Drik stands by Palestine on the two-year anniversary of its occupation
In what is now regarded as the deadliest zone for journalists, nearly 300 journalists and media workers have been killed since October 7, Bangladeshi writer and photojournalist Shahidul Alam and activist-health expert Ruhi Akhter set sail with the flotilla to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip. According to the latest reports, Shahidul Alam and fellow activists were detained after entering the red zone, approximately 220 km off Gaza's coast.
In these two years, the occupation has killed almost 10% of the Palestinian population. The entire population is experiencing a Phase 5 level of food insecurity and at least 459 people, including 154 children, have died due to starvation. Although the ships carry approximately $110,000 in aid, it is insufficient. The voyagers emphasise that their mission is not only to deliver relief in the face of mass devastation but also to affirm that Palestinians are not forgotten and to challenge world leaders' silence.
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The last flotilla carrying Greta Thunberg among other activists were intercepted too, and its members were detained by Israeli forces and according to witnesses, they were held captive and treated inhumanely by the soldiers. After two years, the situation remains largely unchanged: Israel continues to contravene international law and to stop civilian-led efforts intended to bring aid to a starving population.
On the two-year anniversary, Drik organised a gathering of artistes across multiple disciplines to raise their voices, and their hands in prayer against the injustice in Palestine. These artistes have long opposed every form of oppression, at home and abroad. Drik's solidarity with Palestine, however, started long before October 7. Even as you enter the building, a Palestinian flag and poster greets you for as long as I can remember showcasing Drik's longstanding refusal to back down in the face of injustice.
The small room had a large Palestinian flag stamped on the wall, with the ship. Audiences were encouraged to stamp pre-handmade boats that looked like ships approaching Gaza. People from all ages wrote down slogans expressing their solidarity and prayers for a Free Palestine before the event started as the Swedish song "Leve Palestine" echoed through the hall.
The program featured an ensemble of artistes showcasing their art in different mediums. We saw beautiful, symbolic art take form in front of our eyes in real time by painters Jannatul Islam Bipa and Suman Halder.
The evening opened with Shayan's "My Name Is Palestine," presented both as a poem and as a song leaving the whole room in awe and heartache, bringing forth the voice of hope, the persistence that resides within every Palestinian.
Fakir Arup Rahee, singer and columnist, followed with a reading from his book Premer Haate. He was succeeded by poet Munimah Mahreen, author of "Conscience of the World," the poem Shahidul Alam recited from the flotilla. Her speech preceding the poem as well as the poem itself honour the immense bravery of those who sailed the ship.
The event was not just about Palestine. Shayan says, "Every oppression, every act of aggression that happens on the hands of the powerful towards the minority, towards the weak, is an Israeli act. The web of oppression does not operate alone."
That same theme carried into Muiz Mahfuz's performance of "Plastic e Dub-e Achi," voiced from the perspective of a blue whale confronting pollution and the climate crisis. Its lyrics warned against desensitisation, insisting that we cannot remain indifferent or grow accustomed to suffering; we must feel it, and we must speak against it.
Suchi Marma followed with a Marma song, introduced with the memory of last year's protest by an Indigenous woman in Khagrachari, a reminder that the same story recurs when impunity is enabled. This is what silence permits. When we do not raise our voices, history acquires the audacity to repeat itself, returning us to the same cycle of injustice.
As a final performance, Samageet performed a silent drama depicting the children in Gaza, quiet, unassuming, briefly joyful, being suddenly bombed and stripped of their basic rights. We, the audience, could only watch in silence, our voices smothered by the inhumanity of world leaders. That vast stores of aid and food sit unused 220 kms from mass starvation stands as an indictment of our shared humanity.
The event was a testament to the withstanding humanity that persists against evil, showing that Palestine will never be forgotten and always fought for. Keffiyehs adorned the heads and chests of attendees of all ages. Every voice ached for Palestinians, every heart hoped for freedom, and every chorus demanded an end to apartheid. Nokkhotra, a ten-year-old, built a LEGO flotilla, a symbol of a generation determined to resist injustice and a reminder that even if one ship is detained, another will follow, and then another.
The evening concluded with a full-audience rendition of Rounok Mollick's Bangla adaptation of "Bella Ciao," dedicated to Palestine: Mounota Bhango, Guriye Felo, Gazar Shishuder Kotha bole jao, Nodi Theke Shomudrote Filistiner Shadhinota Chao.
As the world looks on in rage and horror, and media narratives are twisted or censored, artistes continue to write and keep the spirit alive. When others turn away, they keep looking. They refuse to soften their words or allow history to be rewritten.
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