On the Road in Bangladesh April 14, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Transportation, Travel.add a comment
On the road in Khulna
Bangladesh must have one of the highest rates of vehicle accidents in the world. I was traveling in Khulna last week and read the article below in the newspaper. It occurred on the same road I was traveling on only one hour later.
Khulna, Bangladesh – Two speeding passenger buses crashed into each other in southern Bangladesh on Thursday, killing at least 11 people and injuring another 50. Rescuers recovered the bodies of nine people from the wreckage after the collision in Bagerhat district, south of the capital, Dhaka, United News of Bangladesh said. About 50 injured people, some in serious condition, have been taken to hospitals, the report said, quoting unnamed police sources. The report provided no further details. Fatal road accidents, blamed on rash driving and faulty vehicles, claim some 12,000 lives each year in Bangladesh, according to government figures.
The bus that I was on was completely chaotic. The teenager who collected the fares was physically abusing some of the passengers. I gave him a piece of my mind after he pushed a woman passenger with her child to the back in order to squeeze more people in. It was good that I did. The next time he passed me he kept saying “sorry.” What was more disconcerting was the driver who intermittently kept turning his head around for a few seconds while driving.
IUB Photography Workshop April 12, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Daily Life, IUB, Media Classes, My Students, Photography.add a comment
Photo © Mohammad Zakir Hossain
I just wrapped up a four day Photography workshop at IUB and wasn’t so sure that it was going to come together until the last minute. On the last day as I was showing the students how to construct a multimedia presentation we had power cuts- they call it load shedding here- almost every other hour on the hour. For some reason the IPS back up power supply didn’t work either. Some guy, or maybe a woman, decides which neighborhood get turned off. IUB is located in Baridhara, the wealthiest part of the country. Lack of electricity and water are much more severe in other parts of the city.
Photo © Asif Khan
Bangladeshis are extremely resourceful and pull together when they have to. When the power finally returned, we made a final edit, sequenced the photos and made a couple of title images. With only a few minutes left we changed locations and presented our work to an enthusiastic audience. I better post this now before the power goes out again.
The Promised Land April 8, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Old Dhaka, Sadarghat.add a comment
Sadarghat ferry terminal, Old Dhaka
One of the places that I’m most drawn to is Sadarghat- the ferry terminal in old Dhaka. It’s one of the largest ports in the world. Over 30,000 people- it seems like many more- use the terminal each day. The shrill of sirens sound like an air raid as boats depart and arrive from the countryside. Wide-eyed families look as though they came from another planet. What are they thinking? Have their dreams of beginning a new life already been shattered the instant they arrive. The children are often dressed in their finest outfits- little girls in pink and red frilly dresses.
The first thing they must do is haggle with the rickshaw pullers and CNG drivers. Where are these people going? Maybe the father has the name of a family member or friend from back home? They will probably soon end up in one of the many slums throughout the city. The men will become rickshaw pullers and in a few years if she is lucky that little girl in the pink dress will become a garment worker.
Bangla Brazil April 5, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Culture, Daily Life.add a comment
One of the many Brazilian flags on the walls of Dhaka
I noticed it as soon as I arrived here. Brazilian flags painted on the walls in various neighborhoods around Dhaka. It struck me since I lived in Rio for two years. Here in Bangladesh people love Brazilian football with Argentina as a distant second. It’s not only Dhaka. Ronaldo is a hero all over the world. Now I know that Brazil and Bangladesh have certain differences. Brazil after all is the largest Catholic country in the world but yet the people in both places exude a certain enthusiasm and energy. Maybe it’s the climate?
The Biharis April 1, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Biharis, Dhaka.add a comment
The Biharis or “Stranded Pakistanis” are the descendants of Muslims from the Bihar province prior to the partition of India in 1947, and then migrated to East Pakistan. They live in what looks like refugee camps in Bangladesh. During the 1971 liberation war most of them remained loyal to Pakistan but now the situation is much more complicated. They are a stateless people stuck between Bangladesh and Pakistan. Below is a clip from the Plan, an NGO about Geneva Camp.
The largest Bihari community in the country is in Dhaka. I went there recently with Stijn Pieters, a Belgium photographer who was working on a project there. Geneva Camp is one square kilometer and home to almost thirty thousand people. It’s a small city off the grid with it’s own schools and small cottage industries. Families live in crowded tiny rooms, the great majority of them without running water. There are only fifty public toilets for the entire population. I’ve never seen so many people packed into such a small area. When Stijn gets his website together I’ll post his work and a link on Verve Photo.
Poets and Politicians March 28, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Old Dhaka, Politics.add a comment
Poster of Sheik Mujibur Rahman, founding father of Bangladesh & father of current Prime Minister
“We are extremely mournful for this black night. We esteem the great heroes who died for our country and saved all happiness by giving blood on the street. Happy Independence Day.”
—Text message received from a friend moments after I made this exposure
This years official Independence Day ceremonies were cancelled, the first time in the country’s history, because of what happened on Feburary 25th. I was in Old Dhaka and saw a larger number of security forces present. The only other thing I noticed that was different were the bull horns strung up on utility poles blasting patriotic speeches (pre-recorded?) with what sounded like the national athem in the background.
Amazing Grace March 25, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Beauty, My Neigborhood, Transportation.add a comment
Nodda Bazar, Dhaka
One of the things that awes me every day in Dhaka is how in the midst of what looks like a post apocalyptic scene something of beauty will appear out of nowhere. Only couple of blocks from my guest house lies one of the busiest intersections in the city. Crossing that wide avenue of eight lanes with no traffic signals requires enormous stamina and determination. It’s clogged with trucks, buses, cars, rickshaws animals, etc, etc. The sound of blasting horns rattles your brain. On the corner of that street I looked up a few mornings ago and saw these two girls on their way to school. This is one of the perks of being a photographer in Dhaka. If you go out with an open mind you are bound to be surprised and charmed by the people. Like the old national Geographic photographers used to say : “F8 and be there.”
A Visit to Proshika March 21, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Travel.Tags: Proshika
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On the road to Manikganj
Anyone with an interest in Bangladesh should check out the book called Freedom Unfinished by Jeremy Seabrook. It focuses on the activities of Proshika, an NGO with field offices throughout the country. Bangladesh has more NGO’s, local and international, then any other place in the world. The book’s format is a road trip through the country where he meets a variety of people and also interviews Proshika members who are working on educational, cultural and social projects. Since the book was written there has been some controversy surrounding the leader of the organization who was sent to prison on corruption charges a few years ago. I’m sure it’s a very complicated issue.
The view from my room at Proshika’s Guest House
Only a couple of hours away from Dhaka, Proshika runs an impressive hotel/guest house and conference center near a town called Manikganj, one of nicest areas I have visited in Bangladesh. After reading Seabrook’s book I was especially interested in seeing the place. On the day I arrived in late January there was a family social gathering for the employees of Grameenphone, one of the largest companies in Bangladesh founded by the Nobel Prize winner Dr. Yunnis. It reminded me of those corporate functions that we have in the States.
The best part of the trip was wondering through the villages in the area and visiting a combination country fair/market. These “mela’s” spring up all over Bangladesh and provide the locals – especially the young people with a chance to socialize and entertain themselves. Inside of a huge circus tent there was quite an “interesting” variety show with young girls mouthing the words of Hindi pop songs and dancing up a storm.
Tweet, Tweet, Tweet March 18, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in IUB, Media Classes, My Students, Photography, Technology.add a comment
Rickshaw art, Dinajpur, North Bengal
Yesterday I introduced my students to twitter. It hasn’t taken off yet here in Bangladesh. Most were skeptical but today I noticed quite a few of them “following” me:) Thanks to Mindy McAdams for the reminder.
Speaking of photography, I posted forty full screen images from Bangladesh on www.hillerphoto. com.
IUB students write about Feburary 25th March 15, 2009
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Feburary 25th, IUB, Media Classes.3 comments
Army tanks roll into Dharmondi, Photo © Salman Saeed
As part of their midterm assignments I had my students write a post about what happpened on Feburary 25, 2009. These essays are a powerful testimony to the “decade zero” generation of Bangladesh- those coming of age in the early part of the twenty- first century. They are eloquently written, in the student’s second language no less. I’m proud of you. Take a look here, here, here and here.
