Salaams and secular greetings from Dhaka. If you recall I blogged about a major Paris based exhibition on Bangladesh called “Shonar Bangla.” One aspec

Salaams and secular greetings from Dhaka. If you recall I blogged about a major Paris based exhibition on Bangladesh called “Shonar Bangla.” One aspect of the programme was a major exposition of films and documentaries about Bd. Another part of it was to display, for the first time outside Bangladesh, recently unearthed and priceless archaeological objects….I say “was” because, ooh la la, the organisers have hit a snag. Various Bangladeshi cultural activists and intellectuals were alerted to the lack of process and procedure in the shipment of these objects, lack of accountability, and deficiency in the sums insured. They took the matter to court and there is now a 2 month stay order on these objects (scheduled to be shown in Paris in less than a month)! Mon dieu indeed! The presitigious Guimet is in a bit of a pickle, and I suspect the local French ambassador here in Dhaka is busy twisting arms.

I must say I was a bit peeved when I asked the Museum to check the versions of two documentaries I have been involved in and to make sure they show the latest versions. It has taken 4 months, and I still have no answer! Rather insultingly, but in a sweet french way of course, they informed me I would not have to pay to attend the shows…. If that is how small issues are handled…then, sacre bleu, how are they managing the biggers ones? And from our point of view, i am glad that we are not simply surrendering precious artefacts without any kind of process. Perhaps some of this concern will rub off and be of assistance to those desperately trying to save our heritage sites.
Here is their blurb about the stuff ( which I reproduce in full from http://www.museeguimet.fr/Masterpieces-of-Gange-delta ) :

Bangladesh possesses an immensely important cultural heritage, this arising from the fact that the eastern half of Bengal has been one of the cultural richest regions of the Indian world; a vision far from the catastrophic one that the western world often tends to favour.