News: Chobimela - international festival of photography, Bangladesh 2009

[ashik ikbal]

international festival of photography, Bangladesh 2009
http://www.chobimela.org/

"Over sixty exhibitions, thirty-five participating nations, well over a thousand images, and over fifty visiting artists from Asia alone, are impressive statistics, but the emphasis on figures is misleading. The dozen or so workshops, the week-long sessions of presentations, debates, lectures and discussions, the portfolio reviews and the all night party, will perhaps be what the visitors remember the most. More significant is the bridge across continents through the live broadcast of these entire sessions. Especially the video conference between three outstanding individuals, Mahasweta Devi, Noam Chomsky and Stuart Hall, as they provide their take on 'Freedom'. The mobile exhibitions, now a trademark of the festival, where a mini Chobi Mela on ten rickshaw vans, plying the streets of Dhaka, will move the festival away from galleries to the more public spaces of football fields and open air markets. For in both the majority and minority worlds, across cultures and across nations, the class divide continues to be the biggest bridge to cross."

Shahidul Alam
Festival Director

 

[Asher Kelman]

Hi Ashik,

Obviously there needs to be great photography exhibits to serve the needs of Bangladesh and reflect the work of local photographers. However, as an international conference it really seems to be a showcase for articulate well honed intelligent folk who have made a very good living out of hating Western Society and it's materialistic, (and they would argue, consequently, militaristic) values.

Noam Chomsky is the most erudite and snobbishly articulate and rabid of these gurus and has a great following in the extreme left and anti Western movements, and the so called "progressives".

Naeem Mohaiemen is a highly successful creative who has exhibits in major capitals year round.

Now beyond juxtapositioning pictures of comfort with those of hardship, are there going to be photographs that reflect the feelings of mothers and schoolboys, newspaper reporters and policeman from Bangladesh?

It's not our fault when there is no water in the desert. Life has an overhead which is death and that occurs more where there are more people.

Life is more than revolution and anger. I have no doubt that even the poorest Bangladeshes have humor, joy with their loved ones, admire a great tree, elephant or bride. All these things need to be represented.

I don't intend to have a heated political discussion since everyone here, without exception, has heartache for the suffering of disadvantage people. Let's see if the conference is anything more than trumpeting of anti-Western sentiment.

Anyone can show pictures of suffering. We need pictures of hope and inspiration too as well as those of laughter, disappointment and dilemmas among the ordinary folk in Bangladesh. So, for sure, I'll look out for any salutary work celebrating Bangladesh society in all its complexity.

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

Ashik,

Putting aside what I've said of politics, we all love new pictures. I'm open to new and exciting images so will follow the exhibition closely. I know I'll learn a lot. The bridge I see is to the visions of other photographers.

Asher

 

[ashik ikbal]

asher,

chobimela theme might have brought the sufferings into the plates. one thing is quite obvious, since most of the photographers are photo journalist thats why FREEDOM theme easily bringing in war, violence etc. in the exhibition there are good no. of bangladeshi photographers too. like previous years we will have some interesting exhibition. less war and agony will be staged.

last year we had few exhibition on 'smile and color' 'boat' 'harvesting' etc. i will let the forum know abt the upcoming events time to time.

thanks for your second reply. for me any exhibition is a must go. coz i am in a learning curve. visiting all this events i might feed myself with different photographic vissions. bangladeshis are very much tollerant and open. we are not extremist like few countries from Africa or Pakistan. if you can make a trip to this part of the world i asure, you will go back with wonderful experience. if anything anti-western or wealth-difference is trumping, we bangladeshis are very much careful in terms of reaction.

thanks again Asher for your kind concern. Good to have you in the festival (digitally).

 

[Asher Kelman]

Ashik,

As soon as you find some great pics, link them so they appear here for us to discuss. Just keep similar subjects in one post. Add something on the photographer so we can relate to it.

Asher

 

[fahim mohammed]

Asher, just as there are so called 'rabid' 'anti-western' writers there are an equal number of 'rabid' 'anti-arab, anti-muslim' writers around that are beloved by various sections of the world populations. what does
that prove? Just that there are dangerous people all around and that hatemongers are not a monopoly
of one nation or religion.

Ashik, I have been to Bangladesh..specifically Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet. I have admired the country
and its people and Bengali writers such as Rabindranath Tagore, though he lived in Kolkatta. However it is
unfair of you to lable Pakistan as a extremist country..some sections of it yes...not the entire country. Just as the murder of your country's founder Sheikh Mujeeb does not make Bangaldesh a country of extremists.

back to the subject of the OP, let's see some great pics. Michael Riechmann's series on Bangaldesh and its
children was specially poignant.

Best.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Asher, just as there are so called 'rabid' 'anti-western' writers there are an equal number of 'rabid' 'anti-arab, anti-muslim' writers around that are beloved by various sections of the world populations. what does that prove? Just that there are dangerous people all around and that hatemongers are not a monopoly of one nation or religion.

As hatemongers, a curse on both of them!

Fahim,

We're here for the other side of expression, trust and hope in the best of man. I'd rather celebrate cultural differences (yet demand tolerance for expression of our wonder about life itself on our fragile planet). It's that I hope we can foster through exploration in photography.

I'm optimistic that the Bangledesh Photography Exhibition will deliver enough of what I hope to see from todays photographers. (The political rhetoric and anti USA posturing and invective is just the price we have to pay, I guess).

I hope we'll get to see some selected works. Where are they, Ashik?

Asher

 

[ashik ikbal]

dear Fahim,

i withdraw my statement partly. Actually the portion we watch in the media is not the whole truth. i must agree with you. Political insurgency happening a lot in the subcontinent. Even take example of Bangladesh's last two tears of military infringement into socio-political arena. we must become more and more tolerant, anti-western anti-eastern world crisis have to be chanelized for sustained peace and to emerge as economic powers.

Nice to hear from you Fahim abt your visit to BD. I havent been to Pakistan. But surely want to go. By the way, my maternal grandfather was from Swat. I always want to visit the fantastic Swat valleys.

Asher, i will be uploading images from the Fair shortly.

 

[Asher Kelman]

dear Fahim,

i withdraw my statement partly. Actually the portion we watch in the media is not the whole truth. i must agree with you. Political insurgency happening a lot in the subcontinent. Even take example of Bangladesh's last two tears of military infringement into socio-political arena. we must become more and more tolerant, anti-western anti-eastern world crisis have to be chanelized for sustained peace and to emerge as economic powers.

Nice to hear from you Fahim abt your visit to BD. I havent been to Pakistan. But surely want to go. By the way, my maternal grandfather was from Swat. I always want to visit the fantastic Swat valleys.

Asher, i will be uploading images from the Fair shortly.

Ashik,

From what you report on the infringements and antithesis of factions within and outside BD, the sooner we learn more about the people the better. Photography is not merely getting the light into the camera. You can also lift up a lantern to show the human condition.

So don't put off the good you can do!

Asher