The winter has settled in the city. There was still a layer of fog at the tip of the banyan tree of Bangla Academy's Nazrul Mancha on Saturday morning.
Rafiath Rashid Mithila appeared on the stage in this cold morning with her only daughter Ayra. Their purpose was to tell the story of their trip to Africa together.
As part of the Dhaka Lit Fest, a children's session “Adventures of Mom and Me” was held at Bangla Academy's Nazrul Mancha at 10am.
In the session, Mithila and her daughter Ayra talked about the book “Africay Singher Khoje.”
Mithila talked about the background of the book in the beginning.
She said she went to different countries and cities of the world for professional work. Recently, she went to the African country of Tanzania where her daughter Ayra accompanied her.
In the safari park there, Ayra and Mithila came to see the wonderful animal biodiversity.
The book “Africay Singher Khoje” was written based on this expedition, Mithila said.
In the session, Mithila and Ayra read their book to the children sitting in the audience row. “I was looking for ‘Simba',” said Ayra while reading.
When questioned about who is Simba, Mithila said lions are called Simba in Africa. Ayra's main objective on the safari was to see the lions up close. But she saw elephants, hippopotamuses, hyenas and deer but lions were still elusive.
However, in the last part of the book, it was revealed that Ayra and Mithila were able to see a huge lion. While everyone was afraid, Ayra was happy.
Apart from reading, Mithila and Ayra also showed the pictures in the book to the children. Finally, Mithila and Ayra heard different travel experiences from the children.
The session ended at 10:45am. After that, the enthusiastic children became busy taking pictures with Mithila and Ayra.
Puppet show
Dhaka Lit Fest showcases almost all sectors of the creative industry. Therefore, along with literature, music or films, a traditional puppet show was also held at the Lit Fest.
The puppet show was held right after the session of Mithila and Ayra. Titled 'Lal Pari, Neel Pari' the puppet dancing show started at 11:25am. Colourful puppets danced in front of the black screen and enthralled the audience.
Bangla TribuneDhaka Lit Fest 2023, Bangladesh's biggest event on world literature and culture, began on Thursday with around 500 writers, poets, performers, intellectuals, journalists and internationally acclaimed prize-winning speakers taking part in over 170 sessions over four days.
This is the 10th edition of the fest. The fest is taking place after a three-year hiatus caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
