'The Vegetables Here Tasted Different'
on From Banglatown to Bangladesh (Bangladesh), 02/Dec/2009 14:46, 34 days ago
Today, again during my daily scan of The Guardian online, I foundthis video, stories of families from rural southern Bangladesh who have been forced to migrate to the capital after their villages were destroyed by one of the many cyclones that have hit the country in recent years. While it does not do much to expand upon those limited representations of Bangladesh repeated in the international media that I have written about and questionedbefore, it does at least help to make these images more real for audiences far removed from the realities of the effects of ever-increasing natural disasters and climate change.The video captures scenes of Dhaka’s streets and slums, and hints towards the sensory overload the city induces. And crucially, it provides a heart-wrenching glimpse into the stories and struggles of a few of the city’s millions of newly arrived inhabitants, who describe home villages now underwater, tough transitions to city life, and unanswerable questions on their futures.And while a video on climate migrants is never going to offer much to make the viewer smile, the complaint that the vegetables in the capital taste different from those in the village, made by one interviewee, did bring a wry smile to my face. While in my day-to-day I find numerous differences in my interactions with Bangladesh’s indigenous and Bengali populations, this gem suggests that strict culinary habits and preferences are at least one commonality. More on that another time.Note: I’m on a search for resources that look at the impacts of climate change on Bangladesh’s indigenous populations. If anyone reading this has any articles or other information, please do send links my way.