Shola, a delicate, eco-friendly material crafted from the Aeschynomene aspera plant, is vital to Bangladesh’s cultural heritage. Artisans face challenges from shrinking wetlands and limited local demand, yet newer generations strive to preserve this traditional art.
A charcoal black druid’s bowl with a rough and aged look, caught my attention while surfing social media. Initially, I thought it must be an antique piece of medieval pottery up for sale on some transcontinental site, but instead, I found it to be a local product from the brand Boho Bangladesh, promoting a sustainable natural lifestyle; it blew my mind.
Hailing from Kushtia, Mohammad Abdul has been making and selling haat pakhas for more than two decades now. Like Abdul, many people used to earn their livelihoods by making such pakhas – a tradition declining with time.
On 6 December 2023, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced the inclusion of Bangladesh's iconic rickshaws and rickshaw art on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Similarly, many of our heritage crafts, namely the traditional art of Jamdani and Shital Pati weaving were given recognition by UNESCO in 2013 and 2017 respectively. But how are our artisans doing?
Shola, a delicate, eco-friendly material crafted from the Aeschynomene aspera plant, is vital to Bangladesh’s cultural heritage. Artisans face challenges from shrinking wetlands and limited local demand, yet newer generations strive to preserve this traditional art.
A charcoal black druid’s bowl with a rough and aged look, caught my attention while surfing social media. Initially, I thought it must be an antique piece of medieval pottery up for sale on some transcontinental site, but instead, I found it to be a local product from the brand Boho Bangladesh, promoting a sustainable natural lifestyle; it blew my mind.
Hailing from Kushtia, Mohammad Abdul has been making and selling haat pakhas for more than two decades now. Like Abdul, many people used to earn their livelihoods by making such pakhas – a tradition declining with time.
On 6 December 2023, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced the inclusion of Bangladesh's iconic rickshaws and rickshaw art on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Similarly, many of our heritage crafts, namely the traditional art of Jamdani and Shital Pati weaving were given recognition by UNESCO in 2013 and 2017 respectively. But how are our artisans doing?
