Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen Friday said that the historic ‘Concert for Bangladesh’, the charity event organised during the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh, helped spread the news to the world about the combat's real scenario.
"During the Liberation War, many foreigners and their countries supported us and helped us with financial assistance, and one such exceptional example was the 'Concert for Bangladesh' organised in New York in 1971. Joined by 40,000 people, that concert eventually spread the name of Bangladesh to the world and let people know the actual scenario," he said.
The FM shared his remarks at a discussion programme titled 'The Concert for Bangladesh and Contribution of Foreign Friends in the Liberation War' which was organised at the premiere of the documentary ‘Ekti Desh-er Jonno Gaan’ (Songs for a Country), directed by journalist-writer Shamim Al Amin, at the Liberation War Museum in the capital on Friday.
Jointly organised by the world-famous Indian sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar and English singer-songwriter and the iconic English rock band ‘The Beatles’ lead guitarist George Harrison at the historic Maddison Square Garden in New York on August 1, 1971, the concert got its befitting tribute in the documentary, Momen said at the event.
“The real devastating scenario of the war spread worldwide through word of mouth because of this one particular concert, and even now the song 'Bangladesh' can be heard on the streets of America. Several foreign countries started supporting Bangladesh after that concert, and thanks to the cooperation of our foreign friends and our expatriates who were working abroad to gather support for the Liberation War, we began our journey as an independent country,” the Minister said.
Before the discussion, the documentary was projected at the LWM auditorium which was lauded by the audience. Narrated by veteran actor-politician Asaduzzaman Noor, the documentary contains multiple significant interviews with people related to the concert, including former Finance Minister Abul Mal Abdul Muhit.
Regarding the documentary, its director Shamim Al Amin said: 'We are indebted to the 'Concert for Bangladesh', andas a citizen representing the new generation, I made this film out of a sense of responsibility as a passion project.”
The event was joined by several special guests, including former Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University and Chairman of Board of Trustees of National Museum Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique, Liberation War Museum trustee Mofidul Haque, trustee of the Muktijoddha Kalyan Trust and Member of Parliament Nahid Izahar Khan, renowned psychiatrist and fiction writer Dr MA Mohit Kamal and Ekattor TV Chief Editor Mozammel Babu.