Chobi Mela VI to Open a Portal to a Restive World of Dreams
The Chobi Mela VI - International Festival of Photography will be held from 21 January to 3 February, 2011 in Dhaka Bangladesh and will present the work of creative artists participating from 30 countries. The festival with its theme “Dreams” is designed to be a birthplace of ideas, and a crossover meeting point for many artists. It will open a portal to a mystical world of images showcasing new trends in photography and bringing to the fore issues of our troubled world.
The unique festival will be launched on the 21 January, 2011 at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Parallel exhibitions will be held at Alliance Francaise, The Asiatic Gallery of Fine Arts, The British Council, Drik Gallery, The Goethe-Institut and the Lichutola at Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka University. In congruence with the exhibitions there will be 8 workshops, 2 portfolio reviews and a week-long discussions, seminars and lectures at Goethe-Institut Auditorium that will initiate debates and discussions on issues central to contemporary photographic practice.
The main attraction on the 22 January at Goethe-Institut will be a video conference with Dr. Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Prosecutor, International Criminal Court. In this position, his mandate is to select and trigger investigations and prosecutions of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The Inaugural ceremony and the evening presentations will also be broadcast ‘Live through Internet’ at: www.drik.tv.
Chobi Mela related information will be available at
http://www.chobimela.org and
http://chobimela.wordpress.com
For full text of press release , please download the PDF file here
Drik wins bid to stop police blockade
After 10 days of police presence preventing the public from seeing the Crossfire exhibition at Drik Gallery, visitors were finally allowed into Drik after the government agreed to withdraw police officers. On March 25, 2010, Drik Picture Library served a legal notice on the government demanding an end to the police blockade. Following a two-day case at the High Court, government lawyers confirmed to the Vacation Bench of the High Court today that the police had been withdrawn and that there would be no obstruction to the exhibition from now on.
For our updated press release (March 31, 2010), please download the PDF file here.
Drik serves legal notice to government demanding justice
On March 25, 2010, Drik Picture Library served a legal notice on the government demanding an end to the police blockade. Lawyers for Drik have written to the Bangladesh Government’s secretary for Home Affairs, the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of the Rapid Action Battalion and Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner after police surrounded the gallery gates to prevent people from entering an exhibition on Crossfire by photojournalist and Drik managing director, Shahidul Alam. In the notice, Drik's lawyers called on the government to immediately remove the police force from the gallery and allow the exhibition to open. She added that if officials fail to confirm within 24 hours that they would lift the ban, legal action would be taken.
For our updated press release on the legal notice (March 25, 2010), please download the PDF file here.
News Coverage:
SAHR reiterates the citizens? right to freedom of expression - South Asians for Human Rights
Crossfire exhibition extended due to demand - Media Helping Media
Hearing on writ petition not held - The Daily Star
Police withdraw from Drik Gallery - bdnews24.com
Drik challenges 'Crossfire' exhibition closure - bdnews24.com
Death threats as 'Crossfire' exhibition remains closed - The Rights Exposure Project
Bangladeshi photographer challenges exhibition ban in court - British Journal of Photography
Allow exhibition on crossfire: HR watch - The Daily Star
Bangladesh: Allow Photo Exhibit of Crossfire Killings - Reuters
Bangladesh urged to lift ban on extrajudicial killings exhibition - Canada Views
Drik Gallery issues legal notice on govt - The Daily Star
Drik lawyers serve legal notice on govt - bdnews24.com
Widespread condemnation closure photo exhibition in Bangladesh - The Power of Culture
Police action against Drik exhibition: It undercuts people's political and cultural rights - The Daily Star Editorial
Drik: Photo Power - Himal South Asian
Photo Show Exposes Extrajudicial Killings in Bangladesh - PDN Pulse
Police in Bangladesh Close Photo Exhibit - Lens Blog, NYTimes.com
Bangladesh: Lift ban on extrajudicial killings exhibition - Amnesty International Press Release
A brazen attack on freedom of expression - New Age Editorial
Police close Bangladesh photo exhibition - Media Helping Media
Police close down photo exhibition on 'Crossfire' - New Age
Lawyers condemn police action against Drik - bdnews24.com
Drik shut down for Crossfire show - bdnews24.com
Police Shut Bangladesh Photo Show Hours After It Opens - Overseas Press Club of America
Cops close photo show on 'Crossfire' - The Daily Star
'Crossfire' exhibition shut down by police - Prothom Alo (in Bangla)
Launch of Pathshala, South Asian Media Academy and ‘Crossfire’ exhibition goes on despite police
Drik Picture Library was forcibly closed down by the police on March 22, 2010, to prevent the launch of Pathshala, South Asian Media Academy, and the unveiling of a photography exhibition by photojournalist Dr Shahidul Alam, `Crossfire.'
From midday onwards, Drik was pressurised by RAB, police and Special Branch officials to close down the show on grounds that it does not have official permission, and later, on the grounds that it will create anarchy.
In its 20 years of existence, Drik has forged a unique position in the international cultural arena, which has earned Bangladesh a special place in the world of photography. The unfortunate event which was broadcast worldwide has tarnished the image of this democratically-elected government. We call upon the government to immediately remove the police encirclement, so that the exhibition can be opened for public viewing, and Bangladesh's image as an independent democratic nation can be reinstated.
For our official statement on the forced closure, please download the PDF file here.
For our updated press release (March 24, 2010), please download the PDF file here.
Launch of South Asian Media Academy
Pathshala South Asian Media Academy was launched on Monday, 22 March, 2010, at Drik Gallery in Dhaka, bringing world class journalism training to students and media professionals.
Celebrated Indian human rights activist and writer Mahasweta Devi inaugurated the event. Nurul Kabir, editor of the New Age, M Hamid, CEO of RTV and Jorge Villacorta, curator from Peru, also spoke on the occasion.
The Media Academy has been launched as an extension of Pathshala, South Asian Institute of Photography. Since opening in 1998 as the educational wing of Drik Picture Library, Pathshala has become one of the best photojournalism schools in the world. Training will now be extended to other sectors of the media, namely broadcasting, print and multimedia journalism. Pathshala will change its name to South Asian Media Academy to reflect the development.
For the new training programmes, leading national and international trainers have been recruited. State-of-the-art training facilities will be provided. The aim is to build up a body of honest, courageous, energetic and skilled media professionals. Admission procedures will begin from April, 2010. The first courses are scheduled to begin in June, 2010.
Photography exhibition ‘Crossfire’ inaugurated
'Crossfire', a photography exhibition by Shahidul Alam (photojournalist and principal of Pathshala) was inaugurated on 22 March, 2010, by celebrated Indian human rights activist and writer Mahasweta Devi.
Hundreds of extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh have been linked to the Rapid Action Battalion (R.A.B.), an anticrime group formed six years ago this month. Little has been done to stop the executions. They have been dubbed “crossfire” killings — after the manner in which the police say the victims died: during an exchange of gunfire.
Instead of a literal document of the killings, Mr. Alam created a series of large images that are evocative of the places where the victims were murdered or discovered — a still-life film noir in Technicolor. With the help of researchers, he examined cases to point out inconsistent details in the official accounts.
The exhibition is curated by Jorge Villacorta, a Peruvian critic and curator who met Mr. Alam as part of a network of artists and writers participating in the programs of the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development.
The exhibition will be open between 22-31 March 2010, between 3 - 8pm, everyday at the Drik gallery in Dhaka.
More in the World Version of the New York Times:
Where Death Squads Struck in Bangladesh - Lens Blog, NYTimes.com