In a first, Bangladesh has developed a new Bangla sign language for those suffering from deafness. At the recently concluded First South Asian Disability Theatre Festival in Dhaka, all the productions made space for one such practitioner to be present on stage throughout to use the new Bangla sign language and help those with deafness to follow the productions.
The high point of the two-day festival was actress Shimul Yousuf's unique presentation of the Bangladesh national anthem that also had renditions by those with disabilities using the Bangla sign language.
The festival, a joint venture of Dhaka Theatre and British Council Dhaka, also had in participation a theatre group of Bengal that staged a Bengali adaptation of TS Eliot's 'The Wasteland' and had in attendance Kolkata's blind singer Saayani Palit. For those with hearing impairments who can’t hear the claps, the festival encouraged viewers to raise their hands and applaud. It was a sight to watch all hands go up in the air and wave whenever a performance deserved to be acknowledged.
This inclusive theatre festival was part of the International Disability Art Festival 2024-Bangladesh that took place at Dhaka's Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
The festival hosted 10 productions - Ramesh Meyyappan’s “’71 in Silence”, Mostiafiz Shahin’s “Circus Circus”, “Quazi Nawshaba Ahmed’s “Tribeni”, Esha Yousuf and Rafiqul Islam’s “Kendro Borabor Surangotir Naam Prithibi”, Sanjay Ganguly’s “Wasteland – A Journey”, Shamim Sagar’s “Otopor Karim Bawali”, Samiun Jahan Dola’s “Shongoti”, Al Zabir’s “Kajol Rekha”, Aamir Zaman’s “Pittrigon” and Ashim Das’ “Shwapno Kahon”.
Nasiruddin Yousuff, founder and director of Dhaka Theatre, told TOI: “Many of the productions have actors with disabilities performing alongside regular performers. My biggest takeaway is the synergy of two languages of theatre giving birth to a third and unique art form,” he said.
Bangladesh already has its own Bangla sign language. But some limitations emerged when the training for these productions began. Said Souradeep Dasgupta, arts programme manager, British Council: "Bangla sign language did not have a lot of words that are used for theatre. Thus, it was a challenge to figure out the closest sets of words to describe those theoretical words. At one point, we realized that the language developed itself subconsciously - it was a wonderful finding for us."
Sign language interpreter Ahsan Habib told TOI: "Simultaneous use of sign language and physical acting on stage was first introduced by Dhaka Theatre and British Council. When I am on stage, I don't describe the entire play in sign language. Rather, I get under the skin of the character and become its replica. This ensures that the process of dissemination is inclusive."
What was striking was the high standard of performance of most of the persons with disabilities. Some of them hailed from small towns with almost no exposure to amateur theatre or to other media of arts. One such performer was 24-year-old Md Ibrahim from Barishal. "I was born with a shortened right arm but I always wanted to act and dance," he said.
Ibrahim threw caution to the wind and took the stage by storm with his natural acting and effortless dance moves. For those like Palit, attending this festival was a learning experience.
"Anyone who met me described their physical appearance verbally during our first introduction. They mentioned the colour of the sari/kurta and hair. Since I can't see, this introduction helped me visualise a person easily. I have never encountered this gesture in India and I hope we can encourage people to do that here as well,” she said.
Source: The Times of India
BDST: 1234 HRS, MAY 09, 2024
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