Korail is a place where people from across Bangladesh come together, weaving countless stories of life and resilience daily.
Three years ago, Paraa Bangladesh, supported by the Goethe-Institut Bangladesh, began working in Korail to explore ways to establish a cultural center. Over the past decade, Paraa has focused on research-based architecture, and this project aims to create a hub for culture and capacity building that connects Korail residents with the city.
The initiative started with a community survey to understand what kind of cultural hub the residents of Korail desired. Incorporating their input, Paraa developed a model cultural center, which has now taken shape in Ershad Field. Named “Machan,” meaning a stage or elevated platform, it symbolizes a venue for the community to share their stories with the outside world and work for the greater good. To ensure the center’s sustainability, Paraa has also formed a caretaker team consisting of local youth and residents to manage its operations and nurture future leadership.
Supported by the German Federal Foreign Office’s Cultural Economy Project, Floating e.V., and Goethe-Institut Bangladesh, the project aims to showcase Korail as a vibrant “City of Culture.”
To inaugurate the cultural center, a four-day festival called “Moja-Kori” will be held on December 6, 7, 13, and 14. The festival will feature exhibitions, art installations, screenings, discussions, performances, games, and competitions. Workshops will teach skills such as creating products from waste, natural dyeing, sculpture-making, and photography. Performances will include music from Betaal, Ghashphoring Choir, Swambhu, among others.
The festival venues include the newly built cultural center “Machan,” Ershad Field, alleyways, rickshaw garages, and SHALA_Neighborhood Art Space. Paraa has also organized a design competition with 100 architecture students imagining the future landscape of Dhaka and Korail, with winning entries to be showcased during the festival.
Earlier this year, the Korail: City of Culture project hosted an artist residency program with nine groups, whose works will also be displayed. With these initiatives, Machan begins its journey as a hub for culture, skill exchange, and storytelling, aiming to connect the Korail community with the wider world.