State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid together with French Ambassador to Bangladesh Marie Masdupuy on Wednesday evening opened an exhibition, titled “Learning from Old Dhaka: Exploring the Future of Living Traditions.”
Alliance Francaise de Dhaka and Hamidur Rahman Cultural Centre in Zinzira, Keraniganj jointly hosted the exhibition.
At the beginning, the French Ambassador paid tribute to the martyrs of the Language Movement marking International Mother Language Day.
She wholeheartedly thanked State Minister Nasrul Hamid for hosting the beautiful exhibition at Hamidur Rahman Cultural Centre which she visited for the first time.
Ambassador Masdupuy recalled renowned architect Marina Tabassum who designed the Cultural Centre.
“This exhibition is the result of a yearlong project launched by Alliance Française of Dhaka in cooperation with architecture students coming notably from France (École de la Villette) and Bangladesh (BUET), showcasing the very rich and peculiar history of Puran Dhaka (Old Dhaka) through its architecture and the life and activity around the Buriganga,” she said.
“It's here also where Farashganj is located, the old French merchants’ settlement, and also where the ancestors of the state minister established themselves three hundred years ago," the Ambassador said.
She concluded by applauding the two French artists who showed them an extraordinary performance with a group of Buriganga coolies about all the industrial and handicraft landscapes in Zinzira.
Zinzira, nestled on the southern fringes of Dhaka by the Buriganga River, is known for its small industries that serve as the city's backbone. This exhibition not only celebrates the architectural and cultural heritage of Old Dhaka but also fosters a dialogue between the past and the present, showcasing the potential for traditional practices to inform future urban living.
