Photographs by Japanese journalist project victory of the Liberation War

Liberation War Museum begins its three week-long celebration of the Victory Day with this exhibition of photographs taken by Japanese journalist Naoaki Usui during the last few days of the Liberation War. On December 9 Professor Syed Anowar Hossain, former Director of Bangla Academy, inaugurated the exhibition. Major General (Rtd.) AK Khondokar, Mofidul Haque and Dr. Sarwar Ali were also present at the inauguration.

Naoaki Usui came to Bangladesh and visited the liberated parts of Jessore and Khulna in the early December of 1971. He felt inspired to visit the rising nation at the declaration of French novelist and aesthete André Malraux that he would lead the tank troop in the Liberation War of Bangladesh. Malraux, however, could not come at that time, but young Usui did.

Usui went to visit the Salt Lake refugee camp in Kolkata. There he took snaps of the inhuman condition of the refugees who were driven across the border by the cruel oppression of the war, waged by Pakistan. Besides, Usui took photographs of the moments of joy and celebration of the soon-to-be-achieved victory.

A photo on the display shows a local politician announcing on the loudspeaker the would-be surrender of the Pakistani forces at the Khulna Race Course. Another photo shows a few surrendering Pakistani soldiers being taken into custody of the friendly forces.

The photographs will surely enrich the ongoing documentation of the Liberation War under the supervision of the Liberation War Museum. The exhibition is open for all until December 17.