In exile in Bangladesh, a bittersweet revival of Rohingya culture by poppymcp Simondlewis
KUTUPALONG REFUGEE CAMP, Bangladesh - Chain-smoking singer Gudar Mia, who recently turned 80 in a refugee camp in Bangladesh, lit another cigarette, closed his eyes, and crooned the opening words of a Rohingya folk song.
Now their venue is a bamboo shelter in a Bangladeshi camp on the edge of a trash-filled swamp, their audience a curious crowd of fellow refugees. But for the first time in decades they are free to play music. Now home to close to a million people, including those who fled previous waves of violence, the camps comprise the world’s largest refugee settlement.
Known as hawla, the old songs are slow and normally played at weddings, love stories that revolve around the towns of northern Rakhine, traditions like flying kites, and the rhythms of rice farming. “Mostly we sang in the farmland while we harvested our crops, and sometimes in the moonlit nights we sang and danced,” he said. “At that time there were no restrictions.”
At the traditional affairs event, after the music, the crowd gathered for traditional food, including a sweet dish known as modhu baator or “honey rice” usually eaten during the hottest time of the year to cool down and luri feera, rice-flour flatbreads made during festivals to be eaten with beef or goat curry.
“In Myanmar, Rohingya is not considered as an ethnic according to our history books,” he said, adding that another Muslim ethnicity, Kaman, was the only one recognized.
Deutschland Neuesten Nachrichten, Deutschland Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
In exile, a bittersweet flourishing of Rohingya culture - Reuters TVAmir Ali is a Rohingya refugee, one of hundreds of thousands who fled Myanmar's crackdown in 2017. Now he lives in a bleak camp in Bangladesh, where he's found bittersweet joy in a small freedom he didn't have back home: he's free to play his violin.
Weiterlesen »
Inside the Revival of West Hollywood’s Most Enduring DiveElvis famously tipped a waitress here—with a Cadillac. The enduring legend of Formosa Cafe, now restored to its former glory
Weiterlesen »
Dated but not forgotten, these old food trends deserve a revivalIt's time to bring back some food trends of decades' past. Are you in?
Weiterlesen »
India sees little scope for Jet Airways revival: government sourcesThe Indian government sees little hope of a bidder emerging for debt-laden Jet A...
Weiterlesen »
Myanmar Frees Reuters Reporters Jailed Over Rohingya CoverageReuters Reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were freed after Myanmar’s president issued a blanket pardon for 6,520 prisoners
Weiterlesen »
Cyclone Fani Threatening India, Bangladesh Could Be Most Destructive Of The Century So FarCyclone Fani has forced the evacuation of nearly a million people as it threatens to make landfall on the east coast of India—and could be the most destructive of the century so far
Weiterlesen »
Cyclone Fani kills three in India and BangladeshMeteorologists warn of total destruction of thatched houses, the uprooting of power and communication poles, the 'flooding of escape routes' and damage to crops in some areas, as the storm lashed coastal areas of Bangladesh and eastern India.
Weiterlesen »
Cyclone Fani kills nine in India and BangladeshMeteorologists warn of total destruction of thatched houses, the uprooting of power and communication poles, the 'flooding of escape routes' and damage to crops in some areas, as the storm lashed coastal areas of Bangladesh and eastern India.
Weiterlesen »
India assesses damage as Cyclone Fani moves to BangladeshNEW DELHI (AP) — Indian officials are trying to find out if there are any casualties from Cyclone Fani, after one of the biggest storms to hit the eastern coast in decades tore through the state...
Weiterlesen »