The UBC Bangladeshi Students Association (BDSA) aims to “redefine” traditional Bangladeshi culture to make events and festivities organized by the association more accessible for the diverse cultural landscape of UBC.
When the earlier established BDSA was disbanded due to its niche target community, a few Bangladeshi students got together to create an association that was more representative of the larger community at UBC.
“We want to represent ourselves, but open the door [for other communities],” Co-president of the BDSA Samiha Binte Hassan said in an interview to The Ubyssey.
Over the last year, the association has blended the Bangladeshi and western cultures by organizing events like Homecoming and Gatsby Galore. Homecoming, a largely western concept, was given a personal touch by marketing it as an event for Bangladeshi students to “find a home away from home” as VP Marketing and Communications, Shahla Binte Hassan phrased it. The Gatsby Galore, organized in collaboration with the UBC Jazz Club was presented as an event for the Bangladeshi community to showcase the South Asian cultures through food and outfits from the 1920s with the Western community being invited to dress up, keeping their culture at that time in mind.
Carrying forward this sentiment of an amalgamation of cultures, the BDSA is organizing the Boishakhi Mela to ring in the Bengali New Year on March 26 in the plaza outside the Nest. The exciting fair-like event will feature several vendors selling authentic Bangladeshi snacks and treats along with traditional artisan goods. Adding to the uniqueness of the fair, the BDSA will also invite other AMS cultural clubs to represent their respective communities in terms of their culture and cuisine. Associations including, but not limited to, the Indian Student’s Association (UTSAV), Mexican Student Association, Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights will all have stalls at the fair to represent more of the vibrant community that is UBC. Each of these clubs will also put together spirited demonstrations of their cultures through song and dance performances invoking their unique heritage and traditions.
To culminate the cultural extravaganza, a party will be hosted at the end of the fair, featuring music by a crowd favourite — DJ Most wanted. The music will be an eclectic mix of Hindi, Bangladeshi and electronic dance music to allow people to experience the cultures of the East in all of its glory.
This being the first time the BDSA is organizing an event to celebrate the Bengali New Year, the members of the association are thrilled to bring such an important and beloved celebration of their culture to life through the event.
“We've missed out on the vendors, the street foods, the colours [and] the clothing . . . we really want to open the door to our community and express what we as a culture and we as a nation do to others as well,” said Shahla.
The BDSA is selling all-access tickets for the event that range from $25 to $35 that cover the fair, the after-party and also include a serving of mouth-watering Bangladeshi-style biryani.