Each year Drishtipat
DC hosts an event honoring the heroes who fought for
the independence of Bangladesh. Through music, dance
and poetry we will relive the events that led to our
freedom struggle.
This year's event
honorsed American peace activists Richard Taylor and
Phyllis Taylor as special guests. They recounted their
experiences from the 1971 Blockade movement, during
which they used canoes to block U.S. carring weapons
to the West Pakistan.
Donations were collected
for the Chittagong Hill Tracts rehabilitation program.
If you are interested
in volunteering for Drishtipat DC feel free to email
us at dc.drishtipat@gmail.com
One World,
Many Voices - A Celebration of World Languages
International Mother Language Day,
the U.N. holiday that grew out of the Bangladeshi
“Ekushey” observance, was marked with
great fanfare at the Historic 6th and I Synagogue
in Washington, DC, on February 21, 2010. The “One
World, Many Voices” celebration, presented for
the 3rd year in a row by Drishtipat DC, featured live
music and dance performances, as well as posters,
narration, and recordings featuring the world’s
diverse languages, especially endangered languages.
Andean Band Centro de Expresion
Cultural K'hantati Los Andes perform an enchanting
musical number with native flutes and drums at the
One World Many Voices event organized by Drishtipat
DC on February 21, 2010. View more pictures click
here
Artists from Dhroopad performed Bengali
songs and dance associated with the “Ekushey”
holiday; students from Kalamandapam performed semi-classical
Indian Kuchipudi dance; the Calmes Triplets performed
Egyptian belly dance; Ron Warren and Janice Torres
performed Native American music on flute and voice,
including Cherokee and Taino songs; Isaac Oboka and
Daniel Phoenix Singh performed Argentinian tango and
milonga; and El Centro de Expresion Cultural K'hantati
Los Andes, with large drums and panpipes, performed
Sikuris music and dance from the Andes. The event
was co-partnered with the UNA-NCA, SAALT, NetSAP DC,
SAPAN, Young Bengali Professionals, and DC Internationals,
and sponsored in part by Cafe Luna and Bashi. Drishtipat
DC is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that
works on human rights and social justice issues affecting
Bangladeshis and Bangladeshi-American communities.
Shahriar Kabir’s
Documentary “Portrait of Jihad”
On October 24th, 2009
- Drishtipat DC organized a screening of the film “Portrait
of Jihad” by acclaimed human rights activist,
Shahriar Kabir. The event was held at Busboys and Poets
Café on 24 October. In her welcoming remarks,
Nadia Afrin from Drishtipat DC pointed out that Bangladesh
was a nation of contrasts. It was a country
where poverty and possibilities, democracy and autocracy,
secularism and communalism live side by side.
“Portrait of Jihad” probes into the attacks
orchestrated by radical Islamic entities like Harkatul
Jihad and Bangla Bhai. It sheds light on how they
train, their source of funding and their close ties
with the Jamaat-e-Islami Party. A packed audience
of around 80 people attended the film screening at
Busboys and Poets. Among them were Bangladeshi –American
youth as well as young people of various nationalities.
Filmmaker Shahriar Kabir discussed the context and
subject matter of the film. He expressed his intention
to expand the documentary and include more supporting
information and facts.
The discussion segment was led by
journalist Anis Ahmed. The engaging audience posed
questions about the current state of Bangladesh, the
advent of Islamic militancy, the ties of local radical
groups with international terrorist organizations,
their source of funding and the government’s
success and failure in reining terrorism.
Drishtipat
DC presents a storytelling event - “Ghost Alley”.
On October 4th, 2009 Drishtipat
DC organizeda storytelling event on by Javed Jahangir,
author of “Ghost Alley”. He read excerpts
from his novel accompanied by musical and dance performances.
Ghost Alley:
The setting is the post-postcolonial world of Bangladesh,
where Islam, bhoot, and comic books jostle shoulders
in the house on Bhooter Golley. Or at least so it seems
to young Ludo, who lives in the old house of women,
with Soraya his mad grandmother. When a mysterious relative
Nadira, arrives, Ludo begins to learn the hidden truths
behind his identity and why no one will talk about the
missing men of the house or of 1971. Maybe he will finally
get to finish the great Bangali comic book, the one
that will reveal everything about Planet X, but first
he needs to save his grandmother from the exorcist.
Author:
J.D. Jahangir was born in Bangladesh and grew up in
Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Malta, London, Pittsburgh,
and lives in Somerville, Massachusetts. He has been
published on Lost Magazine, Lumina Journal, the Daily
Star (Bangladesh). He has served as the managing editor
of Hacks! An Anthology of Grub Street Writing and has
been a reader for the Harvard Review. Ghost Alley is
his first novel.
Reception to
Honor Amabassador Humayun Kabir
On July 24, 2009 Drishtipat DC hosted
a reception to honor Ambassador Humayun Kabir (Bangladeshi
Ambassador to the U.S.) and Mr. Anis Ahmed (journalist,
Voice of America).
The event was co-sponsored
by Skewers and Beyond Restaurant in North West DC. This
was a wonderful opportunity to meet the Ambassador and
network with young Bangladeshi and Bangladeshi-American
professionals in the D.C. metro area.
International
Mother Language Day Celebration: 2009
On 21 February, 2009 Drishtipat DC in
partnership with the Embassy of Bangladesh organized
an event to commemorate International Mother Language
Day at the Bangladesh Embassy through a wide array of
culutral performances from around the globe. The cultural
soiree included Paraguayan bottle dance, Afro-Peruvian
music, Malay jazz, Russian Folk dance, Nigerian ballad,
a Bangladeshi performance and much more.
In tribute to the Bangladesh Language
Movement of 1952, the United Nations Declared 21 February
International Mother Language Day to celebrate the ethno-linguistic
rights of people around the globe.
"The opportunity
to sing in my mother language in front of a packed audience
was a truly moving experience. It was a wonderful way
to celebrate cultural and linguistic diversity."
said one of the performers.
This event was co-hosted by the Embassy
of Bangladesh, Drishtipat DC, UN Association of the
National Capitol Area and the World Bank's Youth2Youth
Group.
Arnob &
Friends Concert
Press Release: October 10, 2008:
DRISHTIPAT is delighted to present
ARNOB and friends in a rare performance on October 18,
2008 at one of Washington's finest performance venues,
the Historic Synagogue at Sixth and I. This concert
is part of the 'Unheard Voices World Tour', organized
to raise funds for DRISHTIPAT's humanitarian projects.
"Timeless", "The most talented musician
from Bangladesh", "Spell binding live performance"
are some of the phrases used to describe ARNOB's performance.
He is a star of the Bangladeshi pop scene, whose innovative
blend of traditional instruments, themes and rhythms
with contemporary arrangements and harmonies are truly
groundbreaking. Add to this the jazz-based interpretations
of his collaborator Andrew Morris on soprano sax and
you have an extraordinary treat in store.
Come celebrate the 400th anniversary of DHAKA city with
us!
On February 21, 2008 - Drishtipat DC
in partnership with the Bangladesh Embassy put together
an open-air event to
commemorate UN International Mother Language day. This
event was aimed at celebrating the world's nearly 7,000
languages and the cultures they embody. We seek to join
forces with the UN to promote linguistic diversity, protect
the right of individuals to communicate in their mother
language and encourage multilingual education. Nearly
half of the world's languages have less than 10,000 speakers
and face the risk of extinction. Through this event, we
sought to highlight the importance of protecting languages.
Officials from various embassies, high school and university
students and the general public were invited to join the
event. Participants wore their national attire and brought
flags, posters/banners in their language and native musical
instruments. The program included c ultural performances
from various parts of the world as well as an open mike
session where members of the public were invited to perform
in their native language.
71-er golpo
71'er Golpo is an initiative that
seeks to promote awareness about Bangladesh's history
and rich cultural heritage among today's youth. It
is a non-political and non-profit endeavor that creates
avenues for cultural exchange. 71'er Golpo is brought
to you by a group of young Bangladeshis and Bangladeshi-Americans
in the DC Metro area. We invite you to join us for
our next event.
Each year, the proceeds from Ekattur'er
Golpo events are used to support Bangladeshi initiatives
that empower people and make a difference. Previous
beneficiaries include an Orphanage in Dhaka, Bangla
School of Washington DC, and Prothom Alo Acid Victim's
Fund. This year's proceeds will be donated to the
Liberation War Museum and Sidr victims.
commemorate UN International Mother Language day. This
event was aimed at celebrating the world's nearly 7,000
languages and the cultures they embody. We seek to join
forces with the UN to promote linguistic diversity, protect
the right of individuals to communicate in their mother
language and encourage multilingual education. Nearly
half of the world's languages have less than 10,000 speakers
and face the risk of extinction. Through this event, we
sought to highlight the importance of protecting languages.
