Directors' Note

Throughout the year, we Bangladeshis complain about the traffic, the pollution, and the general sluggishness of our capital. We wish it were friendlier, prettier, and more presentable.  We wish we could boast about its natural beauty, or its skyline, instead of apologizing for its shabby state, or the fact that it takes three hours to get across town.

Every year, we Hay Festival organizers bring writers from around the world to Dhaka and we upend all the pre-existing stereotypes they may have held about our country and our city.  We show them how politically and intellectually engaged our audiences are; we show them our commitment to literature and the arts, we show them our hunger to freely debate and discuss a wide variety of issues.  They inevitably tell us afterwards that their time in Dhaka has been a singularly rewarding experience, and we feel a swell of pride when we hear that our Festival has made such a lasting impression.

But let us not stop there – for it is not only our guests who must leave our Festival transformed, but we ourselves, who live and work in this city all throughout the year.

The Hay Festival gives us an opportunity to remember that we live in a city that works against all odds.  That it is vibrant, cosmopolitan, ever-changing and resilient.  Let us take a moment to remember that this city has always embraced a syncretic cultural and religious tradition; that it has been host to writers and revolutionaries; and that, today, it is home to over fifteen million people who depend on it for sustenance.  This spirit of resilience, this ability to adapt, to innovate, and to thrive, is what makes our city unique, and what we celebrate at the Hay Festival every year.

This year we have over 80 sessions covering the whole spectrum of literary expression from fiction to non fiction, performance poetry to spiritual enquiry. Over 60 international participants from 13 countries from as far away as Botswana, to nearby Burma will be participating. The spoken word is celebrated along with the written form as we feature veteran writers, as well as up-and-coming artists. Apart from stellar sessions in fiction and non-fiction, we push the boundaries of the mind with philosophy, history, maths and science. From exciting children's sessions to great intellectual discourse, in English and in Bangla, there will be something for everyone.

Let us leave cynicism and doubt at the door and celebrate Dhaka for the vibrant, exuberant city that it is.