Manga on Bangabandhu wins bronze medal at 17th Japan International Manga Award

On 5 March 2024, at the 17th Japan International Manga Awards, a manga portraying the life and struggle of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman received a bronze medal, making it the first Bangladeshi manga to be featured in and to have won such a prestigious award.

The manga, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu (NRB Scholars Publishers Limited, 2015), regarding the life and struggles of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was co-authored by ME Chowdhury Shameem from Bangladesh and Iwamoto Keita of Japan. The book revolves around his illustrious life and numerous struggles for the independence of Bangladesh. The author also describes the narrative to include the perspective of Bangabandhu's daughter, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

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With a target audience of children and adolescents, the authors hope to help pass on and carry forward the history and journey of Bangladesh. The author also went on to announce that this wasn't the end, but only the beginning as this manga would go on to be a five-part series.

The book was first announced on 5 April of last year, at an event celebrating 50 years of friendship between Bangladesh and Japan. It was then translated into three languages—Bengali, English, and Japanese. 

The competition to celebrate the talent and creativity of manga artists from around the world, as described by the organisers, consisted of 587 participants, attending from across 82 countries, with awards ranging from one gold, three silver, nine bronze medals, and one special prize. It was among these nine bronze medals that Bangladesh, for the first time, has been able to secure a bronze medal at this prestigious event.

Syeda Erum Noor is devoted to learning about the craft of writing and is an avid reader who can talk endlessly about the magic of books. Reach her at @syedaerumnoorwrites.