else’s may be their religion, and
for someone else it may be their
gender. Does that restrict me from
Photo: Bigstock
asking someone about their origin
or religion if I find it interesting?
But America, with its paranoia
about associations, does not give
one the space to do that. In its
fight to be “politically correct,” it
actually ends up creating more
confusion for many.
The most contradictory thing
about today’s anti-stereotype
culture is that it teaches you to
not put anything in a box, and
yet looks down on you for asking
someone about their take on their
identity.
Unless we associate certain
traits with someone, how else
do we identify them? Aren’t
such traits often what make us
unique, what differentiate us
from one another? Again, while
it is wrong to generalise crudely,
like in the Trayvon Martin case,
or in cases of Islamophobia, there
are some traits that are specific
to our culture; thus when one is
associated with these traits by
belonging to that culture, it’s not
necessarily offensive.
The culture of stereotyping
does stem from the association
of certain categories of people
with certain traits. But the fear
of being shamed as a peddler
of stereotypes also restricts
legitimate curiosity as well. Until
we recognise this, the confusion
surrounding the politics of
identity will only continue.
.