Bangladesh Day Parade: A Display Of History

When watching this parade, I often think of it as a history lesson into pivotal Bangladesh events and key figures who shaped the country, as well as a cultural display of Bangladeshi-American-ness.

In the above photographs, the history and politics of Bangladesh are referenced in parade posters, banners, and iconographic structures rolled and carried along the route. I'll explore what some of these historical references are in order to demonstrate how parade imagery can be meaningful reminders of people’s struggles. It’s far from the trivial or whimsical content often associated with the parade genre.

Photo 1 from left to right shows: 1) a poster referencing the Bangladesh flag in colors and shapes, with details in writing about the day of independence (March 26, 1971) when East Pakistan became Bangladesh; 2) posters of drawing and painting of the founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman; then 3) a replica of National Martyr's Monument (referencing the history leading to the Liberation War 1971, further discussed below); and 5) the Shahid Minar monument to honor martyrs (1952) of the Bengali/Bangla Language Movement.

Photo 2 of and 3 also represent similar aspects of Bangladesh history and the Mukti Bahini - Bengali Freedom fighters from the Liberation War.

To better situate the parade banners, structures, and posters in a historical context, I'll provide brief descriptions of important chapters in Bangladesh history.

Much of the imagery in these selected parade photographs refer to Bangladesh independence from Pakistan - the Liberation War/War of Liberation, when East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) fought for independence from West Pakistan (now Pakistan) beginning in 1971. It's important to mention that the turmoil between regions had been boiling for years before, especially with the 1950s Language Movement, when East Pakistan fought for the inclusion of the Bengali/Bangla language as a second national language to Pakistan's official Urdu language. And, later with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's presentation (March 23, 1966) of the Awami League party's 6-point formula which challenged Pakistani government policies. It was finally on March 24, 1971, upon West Pakistan declaring martial law, banning the Awami League and targeting those in support of East Pakistan/ Bengali independence, that on March 26, Bangladesh proclaimed its independence. This lead to 9 months of gruesome warfare with many East Pakistanis experiencing "civilian displacement, torture, and death." ⁸ By October of 1972, there was a draft constitution for Bangladesh listing the four-points policy adopted by the Awami League: nationalism, socialism, democracy, and secularism as fundamental principles of state policy. To this day the state policy has been expanded, though secularism, which encourages the separation of religion from state continues to remain an issue, with many supporting government policies shaped by the Muslim religion. ^9,10,11

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (1920-1975) is depicted on multiple posters in the parade photos. He is known as "Bangabandhu, 'friend of Bengal,' and coined the name Bangladesh (“Land of Bengal” also associated with 'desh' meaning 'land' of 'bangla' speaking people) in December 1969." ^12,13  As the first leader of Bangladesh, he had been a supporter of the Bengali Language Movement 1952 and member of the Awami League party years before he led Bangladesh to nationhood.

The National Martyr Monument, depicted in photos taken of the parade banners and in a miniature form, represents the actual monument located northwest of capital city Dhakar in Savar. It was designed by architect-engineer, Syed Mainul Hossain, and completed in 1982. It shows seven triangular-shaped walls on two sides to represent 7 key events in Bangladesh history up to its independence in 1971 and honors those who fought for it. ¹⁴ 

The Shahid Minar Monument (miniature replica in parade photo) and the Language Movement also needs further elucidation. The monument designed by architect Hamidur Rahman is an abstraction of mother and fallen sons that is representative of contentious times in Bangladesh history. It was February 21, 1952 when now Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) was still part of Pakistan. The Pakistani government was trying to impose Urdu as a state language over the Bangla/Bengali speaking people. Thus,

"to force the government to recognize Bangla/Bengali as a state language, students and (Awami) League members organized, demonstrated, and called for a national boycott on February 21, when Khwaja Nazimuddin, the new prime minister Pakistan, was due to visit Dacca (Dacca changed to Dhaka 1982). In clashes with the police on that day, four students were killed on the University of Dacca campus. They became the first 'martyrs' of the language movement, and February 21, or 'Ekushey February,' has been immortalized in Bangladeshi history as the real beginning of independence movement. In 1963 this monument called the Shahid Minar was erected in Dacca in honor of the slain. In 1999 UNESCO internationalized the commemoration by declaring February 21 to be International Mother Language Day.” ^15,16,17 (Five were eventually martyred though there were countless victims.) ¹⁸ 

Photo 4 relates to Bangladesh political parties which is always a sensitive subject, but I wanted to show its presence in the parade. Present-day political party affiliations and key figures, has alternated between two dominant parties, the Bangladesh Awami League (AL) (leadership under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is one of two surviving daughters of founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's who was murdered in 1975) and the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) (leadership initially under party founder, Ziaur Rahman, until his murder in 1981; then his wife Begum Khaleda Zia served multiple terms as Prime Minister). Since I am discussing Bangladesh political parties, there are the Jatiya Party (Ershad), as well as other less dominant political parties too. ^{19,20,21,22,23,24}

It is the Awami League party and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who currently lead the Bangladesh government, though in this Photo 4 are BNP supporters with images of past and present BNP key figures (from left-Tarique Rahman, Ziaur Rahman, Begum Khaleda Zia).

National Symbolism