Highlighting the centenary of world war one: \\\"War and Colonies, 1914-1918\\\"

On the occasion of the commemoration of the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, Alliance française de Dhaka has organized an international seminar and put together an exhibition on the theme of "War and colonies", with the support from the d'Alembert Fund for the Exchange of Ideas granted by InstitutFrançais, the cultural operator of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, the Embassy of France in Bangladesh, the University of Dhaka, the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, ECPAD, Montagut French Fashions Knitting Pvt. Ltd., and GETCO Ltd.
Starting from the premises that World War One was a truly global war involving the colonies of the European belligerents and therefore British-ruled South Asia, it has been thought that the role played by colonies and colonial troops in the conflict was well worth analyzing from a variety of angles - military, economic, political, racial, societal and even ecological.
On February 25 and 26, the two day seminar organized at the Senate Hall of the University of Dhaka brought together 14 scholars from France, Germany, India, Ireland, the USA and Bangladesh. An audience of over 500 attended the high quality lectures and debates which featured a special focus on Bengal and the Great War, with no less than five papers devoted to it.
On February 24, the companion exhibition of the seminar was inaugurated by HE Mr. Michel Trinquier, Ambassador of France to Bangladesh, Dr. Ferdinand von Weyhe, Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy in Dhaka, and Mr.KH Masood Siddiqui, Secretary of the Ministry of the Liberation War Affairs of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The exhibition comprised 35 rare photographs of Indian, Indo-Chinese, Irish, and African colonial troops as well as of Chinese laborers, supplemented by specially-designed explanatory panels and maps. In Dhaka alone, the exhibition has been seen by over 5,000 people at La Galerie, the Liberation War Museum, the Radius Centre and the French International School.
Currently touring the major Alliances françaises in India, "War and Colonies, the Exhibition" is to be shown at Alliance française de Chittagong in November,together with an international roundtable on the theme of the centenary, during which scholars from Bangladesh and abroad will discuss a variety of topics related to this anniversary. A French film festival on the centenary will also take place on this occasion.
"War and colonies, 1914-1918" has been awarded the official label of the Mission du Centenaire in France. It has received extensive coverage in Bangladeshi mediaand also in France, with reports on French public radio, articles in international television channel France 24, Le Monde, and in the English-speaking website centenarynews.com. The official website of the event, warandcolonies.com, offers a press review, the abstracts of the papers as well as a virtual visit of the exhibition.
"War and colonies, 1914-1918" demonstrates what the Alliances françaises in Bangladesh, part of a network of over 800 Alliances in 137 countries, are all about: more than mere French language teaching outfits, they are local institutions with a special link to France, whose mission it is to promote dialogue and cooperation between France and Bangladesh.
Created in 1959 and 1965 respectively, the Alliances françaises of Dhaka and Chittagong have, over the years, gained recognition as major cultural centers, organizing, with the support of the French Embassy and in cooperation with institutional partners and sponsors, regular events such as the Francophonie Week and the Fête de la Musique, but also dance, music, film and theater festivals, exhibitions and conferences,welcoming participants from Bangladesh and abroad.
For more information about the Alliances françaises in Bangladesh, visit: www.afdhaka.org, www.facebook.com/groups/afchittagong, and contact: reception@afdhaka.org and info@af-chittagong.org.