Bangla folk music is an integral element of the folk culture. There are almost 20 types of folk music to be found in Bangladesh, for example, baul, bhandari, bhatiali, bawaiya, and so on. Folk songs represent the traditions of the Bengali culture which are thousand years old. To promote this tradition of folk music, Dhaka International Folk Fest, the first international folk music festival in the country, will take place from November 10 to 12, at the Army Stadium in the capital for the second time. Sun Events and Maasranga Television is jointly organising the programme with a motive to introduce the thousand-year-old folk music of the country to the world.
The event was announced at a press conference held on Sunday, October 30, at The Westin Dhaka. Anjan Chowdhury, managing director of Maasranga Television and Sun Events said, “Folk song is the root of Bengali music. We want to promote it internationally, hence the festival acts as an international platform for the folk musicians. We are hoping that the event would be a successful one.”
Yasir Azman, CEO (acting) and CMO at Grameenphone Ltd, Emranul Huq, deputy managing director of Dhaka Bank Limited, Syed Farhad Ahmed, managing director of Aamra Networks Limited, Sonia Bashir Kabir, country manager of Microsoft Bangladesh, Abul Khair, Chairman of Bengal Foundation, were present at the press conference.
This year, folk musicians from seven countries including India, Turkey, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Canada, and the host country will be participating in the programme.
The festival will be held every day from 6pm to 12am, from November 10 to 12. The event is open for all; however visitors need to register online at DHAKAINTERNATIONALFOLKFEST.COM, for the entry passes. Any updates regarding the event will be posted on the event's Facebook page, Dhaka International Folk Fest.