A SOMEWHAT decline in cultural activities by institutions has been apparent, especially in outdoor rather than indoor programmes, in a year of the interim government as many organisations say that they go slow because of security reasons. A reported incoordination among government agencies and an absence of an appropriate environment, which mostly happened because of the resignation of renowned cultural activists from government committees and institutions, have also been blamed for such a situation. Officials of a theatre group say that they used to hold 50 events a year and the number of events has declined to 35 in a year spanning from July 2024 up to now. Another cultural organisation, which used to hold 50 events a year, mostly outdoors, could hold only 20 events in a year since July 2024. A member on the executive committee of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, which has not held any meeting of the executive committee since February, says that the agency has no representative from the artiste community in its decision-making process. The executive committee member has said cultural activities have declined significantly in the past one year.
The acting director general of the agency, however, seeks to say that the number of cultural events has not declined and its activities are going as usual in the capital, noting that the situation is not the same with its units in outlying districts. The executive committee member of the academy says that professional artistes who worked on art projects during the Awami League government, which was toppled in the July uprising, have now remained inactive. While public agencies responsible for holding or promoting cultural activities fail to properly discharge their duties, private entities have also become inactive, in cases, because of security concerns that they say the interim government has failed to effectively handle. Besides, there has been a tendency of right-wing interference that is blamed in cases for the decline in cultural activities, especially outdoor programmes, involving mostly women and religious and national minorities, in outlying areas. Fears of mob violence and security issues have held back organisers from holding cultural events. Such a restless situation, as some say, has adversely impacted cultural activities. While many theatre groups have no activities, some that worked with or during the Awami League government do not get to rent auditoriums.
The government should, therefore, revitalise its agencies responsible for holding and promoting cultural activities as much as it should create an environment for private entities to carry on with their activities. The government should also see to security issues and the trend of right-wing interference to bolster cultural activities as much in cities as in outlying areas, especially relating to outdoor programmes.