“Culture Is Not Easy, It Is Political as Well as Artistic”

Bangladesh’s cultural crisis is not simply about obstacles facing artists. It also reflects a deeper struggle over how society understands its history, identity and relationship with religion, speakers said at The Daily Star Itihash Adda in Dhaka.

At the 27th edition of the discussion, participants called for more dialogue, critical engagement and a broader understanding of culture beyond performances and artistic expression. Researcher and artist Arup Rahi said Bangladesh faced “a crisis of understanding, a crisis of knowledge” because it had failed to grasp the complexity of its social, cultural and historical realities.

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We have a crisis of understanding, a crisis of knowledge. We have failed to understand the complexity of Bangladesh’s social, cultural and historical realities.

Rahi argued that debates often rely on simplified narratives rather than serious engagement with history and social change. He said left-wing, secular, liberal and Islamist groups all carried, knowingly or unknowingly, a colonial framework when interpreting these questions. Bangladesh, he said, needed to examine its own post-colonial reality, including the structure of the state and capitalism.

He also challenged simplified approaches to democracy and Islam. “We are talking about democracy, but we are not discussing how democracy can function in a post-colonial capitalist state like ours,” he said. Islam, he added, had been understood and practised differently across societies and periods, rather than possessing one fixed essence.

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We are talking about democracy, but we are not discussing how democracy can function in a post-colonial capitalist state like ours.

Rahi said debates that quickly divide people into secular and anti-secular camps prevent meaningful discussion about culture and religion. Referring to resistance against cultural activities, he called for study of the sociology behind the idea of “Touhidi Janata” and asked how it had emerged and what forces supported it. He also said social media had become a new public space, while declining critical thinking had weakened debate over religion, culture and politics.

“Culture is the process through which we understand ourselves, our consciousness and our future,” Rahi said. Poet and philosopher Farhad Mazhar said culture should be understood by distinguishing the public sphere, the search for truth and the cultural sphere. He said public life depends on differences of opinion, truth belongs to philosophy and science rather than politics, and political life requires coexistence rather than elimination.

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Culture is the process through which we understand ourselves, our consciousness and our future.