Ahmed Ahsanuzzaman

Negating Fundamentalism: Ibsen's Brand in Bangladesh Ahmed Ahsanuzzaman

Bangladesh's leading theatre group, Centre for Asian Theatre premièred Ibsen's Brand in 2004. It was produced at a time when Bangladesh caught the attention of the world for the rise of Islamic fundamentalist elements across the country. The socio-political events of the country let the audience associate Brand, a Christian fanatic, with his Muslim counterparts in Bangladesh. The spectators could relate the performance to their time and setting although,in stark contrast to the conventional Ibsen theatre practices, no attempts were made in it to customise Ibsen to make him relevant to contemporary Bangladesh. That the spectators could appreciate it even when it remained "true" to the original, the present work argues, reveals that a "foreign" play is perceived and understood in local perspectives. It analyses the performance and relates it to the militant activities in Bangladesh in the recent past to argue that the performance is an indictment of fundamentalism in Bangladesh. As such,it will be useful for those interested in theatre and performance analysis as well as in the history and politics of Bangladesh.