Folk song, street drama create awareness about social issues

GAIBANDHA, Apr 25(BSS): Folk song and street drama, which are very popular to the common people, play a significant role in creating mass awareness about different social issues and human rights. A group of artistes has been performing these at different hats, bazars and other crowded places of 13 unions under Sadar Upazila in the district since August, 2010. In this regard, Sinnomul Mohila Samity (SMS) is conducting a project entitled "Establishment of Hard-Core Poor and Extreme Minorities Women's Rights through Strengthening Union Parishad Standing Committees" funded by European Union. A total of 10,000 hard core women, 1,000 extreme minorities women and 500 adolescent girls as well as their family members have been brought under the 3-year project. The targeted women of the project are being made aware about dowry, early marriage divorce, polygamy, health, nutrition, education, family planning through folk song and street drama performance. Besides, they are also being motivated to human rights including family decision making, land right, equal wage rate, family law and access to government and NGO services through yard meeting, day observance and bill board, said Murshidur Rahman Khan, executive director of SMS. Thursday, a grand function to create awareness on the above issues to the people was held at Gidari Bazar under the Upazila where the group of the artistes performed folk songs pleasantly. A large number of people particularly the women coming from the surrounding areas enjoyed the function with amusing mood. Morzina Khatun (42) at Councillerbazar area said we learned more things including women rights, dowry, bad effects of early marriage and polygamy from the function. Anisur Rahman, Gidari UP chairman, told the the news agency that it is the best and effective way to make the rural people aware on different social issues and their human rights.