contact

The Liberation War Museum

5 Segun Bagicha
Dhaka -- 1000
Bangladesh

Tel: 880 2 955 9091
Fax: 880 2 955 9092
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Asian Sites of Conscience Network

Dialogues for Democracy

The Liberation War Museum has formulated a Dialogue for Democracy program keeping in mind the historical roots of the liberation struggle to uphold the democratic, secular and national aspirations of people, and the present-day national and international scenarios. The program is especially focused on young students, who are introduced to the history of Bangladesh, along with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the concept of peace education. They are made aware of the importance of tolerance and dialogue in society, and encouraged to draw connections with contemporary reality. The program is being implemented in the following ways:

Outreach Program and Freedom Festival
Since 1997, school/college students have been brought in groups to visit the Museum, see a film about the War of Independence, appear in a quiz program, and finally join an interactive meeting where linkages between the past and present are discussed. As of June 2004, 60,605 students from 274 schools/colleges have participated. Outreach participants join the Freedom Festival, which is attended by government and public leaders, freedom fighters and leading artists. In 2004, there were 15,000 Freedom Festival participants.

Mobile Museum
Since 2001, a bus mounted with 360 exhibits travels to all parts of the country. Stationing itself in a school or on the premises of a market place/court house, it fosters interactive meetings with school children and community members. As of June 2004, 445,734 people in 85 towns visited the Mobile Museum.”

Combined Outreach and Mobile Museum Program
In July 2004, the “Human Rights and Peace Education for Students in Light of the Liberation War” was launched. Under this program, the Mobile Museum will hold exhibitions and interactive meetings with students from 200 schools over the next two years. The concepts of human rights and tolerant society are presented in illustrated posters created by leading artists. Students are also encouraged to collect eye-witness accounts of the events of 1971 and become involved in history.

Impact
Through its programs, the Museum hopes to encourage tolerance, social responsibility, and civic engagement for younger generations and inspire them to continue the struggle to achieve the nation’s founding ideals. “Let us remove hatred and prejudice from the world,” the Museum’s motto states, “and let it begin with me.”