Bangladesharchives

Meeting at International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT) / Friends of Archives Bangladesh (FAB)  – Bangladesh Archives and Records Management (BarmS), 23 febr. 2014

Present: Monowara Sarwar, Rabiul, Kohinoor, Elias Kanchon, Florus Geraedts

1. Liberation War Project

Checklist (“Form for Reporting Completion of Events”) made by Rabiul, based on the meeting of 24 January 2014 at witj with Vice-Chancellor Professor Alimullah Miyan, Sigfried Janzing, Elias Kanchon, Elias Miah, Mujib, Rabiul, Monowara, Florus Geraedts and Kohinoor.

Monowara’s and Kohinoor’s proposal for proceeding with the preparation of further extending and developing the Freedom Fighter’s Related IUBAT Community  Museum Corner is ready. Florus repeated his comment, given earlier in email: this proposal in its 5 points is fully acceptable and recommendable and deserves early implementation as soon as possible. Disperse the Information Forms and in order to get the best result: rich information about the IUBAT community members relations with Freedom Fighters and Liberation War History, take time, be patient and give guidance (repeatedly asking about the filling up of the forms, do not give up too early!) to the people on filling up of the form. Be aware of the fact that the collecting of data about and from the former Freedom Fighters and their family relatives can be very much sensitive. Read for better understanding the 14 blue or green covered reports of interviews by staffs of the Liberation War Research Kendro, i.a. Dr Sukuma Biswas, 1995 – 2001). Dr. Sukumar Biswas once was deputy director of Bangla Academy and lives since 2002 in Belghoria in Kolkata. Also the suggestions of Sigfried Janzing about using the Bangladesh genocide website and the digitization of collection building and presentation are valuable.

2. Archiving at IUBAT

About the general archiving system in IUBAT, present status is: admission files of students, the accounting department keeping its own files, VC’s office Archives (under Rabiul) still in development and not yet united in management and storage (desirability of one archival repository for IUBAT is still in discussion).

3. Conference January 2015

Conference on archives, 31 January 2015 at IUBAT with cooperation of FAB / BarmS.

1. Form: 2 days or 1 day Conference with parallel sessions. Mujib will be coordinator, together with Florus, Rabiul suggests, Monowara and Elias Kanchon agree. Florus has few doubt as he is not in Bangladesh: maybe the two coordinators should be in Bangladesh during the time of preparation?
2. Rabiul tells about the intern conferences and seminars. Every year we have conferences at IUBAT, month long, Foundation Celebration, December, January or Feruary, a number of conferences and seminars. Professor Alimullah Miyan might want in our case a special committee because this could be an international conference. In Organizing Committee: VC Miyan, Rabiul, Mujib, Mozidur, Monowara, Elias Miah, Lutful,  Fazle Mir, Elias Kanchon. Tofael Ahmed, Florus, Kohinoor, Khair, Kamrul Parvez. Formulate the TOPICS / Programme of content of the Conference. Input from: prof Sharifuddin Ahmed, Monowara, Abdur Razzak, Azizul Russel, prof dr  Manosh Kumar , Mahmud Sumon, professor Alam  (also JU, anthropology), Sigfried Janzing, Els van den Bent, Tuhin Samsur Rahman (research person), Wadud.
3. Sponsoring, financial support. ICA says Florus, regional branch SWARBICA, UNESCO. Professional organizations on Archives Netherlands, KVAN,  Norwegian Archivists, Swedish Archivists, Australian Archivists.
4. Publishing the proceedings and contributions after 31 January 2015.
5. Publicity and organizing input and using Facebookpage Friends of Archives Bangladesh for communicating and preparation of the Conference. Florus will make report of this meeting, together with Elias Kanchon and distribute this report of the present meeting among all people concerned, first of all VC, Rabiul, Monowara, Kohinoor, Elias Kanchon, Florus, Elias Miah, Sigfried Janzing.
6.  Idea and content: CONCEPT OF INFORMATION IN BANGLADESH. Aspects of information for our Conference 31 jan 2015: information in job, as framework. Information in school, college, university;  information in governance. Information in primary school; information in health care and hospital.  Only 2 or 3 % of the Secondary Schools do have libraries. Mostly considering, holistic approach: Bangladesh as society, cultural system, governing system and Archives Information. Anthropologists like Jahinganar University professor Manosh Kumar Choudhury and Mahmud Sumon but also psychologists /educationalists and sociologists (Alimullah Miyan, Mahtabur Rahman), Historian and Archives Directors Sharifuddin Ahmed, Latifur Rahman, Wadud, Taibul Hasan, Tuhin (Samsur rahman, TV archivist and now in Bangladesh Bank doing research on women as entrepreneurs).  Rabiul explains that in Bangladesh a habit of seeking knowledge is not present, certainly not dominant. There is a shortage of research culture. Monowara confirms this and says that most people are not used to visit libraries and borrow books. As Rabiul expresses: studying here in Bangladesh is cramming, CRAMMING without understanding, not asking the information by heart. Information is so to speak not FACT WISE, or FACT oriented. Rationality as criterium for assessing information’s quality is often completely absent.  Mahtabur sociologist: hiding information in harsh form: please I have sad news for you: your mother died. Not this but: please come home, your mother’s condition is not good, she is seriously ill. Information is about hiding and secrecy: professor Alimullah Miyan, mr Zaheed of Azizul Haque College in Bogra, 17 / 18 February 2014. Information has to do with politeness: “oh to my place is only 20 minutes……” though it is 1 hour in fact. Why: because it is more modest to urge only 20 minutes travelling as effort for the guest to come to the host’s place then telling him the real amount of travelling time. No archiving tradition: after 1^st class throws student every book , kata, diary and letter away.