ANI: A webinar was organised for the online release of the documentary “The Concert for Bangladesh: Music to Introduce Bangladesh to the World” to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence.
The event organised on Saturday also honoured George Harrison, Ravi Shankar, and others who participated in the Concert for Bangladesh in 1971.
The documentary is directed by Asif Bin Ali, and Professor Habib Khondker is the content advisor.
The 14-minute-long documentary explores the shining example of humanitarian diplomacy and celebrates the impact concert made to introduce the name Bangladesh to the western world while helping Bengali refugees living in India since the beginning of the Bangladesh liberation war.
After the documentary was screened, a discussion was led by Abul Hasan Chowdhury, former state minister of foreign affairs of Bangladesh and Riaz Hamidullah, Bangladesh ambassador to the Netherlands.
Selim Jahan, former Director of the Human Development Report Office (HDRO) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), New York; Habibul Haque Khondker, professor at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, UAE; professor Imtiaz Ahmed, director, Centre for Genocide Studies, the University of Dhaka; professor Amena Mohsin, Department of International Relations, the University of Dhaka; M Emdadul Haq, professor & chair, Department of History and Philosophy, North South University, Dhaka; Shafiqul Alam, Dhaka Bureau Chief, AFP and Shamim Azad, Bangladeshi-born British bilingual poet, storyteller and writer, were panellists of the discussion programme.
Bangladesh is commemorating its 50th independence day. On 26 March 1971, Bangladesh was proclaimed as an independent nation by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and this led to Bangladesh Liberation War when a guerilla war ensued between Pakistan and Bangladesh liberation forces with Indian support.
However, Bangabandhu, his spouse Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, his three sons – Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russell, and most of the family members of three close relatives of Bangabandhu were killed in cold blood on 15 August 1975, by a group of disgruntled army men.
After facing defeat in the 1971 war, the then Army Chief of Pakistan General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, along with his 93,000 troops surrendered.
