Rickshaw Rally returns with graffiti tribute to July uprising

In a powerful celebration of resistance, memory, and colour, the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy is set to host a grand Rickshaw Rally today, as part of the "July Revival Festival 2025". Organised under the patronage of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, this vibrant event will spotlight nearly 300 rickshaws adorned with graffiti from the 2024 July Uprising.

The rally will begin at 3pm from the Shilpakala Academy and parade through Moghbazar, Hatirjheel, and Madhubagh, before looping back to its starting point. Each rickshaw will be colourfully decked with custom T-shirts, caps, flag bands, placards, and original graffiti art—transforming the streets of Dhaka into a moving exhibition of protest and pride.

In a symbolic and heartfelt gesture, the rally will be inaugurated by Rahima Begum, mother of July martyr Sohel. The opening ceremony will also be attended by Mofidur Rahman, secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, and AHM Shafiquzzaman, secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Mohammad Warees Hossain, secretary and acting director general of Shilpakala Academy, will preside over the ceremony.

The event will unfold in two phases. In the first phase, which began at 10am, 50 rickshaws each from six major points across Dhaka have been rallying toward Shilpakala Academy. These locations include Motijheel (Janata Bank Head Office), the GPO, Kamalapur (Motijheel Ideal School), Rampura (Madhubagh Bridge), Karwan Bazar, and Khilgaon (Joropukur). Each group is set to take distinct routes—through Press Club, Kakrail, Moghbazar, Shantinagar, and beyond—before converging at the Academy grounds.

The second phase will commence at 3pm with all 300 rickshaws departing from Shilpakala Academy in unison, forming a visual spectacle as they make their way through the city. This phase is expected to be the most colourful, with rickshaws fully dressed in protest-themed graffiti, rickshaw art, and cultural memorabilia.

The Rickshaw Rally is one of the marquee events in this year's "July Revival Celebration," which has already featured exhibitions, performances, and installations commemorating the people's uprising of 2024. Organisers describe the rally not just as a cultural festivity, but a symbolic act of remembrance — reclaiming public spaces with stories of resistance, dignity, and creative defiance.

The free and open to the public rally will transform Dhaka into a living canvas of collective memory.

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