Sundarbans Across Borders: Celebrating Cultural Resilience Through Cross‑Border Collaboration

Syed Mizan::

[Dhaka, 23 February, 2026] EUNIC Cluster Bangladesh and the EU Delegation to Bangladesh, in collaboration with HERITEINCE DoA‑BUET, Riverine People, and Team Platform, hosted the opening reception and performance event “Sundarbans Across Borders: The Spirit of Cultural Resilience” at the British Council Auditorium on 22nd February. The program showcased the powerful cultural ties that connect communities across Bangladesh and India, highlighting the Sundarbans as a shared ecosystem shaped by intertwined heritage, belief systems, and artistic traditions.
The event presented The Hive and the Hymn, an interdisciplinary exhibition exploring the tangible and intangible cultural practices of the Moual (honey collector) communities living along the fringes of the Sundarbans. The exhibition is part of the wider EUNIC supported project Sundarbans Across Borders: The Spirit of Cultural Resilience, an initiative designed to deepen understanding of how culture, living heritage, and climate resilience intersect across both sides of the border.
The exhibition will be open to the public from 23 to 26 February, daily from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
The exhibition features four bodies of Patachitra scroll work—including traditional Gazir Pat, a contemporary depiction of the honey collection cycle, a vertical retelling of the Bonobibi myth, and a co-created scroll painted by community women and children—alongside architectural and cultural research carried out by BUET’s Heritage and Technology Integration Cell, and Riverine People. These works highlight the complexity of livelihood practices, settlement patterns, ecological adaptations, and spiritual traditions that define the region.
Visitors also experienced a documentary capturing the project’s research journey, followed by a curator’s tour. A second film spotlit performers of Bonobibi’r Pala, leading into a dynamic 80-minute live-staging of Dukhe’r Bonobash by SagorNodi Natyasangstha from Satkhira.
The Sundarbans Across Borders project is one of the initiatives cofinanced under the EUNIC Cluster Fund 2024, which promotes sustainable, collaborative, and culturally grounded projects across the region. It brings together partners in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, each conducting coordinated research, documentation, and community engagement.
Stephen Forbes, Country Director, British Council Bangladesh, said: “At the British Council, cultural relations are at the heart of what we do to build connection, understanding, and trust between people and countries. This project underscores how cultural partnerships strengthen regional ties and uplift community voices. The exhibition highlights the knowledge, creativity, and resilience of Sundarbans heritage, and we are proud to help bring these stories to the forefront.”
Frank Werner, President, EUNIC Cluster Bangladesh, said: “We are experiencing an event that is unique in many ways. For the first time, two EUNIC clusters have jointly implemented a project; for the first time, a comprehensive narrative about the Sundarbans is being presented in book form; and for the first time, the Sundarbans communities can speak directly and with their own artistic voice to a large urban audience.”
The project will also host the official launch of The Saline Quest for Honey on 24 February. Developed under the wider Sundarbans Across Borders initiative, the book documents the lives and adaptive knowledge of honey collectors (Mouals) and forest-dependent communities of the Sundarbans.
Drawing on immersive research in Satkhira’s Shyamnagar region, it combines ethnographic study, field surveys, and visual storytelling inspired by the traditional Gazir Pot art form, enriched with field photography and illustrations created in collaboration with local artists. The book stands as a tribute to the resilience and Indigenous knowledge of Sundarbans communities.
The programme will feature a screening of a 15-minute visual journey capturing the research process—spanning interviews conducted in Datinakhali and Mirgang, as well as focus group discussions with members of the Moual and Munda communities—offering audiences an intimate insight into the stories and voices behind the book. This will be followed by an Author Panel Discussion, where contributors will reflect on their research, cross border collaboration, and the ecological and cultural resilience embodied by Sundarbans communities.
Through workshops, field studies, collaborative art production, and performances, the project foregrounds the lived experiences of Sundarbans communities—particularly women who play a central role in sustaining cultural memory and ecological knowledge.
The event stands as a testament to how cultural partnerships can strengthen regional ties, support community resilience, and bring global attention to the vibrant cultural ecosystems of the Sundarbans.