“Birth of a Wish Fish” is a performative act—a story written and brought to life through community performance, rooted in local knowledge and cultural expression.

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From June to December 2024, nine artists journeyed through eight communities surrounding the Sundarbans. Among the places they visited, they chose West Dhangmari as a symbol of cultural resilience, where they conducted a street art workshop.

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Each participant engaged in a heartfelt dialogue with the community, using their preferred medium—story writing, documentary, photography, craft making, drawing, and painting.

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Out of these deep exchanges emerged Birth of a Wish Fish, a story written by Afroza Hossain Sara in conversation with Himangshu Bachar, 72, a lifelong resident of West Dhangmari. Together with the community, Afroza, her team, and local participants brought the story to life as a performative act—a shared gesture of storytelling, memory, and care.

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Through this act, the community voiced their concerns and their wishes to protect what they hold most dear. As part of the story, they placed Nojor Photas—protective gazes—on the Sundarban, the Dhangmari canal, drinking water sources, rice fields, the sacred Bonbibi Jahuranama, and many other treasured places and elements.

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The performance reflected a deeper truth:
What researchers uncover through study, the community already knows through lived experience.

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They express this wisdom through cultural traditions and collective imagination.All the Nojor Photas were then gathered into the form of the Wish Fish—a symbolic being whose scales carried every protective charm and every hope.

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The fish was co-created using local knowledge—based on fishermen’s descriptions of the Vetki fish—and built using traditional bamboo and reed craft techniques.

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Once completed, the participants carried the Wish Fish around the village, letting the land, forest, river, animals, and spirits know that the people are watching over them—with care.

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Now, the Wish Fish remains in the community as a symbol of their deep, collective desire to protect the environment, biodiversity, cultural heritage, and the spirit of the land.

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This exhibition at Alliance Française de Dhaka, Gulshan Branch, presents the entire journey through photographs, documentaries, monologues, and recorded conversations—capturing the art, the story, and the community who brought it to life.

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(This initiative was made possible thanks to the Metis Fund, a program by AFD aimed at strengthening development dynamics through an artistic and emotional approach. And it is implemented by Team Platform in partnership with Gol Kanon Echo Cottage and Alliance Française de Dhaka)