Keynote speech by Bangladeshi Minister of Cultural Affairs Asaduzzaman Noor

Hon’ble Chairman,
Hon’ble Ministers for Culture of Korea and South Asian countries,
Secretaries to the Ministry of Culture of the respective countries,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A very good morning to you all.

It is a great pleasure for me to attend this important meeting of Korea-South Asia Ministers’ of Culture in the beautiful city Gwangju in South Korea. On behalf of my delegation, I would like to convey my sincere thanks to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea for the excellent arrangements and your generous hospitality. We all know that the aim of the ‘First Korea-South Asia Cultural Ministers Meeting’ is to strengthen the cooperation between Korea and South Asian countries through the Asian Cultural Complex (ACC). The inauguration of the ACC will strengthen relations between Korea and South Asian Countries, and bring together our creative communities. This will allow us to exchange views, share innovative ideas and expertise, contribute to our cultural education and play an important role in the development of our rich cultural heritages.

South Korea and Bangladesh already have an important history of cultural exchanges and activities. A Cultural Agreement was signed between Bangladesh and The Republic of Korea on June 1979 covering the fields of education, culture, youth and sports, tourism, press, radio, television and communications, and we have engaged in cultural exchange programmes since. South Korea also participated in the Asian Art Biennale held in Bangladesh on December 2012 and will participate in the upcoming Biennale in December 2014. Bangladesh also sent an 11 Member cultural troupe to Korea to celebrate Bengali New Year 1421, and we also celebrated the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and Korea in 2014. I believe that these kinds of exchanges will continue between our two nations, and I look forward to them.

Bangladesh has also been working to preserve and enrich our rich, complex and diverse cultures, traditions and religions, and I believe this can immensely contribute towards bringing people closer and promoting a common South Asian identity. Therefore, the Government of Bangladesh has also placed a great deal of importance on strengthening cultural ties with the countries of this region. The Bangladesh Ministry of Cultural Affairs has adopted a National Cultural Policy in 2006, which strives to enhance and enrich the nation’s cultural consciousness through preservation, research, and development and promotion of native culture, history, and heritage, contemporary arts and literature. All of these activities are done in the spirit of our war of liberation, which embodies our values of democracy, secularism and Bengali nationalism.

Bangladesh may be a small country, but our fertile lands are filled with remnants of ancient cultures. Already, 428 Heritage sites have been identified, and there are a lot more to find. Our Department of Archeology has also declared 448 Archaeological sites as Protected Monuments. Two of them have been declared as World Heritage Sites - the Ruins of the ancient Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur and the Historic Mosque city of Bagerhat.

In Bangladesh, the Shilpakala Academy deals with our performing arts, conducts training and research and releases publication on various cultural activities. Shilpakala Academy has expanded its activities from 64 districts to 489 upazilas, and open air stages are currently being constructed here. We have also built one of the biggest fine arts complexes of Asia, and are eagerly looking forward to cultural exchanges between our nations here! Shilpakala Academy has also organized many events in recent times, including the SAARC folk-dance festival, SAARC artist camp and SAARC handicraft exhibition.

Distinguished guests, I would now like to spend a few moments talking about what has been done so far to convert our rich heritage of cultural creativity into a creative industry. It cannot be denied that the idea of creative industry has not yet gained much ground; especially since the type of academic research that has to go into this is almost non-existent. However, we have taken certain steps in the right direction. In Bangladesh, traditional handicrafts and artwork have been modernised and incorporated into our daily lives. More and more fashion houses and boutiques have focused on this fusion of old and new, and emphasised on drawing inspiration from local crafts and using local fabrics in their design. The promotion of Nakshi Kantha (embroidered quilt) is an example of this, since this is a very traditional rural craft that has made its way into urban life, and saved an age old industry has been saved from extinction. We have also experienced the creation of a vibrant market for paintings by local artists, which are not only gaining international acclamation, but being demanded by a new generation of local buyers as well. The television industry is also booming, and we currently have 26 TV channels which employ thousands of people.

However, these are only small steps in the right direction, and there is a lot more to be done. Therefore, I would like to propose the formation of a South Asian Cultural Forum of cultural activists and experts. The purpose of this Forum would be to preserve and promote South Asian culture by identifying and building on our common ground and celebrating and exchanging our diversity. This can be done not only through cultural exchanges, but also by conducting workshops and conferences in order to exchange cultural knowledge and support proper research. The Forum can also conduct a needs assessment to identify the different cultural needs of different countries and come to common solutions. It may also be worth thinking of a common fund to conduct our cultural activities. I know that this can be difficult, especially since in many developing countries like ours, governments have different development concerns and spending on culture is not one of their top priorities. Investment is also required to make the creative industry more dynamic. Therefore, I’d also like to recommend a conference between our nations’ Finance Ministers and Culture Ministers in order to discuss issues regarding funds and other problems.

I believe cultural exchange has become even more important in this day and age. At a time where religious extremism and conservatism is invading our private and public lives, it is only through emphasizing the importance of art, literature and knowledge that we can create a truly open-minded and humane society. I believe that we can pave the way to a more enlightened civilisation only by emphasising on our cultural diversity and finding common ground through cultural exchanges, and I strongly believe that this meeting is a great start to this. We will further strengthen our cultural relations under the new initiative of Republic of Korea through the Asian Cultural Complex. I thank you for inaugurating this wonderful Complex, and I wish it many successful endeavours in the future.

Thank you very much for listening to me so patiently.