Maatbring participates in RAFTA

Bangla Academy Award-winning playwright Sadhana Ahmed’s acclaimed play titled Maatbring was performed at the ongoing Rise Against Fanaticism through the Arts festival in London, UK recently.

Maatbring, translated into English by Professor Abdus Selim, was read by artists, namely, Maria Austin, Rez Kabir, Jordon Kemp, Ellis-ann O’ Hara and Debbie Terry at the event.

RAFTA festival, organized by Sohaya Visions and Mukul & Ghetto Tigers, began on March 19. The festival is featuring 15 plays.

More than 110 plays from across the globe were submitted to the festival.

Sadhana Ahmed’s Maatbring was performed on the eighth day of the festival. The playwright also attended the event through Zoom in a question-answer segment.

‘I am really happy because my play Maatbring which depicts the life of the Garo community was selected and performed at a prestigious festival abroad. According to the organizers, more than 110 plays across the globe were submitted to the festival but the festival is featuring only 15 plays. It brought honour not only for mine but also for our country,’ Sadhana Ahmed told New Age.

Sadhana Ahmed portrayed the life of the deprived people of the Garo villages, namely, Birishiri, Someshwari and Kalmakanda in the play Maatbring. She said that she had some specific reasons behind penning the play.

‘Maatbring revolves around the life of the Garo community. My objective was to depict the oppressed through the broader framework. As racism and the destruction of biodiversity go hand in hand, I felt compelled to focus on a Garo group called Mande,’ she said.

‘I wanted to portray that personal problems are part and parcel of social problems. The play narrates the love story of a Mande couple — Kanu and Mitti,’ the playwright added.

[Originally published on The Daily NewAge on March 30, 2022. Please follow the link to read the original content.]