Every generation must claim ownership of 1971: Maha Mirza
Bangladesh's Independence Day birthed a lot of political intrigue this year. The National Citizen Party (NCP) stated that 2024 is an extension of 1971. Jamaat-e-Islami took things further by claiming Bangladesh only achieved true freedom with the 2024 July Uprising, calling it a "second liberation." However, the BNP argued that calling the uprising a "second independence" undermines the 1971 liberation. So, how do members of civil society view this matter?
1971 is such a defining chapter in Bangladesh's history — nine months of armed struggle against a well-organised military force, a prolonged battle that ultimately won us our independence.
It was part of a decolonisation process, as we had been effectively colonised. That is why 1971 stands apart. It is incomparable.
The problem we face today stems from how, over the years, the Awami League has manipulated and distorted the legacy of 1971. They have built an entire industry around it — commercialised the Liberation War, turned it into a political commodity. They have engaged in opportunistic politics, tarnishing something so profound.
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That is why this debate of '71 versus '24 has emerged. The Awami League has misused the very spirit of the Liberation War, exploiting it for personal gains, using it as a tool to suppress opposition politics.
They have done this for so long that an entire generation now perceives the Liberation War as something adversarial. But '71 is not our adversary. Every generation must claim ownership of it. It is woven into our very existence. The attempt to separate these struggles, to pit them against each other, is something for which the Awami League must take responsibility.
And the mass uprising of 2024? That belongs to our dreams. I was there, on the streets. The courage shown by the youth of 2024 — the way they stood their ground against the police, the thousands who became martyrs — not just students, but workers, street hawkers, rickshaw pullers. Who did not sacrifice for '24? We should embrace it with passion.
These comparisons between the two feel meaningless to me because the struggle for liberation is a continuous process. The Liberation War did not bring freedom to all — it did not liberate farmers or workers, nor did it eliminate economic disparity. In fact, inequality in Bangladesh has only deepened over time.
What the Jamaat-e-Islami leader said comes from his own political agenda, but the truth remains: the mass uprising of 2024 did not erase inequality either. Looking at '24 itself, did we see any policy emerge that could truly dismantle the entrenched economic divide?
This cultural war — this '71 versus '24 narrative — feels utterly pointless. The real fight is against economic inequality. And in that fight, both '71 and '24 are our spirit.
Maha Mirza is a Researcher and Rights Activist
TBS' Imran Hossain spoke to Maha Mirza over the phone.
