documentary on bangladesh’s war of liberation

Danish scribe retraces father’s footsteps

After 47 years of the Liberation War, a Danish journalist, Frederik Brun Madsen, has embarked on a journey to Bangladesh to complete his father’s unfinished documentary on the country’s struggle for freedom. Frederik recently visited different places in Lalmonirhat, which was under Sector no. 6 during the Liberation War, to collect information and photos of freedom fighters and war victim families for the unfinished documentary.  He talked with freedom fighters and eye witnesses of some of the killings by the then occupying Pakistani army and their local collaborators. Frederik, who works with the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DBC), was accompanied by expatriate Bangladeshi artist R Kajal (60). The artist has been living in Denmark for 30 years. Frederik’s father Thor Beorn Madsen, also a journalist, had come to Bangladesh via India on January 23, 1972. He had come to document the massacres during the struggle for independence. He had extensively photographed the battlefields and talked with freedom fighters at that time for his documentary.
The senior Madsen had interviewed a 14-year-old freedom fighter, Tafakun Nabi Joulush, at the Mission Red Building about the war and his experiences as a young fighter. He had also talked with a woman who was then working as a nurse in the East Pakistan Railway Hospital in Lalmonirhat.
According to the woman’s account, one day Pakistani army personnel entered her quarters in front of the hospital and took her two sons Lutu (16) and Tutu (14) away. The boys were later killed. Lutu was a brilliant student, one of his classmates told the correspondent.
Frederik’s father later returned to Denmark and telecast the horrors of the war on the Danish national television. He had then archived his records.  A few years ago, the senior Madsen recounted his experience to his son and expressed a desire to make a documentary on the Liberation War of Bangladesh. He, however, found that the archived materials were not sufficient to make the film.
So, he asked his journalist son to go to Bangladesh to search for the places where he had visited and talk to the surviving freedom fighters once again. After a massive search, Frederik was able to recover the documents. Talikng to The Independent, Frederik said, “When my father had come here, he was a 23-year-old youth and Bangladesh was a new nation. But now, my father is a 70-year-old man. He told me to complete his unfinished work. So, I came here to search for those guys who talked with my father and finally found freedom fighter Joulush with the help of Kajol. He also accompanied me to Bangladesh to collect the information.” Mezba Uddin, the then district commander of Lalmonirhat Muktijoddha Sangshod, said it was truly a noble initiative to make a documentary with some original evidence and pictures of the Liberation War by a foreign journalist after 47 years.

documentary on bangladeshs war of liberation

Danish scribe retraces fathers footsteps

After 47 years of the Liberation War, a Danish journalist, Frederik Brun Madsen, has embarked on a journey to Bangladesh to complete his fathers unfinished documentary on the countrys struggle for freedom. Frederik recently visited different places in Lalmonirhat, which was under Sector no. 6 during the Liberation War, to collect information and photos of freedom fighters and war victim families for the unfinished documentary. He talked with freedom fighters and eye witnesses of some of the killings by the then occupying Pakistani army and their local collaborators. Frederik, who works with the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DBC), was accompanied by expatriate Bangladeshi artist R Kajal (60). The artist has been living in Denmark for 30 years. Frederiks father Thor Beorn Madsen, also a journalist, had come to Bangladesh via India on January 23, 1972. He had come to document the massacres during the struggle for independence. He had extensively photographed the battlefields and talked with freedom fighters at that time for his documentary. The senior Madsen had interviewed a 14-year-old freedom fighter, Tafakun Nabi Joulush, at the Mission Red Building about the war and his experiences as a young fighter. He had also talked with a woman who was then working as a nurse in the East Pakistan Railway Hospital in Lalmonirhat. According to the womans account, one day Pakistani army personnel entered her quarters in front of the hospital and took her two sons Lutu (16) and Tutu (14) away. The boys were later killed. Lutu was a brilliant student, one of his classmates told the correspondent. Frederiks father later returned to Denmark and telecast the horrors of the war on the Danish national television. He had then archived his records. A few years ago, the senior Madsen recounted his experience to his son and expressed a desire to make a documentary on the Liberation War of Bangladesh. He, however, found that the archived materials were not sufficient to make the film. So, he asked his journalist son to go to Bangladesh to search for the places where he had visited and talk to the surviving freedom fighters once again. After a massive search, Frederik was able to recover the documents. Talikng to The Independent, Frederik said, When my father had come here, he was a 23-year-old youth and Bangladesh was a new nation. But now, my father is a 70-year-old man. He told me to complete his unfinished work. So, I came here to search for those guys who talked with my father and finally found freedom fighter Joulush with the help of Kajol. He also accompanied me to Bangladesh to collect the information. Mezba Uddin, the then district commander of Lalmonirhat Muktijoddha Sangshod, said it was truly a noble initiative to make a documentary with some original evidence and pictures of the Liberation War by a foreign journalist after 47 years.