EUNIC, EU delegation open ‘sundarbans across borders’ exhibition at British Council

EUNIC Cluster Bangladesh and the EU Delegation to Bangladesh, in collaboration with HERITEINCE DoA Buet, Riverine People and Team Platform, hosted the opening reception and performance event "Sundarbans Across Borders: The Spirit of Cultural Resilience" at the British Council Auditorium on 22 February.

Organisers said the programme highlighted cultural ties linking communities across Bangladesh and India, presenting the Sundarbans as a shared ecosystem shaped by intertwined heritage, belief systems and artistic traditions.

The event featured "The Hive and the Hymn", an interdisciplinary exhibition exploring the cultural practices of moual (honey collector) communities living along the fringes of the Sundarbans. The exhibition is part of the EUNIC-supported project Sundarbans Across Borders: The Spirit of Cultural Resilience, which organisers said examines how culture, living heritage and climate resilience intersect across both sides of the border.

The exhibition will be open to the public from 23–26 February, from 10:00am to 8:00pm each day.

According to organisers, the exhibition includes four bodies of patachitra scroll work – traditional Gazir Pat, a contemporary depiction of the honey collection cycle, a vertical retelling of the Bonbibi myth, and a co-created scroll painted by community women and children. It also features architectural and cultural research by Buet's Heritage and Technology Integration Cell and Riverine People.

Visitors also viewed a documentary on the project's research journey, followed by a curator's tour. A second film highlighted performers of Bonbibi'r Pala, leading into an 80-minute live staging of "Dukhe'r Bonobash" by SagorNodi Natyasangstha from Satkhira.

Organisers said the project is co-financed under the EUNIC Cluster Fund 2024, and involves coordinated research, documentation and community engagement with partners in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India.

Stephen Forbes, country director of British Council Bangladesh, said, "At the British Council, cultural relations are at the heart of what we do to build connection, understanding and trust between people and countries. This project underscores how cultural partnerships strengthen regional ties and uplift community voices."

Frank Werner, president of EUNIC Cluster Bangladesh, said the programme is the first joint project implemented by two EUNIC clusters, and aims to present Sundarbans communities' perspectives to urban audiences through their own artistic expression.

The organisers said the project will also host the launch of the book "The Saline Quest for Honey" on 24 February. Developed under the wider initiative, the book documents the lives and adaptive knowledge of honey collectors and forest-dependent communities. Organisers said it draws on research in Shyamnagar, Satkhira, combining ethnographic work, field surveys and visual storytelling inspired by Gazir Pot, alongside photographs and illustrations produced with local artists.

The launch programme will include a 15-minute visual presentation on the research process and an author panel discussion on cross-border collaboration and the ecological and cultural resilience of Sundarbans communities, organisers added.