Past Project
Offie Award nominated
Birangona
Birangona has been Supported by:
History
In a small village, Moryom and her family wait fearfully for its arrival. Every day they
hide from the army in the pond behind
their house, while across the country
women are disappearing from streets
and homes. When the storm finally
hits, it will tear away everything.
Script Samina Luthfa & Leesa Gazi
Director Filiz Ozcan
Designer Caitlin Abbott
Videography Fahmida Islam
Vocalist Sohini Alam
Artwork by Caitlin Abbott, from
original photo by Naib Uddin Ahmed
Birangona means ‘Brave Woman’.
In the 1971 Bangladesh War of
Independence from Pakistan, more than 200,000
women and girls were systematically raped and tortured.
After Bangladesh gained independence these women were ignored by a society where rape is seen as a source of shame for the victim. They were silenced, ostracised and forgotten - we want to help break this silence. The piece uses physical performance, choreography and animation interwoven with films of the real Birangona women's accounts to tell their stories.
In August 2013, Komola Collective travelled to Bangladesh to film Birangona women's firsthand accounts and produce a research and development (R&D) theatrical piece based on their footage. Following our UK tour earlier in 2014, we have recently toured our show around Bangladesh, where the play was originally created.
The year is 1971; the war of independence tears through Bangladesh, and no part of the country is left untouched.
Amidst this unrest and violence, Moryom still remembers the calming details of her life before: the taste of tamarind, the smell of her mother, holding her husband’s hand. But the Kalbosheki Storm is coming.
