Statement
Threats to cultural spaces and artists, threatening artistic freedom
Bangladesh
Artists at Risk Connection concerned about threats to cultural spaces and artists in Bangladesh, threatening artistic freedom
(NEW YORK) - Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) expresses its solidarity with the Bangladesh Group Theatre Federation’s (BGTF) demand for strengthening artistic freedom in the country, and calls on the government of Bangladesh to fulfill its responsibilities for public safety by protecting arts institutions and artists. On November 8, BGTF members gathered at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy to protest the unjustified and sudden cancellation of the play, “Nityopuran” by the Desh Natak theater group. Towards the end of the demonstration and during playwright Mamunur Rashid’s address to the crowd, and despite a police presence, BGTF members were attacked by unidentified assailants who threw eggs at those present.
“The unwarranted attack on BGTF and playwright Mamunur Rashid, highlights the lack of protection of artistic freedom and free expression in Bangladesh,” said Adam Shapiro, Deputy Director of ARC. “The actions against the theater and artistic community since the new government came to office are indicative of the government’s failure to provide public safety and serve to erode community engagement and artistic freedom. Due to government and police inaction, a climate of fear is developing in Bangladesh, robbing individuals of their fundamental right to freely express themselves, not dissimilar to the wave of attacks against writers and intellectuals nearly a decade ago.”
In July, Bangladesh protesters led nationwide demonstrations against the controversial government job-quota system, which were brutally repressed by the government. Nearly 1,000 protesters were killed, sparking public outrage and culminating in a civilian uprising against Prime Minister Sheikha Hasina, who resigned after being in power for 15 years.
On November 2, protesters outside the Shilpakala Academy - a national cultural and performing arts space - demanded, under the threat of violence, the cancellation of a performance of “Nityopuran” by the Desh Natak theater group, which was in progress. Given that over 20 branches of the Academy had been recently attacked, the Director of the Academy stopped the performance out of concerns for the safety of the audience and actors. During the period of unrest leading to the fall of the previous government, libraries, cultural centers, and academic institutions were attacked and looted, and the lack of public safety since then is threatening artistic freedom in the country.
ARC calls on the government of Bangladesh to provide meaningful security to arts and cultural institutions and spaces, and to investigate the perpetrators of attacks and threats against artists and arts institutions.
November 13, 2024
About Artists at Risk Connection
Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) is dedicated to assisting imperiled artists and fortifying the field of organizations that support them. Between 2021 and 2022, ARC released Connecting the Dots: Artist Protection and Artistic Freedom in Asia, a publication on the state of artistic freedom in Asia, as well as a limited series podcast, Creating Artistic Resilience: Voices of Asia, featuring interviews with artist-activists from Asia, including an episode with Sofia Karim, artist and activist from the UK and Bangladesh. If you or someone you know is an artist at risk, contact ARC.
For more information, contact:
Adam Shapiro
Deputy Director, International Programs
Artists at Risk Connection (ARC)
ashapiro@artistsatriskconnection.org
@atriskartists