Several renowned cultural organisations hosted various events across the country to celebrate the 52nd Victory Day of Bangladesh with festivities.

Organisations and institutions, namely Bangla Academy, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), Chhayanaut, Liberation War Museum (LWM), Sammilita Sangskritik Jote, Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigosthi and others hosted cultural shows and discussions at different venues on Friday and Saturday.

The festivities in the city began with a three-day ‘Bijoymela’ organised by Bangla Academy on December 15 at its Nazrul Mancha. State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid inaugurated the event, which was comprised of a seminar on December 15 at the Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad Auditorium.

Bangla Academy staff alongside its Director General poet Nurul Huda placed floral wreaths at the National Martyrs Memorial on Victory Day, and the ‘Bijoymela’ was concluded on Saturday.

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) staff and artistes also placed floral wreaths at the National Martyrs’ Memorial and organised several cultural events throughout Friday. The cultural shows comprised patriotic songs, recitations, dance and a special performance segment with child artists at the Nandan Mancha on the BSA, featuring child artistes from Sporsho Braille, and a dance recital by differently abled children’s troupe Karishma Cultural Group.

Returning after two years since its maiden edition in 2015, cultural institution Chhayanaut organised a programme at the Dhaka University Central Playground featuring solo and group songs, recitations and dance recitals. The event was on a hiatus due to Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and Dhaka University Birth Centenary events in 2021. 

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Chhayanaut artistes performed eight group songs and two solo songs compiled with dance recitals, and recitations by Jayanto Chattopadhyay at the event. The festivity concluded at 4:31 pm with a group song performance along with the audience, marking the exact moment when the Pakistan Military surrendered to the allied forces of Bangladesh and India in 1971.

Liberation War Museum (LWM) organised different programmes at the museum’s auditorium and Jalladkhana Killing Field in Mirpur on the day as part of its eight-day ‘Bijoy Utsab 2022.’ The museum’s programmes featured cultural performances by different educational institutions, baul songs, commemorative speeches on Friday and a rendezvous of freedom fighters on Saturday.

Sammilita Sangskritik Jote, as part of its eight-day ‘Bijoy Utsab 2022,’ organised various cultural programs at various locations throughout the capital, including Central Shaheed Minar, Rayerbazar Killing Field, Motijheel T&T Colony Field, and Purbachal Joy Bangla Square. These included music performances, plays, dance recitals, solo and group recitations, and performances by children's organisations.

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Among other organisations, Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigosthi members placed floral wreaths at National Martyrs’ Memorial on Friday morning, paying tribute to the freedom fighters while Geetanjali Lalitkala Academy organised a programme marking the 52nd Victory Day at the Bangabandhu Mukta Mancha at Uttara featuring discussion and cultural shows on Saturday.

Besides, several ongoing art exhibitions draw massive crowds in the city on Friday and Saturday, namely the 19th Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh at BSA and ‘Struggle,’ an exclusive exhibition of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin’s exclusive artworks at Gallery Chitrak in Dhanmondi.