On September 11 , the newly appointed Director General of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Syed Jamil Ahmed called for at least three percent of the country's GDP to be allocated to the culture sector, during a press conference.
The program started off with a minute of silence in the memory of the students who lost theirs lives during the anti-discrimination movement. Then Syed Jamil Ahmed announced his future plans for the academy through a PowerPoint presentation.
He detailed his plans of how the academy will be financially transparent, free of corruption and will be held accountable. He said, “The academy will become financially transparent, with all expenditure breakdowns publicly available on the website”
According to Ahmed, culture is not only a medium of entertainment, but it is an aesthetic representation of a nation’s soul. It reflects upon the people of the land.
With a mission to be more inclusive, he said that Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy will champion diversity, embracing multiple languages, ethnicities, religions, and schools of thought, creating a democratic, dialogical space for art.
Later during the Q&A session, when asked about the decentralization of the academy, he said, “We won't be only Dhaka-centric. District-level Shilpakala academies will also become more active. New positions, such as account assistants, will be created to streamline operations.”
He urged all media outlets to support the academy and help restoring the academy profile both nationally and internationally.
Visionary thespian Syed Jamil Ahmed was appointed Director General of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) on September 9 after Liaquat Ali Lucky, who occupied the post from 2011, stepped down. Ahmed is the founding chair of the Department of Theatre and Music at the University of Dhaka.