8th Dhaka Lit Fest kicks off in Dhaka

Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor, along with actor-director Nandita Das, Pulitzer-winning author Adam Johnson, festival directors Kazi Anis Ahmed, Sadaf Saaz and Ahsan Akbar, inaugurates the Dhaka Lit Fest 2018. Photo l jaki zaman

The 8th edition of Dhaka Lit Fest (DLF), an internationally recognised literary festival, kicked off at Abdul Karim Shaihittya Bisharad Auditorium of Bangla Academy yesterday. Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor formally inaugurated the festivity around 11 am in presence of award winning director Nandita Das and Pulitzer Prize winner author Adam Johnson and event directors.

Praising the efforts of the hosts, Asaduzzaman Noor said DLF always holds principles that promote secularism and diversity.

The ruling government is always keen to extend support for sectors like art and science, he added. He also said events like DLF should be encouraged as such ventures help our youth to grow a culture of contemplation rather than ignorance.

Producer and director of DLF 2018 Sadaf Saaz said that they have always tried to stand by the literary figures that have been intimidated and even killed for their beliefs since the inception of the event.

Other two co-directors of the event, K Anis Ahmed and Ahsan Akbar also spoke on the occasion. During her brief speech, noted Indian director Nandita Das thanked the organizers for arranging such an extraordinary event on literature.

Pulitzer Prize winning author Adam Johnson resonated with her in his speech. Meanwhile, a Kathak Dance segment was held before the inaugural session while the inauguration ceremony was followed by a dialogue session featuring Adam Johnson, David Biello, James Meek, Nisid Hajari and Courtney Hodell.

More than 200 speakers, authors and poets including Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Mohammad Hanif, Tilda Swinton and Manisha Koirala are participating in over 90 sessions of DLF. Main attractions of the Dhaka Lit Fest include dialogue sessions covering literature and art, film screening, book launching and several cultural performances. The festival will continue from 9am to 7:30 pm in each day till November 10. The 8th Dhaka Lit Fest is hosted by Bangla Academy with Dhaka Tribune and Bangla Tribune as the Title Sponsors while Brack Bank is the key sponsor along with British Council, a strategic partner of the event.

Editor: John Li