Inter Press ServiceMy Name is Dhaka https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/03/my-name-is-dhaka/ News and Views from the Global South Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:15:37 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.5 My Name is Dhaka https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/03/my-name-is-dhaka/ https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/03/my-name-is-dhaka/#respond Fri, 20 Mar 2026 07:44:35 +0000 Mohammad Rakibul Hasan https://www.ipsnews.net/?p=194494

By Mohammad Rakibul Hasan
DHAKA, Bangladesh, Mar 20 2026 (IPS)

My Name is Dhaka is a one-minute experimental film portraying Dhaka as a living, breathing entity with a 400-year history. Through a reflective voice, the city recounts its transformations, crises, and resilience. It captures contrasts between pollution and celebration, hardship and hope, revealing a megacity shaped by climate change, migration, and human survival.

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My name is Dhaka. I am more than 400 years old. I have witnessed empires rise and fall, from Mughal glory to colonial rule, from independence to the present day. Now I carry nearly 36 million people within me. I have grown into a megacity.

I am also one of the world’s climate hotspots. My rivers swell, my heat rises, and my air grows heavier each year. I often rank among the most polluted cities in the world.

I remember the silence of the coronavirus pandemic when my streets suddenly emptied. I remember the fear and chaos of bus bombings during the political unrest of 2013 – 14. And I remember the fall of a fascist regime in 2024.

But I am not only a city of crisis. I am a city of contrasts. I hold stories of child labor and deep social injustice, where many struggle just to survive. At the same time, I celebrate life my streets burst into color during Holi, and my people find joy even in hardship.


Credit: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan

 


  
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