Encouraging international co-operation in cultural and creative sectors of Bangladesh

The Ministry of Cultural Affairs (MoCA) takes the lead in international cultural co-operation in the various cultural domains of Bangladesh. MoCA provides support to outwardand inward mobility of cultural professionals. It also provides opportunities to Bangladeshi cultural professionals to access international training.
In 2016, under the the Government of Bangladesh's cultural exchange programme with the People's Republic of China, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy facilitated and supported sending 10 young students of acrobatics and circus arts to China for a yearlong training. A further 10 young artists were sent in 2017.
This training builds on on-going support by the Government to developing the circus arts. In 2012 in Rajbari district,the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy formed an acrobatic troupe and supported it with a training programme. This training programme was organized under the Government's cultural exchange programme with the Republic of Korea. Along with this, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy also arranged two more workshops for young acrobats. The newly-formed acrobatic troupe performed 10 stage shows in that year. From 2013 to 2019, the troop performed 230 performances nationwide. Given this success, the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy has arranged a further 13 acrobatic workshops nationwide to encourage the new generation and build new performers in the circus arts.
Under the cultural exchange programme with the People's Republic of China (organised with support from the Chinese government), the Ministry of Cultural Affairs has hosted international acrobatic troupes in Bangladesh, through the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. In 2017, 2018 and 2019, three Chinese acrobatic teams visited and performed in Bangladesh.
In Bangladeshi culture, puppetry has a long history and deep connection with people's lives. To promote this rich culture of Bangladesh,the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs have taken many initiatives since 2012. An award was introduced to recognize contributions in the puppetry sector. In addition to that, Bangladesh started to celebrate World Puppetry Day annually. The BangladeshShilpakala Academyhas arranged several workshops on puppetry.Furthermore, a puppetry theatre festival is also organized in order to promote the medium among the new generation. Because of all these efforts, Bangladesh has participated in world puppetry festivals in Thailand and Indonesia in the last three yearsand have dazzled international audiences with their performance.
The Ministry of Cultural Affairs, in association with the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy,also promotes international co-operation in other artistic disciplines. Notable among them, in last few years are art, theatre and photography related activities. To promote collaboration among international and national artists communities, a SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) artist camp was organized in 2014. In the same year, the second edition of the Dhaka Art Summit was organized through a collaboration of two parties,the Samdani Art Foundation andtheBangladesh Shilpakala Academy. It featured a wide range of programmes including five curatorial exhibitions by international and Bangladeshi curators and 14 solo art projects curated by the Summit's Chief Curator, Diana Campbell Betancourt. The Summit showcased celebrated artists from across South Asia; a city-wide Public Art Project in Dhaka; performances; screenings of experimental films; a paneldiscussion; and, the participation of 15 Bangladeshi and 17 South Asia-focused galleries.
Theatre is one of the main streams of cultural activities of Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy is the main governing body for theatre activities from the government side. Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy arranges a wide range of training programmes to build the capacity of practitioners. It also facilitates and produces plays. Furthermore, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy provides the space and venue for theatre performances. To encourage collaboration, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy arranges international theatre festivals and theatre shows. In continuation to that, Russian 'Chekhov Studio' came to Bangladesh and staged Chekhov's 'The Seagull' and 'The Bear'. In 2017,the first Asian Theatre Summit was organized as well. The main objectives of this summit were:
* To establish a strong network among Asian theatre institutions and leading scholars and artists of Asian region
* To facilitate exchange of information
* To explore opportunities for collaborations
* To promote cultures of Asian region to other part of the world

Additionally, to promote photography and encourage international collaboration, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs supported Drik and Pathshala to organize the International Festival Of Photography popularly known as 'Chobimela'. Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, as part of theMinistry Of Cultural Affairs, provided the venue in 2015 and 2017 as a partner of the event. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also helped the organizers regarding the inflow of the artists and cultural professionals from various parts of the world.
The Ministry of Cultural Affairs is working to promote national literature and publishers through its agencies such as the Bangla Academy,the National Library and the Nazrul institute. In 2017, the Nazrul Institute took part in the 41st Kolkata International Book Fair in India . From 2015 to 2017, the National Library took part in the Frankfurt International Book Fair. In 2017, it also took part in the Jeddah Book Fair in Saudi Arabia.Apart from these, the Bangla Academy arranges the 'EkushayBookFair' (popularly known as "Amar EkushayBoiMela") in the month of February each year to honour and commemorate the glorious sacrifices of the language martyrs of the Language Movement of 21 February, 1952.It starts on 1st February every year and continues throughout the month. It is the longest book fair of the world. No book fair of any other country continues for so long as one month. The fair has grown progressively with each year. The Book Fair began its journey in 1972 by selling books of the Academy on a commission basis in the premises of the Bangla Academy. From the beginning of the fair, private publishing organizations also joined. In 1984, it was named 'Amar EkusheyGranthamela'. The fair venue was extended to Suhrawardy Udyan in 2014. After that,Amar Ekushey Book Fair has been held on the Bangla Academy premises (3 Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Dhaka-1000) and its adjoining Suhrawardy Udyan - the total area for the fair is about 27,870 sqm (300,000sqft). Every year, around 3500-4500 new books on different disciplines are published. In 2019, sales reached about Bangladeshi Taka (BDT) 650-770 million. More than 500publishing houses, government organizations, NGOs and research institutes participate in this book fair.
Seminars and discussions on literature, culture, publications, history and heritage are held during the Amar Ekushey book fair in the Bangla Academy premises. Renowned national and international artists, writers and intellectuals participate in these programmes. The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism supports the event by facilitating the mobility of international cultural professionals.