With roots in Bangladesh and growing up in the UK, British Bangladeshis form a new face of both the countries and on a recent tour, a Brit-Bangla delegation talked about a multicultural society in the UK, the remarkable rise of Bangladeshis to respectable posts and of their desire to do something for Bangladesh. Writes, Towheed Feroze         

British Bangladeshis or Bangladeshi British- whichever way one puts it, expatriates who have been born and brought up in the UK are perhaps the greatest and the most important link between the two countries. Of course, there is always the government level link but, to take that relation to a higher level, one that draws power from close human contacts, an interaction in the common sphere is needed. And, British Bangladeshis are in a unique position because on one hand they represent the best of a multicultural, tolerant Britain and on the other, become ambassadors of their original country, carefully nurturing the customs and cultural heritage of Bangladesh. Of course negotiating two countries and two cultures is not an easy task; but then, as fusion is the mantra of today and as no entity is solely self-sufficient and impermeable to assimilating new ideas, it’s simply ‘cool’ to be a fusion citizen. Well, they do say that this is the age of the global citizen!

Recently, a British Bangladeshi group of young professionals came to Bangladesh on a five day tour and, during their stay and their participation in an elaborate programme covering talk shows, visit to a madrasa and a football club and roundtable discussions one thing became very clear: we need more such trips because they provide the vital connection with a segment of Bangladesh that has developed and grown in another country. Thankfully, the need for Brit Bangladeshis to be close to Bangladesh is also felt by the diaspora and despite growing up in the UK, they feel an urge to play a role in taking Bangladesh forward. ‘I want to be involved in sports here and every time I come, that is the message I give,’ says Mesba Ahmed, Chief Executive of London Tigers, a highly successful community sports organisation that has provided a healthy and productive outlet for thousands of Bangladeshi British people. Mesba’s desire to do something for sports is literally bordering on the obsessive. ‘I have come here in the past and have tried to hook up with sports people but there seems to be a reservation of some sorts,’ he laments and adds, ‘But if only clubs and organisers are willing to sit with me, I can extend a helping hand in matters like development of sports by providing technical support and training facilities.’

During a tour to the B-League champions Abahani Club Ltd, Mesba categorically stressed the issue of age level tournaments saying that they were the first steps for having a better class of players in the professional leagues. Tasmin Lucia Khan, a BBC presenter and a member of the delegation, said that a good idea to promote football would be through televising talent hunt shows. ‘I worked with Aston Villa four years ago and they showed the trial on television,’ said Tasmin and added that for extra audience appeal, such a programme could be called Football Idol.

But how about talented British Bangladeshi footballers harbouring a desire to play in Bangladesh? While exploring ways for stronger British Bangladeshi ties in the sporting level at the office of the current B-League champions Abahani, Mesba Ahmed was keen to see exchange of players between the two countries. Kazi Nabil Ahmed, director of Abahani Limited was also open to allowing talented British Bangladeshi footballers to undergo trial to play for Bangladeshi clubs.

Mesba Ahmed also said that he would be willing to assist in a local project to produce footballers through talent hunting programmes. ‘But, this should come through the national federation,’ he added.

Sports were also the theme in a roundtable discussion between the visiting delegates and students of public and private universities and madrasas. The visitors were delighted that games are encouraged at the university level but were concerned about the presence of harmful student politics. ‘It’s perhaps the students who can bring about a change and say ‘no’ to political involvement that incorporates violence, oppression and tacit approval of unlawful acts like extortion, nepotism and favouritism,’ observed Konnie Huq, a well known TV presenter. Talking about bringing Bangladesh to the global scene with positive attainments Rabina Khan, a Brit-Bangladeshi writer, pointed to the arenas of writing, cinema and the fine arts. Talking at the concluding press conference she said, ‘The world of writing has been undergoing a subtle change in the last decade and today as we look at the book industry, we find that a sizeable chunk of contemporary English literature is dominated by Indian writers.’ Extolling the likes of Arundhati Roy, Jhumpa Lahiri, Anurag Mathur and Amitav Ghosh, Rabina said that it was time Bangladeshi writers entered the scene with their work.

But what is Rabina’s look at life in England as a Muslim and as a writer? “Britain today is a multicultural and multi-faith society and we can receive the best of Britain without facing any prejudices,’ adds Rabina and asserts that there is no rational reason why Islam with its tenets of compassion, understanding and respect cannot be compatible with western values. ‘In fact, the compatibility issue relies solely on the individual and how s/he prefers to interpret it,’ observes Tasmin and says that integration does not refer to drinking habits only. “I do not drink but that does not mean I am an outcast. I hang out with British friends and have a good time and my teetotaller stance hardly creates a barrier,’ she adds.

The same view is aired by Abdul Quayam Khalique, a successful entrepreneur and owner of the legendary Taj Stores in the UK. “I love parties and have friends who drink and I love to watch them drink but I am a non-drinker and so far this has not been any problem at all,” Mohammad Bilal Abdullah, one of the founding directors of Ebrahim Community College and a member of the UK Indonesian Islamic Group said they were proud British Muslims and members of the mainstream British society.

But, how do these delegates plan to consolidate links with Bangladesh? Well, for starters, Konnie Huq expressed her desire to act in Bangla or, an English-Bengali film focusing on the lives of Brit Bangladeshis. ‘The arena of filmdom is now without any borders and with a new breed of filmmakers coming up in Bangladesh with new stories covering everything from teenage love to post-marriage blues, I believe that soon, we will be talked about in the international film events,’ observed Konnie and said that Clay-bird by Tareq Masud is her favourite Bengali film. She also said that filmmakers trying to look for new angles to stories should look at the diaspora community because that way, an untouched subject will come to the forefront. Their passion, desires, expectations and aspirations can be appetising topics, she said.

But won’t her Bangla need a lot of practice for a film? Konnie just waves away the language problems nonchalantly, saying, ‘This is my mother tongue and if I stay here for a month, I will speak it like everyone else.”  

Konnie, a presenter of the famed British TV show Blue Peter, talks about herself and says, “For my shows I had the chance to scuba dive, drive a rally car and travel to exotic places but, in the end my roots are here in Pabna, Bangladesh and that is something that will always be the foundation of my personality.”

The Brit Bangladeshi delegation has gone back to the UK and they have taken with them a lot of excitement – excitement for doing new things to bring Britain and Bangladesh together. Mesba Ahmed looks forward to increasing sporting relation between the expat community and the home country, Konnie is raring to act in a local film, Abdul Quayam Khalique is keen to explore business opportunities here, Rabina’s next book called ‘Naari’ may be a hit among the local readers, Bilal Abdullah may come in the future to talk about the face of tolerance in Islam and Tasmin, the BBC presenter may one day find herself working for a local TV channel. All of them will be key actors in solidifying bonds between two countries, but as they fly back to Britain, here in Bangladesh there is genuine optimism that if the expatriates do maintain their links to Bangladesh and if the community in the UK can share the best of a multicultural society, Bangladeshis in general will eventually be the winners.