Gidree Bawlee’s works rep gone to worldwide platforms. From Switzerland to India, their exhibitions mesmerised their viewers. Its installations raise a history and culture of ethnic minorities a lot like Santal and Burmese folks— that the realm is slowly forgetting.
Nevertheless sooner than it reaches the worldwide stage, it is some distance first displayed within the commence air in Balia Thakurgaon. Everyone comes collectively to field up the installations. Once everything is determined up, the attendants come dressed up for the event. They cook and luxuriate in collectively. They contain the identical enthusiasm as they would for a festival.
Gidree Bawlee’s bolt started in a modest village festival organised by Kamruzzaman Shadhin and his pals within the community where he grew up.
“Afterwards, they came up with the title ‘Gidree Bawlee.’ Gidree methodology youngster, and Bawlee methodology speech. It methodology kid’s babbling in a approach. It doesn’t in actuality rep a meaning and it is moderately nonsensical. It affords it a roguish perspective,” outlined Salma Jamal Moushum, who co-runs the organisation.
Gidree Bawlee’s work basically operates in Thakurgaon. Whereas their work focuses on uplifting the culture of ethnic minorities a lot like one of many oldest communities Santal besides to Barman ethnic minorities, their goal is some distance more effective— but great.
“We deserve to rep an even time our existence collectively with them. In the village, coexistence is prevalent, now not merely with folks however also with non-human beings spherical us,” acknowledged Moushum.
Per Moushum, it is some distance sophisticated to issue how huge their team is — after all, the community has been built with the collective work of the total village.
Nevertheless their organisation consists of varied teams, a lot like ladies folks’s or kid’s teams.
When I first had the dignity of seeing their kid’s team get ‘The Uncommon Vortex’ at Alliance Française de Dhaka, two issues changed into obvious. Before everything, despite being a team of children, the performers had been by no methodology beginner. Secondly, there is a tie between their work and nature.
“We work with artisans, farmers because it is some distance an agricultural community that is exclusively reckoning on its land. Each person you meet there, no topic their occupation, is raring with farming and agriculture in a single methodology or every other,” shared Moushum.
She continues, “Every side of their lives is linked to the land, because it is some distance agriculture-basically based. From fairs to rituals, they’re linked to the agricultural cycle.”
With their culture and customs so intently linked to the land, the folks of Balia and past are feeling the impacts of ecological destruction and local weather trade.
“There frail to be a range of vegetation that the folks would grow support within the day. Now, there are easiest two forms of vegetation. The oldsters also by no methodology frail to deserve to amass seeds, however now they enact. From seeds to fertiliser— they need to amass everything,” acknowledged Moushum.
In a capitalist society, the means to dedicate all our time, vitality and sources to profitable work, to support manufacture a residing, has resulted in a loss in culture. Gidree Bawlee’s work affords an avenue to support sustain culture.
At cases, Gidree Bawlee takes its artisans to the exhibitions where their exhausting work is displayed. It now not easiest connects the viewers to the hands within the support of the craft, however it no doubt also lets the artisans gape how their craft is perceived.
“The journey is particular to them. When the viewers met the artisans, we helped translate their conversations to enable them to tell,” acknowledged Moushum, adding, “Nonetheless, serving to crafts survive without economic support is terribly sophisticated. The influence of capitalism is also felt by the village. Of us are forced to focal level on what sells.”
Gidree Bawlee’s work has a foremost motive. Because the organisation works on a grassroots stage, a obvious gap in data about its culture and history turns into evident. “Well-known of the culture, tune and rituals is misplaced with the older generation so we’ve created an intensive archive by recording everything,” shared Moushum.
With the exception of keeping an archive, the co-runners rep helped support the community to pass down their rituals and customs. “The motive why we work with kids is to support them to search out their culture. In the process, you will terminate up seeing the aged stepping forward and guiding them thru the process. It’s miles a transmission of culture,” acknowledged Moushum.
The organisation preserves Balia’s heritage mostly by arranging fairs. For three years, the organisation has necessary the Shakpitari Fest, comparable to a one-dish celebration. On this event, folks bring dishes the utilization of objects they rep from the land; they cannot say groceries.
“Many attention-grabbing recipes rep come forth as a consequence of this festival. Generally we look dishes made with substances we did now not even know had been safe to eat sooner than. We terminate up with nearly 70-80 dishes.”
One in every of their most famous initiatives used to be ‘Bhumi,’ where the organisation supported rural artisans all around the Covid-19 pandemic. The founder engaged spherical 60 craftsmen to fabricate art work, serving to them cease engaged creatively, besides to supporting them.
The mission used to be then displayed in an exhibition at Kochi in Kerala, India.
One in every of the challenges of their work is funding. Most of their initiatives are either funded by varied organisations or come from the fair initiatives Shadhin and Moushum enact. Gidree Bawlee’s work at the Dhaka Paintings Summit used to be supported by the Samdani Foundation.
When the funding comes from an external organisation, the funds easiest toughen particular initiatives. In varied words, there is just not in actuality a official circulation of profits that repeatedly helps their activities.
“We focal level on our artisans getting paid for his or her work. So, when there is an absence of funds, the workflow turns into worthy slower,” outlined Moushum.
Gumtree Bawlee also confronted every other be concerned in their preliminary days of operation. “Although we are one with the community, there had been cases when about a folks objected to it. Nonetheless, typically, the community is terribly tolerant and welcoming against the arts,” shared Moushum.
Gidree Bawlee mostly operates in Balia Thakurgaon because the team wishes to focal level on making an influence. Every so frequently they had branched out and labored with kids in Khulna, particularly to address the more than a few water crises.
“We mediate that to work with a community it is some distance a need to deserve to cease there and changed into a member of the community. It’s miles more impactful to follow one community moderately than leaving after about a months’ talk over with,” outlined Moushum.
The organisation’s exhausting work has now not gone disregarded. In 2023, Gidree Bawlee obtained the Asia Arts Future Award 2023. To boot they obtained the Paintings Spectrum Awards: South Asia 2018 award within the category of ‘Breaking Unique Floor: Arts in Public Areas
