‘Re-love-ution’: The two-week festival celebrating love, art, and revolution

"We exist because of love. When you invest love and care into something, it blossoms into something beautiful. After that, it requires time and patience. Today, we're impatient—everyone is rushing. But we need to give things time."

In the dimly lit gallery, decorated with revolutionary-themed art, Anusheh Anadil spoke about love and revolution. A circle of people gathered to discuss the changes they hoped to see in post-revolution Bangladesh. Outside, raindrops tapped gently, while the sound of the Tanpura filled the air. A cat, wearing a blue bandana, wandered through the audience during the inaugural session of the two-week-long festival "Re-love-ution" or "Premandolon" at Jatra Biroti in Banani.

Musician, activist, and founder of Jatra Biroti, Anusheh Anadil, posed a reflective question: "We are independent, but have we truly achieved victory? We're still afraid to speak our minds, fearful of being labelled." With this in mind, "Re-love-ution" or "Premandolon" was created to provide a platform for artistic expression, dialogue, and raising awareness about building a new and reformed world.

The opening discussion featured the team from the online platform Jonogon, which works to formalise the public's demands and aspirations to protect human rights. Jonogon Co-founder Naseef Fatemi emphasised the need for a functional system that allows demands to be voiced without disrupting daily life. He asked the audience, "Do we need to shed blood for reforms? Should we block roads and stage protests at the expense of the general public?" With these questions, the Jonogon team sparked a conversation on the best approach to reforms. The audience was then invited to share: "What demands do you have for a new, beautiful country?"

"I just want to live peacefully," said one audience member. Another woman brought up recent incidents of harassment against women in Cox's Bazar, saying, "We live in instability. I want safety for women." Another participant added, "I don't want to be randomly stopped on the road." The discussion encapsulated the event's spirit, inspiring a broad range of ideas and visions for a reformed nation.

This engaging dialogue was followed by a soulful musical performance by Kaaktaal, featuring guitar and flute. Their signature songs culminated in "Abar Dekha Holey", with the audience singing along, creating a harmonious moment.

This was just the beginning of what the festival has in store. The theme for the second day is "Street and Art," featuring workshops on graffiti, calligraphy, and a hip-hop demonstration and performance by Anonymous Crew. Other themes throughout the festival include days dedicated to Indigenous lifestyles, animal rights, wellness, women in protest, intangible cultural heritage, and environmental issues. 

Upcoming days of the festival include segments like open mics for writers and poets, origami workshops, a fashion show with upcycled clothing, thematic dance and theatre performances, sound healing sessions, and electric music nights. Concerts by well-known bands such as Shonar Bangla Circus, Shohojia, F-minor, Madol, and others yet to be announced will take place throughout the festival. 

While many segments are free, tickets for certain workshops and concerts can be purchased on the spot or in advance. On upcoming Thursday (September 19), all submitted artworks will be exhibited, and on September 27, there will be an interactive discussion with the organisers of the anti-discrimination student movement.

Imtenaan Mohammad Jaquie, CEO of Jatra, shared with The Daily Star, "We've curated a range of themes for each day to celebrate free expression and raise awareness about protecting nature, animal rights, and spreading love. The festival isn't limited to traditional forms of art. It embraces all kinds of creative expression, from paintings and crafts to open-mics, theatre, dance, music, and dialogues."

By creating a space for change, healing, and expression, "Re-love-ution" or "Premandolon" is running from September 15-28 at the Gallery and Garden space of Jatra Biroti.