Badruzzahan Ahmed talks about the street art project on gender equality
Photographs By Sakib Muhtasim
The efforts to acknowledge women’s rights and equality have been a burning issue for a long time in history. Whether through united protests for suffrage or peaceful solo efforts in securing education, women always have had to embrace various methods for their recognitions and rights. And although the world has advanced far enough to grant women their much deserved recognitions, the battle is far from over and continues in varied forms and scale every day.
This March, through an initiative taken by Dhaka Hub of Global Shaper, the streets of Notun Bazar saw the issues faced by women everyday in Bangladesh expressed in a new form. Fifteen young artists colourfully transformed one stretch of a 125 feet wall to create the project “The InvisiBellas”. The InvisiBellas is an initiative that promotes gender equality and awareness for women through street art. Two of the Global Shapers, Saif Kamal and Kazi Istela Imam revealed that art is undoubtedly an effective and strong means of communication that can connect to its viewers almost instantly. Also, the gender issues in discussion here are no longer meant to be discussed behind closed doors, but rather boldly out in public. The method of street art created awareness generating graphic messages in a span of three days. The project was done successfully and that too with the involvement of the locals of the site. The enthusiastic locals and children went as far as even creating their own images to express how they felt about the issue. Although the list of why we loved “The InvisiBellas” is a long one, but here are 5 reasons why we find it so inspiring.
- ‘The Accepted is Not the Norm’
The InvisiBellas highlights the issues that we seem to have taken for granted, or even worse accepted as the norm. Issues such as a woman having to live her life based on the decisions that others make for her were depicted into art works showing a woman’s dreams contained within her ribs. Pieces such as the ‘Aparajaya’ portrayed acid victims and how they are the true warriors that fight the battle every day. Other issues illustrated were child marriage, objectification of women among others.
- The Participatory Approach
The InvisiBellas created enough buzz among the locals who went from simply being curious onlookers to trying to draw their own ideas on the whole issue. Some of them also participated happily explaining the themes to other passer-bys.
- An Encouragement
A group of young artists, male and female alike, working out doors to create street art! Even the sight of it is a statement to gender equality. An initiative like this where the action speaks a thousand words is truly encouraging for everyone.
- A Persisting Message
Protests, articles, talks and many other forms of women empowerment activities convey their messages, but a graphic art work in a public place remains standing day and night providing the message of gender equality relentlessly.
- An Visually Pleasing Addition to the City
As one of the young local girls had put it, “The creation on the walls is beautiful. Even we feel like looking at something beautiful when we got to school every day”. A street art serves not only as a conveyor of messages but is an asset to a city. The InvisiBellas is not merely a message, but also a visual pleasure in the ever-crowded streets of Dhaka City.
The fifteen young artists of the project were Amit Ashraf, Dibarah Mahboob, Kazi Istela Imam, Liza Hasan, Mahenaz Chowdhury, Maleena Gomez, Md. Humayun Kabir Manik, Md. Kamruzzaman Ratan, Nuhash Humayun, Nuzhat Tabassum, Saiq’a S. Chowdhury, Sayeef Mahmud, Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy, Tanzia Haq and Wasi Ahmed.