“We need to unite in the battle against amnesia,” remarked Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, the cultural advisor, during a meeting with the President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) at the July Museum. Alice Mogwe, the president of FIDH, visited the July Mass Uprising Commemoration Museum on Monday and engaged in discussions with Farooki. Also present were the Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the Director General of the National Museum.
After touring the museum, Mogwe emphasized, “Memory is not just about the past; it is crucial for the future. The museum is actively involved in this vital mission.” Farooki emphasized, “As a nation, we are collectively fighting against forgetting. The brutalities and crimes committed over 16 years have deeply scarred our society. We find strength in the families of the victims of enforced disappearances, who continue to await the return of their loved ones. Their inability to find closure is more agonizing than accepting a family member’s death.”
Mogwe agreed and proposed the implementation of initiatives to address the collective societal trauma. Farooki assured that the museum would offer trauma response support in the future, including face-to-face counseling sessions and a dedicated hotline for the families of victims and museum visitors. The discussion concluded with Mogwe expressing her firm backing for these proposed initiatives.