Ekushey Padak-winning eminent Bangladeshi photographer and Drik Managing Director Shahidul Alam left Dhaka for Italy on Sunday to join the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s Global Media Flotilla en route to Gaza.
The media flotilla, part of the international coalition’s effort to break the information and media blackout on Gaza, aims to show solidarity with the besieged Palestinian people. Alam is participating as the first Bangladeshi to join the coalition.
Speaking at a press conference at DrikPath Bhaban in Panthapath on Saturday, Shahidul Alam said: “If we are defeated, humanity will be defeated. I may be going as the first person from Bangladesh, but I am carrying the love of all Bangladeshi people with me.”
Drik directors and staff who attended the briefing included anthropologist and writer Rahnuma Ahmed, Drik General Manager and Curator ASM Rezaur Rahman, Deputy General Manager Md Kamal Hossain, and journalist-researcher and Drik Director Saydia Gulrukh.
Saydia Gulrukh said the flotilla’s mission sought to break the long-standing blockade of Gaza and to respond to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
At the press event, the organizers said the Global Sumud or Freedom Flotilla, which departed in late August with hundreds of citizens from across the world carrying relief supplies, has already come under attack twice while navigating high-risk waters.
The Global Media Flotilla—a principal vessel accompanied by about 10 smaller boats—includes participants from more than 40 countries, with organizers reporting nearly 500 people have taken part in earlier stages of the convoy.
Rahnuma Ahmed described the flotilla as a symbol of global civil society protest against mass violence in Gaza and said Bangladesh’s participation was a matter of pride.
Drik officials said Alam and other media activists will attempt to document conditions and ensure independent reporting reaches international audiences as the flotilla continues its journey toward Gaza.