In addition to the lecture at Pathshala South Asian Media Institute on generative AI, and photography, Shahidul Alam also invited me to deliver a public lecture at Drik on 6th May. The talk was billed as ‘Storytelling as Resistance‘, but I changed the title of the lecture as delivered to ‘Inconvenient Stories’.
A video of the lecture is now up on YouTube.
I started with the world as it is, and foundations of information disorders, and truth decay, as the consequence of, amongst other things, disinformation’s firm entrenchment.
Noting the power of compelling narratives, and especially in the service of populism, and autocratic fiat, I then spoke about foundations of counter-narratives, aiding dissent, and bearing witness. To record resistance, render the inconvenient, reclaim stories, and re-centre dissent were key narrative foundations I recommended storytellers, including journalists, filmmakers, photographers etc should base their productions, and output on.
I then spoke about the global campaign on Twitter, and Facebook that I studied, and helped capture snapshots of – back in 2018 – around Shahidul’s arbitrary arrest, torture, and incarceration. I spoke to how the data curation, capture, presentation, and visualisation helped amplify what thousands, around the world, called for at the time, which was the immediate release of Shahidul. There was no guarantee he would be, but after 107 days, he was released from prison.
By that time, I had logged tens of thousands of data points on Twitter, and Facebook alone.
Speaking to how inconvenient truths can be rendered even in contexts of significant, and sustained austerity, violence, and instability, I spoke to how Groundviews produced content, and some of the principles behind what we did, and how, including in the adoption, and adaptation of technology.
I also spoke to how Rest of World, and Global Voices also produced compelling stories, and content.
Inspired by EB White’s timeliness writing in The New Yorker from 1943, I included in lecture a capture of democracy in Bangladesh, which seemed to hit a chord with everyone in the room (I think there were close to 100 or so at Drik’s gorgeous auditorium space).
The point I made was that democracy captured, and presented thus (as shared, desirable futures through a compelling narrative), even in a deeply divided society, could help frame emotive issues that would not otherwise be possible to talk about in a constructive manner.
I ended with a wonderfully evocative poem I found the morning of the lecture by the Bangladeshi poet Nazneen Ahmed, called ধন্যবাদ (dhonnobad) – which is thank you in Bangla.
Download the complete slidedeck of the lecture as a PDF here.
Shahidul Alam, his partner Rahnuma, Drik, and Pathshala South Asian Media Institute are South Asian treasures. I really enjoyed my time in Dhaka with Shahidul & Co, and hope another two decades don’t pass before I return.
Sanjana Hattotuwa 