CFAs: Residential Workshop on Writing for Preserving Heritage (Bangladesh)

The workshop aims to train participants in different forms and techniques of nonfictional writing, so that they are well equipped to tell the stories of their own people, cultures, and heritage.

The workshop is part of a programme (“Empowering Indigenous Youth for Living Heritage Preservation through Storytelling in Bangladesh.”) jointly launched by UNESCO Dhaka and ICHCAP, in partnership with anubad.net.

Benefits

• The workshop will give you hands-on training in various forms and techniques of writing.
• It is part of a programme that also entails fieldwork and submission of stories by the participants.
• It aims to equip participants with the skills which they will use to preserve their heritage through writing.

Costs Covered

• All expenses for travels to and from the workshop venue, accommodation, food, and fieldwork will be covered by the organisers.

Eligibility Criteria

• They seek applications from young and motivated students, writers, journalists and artists from the Manipuri (both Bishnupriya and Meitei) and Khasia communities based in Sylhet division.
• They especially encourage female and gender-diverse candidates from the two communities to apply. The applicants are also expected to meet the following criteria:
  • Age 18–35 years.
  • A keen interest in practising and preserving cultural heritage.
  • Willingness to explore and research elements of heritage and tradition.
  • Computer literacy.
  • Fluency in written and spoken Bangla.

Selection Criteria

• 20 participants will be selected through a rigorous screening process led by an experienced panel. At the three-day residential workshop to be held at a venue in the outskirts of Dhaka, participants will work in pairs and receive in-depth training in various forms of nonfictional writing, including memoir, longform journalism, narrative interviews, feature writing, profile writing, autobiography, personal essay, and travelogue.
• After the training phase, participants will carry out fieldwork in their communities to collect and develop their pieces. Trainers will provide one-on-one feedback to help them decide on the form, as well as encourage them to deepen their research, voice their own reflections, and polish their final submissions.
• One segment of the workshop will deal with how writers can build their own communities, how they can send pitches to different platforms and thus become part of larger writer’s communities.

Application Requirements

• Submit the following documents (in Bangla or English):
  • A detailed CV: include your personal details, educational background, relevant experience, and contact information).
  • A short write-up (max 500 words): describe your passion for writing and experience in promoting your cultural heritage.

For more information, visit Anubad.net.