All of us were shocked and disheartened after the second verdict of the second tribunal was given and after a war criminal showed the ‘V’ sign after the tribunal handed down its verdict. We refused to remain silent. An international tribunal confirmed that this war criminal was complicit in the killing of 344 people, the raping of an 11 year old girl and the brutal assault of a 2 year old boy, as well as two other serious offences. How then can we accept the fact that this man defiantly celebrated his sentence by showing the victory sign? According to the judgement, his direct involvement was proved beyond any reasonable doubt. How dare he celebrate this!

Such questions plagued the minds of Bangladeshi bloggers and, thus, they called for a protest. We, the youth, joined their call. We, the Bangladeshi youth, felt it was high time that we stand up. It was the right time to protest against such injustice and to stand up against the perpetrators of such heinous crimes who still fail to acknowledge the gravity of their horrible misdeeds. YES, WE JOINED. We gathered at Shahbag to voice our anger at the verdict. But, this call for justice did not end there. What is it then that has enabled this call for justice to endure for ten consecutive days at Shahbag?

Photo:  Youth in Shahbag protest. 

Is it not the slogans which are making us more enthusiastic, more dedicated, more adamant? Are we not shouting loud because we want to be heard? We want the authorities to hear us and listen to our demands, demands which will ensure justice for all victims, particularly for those who suffered during 1971’s liberation war. Is it not the slogans which make us more connected with our hearts, with our passion and desire for justice?

Yes, it is. Nothing else instills in us that excitement and dedication more than a PERFECT FIERY slogan.  Slogans can energize us so intensely. After all, over the years, all over the world, it is slogans that have spearheaded mass movements! The slogans that we are chanting at the Shahbag protest are slogans which we have learned from our very early childhood.  I am sure that all of us heard ‘Joy Bangla’ (Victory for Bangladesh), ‘Tumi ke ami ke, Bangali Bangali’ (who are you, who am I, Bengali Bengali) whenever we watched films on the liberation war.

I was born and brought up in the Rangamati Hill Districts. I remember hearing slogans such as ‘Rokter bonnay veshe jabe onnay’ (through the bloodshed, justice will be established) in my childhood every time any incident oppressing the indigenous peoples took place in my hometown. And now, all of these slogans are being chanted at the Shahbag protest, along with many new and equally exciting ones. The slogans of the Shahbag protest are coming both spontaneously and intentionally.  ‘Ka te Quader Mollah, tui razakar tui razakar’ (Ka for Quader Molla, you are the collaborator) is a spontaneous slogan, whilst a slightly altered slogan such as ‘Tumi ke ami ke, Garo, Chakma, Bangali’ (who are you, who am I, Garo, Chakma, Bangali) is undeniably an intentional slogan, a slogan with a deeper message.

As a member of the indigenous community, I am grateful to the Shahbag protest on personal level. Perhaps not the case from the very beginning, but the crowd did welcome us (the indigenous peoples of Bangladesh) and our distinct identities when we pointed out that we are not Bengali. This movement is unique in that it has not attempted to change our identity in the name of ‘integration’ or ‘nationalism’, as was generally the case before in this very independent and democratic country. Our struggle to be acknowledged and accepted for our distinctiveness was always the “minority’s struggle” and was not seen as part of the national movement. That was until the Shahbag protest.

আমাদের মনে রাখতে হবে, এইদেশে ‘আমরা সবাই’ শুধু বাঙালী নই। জাতিগত নিপীড়ন আর ধর্মীয় সাম্প্রদায়িকতার বিরুদ্ধে লড়াই করতে গিয়ে একসময় এই শ্øোগান উঠেছিলো। কিন্তু এখন বাঙালী বাদেও এইদেশে আরও আছেন চাকমা, মারমা, ত্রিপুরা, সাঁওতাল, গারোসহ আরো অনেকেই। মুক্তিযুদ্ধে তাঁদের রক্তও মিশেছে বাঙালী শহীদের সঙ্গে। তাঁদের অনেকে যুদ্ধ করেছেন, নির্যাতিত হয়েছেন। তাঁরা এই আন্দোলনেও আছেন। সংখ্যা যাই হোক তাঁদের অস্তিত্ব স্বীকার করা, এই বৈচিত্রকে ধারণ করাই প্রকৃত গণতন্ত্র। মনে রাখতেই হবে, জাতিগত নিপীড়ন, বৈষম্য আর অস্বীকৃতির বিরুদ্ধে লড়াই করেই আমরা বাংলাদেশ এনেছিলাম।

“We have to remember, “everybody” is not Bengali.” Bangladeshi economist  Anu Mohammad, also member secretary of the national committee to protect oil, gas, mineral resources, power and ports, speaking about the contribution of Bangladesh’s minority’s in 1971. Source: Facebook

What makes the Shahbag protest unique is that it is not simply another case of the majority showcasing their power and rule, but rather a convergence of all Bangladeshis, from all spheres of life, from diverse and unique cultural groups, coming together in unity and the belief in a common cause.

Another inclusive slogan which has been chanted over and over for the last few days is:

“তুমি কে, আমি কে?           Who are you , Who am I
– আমরা মুক্তিযোদ্ধা             We are the freedom fighter.
– আমরা সাম্যবাদী              We are the equity seeker
– আমরা মানবতা বাদী        We are humanist

– আমরা নারীবাদী              We are feminists
– আমরা বিপ্লবী                  We are revolutionary

– আমরা গনতন্ত্রী                We are democratic
– আমরা কৃষকের সন্তান      We are children of farmers
– আমরা শ্রমিকের সন্তান      We are children of labourers.

Admittedly there are some slogans in the Shahbag Protest which are too some extent disturbing i.e: “Ekta Ekta Shibir Dhor, Dhoira dhoira Jobai kor” (lets slaughter the Islamic extremists) or “Razakar er chamra, tule nebo amra” (we will peel Razakar’s skin). But, despite this occurring, people of the movement have spoken against such disturbing slogans, a positive sign that the cause is open to reflection and evolution.

It took more than 42 years to build a platform where all groups can join together, each holding their own distinct identities. In this protest, feminists are not feeling abandoned; indigenous peoples are not feeling left out; farmers, labourers, rickshaw pullers are not feeling disrespected. Bangladeshis have come together as one to fight as one against injustice.

The protest at Shahbag represents the dawn of a new day. The sun is on the horizon, slowly rising over Bangladesh. How high it will rise, well, that depends on us.

Reposted from Demotix: http://storify.com/muktasree/inclusion-diversity-in-shahbag