A photo album on Rohingya people titled ‘Rohingya: the stateless refugees in Bangladesh’ by Bayazid Akter was unveiled at an event at Bangladesh National Museum in Dhaka on Saturday.
Prolific photo journalist Bayazid Akter took the varied images of the forcibly displaced Rohingya people, and it was his 7th solo photography exhibition.
University Grants Commission of Bangladesh (UGC) Chairman Professor Kazi Shahidullah, Awami League Information and Research Secretary Afzal Hussain, Dhaka Tribune Executive Editor Reaz Ahmad, Society for Urban and Rural Advancement (SURA) Executive Director Nilufar Begum, and IZZA Group Director Syeda Afreen Ali inaugurated the photo exhibition by opening the album.
Addressing the event, UGC Chair Kazi Shahidullah described Bayazid Akter's work as a piece of art, and emphasized that these captivating images have meticulously depicted the life of Rohingya people.
He added that every single image of the photo album has a story to tell, and it will raise awareness among the international community to secure basic rights for stateless people.
Speaking during the ceremony, Awami League Information and Research Secretary Afzal Hussain said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has sheltered the forcibly displaced Rohingya people on humanitarian grounds.
He said: “We realize the suffering of the refugees. In 1971 around one crore Bangladeshi people had taken refuge in neighbouring India. Taking into cognizance our perilous journey for independence, and the hapless situation in 1971, Bangladesh sheltered these homeless people of Myanmar.”
Although, Bangladesh opened up its borders, and graciously welcomed these refugees but it cannot afford to host the Rohingya people for too long, and Myanmar has to solve the problem as it was solely responsible for this situation.
Dhaka Tribune Executive Editor Reaz Ahmad told the audience that the photographs in the album do not just chronicle the despair, and hopelessness among Rohingya people, but also stands as a testament to photojournalist Bayazid Akter's efforts to document, and depict their situation.
He reiterated that this photo album would also help promote an understanding of the life, and plight of Rohingya refugees to the international community.
Among others, Nilufar Begum and Syeda Afreen Ali also spoke at the program.
Award-winning photographer Bayazid Akter then showed a slideshow of the selected photographs which he took in between 2000 to 2019 visiting the Rohingya refugee camps as many as 17 times. He gave a brief description of all the images and stories behind taking those shots.
