Lift ban on "Karnaphulir Kannya"

It is quite understandable that the government may not like many things that are in the movie. There may be factual points on which it differs, and there may be views with which it does not agree. However, that cannot be a reason for banning the movie, which provides an artistic expression of an important segment of Bangladesh's life. The government can instead issue a press note laying out its version of facts and its views regarding those facts. In a democracy, it is the role of the public to sort out which version of facts is correct and which viewpoints they would like to support. By banning the film outright the government is depriving Bangladeshi people from exercising their basic democratic rights as well as the right of the film director to freedom of artistic expression.

We urge the government to withdraw the ban and to resort to democratic means of discourse. We note that physical-environmental conditions of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and the socio-economic-cultural conditions of the tribal people inhabiting this area are a sensitive issue. That is all the more reason for a thorough national discussion on the issue. Suppression of facts and viewpoints, through banning movies and books, is not the right approach. Instead of adopting an adversarial position, the government should credit Tanvir Mokammel that he has attempted to draw the nation's attention to this long-festering issue in a way (i.e., through a movie) that is very appealing and effective.

We further note that while much of Bangladesh's commercial film industry has descended to vulgarity, it is only a few who are still trying to show that cinema can be uplifting and educative. The little international acclaim that Bangladeshi cinema has been able to attain so far is through the effort of these handful of directors, and Tanvir Mokammel is certainly one of the most prominent of them. His earlier films, Chitra Nodir Pare and Lal Shalu have garnered several international awards. Mokammel is particularly interested in the conditions of the rivers, on which Bangladesh's environment depends so crucially. Earlier he made the movie, Oi Jamuna, depicting the condition of the river and the people whose lives revolve around this river. So Tanvir's interest in the river Karnaphuli and its people is a logical extension of his interest in our rivers, people, and environment.

In the context of the government's avowed concern over safeguarding the country's image in the global arena, may I point out that it can only be harmed by the decision to ban the film "Karnaphulir Kannya". If anybody finds the film contentious, let there be a debate. Of course, for the debate to be meaningful the film should be made available to the general public.

Dr. Kaiser Haq University of Dhaka