From Dhaka to the World

In conversation with the Directors of Dhaka Lit Fest, as the 10th edition of the literary festival unfolds. 

How has Dhaka Lit Fest evolved since its inception in 2011?

Some of the evolution is clear. Starting as a one-day pilot on smaller premises, our tenth edition will be a four-day literary feast on the sprawling grounds of Bangla Academy. This is in direct response to the yearly growth in visitor numbers that we have seen, amongst whom the majority have been the youth and young professionals. The shift was befitting, Bangla Academy being the heart of our culture and literature. We are now the Dhaka Literary Festival and Dhaka and Bangladesh are now rightly, at the centre. We are proud to have evolved from any colonial hangover to a point where we are doing it on our terms. Our speakers value us more because of the success we have seen as Dhaka Lit Fest, thereby adding to that success and aiding us in sustaining the growth. The other area of evolution has come from the many consequences and initiatives of the festival. We, as Dhaka Lit Fest, regularly talk to and participate in literary and socio-cultural exchanges globally, thereby making Bangladesh more present in such conversations. We have seen a growth in the number of Bangladeshi writers being published in India, the UK, the US and elsewhere. Bangla literature is reaching foreign shores in English translations more consistently, in no small part due to initiatives like the Dhaka Translation Centre, which is intrinsically linked to the festival. Each of these things results in increased attention to Bangladesh’s culture and literature on the global stage and the world wanting to communicate with us more. 

As the pandemic has catalysed mass digitisation, an increasing number of people are leaning towards audiovisual content rather than static content; how does that affect how literature is practised?

The Western publishing industry, which is the driving force behind world literature, has long been notoriously traditional. A sea change was supposed to come with the proliferation of blogs and e-books. Instead, the industry subsumed these and maintained the status quo. Similarly, audiobooks are nothing new, audio streaming platforms and mobile phones have simply made them more accessible. While coupled with e-books, these only make literature more available at lower prices, people still need that personal touch and yearn for a personal connection. Literature continues to thrive on this. Changes brought on by the pandemic were short-lived, to adapt to special circumstances. The publishing industry and literature, like all professions, used digital tools to stay afloat. Digitisation has altered things for the writer, though. Previously, they could afford to be reclusive. All the world would see would be their books and the rare interview. Contemporary writers don’t have that luxury, unfortunately. People want to hear from them constantly. 

It isn’t a coincidence that the export of Bangladeshi culture has become more prevalent since the Dhaka Lit Fest became a mainstay of the global literary calendar.

Over the years, DLF has been an inspiring platform for our local writers, artists and filmmakers. How does DLF help them further in their professional endeavours?

A literary festival, by its very nature, doesn’t actively participate in the professional endeavours of new, aspiring and existing writers. There are positive consequences of a literary festival, of course. Readership and book sales increase, writers become better equipped and more writers become established as a result of the increased attention from the industry, media awareness of literature rises etc. It isn’t a coincidence that the export of Bangladeshi culture has become more prevalent since the Dhaka Lit Fest became a mainstay of the global literary calendar. What can the festival do for the locals? It can continue to bring the best in the world to Bangladesh so that the education our writers and readers receive is enhanced by exposure to the best in the world. Additionally, it can continue to raise the banner of Bangladesh to the global publishing, filmmaking and associated industries. It can, as it has done in the past, force the need for writing and translating initiatives, for workshops and seminars all year round, by creating the hunger and the demand, and it can continue to incorporate this in its programming. 

The long-awaited 10th edition of Dhaka Lit Fest is almost here, after a three-year hiatus. Looking at the list of speakers, which includes two Nobel laureates, it is clear that this edition will be one to remember. How challenging was it to get such a diverse range of reputed speakers from across the world as well as locally?

We don’t see it as a hiatus. The world was caught unprepared and thrown into turmoil by a pandemic that experts had warned us about for some time. We paused as the world suffered, and return now that things are beginning to settle, to reiterate our unwavering commitment to intellectualism in a world that has been removed from it. We had always intended to make our tenth edition special, to celebrate an important milestone. When we started, it was difficult to make prospective participants enthusiastic about Dhaka. Over time, we have managed to establish ourselves as an important festival. Those credentials, together with the positive experiences of past guests, many of whom have become our well-wishers, have made it easier to approach literary luminaries. However, if this wasn’t a labour of love, and if we didn’t believe in the cultural significance of Bangladesh, we would neither have put in the hard yards over the past decade nor undertake the still extraordinary effort required for the annual final dash to the finishing line that is each edition of the festival. This year was no different. If anything, the long tail of Covid-19 has made some things more challenging. That only makes us prouder of the strong line-up we have curated for our audience. 

When we started, it was difficult to make prospective participants enthusiastic about Dhaka. Over time, we have managed to establish ourselves as an important festival. Those credentials, together with the positive experiences of past guests, many of whom have become our well-wishers, have made it easier to approach literary luminaries.

One of DLF’s missions is to facilitate constructive discussion. Do you believe there are shortcomings in the way different segments of our society engage in dialogues?

Absolutely – and this is a global deficiency. Intellectual discussions and debates foster an environment of thirsting for and acquiring knowledge. We have upended that. As a species, we have gone from knowing that we know nothing – the foundations of intellectualism – to believe we know everything. Ironically, as access to information has become easier than ever, we have renounced the value of knowledge and shunned looking for information, so firm are we in the belief that we know everything because we read 240 characters spelling out a half-baked idea instead of 240 pages of intelligent discourse, stringing a plethora of brilliant ideas together. Intelligent, much less intellectual discussions and debates have given way to a cacophony of fools racing to the bottom by seeing who can shout nonsense the loudest. DLF subscribes to the ideal, forgotten world of revering and requiring intellectualism, and hopes to make us all aspire to it. 

What has been the most rewarding aspect of co-founding a platform like the DLF?

Working with friends united over common loves and principles, committing to these matters, which are far more important than any of us, and making new, like-minded friends along the way. 

We understand that the festival had to be postponed due to the global pandemic. Did the extra time allow you to plan the festival better?

The festival has been running for long enough that we have become efficient with planning it well. There is, of course, a difference between idealised planning and pragmatic planning. We have made a habit of aiming high, to deliver the best possible festival every time. Not everything we want to do is possible, however. It is a process of dreaming big, then waking up and seeing how much of the dream is feasible in reality. The pandemic has complicated matters. The global economy has been struggling. Governments and corporations are hesitant about investing in culture. Additionally, people have re-evaluated their priorities in light of the pandemic. Some of the biggest names in literature no longer want to be far from home, especially not travel long distances. Such developments have brought new challenges to our planning. On the other hand, the pandemic helped people see the immeasurable value of culture, literature and intellectualism. We have focused on this in our planning. The world is in dire need of knowledge. The return of the festival after the enforced hiatus is, for us, a renewal of our vows, a reassertion of our unwavering faith in knowledge and its proliferation.

The enthusiasm surrounding literature, even in our native language, is dominant in niche segments of our population. Do festivals like DLF play a role in generalising the interest?

That has always been our hope. Literature is for everyone. We especially want every single person to have access to it, hence DLF being the largest free literary festival. By continuing to open it to the entire population, we want to demystify the rarefied reputation literature has incorrectly gained. A society is only as good as its least fortunate. Societal progress, therefore, is entirely dependent on an absolute egalitarian approach to the dissemination of literature, knowledge and intellect.  

On the other hand, the pandemic helped people see the immeasurable value of culture, literature and intellectualism. We have focused on this in our planning. The world is in dire need of knowledge. The return of the festival after the enforced hiatus is, for us, a renewal of our vows, a reassertion of our unwavering faith in knowledge and its proliferation.

What are some of the highlights that visitors should look forward to?

As a festival director, it is impossible to highlight only some parts of it. If there are highlights, we failed in curating a first class festival, since our objective has to be making every single panel unmissable. There is a reason this year’s festival is the longest ever: we simply couldn’t do justice to over a decade’s worth of hard work and passion in three days. The extra day is still not enough, but it will allow us to prolong the celebration. People will, understandably, be drawn to Nobel laureates Orhan Pamuk and Abdulrazak Gurnah. The latter is one half of a duo of the very best of Africa, the other being Nuruddin Farah. We are especially proud to be able to bring the cream of Africa, as African literature, despite having obvious appeal for South Asians, remains overlooked even by the most ardent readers. DLF participated in raising awareness about the climate crisis during the pandemic, so it is only natural that we are continuing that commitment at this edition of the festival. Amitav Ghosh leads that charge. Our friend Tilda Swinton returns to her growing horde of loyal fans. It is not only our foreign guests, though. The pandemic claimed leading Bangladeshi intellectuals, whom we had the honour of featuring in past editions. While we mourn their loss, we are showcasing the best of the next generation of writers, from whose numbers new intellectuals must arise.