International Ibsen Conference and Theatre Festival in Dhaka 11 - 20 May 2006
Following the Ibsen commemoration events in several districts in Bangladesh, the main event, International Ibsen Conference and Theatre Festival, orgainsed by Center for Asian Theatre in co-operation with Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy and the Norwegian Embassy, was inaugurated by Ambassador Aud Lise Norheim on 11 May 2006. ATM Ataur Rahman, Secretary, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, was present as Guest of Honour. After the inauguration, Key Note Speaker for the conference Norwegian author Merete Morken Andersen, gave a lecture on Ibsen's famous play An Enemy of the People .
The International Ibsen Conference and Theatre Festival comprises the most comprehensive programme of the Ibsen Commemoration 2006 in Bangladesh. Several renowned Ibsen experts present papers at the conference, for instance Prof. Kabir Chowdhury from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, Prof. Mitsuya Mori, from Seijo University, Japan, Prof. Jon Nygaard, Centre for Ibsen Studies, Norway and author Merete Morken Andersen, Norway. The Theatre Festival features theatre groups from Bangladesh, India, Japan, Nepal, Pakistan and Taiwan performing e.g. adaptations of Ghosts, Pillars of Society, An Enemy of the People, A Doll's House and Peer Gynt. In addition, stage productions by several Bangladeshi Universities under the title "Ibsen Plays through young eyes" can also be seen during the festival. At the inaugural ceremony, Ibsen Awards were presented to Ebrahim Alkazi, India and Terje Mærli, Norway. A touring exhibition from the Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs named To be a Poet is to See, as well as a local art exhibition Images of Ibsen's life and plays, containing more than 30 paintings by renowned Bangladeshi artists were inaugurated on 11 May. Film Shows and publications of Ibsen books in Bangla are also on the agenda.
You can read more about the entire Ibsen commemoration in Bangladesh in an article published by the Norwegian Embassy in the National Day supplemet of Norway on 17 May in The Daily Star, an English daily in Dhaka. Read the article here.