Opening Ceremony
Bangladeshi Festival '99 was organised by BCD to celebrate its success,
the achievements of BCD students and Bangladeshi life and culture. The
action packed extravaganza included art workshop, poetry recitation, magic
show, education seminar, music, drama, raffle, face pointing, dance,
exhibitions, cuisine, fashion, games, careers and many other events
reflecting the best of Bangladeshi culture. It also offered a huge range
of career information services for young people across the city.
On Sunday 4th July, the vicinity of Small Heath Leisure Centre was met by literally thousands of people of Bangladeshi origin, flooding back memories of their beloved home country. The area of Small Heath became the hub of a day long Bangladeshi Festival. It is estimated that throughout the day almost 6,000 people attended, helping to create a huge sea of green and red.
The prestigious opening of the festival by the Lord Mayor lan McArdle and the Lady Mayoress Mary McArdle of Birmingham, along with Md. Enamul Kabir, The Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh for Birmingham, preceded the main programme. By this time members of the Bangladeshi community were beginning to stroll in, in their hundreds, much to the delight of all the festival organisers.
Main Programme
The main programme finally got underway at precisely 10.30am, after a
short speech by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham. The opening of the stalls
and activities followed this which proved to be very popular as hundreds
flocked to see them. Activities which were being run, included an art
workshop, giving the youngsters of tormorrows generation a chance to show
off hidden talent, and the possibility of having your hand hennaed with
mehndi. Other popular activities included caroom,
a board game invented in Bangladesh and face painting. There
was also stalls run by West Midlands Police, the Royal Navy, The Army and
Birmingham University giving out career
information to prospective employees and students. Central News also
generously put in a visit and recorded part of the festival, which they
aired on local television on the 4th July on ITV. There was also an
article in the Evening Mail about the success of the festival.
As the day gently proceeded, Mr. Azad took centre stage as the magic show began. Mr Azad managed to involve the crowd with several eye-catching tricks which were met by continuous rounds of applause. Following the conclusion of the magic show, a short session of poetry recitation began, met by rapturous applause by the vastly enthusiastic crowd.
As the crowd continued to arrive in their hundreds, the temperature also soared in to the high twenties. Despite the intense humidity in the main hall the crowd should be congratulated for their excellent concentration and behaviour throughout the day.
Shortly after heralded the opening of the education seminar, which celebrated the success of BCD. Peter Christopher,Headmaster of King Edward VI Aston and Lynne Morris, Principal of Joseph Chamberlain College spoke on how they are working to help further the work of BCD. Bruce A G Gill, Assistant Director of education and equalities and Nabela Anwar, SRB-CDL Project Manager, also gave brief speeches, celebrating the success of BCD.
At this point the crowd were given a break as the humidity in the hall soared and the crowd were treated to some fine rural dancing by Pinache Khan, a rural dance artist and Rita Nandi. This was followed after a short while by the resumption of the Education Seminar in which the crowd listened attentively. This included talks by Mohima Khatun, a former BCD student, on how BCD has benefited her educational inspirations. Jahangir Alam, an Independent Social Work Consultant also spoke on why Bangladeshi pupils are falling behind other Asians and white children.
"lt was a very well organised and excellent festival"
The highlight of the day got underway at 3.00pm. The fashion show,
based in the sports hall was in three half-hour slots with rural dancing
with Pinache Khan in between. Professional models were hired and
paired with stunning outfits generously supplied by Saajan Saree Centre.
The latest designs for both men and women were modelled and included
wedding suits, Salwar Kameez and Sarees. These were modelled to an
extremely enthusiastic crowd who managed to create a
cauldron of noise, turning it into an occasion to remember. In total the
three fashion shows were seen by an estimated 5,000 people 1/10 of the
total amount of Bangladeshis residing in Birmingham. This is just one
indication of how successful the festival was.
"Congratulations to all of you for arranging such a
positive and colourful event
which will stimulate many people"
As the evening approached, the Bangladeshi Natok (drama) got underway. This was a two hour long production called "Daiee Ke" meaning "Who is Responsible". The play, written by Ahad Miah and set in Birmingham, was about the personal problems of three young men who had emigrated from Bangladesh. The concluding session of the play coincided with the closing of the largely successful stalls, selling everything from music to jewellery to china, all at affordable prices.
Closing Ceremony
As the day wore on and the sun began to set, the crowd whom were seated in the main hall were greeted by the conclusion of the Bangladeshi Festival '99. During these proceedings, the raffle ticket winners were announced. It was revealed that Shuhel Ahmed Chowdhury won the top prize of an all expenses paid trip to Bangladesh on board United Arab Emirates. Second in line was Khurshed Alam, who won a trip to Disneyland, Paris. The disappointment on the faces of those who had missed out was evident.
Bangladeshi Festival '99 aimed to provide the public in the vicinity of the West Midlands with an unprecedented opportunity to experience, appreciate and understand the arts and culture of Bangladesh. Alongside this, the festival also raised the awareness of Bangladesh amongst the British public. Along with the superb achievements of the Bangladesh Cricket Team in the World Cup in 1999, these aims have certainly been achieved.
