Curtains raised on Dhaka Lit Fest

Syrian poet Ali Ahmad Said Esber along with Bangla Academy Director General Shamsuzzaman Khan Dhaka Lit Fest directors today raised the curtains on Dhaka Literary Festival, a three-day festival at the Bangla Academy premises.

Esber, know by the pen name Adonis, along with the others inaugurated the festival unveiling by the graffiti novel "Mujib" on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman around 11:00am.

Dhaka Literary Festival (DLF or Dhaka Lit Fest), has been held at the historic premises of the Bangla Academy every year since 2012, marking a resurgence of Bangladeshi literary culture while vigorously engaging other cultures far beyond the borders.

From its inception, the key organisers of the festival – Sadaf Saaz, Tahmima Anam, Ahsan Akbar and K Anis Ahmed – shared a common vision to connect Bangladeshi writing and writers to the wider world. With three rapid iterations – 2012, 2013 and 2014 – the festival established Dhaka’s place in the global literary circuit.

DLF began its journey with a pilot event in 2011 under the aegis of the world famous Hay-on-Wye festival.

Around 9:00am, a session of Bahá'i Writings was held at the Lawn of Bangla Academy. Before the inaugural ceremony, a Pung Cholom, performance was staged by Manipuri Theatre at Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad auditorium.