There are now numerous hypotheses and explanations regarding why Shahbag has emerged and why has it embraced to address unresolved issues over 1971? In other words, why the youth in Shahbag demands only justice for the crimes committed during 1971?
The
actors who took the first few steps towards Shahbag on the afternoon of 5th
February 2013 are now popularly branded as the “bloggers”. If we drop the
conspiracy theory, the questionswould invite us to dissecttheprocess and
context that have shaped these “bloggers”.
The
“bloggers” in general, represent individuals and virtually connected/loosely
linked communication-groups of individuals without any geographical
limitations. As some of these blogs are in Bangla, they tend to reflect ethnic
restrictions without losing their global span (as Bangla speaking communities
are spread across the globe). Bangla has now being popularly used on web andthe
Bangladeshi bloggers are findingthat their national identity and affiliation
are increasingly playing a critical role in shaping the content and context of
their communications. This is leading to a rapid popularity of Bangla blogs or
blogs on Bangladesh or blogs primarily participated by Bangladeshis. Within
such a construct, the communications and discourses largely deal with shames
and gains along with constraints and achievements of our national existence. Amidst
the vast wasteland of shame and constraints, the young bloggers can identify
very few islands of hopes, progress and prospects. Three popular issues in this
regards are – nature, cricket and heritage. Last of which is largely
intertwined with 1971- the War of Independence.
Being
political and contagious in nature the issues centering 1971 captured the
attention of most of the bloggers and blogs involving Bangladeshis.Over the
last ten years, this has led to a significantly higher awareness on history and
greater engagement of youth in debates and discourses on ourWar of Independence.
Those who attempt to find common grounds of “national-optimism” are often found
to explore the glory and pride of our national struggle for a secular-democracy
within the “spirit” of the War of Independence. They also attempt to capture
national glory within 1971 to counter the “pessimistic campaign” which
generally brands Bangladesh as “backward, poor and failed as a state”. Within
this setup, those who try to blur the successes of the War of Independence or contradict
the spirit of 1971therefore, whether intentionally or not, end up being allies
of the negative campaigners. This sets the stage for a popular cyber-war which
touches almost all the Bangladeshi bloggers in one way or another.
This
generation of bloggers constitutes also the newer generation of voters who
therefore are also divided across the same line (pro and anti-1971) in the real
world, just as they are divided by it on the cyber war-terrains. Thus the stage
was set for these two opposition forces to challenge each other in the real
world of politics (e.g. as manifested in the election of 2008).This is why the
spirit of 1971 (i.e. the demand of ensuring justice for crimes against humanity
committed during 1971 andbanning of Jamat-e-Islami who worked as the auxiliary
forces of the invading Pakistani Armed force during 1971) had emerged as the
single issue that motivated the bloggers to unite and take on the
Sahbag Square when the situation inspired them to act in the real world of
politics. This does not however mean that they do not have interest on any
other issue; “settling the crimes against humanity” has merely become the first
issue that the bloggers are trying to take on in the real world of politics in
Bangladesh.
