Efforts on to remove us from mainstream cultural practices

Mamunur Rashid is a playwright, actor, and drama director. He is a pioneering figure in the post-independence theatre movement of Bangladesh. He has written and directed numerous plays for television and has acted in numerous television dramas. For his significant contribution to theatre, he was awarded the Ekushey Padak in 2012. Though he received the Bangla Academy Award in 1982, he rejected it as a protest against the autocratic regime. Recently, he talked to Views Bangladesh to discuss the country's political landscape, the disrespect towards artists and intellectuals, and the anti-liberation narratives. The interview was conducted by Views Bangladesh Associate Editor Girish Goiric. This is the first part of a three-part interview.

Views Bangladesh: Recently, there has been a tendency to insult true artists and intellectuals in our country. Is this just a political issue, or is it an attempt to drag our country's culture backward?

Mamunur Rashid: It’s not entirely a political issue. There has been a conspiracy going on here for a long time. And politics is certainly involved in it. There’s nothing outside of politics in this. Our national culture has a mainstream culture, and efforts are being made, especially targeting the younger generation, to divert them from this mainstream culture. This is becoming very visible in the present time. It started long ago, and previous governments were also involved in this. The cultural flow of our rural Bengal, the essence of it, is being redirected in a different direction.

If we look at Baul music, it is a part of our mainstream culture. Baul songs have been a part of our heritage for centuries. Once, a Baul was made to cut his hair, and we protested strongly against it. But no benefit came from that protest. The person responsible faced no punishment. Those who sing devotional or folk songs, like in Jatra (folk theatre) or Pala Gaan (traditional folk music) — these are extremely popular in rural Bengal. Now, in the winter season, these activities usually take place in various parts of rural Bengal. But for many years, attempts have been made to discourage these practices. They have faced various kinds of punishments, and there is now a system in place to punish them. This is one part of the mainstream rural culture being attacked.

Another issue is that we have many good writers in our country, but they have no publishers. This is a problem. The second issue is with our theatre. Theatre is a living medium. We started the theatre movement in 1972, and it’s been 52 years now. The movement spread across the entire country, and it has become more refined over time. Now, many more theatre groups are working. Last year, I saw that 37 new theatre groups in Dhaka alone staged new plays. We too have staged new works. There’s a flow of theatre in Dhaka, but even there, it is hard to generate enthusiasm outside the capital. The theatres outside Dhaka are largely unsuitable for performances. Efforts are being made to make them suitable. In recent movements, we saw that 22 district-level Shilpakala Academies were burned down. On the other hand, sculptures were destroyed, and museums and libraries were vandalized. What do these signs indicate? These signs point to the destruction of the national culture and the creation of something else. Some even call it a “new narrative.”

I’ll give my own example. Two years ago, I said that there is a “famine of taste” going on. This famine of taste isn’t just about our performing arts—dance and theatre. I mentioned that the real problem lies in the digital platforms. If you take a look at what’s happening on digital platforms, you’ll see a surge of vulgar culture. They make films, sing songs, create plays, and most of them are not worth watching—filled with obscenity, various repulsive gestures, and inappropriate content. And yet, they are getting views. A large number of people are watching them, especially those sending remittances from the Middle East. This is something to be proud of, but the cultural standard there has not improved. That’s why just yesterday, a YouTuber was telling me that his entire market is in the Middle East and Malaysia. It’s not hard to guess who his audience is. The names of his plays also reflect this; for example, Why Two Husbands?, The Housewife is a Friend, The Relationship Between Sister-in-Law and Brother-in-Law—all kinds of obscene works are being produced. I raised a question against this, saying that there’s a famine of taste in the country. And I pointed out that the cause of this famine is politics. Immediately, many of our so-called progressive people, many middle-class people, began attacking me personally on Facebook, dragging in personal matters to insult me. But it didn’t affect me, because most people were on my side. Now, everyone admits that what I said was absolutely correct.

Another aspect is that recently, the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy announced that one of my plays would be performed in four locations across the country, and they would make arrangements for it. But then the authorities at the Academy said that I would not be allowed to perform. Why? Because I had signed a statement regarding the collaborators. Now, they say, “Speak freely, say whatever you want.” So I said, “Fine, I’ve made a statement.” What crime have I committed? If someone feels hurt by it, they can voice their objections, but they shouldn’t stop me from performing because of it. Then, our group said, “If he can’t perform, we won’t perform either.” So that was resolved.

Now, the play I’m currently doing is Company. The play can go on, but I cannot perform the final scene because I act in that scene. After that, the director-general of Shilpakala Academy not only prohibited me but also told journalists that I couldn’t act due to my role. The role I’m playing is a small character, and anyone can perform it, he said. But as teachers, both the director and I teach our students that no character in a play is small. This is not just our belief, but also Stanislavski’s, who said, "No character is a minor character, only minor actors." We grew up learning this, and we taught our students the same. To say that a small role should be removed and given to someone else is not only unprofessional, but it is also disrespectful. And to make matters worse, one of my plays was completely shut down. They stopped the performance right on the stage. This kind of issue has been happening all around, and it’s clear that the disrespect towards artists is coming from all directions. You can see it yourself.

Theatre Personality Mamunur Rashid & Girish Goiric

Views Bangladesh: The Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy is the designated institution for the cultural renaissance in Bangladesh. Do you think it is fulfilling that responsibility?

Mamunur Rashid: No, it is not fulfilling its responsibility. I have tried to mention to the previous directors and ministers of the Shilpakala Academy whenever I got the opportunity that the Shilpakala Academy itself does not produce any productions. Nowhere in the world does such an institution directly produce plays. Even the British Council, the US, and the IS used to produce plays in the past, but they would assign it to a troupe or organization. This has been the norm worldwide. In India, the Music and Drama Academies fund everyone and take proposals, but they don’t directly produce the works. I suggested that in our country, cultural troupes, which have been independently established, should be given the projects and the funding. But they continued to produce themselves. However, now there is talk of change. Various groups are being sent to different districts. But what is most needed is that for the last 52 years, the theatre groups have been struggling to survive. During the previous government’s time, I repeatedly requested that a salary grant system be introduced. Many countries provide annual funding to theatre groups, allowing artists to receive stipends. But that was never implemented here. I feel that the interim government will not do it either. Once the elections are over, they will leave, and the next government will come. We will have expectations from that government as well. However, the ruling elite of our country has very little interest in the arts. We’ve seen many governments like this. They believe that providing food and jobs to the people is enough, but they don’t realize the need for intellectual and cultural development alongside that. The lack of intellectual development is one of the reasons for the increase in corruption, injustice, and rape in today’s society.

What do we do in theatre or other art forms? And what is your responsibility as journalists? Our responsibility is to highlight the societal issues through plays. Some people use dance, some use music, and others use paintings to express these issues. This is far more impactful than giving speeches or reading books. That’s why the developed countries of the world encourage students to engage in various branches of performing arts from elementary school onward. There’s a real need for that. This should be the core responsibility of the Shilpakala Academy. But it has not fulfilled that responsibility.

Views Bangladesh: After the interim government took over, we saw a freedom fighter and a renowned playwright being appointed as the director general of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. After his appointment, we expected that the cultural practice of Shilpakala would increase, and drama would improve. However, we saw that due to a small movement, Masum Reza's play was banned. What kind of impact do you think this had on the cultural scene?

Mamunur Rashid: It would have a very negative impact, and that is only natural. They will be held accountable by history. And this incident was caused by a handful of people, who actually work in the Shilpakala Academy. They did this with the help of some outside hired individuals – this is very clear. When we tried to oppose this, we were attacked. Yet, the Chief Adviser had said that no, no, drama cannot be banned. An attack on drama is unjust. But even after he said that, these incidents occurred. Anyway, we are still doing drama now. Although it hasn’t yet resumed in all the theaters in Dhaka, the situation outside Dhaka is really bad.

(To be continued)

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