Brac will organise a three-day festival of culture, stories, crafts, music and art next month to mark 50 years of its founding.
The “Hope Festival” will be held at the Bangladesh Army Stadium in the capital on February 9, 10 and 11. It will be open to all and one just needs to visit https://brachopefestival.net/ to register for the event.
Hope Festival aims to inspire conversations around five key focus areas, namely education, financial empowerment, gender equality, climate change and mental health.
To build a community of changemakers and find innovative ways of addressing these social issues, it will provide a platform for everyone to submit their ideas to tackle these social challenges.
People can submit their ideas online while registering for the festival and shortlisted ideators will get to share their ideas, connect and partner with other changemakers.
Asif Saleh, executive director of Brac Bangladesh and Tamara Hasan Abed, managing director of Brac Enterprises, made the announcement Thursday in Dhaka.
“We believe that social change can’t be brought without partnerships. We have to come forward with new and innovative solutions to deal with these challenges. Building on the potential of the youth, we need to work together to meet the challenges of the future,” Asif said.
“Through this festival, we aim to get everyone on board today to solve the social challenges of tomorrow.”
Tamara said: “Fifty years of working with people, believing in their potential and organising the people to help them turn their lives around, this distinct approach to development, which Brac stands for, is now being lauded the world over for its efficacy. We want to share insights we get from the ground with everyone.”
The three-day festival will cover three thematic areas with the first day (February 9) dedicated to a tribute to Bangladesh.
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On the second day (February 10), Hope Festival’s celebrations will be centred around showcasing the potential of people to transform their lives.
Festivities of the final day will lay out a vision for an equitable and prosperous future for all by sparking a discussion on the pathways to building the world we want.
At Hope Festival, there will be open workshops with artisans, cartoonists, and urban greenscapers at the festival. People will get to stroll through a world of inspiration, experiencing bioscopes, puppet shows, human libraries, children’s play areas, and exhibits showcasing the power of hope.
To inspire the youth to take ownership of solving social challenges, a group of young changemakers will be felicitated at the festival for their contributions through the Amra Notun Network Young Changemakers Award.
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Also, TAAGA Outstanding Young Professionals Award will be given out at the festival to women for their contributions to the workplace.
Every day the festivities will be topped off with cultural performances in the evening by some of the biggest names from the cultural sphere of Bangladesh.
Fazlur Rahman Babu, Nagar Baul (James), Arnob, Artcell, Lalon band and Nemesis will enthral the audience with their live performances. Bengal Parampara Sangeetalay will stage a special session.
Source: United News of Bangladesh