Presenting Bonobibi at Hunter Multicultural Communities 2026

Apr 22 2026

Last weekend, I had the privilege of being invited to deliver a short presentation on Bangladeshi culture at the Hunter Multicultural Communities 2026 event. Having spent the past few years researching and compiling Bengali folklore through my work with Otibeguni, I was glad to take the opportunity.

For the presentation, I chose to narrate my own English adaptation of Bonobibi Jahuranama-the origin story of Bonobibi, a folk forest-deity from the southern regions of Bangladesh. I spent much of the week translating and reshaping the story for an Australian audience, focusing less on the heavier religious tensions of the original text and more on its universal themes: community, resilience, compassion, and the natural world. I leaned into the vivid imagery of forest creatures raising an abandoned child who grows to become the guardian of the forest.

During rehearsals, a friend generously offered to contribute an interpretive dance performance alongside the narration. Together, we restructured the presentation into two parts, with her performance woven into the centrepiece of the story, accompanied by hypnotic chants celebrating the protective maternal spirit of the forest.

My sincere thanks to RROBI - Roots & Rhythms of Bangladesh Inc. for the opportunity to represent Bangladeshi culture before such a large and diverse international audience.