City Desk :
Four members of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy’s (BSA) governing board have resigned, citing concerns over the institution’s “illegal” activities.
The resignations, submitted on Wednesday, include prominent figures such as Azad Abul Kalam, Samina Lutfa Nitra, Layeqa Bashir, and Rachel Perris, who formally handed their resignation letters to the Academy’s Director-General Sheikh Rezauddin Ahmed Stalin, bdnews24.com. Azad and Nitra, in their resignation letters, expressed their refusal to associate with what they termed as “illegal” actions within the Academy.
Azad wrote, “I see the council’s dysfunction and the personal autocracy as a grave injustice to the martyrs of the 2024 Uprising. As long as Shilpakala operates unlawfully, I will not take responsibility for its actions, as the council has been deliberately sidelined and made ineffective.”
Nitra echoed similar sentiments, saying: “The operations of Shilpakala Academy are not being conducted according to the law, and I do not wish to be involved in any illegal activities.”
Both members expressed their concern over the intentional sidelining of the board and the lack of legal adherence in the Academy’s administration.
The resignations come amid a backdrop of ongoing disputes and mismanagement at the Shilpakala Academy, which saw significant leadership changes last year.
On Aug 5, following the fall of the Awami League government, former DG Liaquat Ali Lucky resigned, leading to the appointment of theatre director and researcher Professor Syed Jamil Ahmed in September.
The Academy’s restructuring under the 1989 Shilpakala Academy Act took place on Oct 17, 2023. Following this, a new board was constituted, with members including renowned cultural figures such as Layeqa from Chhayanaut, dancer Perris, and Nitra from Dhaka University.
However, despite the restructuring, the board has only met once in the past nine months, under the tenure of Jamil, with no subsequent meetings called by the Cultural Affairs Advisor Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, even after the resignation of Jamil on Feb 28.
The 1989 Act mandates that the Shilpakala Academy’s board should meet at least once every three months, but this has not been adhered to, leading to accusations of legal non-compliance.
“The 126th meeting, due by Mar 18, has still not been held, which is a serious violation of the law,” said Azad.
“I have not been provided with any information on how the Shilpakala Academy is being managed, yet, as a member of the council, I am held accountable for all decisions made in accordance with the law.”
