Interview
It's possible if everyone works together: Syed Jamil Ahmed
Theatre activist Syed Jamil Ahmed took charge as the director general of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on last Tuesday. In an interview with Prothom Alo from his office on Wednesday, he talked about various issues including his work plans for the future of performance art. He was interviewed by Makful Hossaion.
You were not interested in taking charge as the director general in the first place. Then under which circumstances did you take up the charge?
There has been a movement in the country which we are calling the anti-discrimination movement. We are wishing for a Bangladesh free of all sorts of discrimination. Earlier we might have called it free of class division. Here we are calling it free of discrimination.
This is an extremely important issue. A thousand lives have been lost for this. Many have suffered shots of pellets, suffered eye injuries while many others have been shot with bullets on their back. A lot of people are unable to move in pain. I had thought that I won’t take up the responsibility. I am old now. I believed it’s time for me to do theatre now.
There have been a lot of irregularities here. I had known that already. If I take it (charge), I won’t be able to do theatre anymore. Yet, after speaking to Asif Nazrul and several youths I felt that I do have a responsibility. Since I spent my life in an honest way and I have nothing to do with political power, I might be able to reform it with the power of honesty. If this institution collapses, it will go to ruins. Finally, I agreed to take up the responsibility to save this place.
As the director general, what do you consider the most important job at this moment?
I have determined three types of goals- short term, medium term and long term. There are three short-term objectives. One is administrative transparency. There should not be any sort of irregularity or injustice. And, everything should be resolved according to the law.
The second one is reform in financial sector. I joined on Tuesday and asked to keep all the record books from before under lock and key. These will be audited. Through audit, it has to be clearly identified where there are discrepancies. And, action must be taken against those who are behind the discrepancies.
And the third one is that I will make arrangements to reopen Shilpakala Academy as soon as possible. After completing these three tasks, we must go to the divisional level. I will work on how to strengthen the Shilpakala Academy in the districts even more.
You have always been speaking about an ‘inclusive’ Bangladesh. How can culture play a role in that case?
Let me speak of the liberation war period, MR Akhtar Mukul used to do the show ‘Chorompotro’ on Shadhin Bangla Betar Kendro radio. He used to speak so juicily there that it had created an interest in everyone’s mind. It had provided people with motivation. I can shoot the bullet in war, but there has to be motivation behind that.
We were motivated for the liberation war. Our culture had motivated us. There were a thousand songs like ‘Mora Ekti Phulke Bachabo Bole Juddho Kori’ made at that time. Those songs and poetry had motivated us. That’s what culture does.
Culture has done the same at this time as well. With graffiti on walls and slogans, a new sort of language of protest has been created. That language is the cultural consciousness and it has retained that. Looking at the pictures that have been drawn with the caption ‘Pani Lagbe Pani’, gives us goosebumps. An Indian artist has drawn a picture on a youth (Abu Sayed) standing with his arms stretched wide. And we felt sad seeing that portrait.
An economist makes the planning and people have to work for that planning. That’s what culture does. We have to strengthen that (culture) exactly. Which, Sheikh Hasina did not understand at all. She just politicised it. She talked about Sheikh Mujib only and there has been no talk about anything else.
Just as a benefactor group has been created in the cultural field, remaining close to the rulers, there was also an attempt to speak up for the people…
The new generation has found the courage to break away. Our generation or the generation slightly younger than us didn’t have the courage. They thought what alternative is there! They were scared. They thought, if Awami League was gone, Jamaat would come to power.
They are cultural nationalists and they were scared. That’s why they remained silent and asked where is the alternative? But the students showed that they themselves are the alternative. They have created an alternative population. You should not be worried about this.
There are allegations of extensive corruption during the seven terms of former director general Liaquat Ali Lucky. Despite it being an autonomous institution, the rulers had an influence in case of recruitment at the Shilpakala. What will be your stand on this issue?
I don’t have any personal interests. I can certainly say that there won’t be any recruitment from my theatre group ‘Spardha’. I had two projects with Shilpakala. One is my book publication. I have said that I will take it out of here. It’s a conflict of interest.
Another project had already been completed halfway. That too is a conflict of interest. If needed, I will shut that down. If necessary I will submit the project once my term has ended. If Shilpakala wants to do that they can, otherwise I will do it from outside. I will do that from my position.
I have said this everywhere that many had a lot of anger in them. There has been a lot of disarray here. That is administrative and financial. Without cleaning that up, the next tasks cannot be done. I will try my level best to ensure that there can be no such politicisation.
Shilpakala Academy has been going through a crisis period for a long time. To what extent is it possible to reform that within two years?
A lot is possible if all of us work together. If we all wish to restore order in the administrative and financial sector, it will be maximum one month’s work.
And, nothing will happen if we don’t wish for it. It is possible only if everyone performs their duty. It is not possible for me alone. It is possible only if everyone works together.