A three day photography exhibition titled ‘London 1971’, an exhibition of photographs and historical memorabilia from the early days of the Liberation War showing protests in London, is now underway at the Number 5 Gallery of National Art Plaza of Bangladesh Shilapakala Academy, in the capital’s Segun Bagicha area. Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith inaugurated the exhibition as chief guest on Thursday and took part in a discussion titled ‘London 1971: Bhindeshe Bangali’r Gourab Kotha’, while Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor was present as a special guest. The exhibition is showcasing rare photographs of British photographer Roger Goyen and British-born Bangladeshi Yusuf Chowdhury, bearing testimony of the unseen moments of the Liberation War.  
Ujjal Das, in his long seven year’s research, collected the rare photographs, many paper cuttings of Bengali and English newspapers, posters, leaflets which are being displayed in the exhibition. London is a witness to many untold events of the Liberation War of Bangladesh. Expatriate Bengalis in favor of independence were very vocal about the war from the early preparatory stage. They called for an independent Bangladesh and worked to create awareness in British cities during the long nine months of war. Though living in a foreign land, many people took to the streets in Britain, longing for an independent Bangladesh. This exhibition, London 1971, is a collection of those sparkling days which began in the early stage of Liberation War and ends in the homecoming of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman via London. British Parliament Members, politicians, journalists, social workers and students played a unique role in gaining public support for an independent Bangladesh alongside the Bengali people there. Revolutionary Bengalis burned down the Pakistani flag at the Pakistan High Commission in London on  March 5 in 1971. Members of Women’s Association gave memorandum to the residence of the British prime minister on April 3.
An exhibition showcasing the first eight stamps and envelopes of independent Bangladesh was held in the House of Commons on July 26. A phenomenal gathering of people of Bangladesh took place in Trafalgar Square of London, which was coordinated by Action Bangladesh on August 1. Establishing a diplomatic mission in London on August 27 was another milestone in this journey. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the architect of our independence, arrived at Heathrow Airport at dawn of  January 8 in 1972. In the evening, a press conference was organized with his presence in Claridge Hotel. Steering Committee of the action committees, the Regional Action Committees, Student Action Committee, Women's Associations in the UK, Bangladesh Medical Association in the UK, Action Bangladesh and Operation Omega played vital roles in creating public opinion for an independent Bangladesh and gathering ‘Bangladesh Fund’.
This exhibition titled ‘London 1971’ incorporates those exclusive photographs of that time. The three-day exhibition will end today.