A Bangladeshi revival

Bangladesh is often considered a poor country, which may be true in terms of development indicators such as GDP per capita or the number of people living on under $2 per day. However, in terms of creativity, talent, colour and sheer exuberance, Bangladesh is indeed very rich.

I was fortunate to have attended an ‘annual revival meeting’, which is a bit like your typical Christian family conference in the UK such as Spring Harvest or New Wine. These are held in each deanery of the Church of Bangladesh every year, with guest speakers, cultural programmes, children’s events, worship and communion.

The one I attended this year was the Helmel, which means ‘fellowship’ in the Santali language. We arrived during my favourite part of the cultural programme, the ground reverberating with the sound of the heavy Santal drums, melodic rhythmic singing acting as an accompaniment along with the sound of the tabla and harmonium, colour flashing before my eyes as groups of brightly attired young people – both boys and girls – danced, moving their feet in complex patterns, while the crowd under the shamiana clapped and shouted their approval. Read more