Exhibition ‘The War Is Not Over Yet’ begins at AFD

Visitors at the exhibition the war is not over yet at Alliance Francaise, Dhaka on Friday.

A research-based project exhibition by Mashruk Ahmed titled ‘The War Is Not Over Yet’ has begun at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka. The exhibition is curated by ASM Rezaur Rahman.

Mofidul Hoque, writer, researcher and trustee of the Bangladesh Liberation War Museum, Navine Murshid, writer and associate professor of Political Science at Colgate University, USA, Durjoy Rahman, art collector and founder of the Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation (DBF), Saiful Huq Omi, photographer and founder of Counter Foto and Francois Grosjean, director, Alliance Française de Dhaka attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition on Friday, 21 June 2024 as the special guests.  

This exhibition 'War Is Not Over Yet', an ongoing research-based project by Mashruk Ahmed. Through the integration of photography, videography, and archival materials, the artist collaborates with women freedom fighters to explore their personal narratives. The exhibition also aims to provide a sanctuary for their stories and experiences.

Ever since the Liberation War in 1971, the many women who fought for Bangladesh’s independence alongside their male counterparts have not received the recognition that they deserve. Only three have been awarded the title ‘BirProtik’, as opposed to 426 men. The title ‘Birangona’ (‘war heroine’) was instead given to women survivors of sexual violence during the war. These women soon found themselves exploited once again, often by men who would take for themselves financial rewards promised to the women, leaving them to suffer the stigma of a conservative society alone. 

The war isn’t over yet. It is now a war declared on women by a patriarchal society that has stripped them of their identity and selfhood, disregarding all that they sacrificed in the struggle for our independence. This war will not be over until the women who fought for our independence are acknowledged, compensated for their sacrifices, and honoured, as they deserve to be.

Mashruk Ahmed, a freelance documentary photographer born and raised in Bangladesh, pursued his photography studies at CounterFoto and is currently based in Dhaka. 

The exhibition will be open to all till 26 June 2024. Visiting Hours:  Everyday from 3 pm to 9 pm