Learning From Puran Dhaka Launching

EU Ambassador, Charles Whiteley,

Director of Alliance Francaise, Francois Grosjean,

Director British Council, Tom Miscioscia,

Architect Kamalika Bose,

Professor Shayer Ghafur, BUET

and

Artist Ashfika Rahman

at the launching of the EUNIC project aimed at preserving and cherishing heritage, craft and architecture of Old Dhaka…9 May….2022….celebrating heritage in the unifying spirit of Europe Day.

EUNIC: the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) is a network of European national institutes of culture and national bodies engaged in cultural and related activities beyond their national borders. EUNIC brings together organizations from all 27 EU member states and adds value through its global network of clusters. By pooling together the resources and expertise of its members and carrying out joint work on common areas of interest, EUNIC is a recognized partner of the EU and its stakeholders in defining and implementing European policy on the culture inside and outside the EU.

Eunic Projects: 

River Heritage: 

To promote cultural diversity and mutual understanding between cultures EUNIC Bangladesh will collaborate with local organizations in Dhaka, to promote the value of architectural heritage. RiverHeritage is the third chapter of a long-running heritage-focused initiative by the EUNIC cluster in Bangladesh (Alliance Française, Goethe Institut, British council, Spanish and Belgian embassies, and the EU Delegation in Bangladesh). This project is scheduled to be run between January 2023 and 2024. It has chosen Old Dhaka as the work area for which the project will concentrate on its architectural heritage, its people’s way of life, the means of their subsistence, and the intricate relationship they keep between the river and the city.

Learning from Puran Dhaka

Several cultural activities will follow the project ‘Learning from Puran Dhaka’ throughout its length to inspire thought and curiosity about Puran Dhaka’s tangible and intangible heritage. For example, a boat and several heritage spaces designed to greet diverse demonstrative events (on, among other things, filmmaking, folklore storytelling, upcycled tools, as well as musical concerts, photography and art exhibitions).

Over 80 architectural students from architecture schools in Dhaka BUET, Mumbai, Trivandrum, and Paris (National School architecture of Paris-La Villette) will work on the project. The results will be published in a book and will be included in the official programme of the Dhaka Art Summit 2023.