Graffiti: Prof Yunus requests US delegation to look at walls of Dhaka
UNB, Dhaka :
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Sunday presented an art book on graffiti of Bangladesh to the visiting US delegation after they met him at the State guesthouse Jamuna.
The book carries photos of some of the finest art works drawn during the student-led revolution in July-August by students and young people on the walls of Dhaka and other cities and towns.
“I will request you to look at the walls of Dhaka. These graffiti still exist. They were drawn not just after the revolution. Students defied the government forces to draw graffiti during the protests in July,” the Chief Adviser told US delegates.
The Chief Adviser commissioned the art book immediately after he was sworn in as the head of the interim government, said the Chief Adviser’s press wing.
Prof Yunus spoke about the historic significance of the graffiti, which depicted emotions, hope, and aspirations of the students and youth who participated in the protests against the “fascist” Sheikh Hasina regime defying brute forces.
Dhaka became the Graffiti Capital after young painters turned its walls into powerful canvases. They wrote slogans and poetry to deliver powerful messages.
The messages reflect the spirit of the revolution and the aspirations for a discrimination-free Bangladesh.
The Chief Adviser recalled how students used their artworks to deliver messages with the support of people from all walks of life. “They did not have the money to buy paint and brushes. People came forward to support them,” he told US delegates.
Brent Neiman, assistant secretary of the US Treasury Department, led the US team during the meeting.
Donald Lu, the US Assistant Secretary of State, Brendan Lynch, Assistant US Trade Representative, Anjali Kaur, Deputy Assistant Administrator; and Jerrod Mason, a Director of the US Treasury Department, were among those present.