GOVERNMENT cultural institutions having remained closed for about a month and a half is unacceptable. Most of the cultural institutions under the ministry of cultural affairs and the ministry of women and children鈥檚 affairs in the capital have remained closed since mid-July, when the student movement turned violent after Awami League fronts and the police attacked student protesters. District-level institutions were also gradually closed during the final days of the student-led mass uprising, which toppled the autocratic Awami regime on August 5, and most of these institutions have yet to become fully functional. Even though an interim government was sworn in on August 8, the authorities have not yet been able to reopen the institutions and begin their operations. Auditoriums, galleries and training activities at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy have, as 抖阴精品 reported on September 2, remained closed since July 20 as the academy premises are being used as a temporary camp by the army. Regular activities of the Bangladesh Shishu Academy, under the ministry of women and children affairs, have also remained closed for over a month now. The central office and auditorium of the academy came under attack by miscreants on August 5, making it difficult for the academy to resume its activities.
The resignation of the director generals of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, the largest government cultural institution, and the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, a platform for cultural and literary activities for children, appear to have put an obstacle to the reopening of these institutions. Cultural organisations and activists have, meanwhile, demanded the reopening of the institutions, saying that a prolonged closure of these institutions will have a negative impact on the country鈥檚 cultural sector and children鈥檚 growth. Besides, cultural activists have demanded reforms to the operational mode of these institutions that came under criticism for playing a partisan role and asked for probes into the alleged corruption and irregularities that earlier pervaded these institutions. The appointment of top officials of government cultural institutions on political grounds has for long been criticised as an impediment to a proper flourishing of the cultural sector. To mention one case in point, the former director general of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, who was appointed for his political affiliation with the now-deposed Awami League, held his position for about 14 years, even though there were many allegations of corruption, misconduct and nepotism against him. Moreover, while government cultural institutions spent huge amounts of money on eyewash projects and programmes, there was little or no support for independent cultural organisations and institutions.
The authorities should, therefore, immediately take steps to reopen the cultural institutions in the capital and across the country. The authorities should also appoint eligible people to run these institutions and should investigate the allegations of corruption and irregularities against the former top officials. The authorities should also support independent cultural organisations and create the environment where they can properly function and flourish.
