Komola Collective presents
Birangona: Women of War
by Samina Luthfa & Leesa Gazi

2014 UK show dates:
21-23 March 2014 at Rich Mix, London at 7:30pm. Matinee show on 22nd at 2:30pm
9-20 April 2014 at Lost Theatre, London at 7:30pm. Sunday Shows at 5pm
1-2 May 2014 at Grange Arts Centre, Oldham at 7:00pm
3-4 May 2014 at Seven Arts, Leeds at 7:00pm
11 May 2014 at The Drum, Birmingham at 6:00pm
16-17 May 2014 at New Wimbledon Theatre at 7:30pm
19 May 2014 at Fullwell Cross Leisure Centre, London at 6:00pm

Komola Collective is a London-based arts company dedicated to telling the stories that often go untold — stories from women’s perspectives.

In the 1971 Bangladesh War of Independence from Pakistan, more than 200,000 women and girls were systematically raped and tortured as part of the Pakistani army’s war strategy. After Bangladesh gained independence, the war effort was acknowledged as a popular struggle. ‘Freedom Fighters’ were championed, but these women were ignored by a society in which rape is considered a source of shame for the victims. Marked with dishonour, they were silenced, ostracised and forgotten. 42 years on, Komola Collective wants to help break this silence.

Creative Team:

Script: Samina Lutfa
Research, Concept and Performance: Leesa Gazi
Direction: Filiz Ozcan
Stage Design and Animation: Caitlin Abbott
Lighting Design: Nasirul Haque Khokon
Videography: Fahmida Islam
Sound Design: Ahsan Reza
Stage Manager: Dominic Gomes
Production Manager: Md. Fakhruzzaman
Performance: Farhad Chowdhury Noyan
Vocals: Sohini Alam
Facilitator: Sadaf Saaz Siddiqi
Poems: Tarfia Faizullah

Synopsis:

Moryom is a young woman who loves the taste of tamarind, the smell of her grandmother, and holding her husband’s hand. It is 1971, the year that the war of independence tears through Bangladesh, and no part of the country is untouched. The Kalbosheki Storm is coming. In a small village, Moryom and her family await its arrival. Every day, they hide from soldiers in the pond behind their house, while across the country, women are disappearing from streets and homes. When the storm finally hits, it will tear away everything.

This piece uses physical performance, choreography and animation interwoven with films of the real Birangona women’s accounts to tell their stories.