Challenges in Building a Memorial Site: the Experiences of Jalladkhana Killing Field by Mofidul Hoque

Challenges in Building a Memorial Site: The Experiences of Jalladkhana Killing Field by Mofidul Hoque

Mofidul Hoque is Founder very memorial site is unique and atrocities happened all over the country, Trustee of the Liberation tells the tale of human suffering, and almost every family suffered. There War Museum resistance, and resilience in its own are sites of past brutalities spread all in Bangladesh. E way. The challenge of creating a memorial over the country, and many memorials He may be contacted at site is to identify its uniqueness and ensure have been erected marking the place. [email protected]. the flowering of its memory; to connect Jalladkhana Killing Field at Mirpur in the the visitor meaningfully to the past and capital Dhaka is one such site. This article If you would like to comment at the same time make it relevant to the describes the museum created there. on this article or others in this present in a common effort to build a issue, please log on to the NAME better future. Founding of the LWM and listserv at http://groups.yahoo. Discovery of the Site com/group/NAME-AAM/. In 1971 Bangladesh, which had been The Liberation War Museum was known as East Pakistan, emerged as an established in 1996 by the Muktijuddha independent state through a nine-month Smriti Trust to commemorate the long heroic war of resistance against the popular struggle and sacrifices that brutal military dictatorship of Pakistan led to the emergence of independent (then known as West Pakistan). This Bangladesh. The Museum is the outcome resulted in one of the worst genocides of of a civic effort to disseminate the the 20th century when 3 million people history of the War of Independence in died and 10 million people had to leave a non-partisan way. Currently holding their country to seek refuge in India. The over 16,000 items in its collection, including rare photographs, historic documents, memorabilia and artifacts used by freedom fighters and victims of the Liberation War, LWM is a private museum that has received strong support from the community. The museum runs an extensive outreach program with young students and is building an archive of memory with eye-witness accounts collected by the students.

The Museum is housed in a rented colonial era building in the heart of Dhaka city, where the Pakistani reign of terror began. In six galleries, it presents the historical roots of syncretistic, tolerant Bengali culture; the history of Bangladesh’s emergence from the times of British colonialism; the struggle for independence from West Pakistan; and the genocide and the formation of the The stairs to enter the site are also an entry down memory lane. Courtesy of the Liberation Bangladesh government. War Museum. Bangladesh has paid a very high price

EXHIBITIONIST FALL '11 Challenges in Building a Memorial Site: The Experiences of Jalladkhana Killing Field

Overview of the triangular site with the mural at the back. Artist Rafiqun Nabi used burnt brick to depict mutilated dead bodies found at the pit or at other killing fields of 1971. The title of the mural is 'And the Soul Goes Marching On.' Courtesy of the Liberation War Museum. for its freedom. The scars of genocidal architect Rabiul Hussain worked together acts can be found in about one thousand with input from the Trustee Board in killing fields scattered all over the designing the memorial. There were many country. Jalladkhana or Butcher’s Den challenges before LWM while developing in Mirpur in the suburb of Dhaka is one the conceptual plan of the memorial site. such killing field where the excavation Here are some of the decisions we made in made by LWM in 1999 unearthed 70 order to achieve our goals. skulls and more than 5000 pieces of bones from the abandoned pit of the Honor the Victims and Describe pump-house. In 1971 that place was Their Suffering situated outside the city limit, and The area is small, but the site has many The challenge the pit of the abandoned pump house stories to tell. The excavation produced was considered to be an ideal place to shocking testimonies of atrocities, which of creating a slaughter Bengali people and throw the also raised the ethical question of whether dead bodies into the deep water-logged to put the skulls and bones on display memorial site cavity. With the excavation there was not or not. The local community carried in is to identify only a recovery of bones and skulls but their memory few of the victim’s names, also a resurrection of memory. Victim's and the victims' family members looked its uniqueness families, the local community, as well as forward to a memorial that could bring and ensure the the younger generation took great interest solace to them. It became clear that in the process of excavation. the site should pay respect to the dead flowering of its but also bring back the sufferings and memory…. Planning the Museum sacrifices of the victims. After the excavation LWM managed to save a triangular piece of land from the Keep the Design Simple and Accessible expanding urbanization that engulfed to the People the area. The total area that LWM The Government has recently undertaken could get under its control is not large, a project to construct memorials in the only 2,840sf, the focal point being killing fields, and more than 100 such the small room covering the pit, still memorials have already been constructed. filled with water. The author and the 53

EXHIBITIONIST FALL '11 In between the epitaph-like lists of killing fields, the sacred soil of a particular killing field is placed in an earthen urn. Above is the genocide wall highlighting the major genocides of the 20th century. Courtesy of the Liberation War Museum.

(continued from page 53) One standard architectural design has the rail crossing and brutally slaughtered been selected for this project. It seems, by the Pakistani military. The village however, that an abstract architectural people later constructed a memorial of design can express the feel of the site but their own, with no architectural design does not tell the human story related to to speak of. It is like an epitaph inscribed the site. Morever, the uniqueness of each with the words: “Behold O’passer-by, site, though part of a general pattern if you are born in Bengal." The words of killing, has not been reflected in the are from the epitaph of the greatest common design. A grand memorial has 19th century Bengali poet Michael been erected at the riverside of the capital Modhushdhan Datta. They are known It seems, however, city of Dhaka where leading intellectuals to every school-boy in the country. Here of the nation were brutally killed and they took a different meaning and raised that an abstract dumped. The memorial is architecturally questions in the minds of passersby. The architectural brilliant but does not narrate the story memorial does not provide any answer in human terms to the visitor. As a result but provokes the visitor to undertake a design can it has become like an entertainment journey to fathom the past. There is no park in the city where large numbers of museum, no facilitator, no guide, but express the feel people gather with no link to history. A if a passerby stops he will find many of the site but standard design for all the sites or a grand opportunites to learn from the local design at a single site, both can fail to people all around who will be guides does not tell the communicate. We kept this experience in and facilitators. I myself learned about human story mind in planning our site. the history of the site from the owner of the adjacent teashop, and what a moving related to the site. Encourage Questions experience that was. For me a moving experience was a makeshift memorial local people Create a Dialogue with the Visitor constructed at a killing field in The process of creating a memorial is a Kishoregonj, about 120 miles from journey, an intimate journey where the site Dhaka. In August 1971, after an attack should raise different issues and engage in on the train carrying army supplies, the a dialogue with the visitor. Since the pit is whole group of villagers was brought near the high point of the site the visitor should 54

EXHIBITIONIST FALL '11 The process of creating a memorial is a journey….

take a journey before he/she enters the the world. At the room with the pit. Along the path of the end of the walk the journey various elements of the design will visitor comes before engage the visitor in a constant dialogue the room with the with the past. pit. There is a bell hanging on the arch Link the Event to the Larger Historical at the entry, the Context Past and Present resonance of which The basic idea was to open before the will perhaps remind visitor the depth of human suffering and the visitor of the pain and link this particular killing field famous lines of John with other killing fields of Bangladesh; Donne's poem. as well, we wanted to place this site within the backdrop of major genocides Now as he is set of history. We thought that the site should to enter the room also contain dossiers and photographs he has to take off that can convey the past reality in his shoes, showing human terms. To be precise, it would be in our traditional way respect to the Entrance to the room with the pit. The bell for visitors to ring a particular site, but linked with other hangs above. The question “What Happened Here?” is written in national sites of killing and also with the sacredness of the six languages, highlighting the global significance of learning about tragic international acts of genocide. place. The room is injustice everywhere. Courtesy of the Liberation War Museum. almost bare: it is A Walk Through the Site difficult to display in We can take a journey at the site and this small room the extent of brutalities It would be a see how the concept works in practice. that happened here. Moreover, LWM When the visitor enters the site he has to has decided not to display the skulls and particular site, but negotiate a few steps down, like stepping bones on ethical grounds. On the contrary down into memory. Once inside the it was decided to provide glimpses of linked with other visitor has to walk along two wings of a atrocity in human terms, not much to be national sites of triangular path. The long list of various told in terms of history. Inside the room killing fields of 1971 is placed down on one wall the history of the killing killing and also the walkway like epitaphs, each site of site has been described briefly. On the with the tragic tragedy written in black on white other wall are inscribed the names and marble stone. addresses of 39 victims who have been international acts identified by the local community. In the of genocide. At the conjunction of two walls there white room there is a black circle that is the large mural depicting mutilated covers the floor, wall and the ceiling; dead bodies, as the pit was in 1971. As a visitor has named this “The circle of the visitor walks on he will see on the grief.” At one corner of the circle is the long wall above the epitaphs a list of pit covered in glass. The visitor has to major genocides of the 20th century. At stand in front of the glass-covered pit to the bottom in small letters is written look deep inside. On the glass is written, “Cont’d.” highlighting the fact that “We bow our head in deep respect to genocide still continues some place in the martyrs.” On a shelf a few personal 55

EXHIBITIONIST FALL '11 Members of the victim-families in the weekly meeting with the students at the site. Courtesy of the Liberation War Museum.

(continued from page 55) belongings of the martyrs are put on the site where local students are invited to display. A cheap sandal torn apart, a come and meet a member of the martyr's portion of the dirty frock of a girl, a family. The family members share their prayer bead still intact, a pair of broken stories with the students and feel proud spectacles. The display has no shocking in doing so. This has a healing effect on images, no skulls or bones unearthed from the trauma the families have endured. the pit; the presentations only try to draw For the students it has also proved to be a attention to the reality of lives which met memorable experience. a tragic end here. The site has also become a center The Impact of the Site for music, theater, and film. A choir, Ever since its opening the Jalladkhana “Children of the Killing Field,” performs Killing Field has generated great at various events; a documentary film involvement of the community and has been made about the site; local visitors. Firstly it has provided the cultural and theater groups organize opportunity to add new information to programs here, especially during a week- existing knowledge about the killing fields long celebration of our National Days. The bell is tolling all over Bangladesh. The victim-families On an average around 200 people visit who were scattered before now have the the site every day. There is no entry at Jalladhkana and opportunity to come together and know fee but the site earns from the box for each other through the site. Jalladkhana voluntary donation. it tolls for thee. has provided them a platform and this has led them to form a Committee of Jalladkhana Killing Field Memorial is a Victim-Family Members. The Committee vibrant site embraced by the community organizes an annual get-together at the which provides it with strength of its own. site on our Independence Day. Moreover, The site highlights past atrocities with a the affluent families are providing support clarion call to establish justice and truth, for the poorer families, especially for the so that humanity together can raise a education of the new generation. Every strong voice to stop genocide. The bell is Saturday LWM organizes a program at tolling at Jalladhkana and it tolls for thee.

EXHIBITIONIST FALL '11