Bangladesh’s Liberation War deeply moving for us: Kennedy Jr

The 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh is deeply moving for the Kennedy family, Edward M Kennedy Jr, son of late US Senator Edward M Kennedy and nephew of late US President John F Kennedy, said Sunday.

“My father was with the people of Bengal during the war. As a member of his family, I am very proud of Bangladesh’s independence and progress,” he said while visiting the Bengal Foundation in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi.

Kennedy Jr and his wife Katherine “Kiki” Kennedy, daughter Kiley Kennedy, son Teddy Kennedy, niece Grace Kennedy Allen, and nephew Max Allen visited the Bengal Foundation as part of their weeklong visit to Bangladesh to celebrate the 50th anniversary of US-Bangladesh diplomatic ties organised by the US Embassy.

Visiting the ongoing travelling exhibition “Voices of Bangladesh: the Journey to 50” at Bengal Shilpalay, he said: “The images from the exhibition are very powerful for anyone, especially for us, our family because we have seen the whole footage of my late father standing with the people in the refugee camps. What he saw 50 years ago were atrocities and catastrophes.”

“So it’s very moving for us and our family, and that is one of the reasons I wanted my children to come with us on this trip – so they can learn not just the history, but the important role that my father was able to play during the most critical time of Bangladesh’s Liberation War.”

Before visiting the exhibition, the Kennedy Jr family enjoyed a traditional Bengali sarod performance by the students of Bengal Parampara Sangeetalay.

They also visited the exhibition “The Work of Creation 2” by eminent artist Kazi Ghiyasuddin at Bengal Gallery and visited Bengal Boi.

“I and my family are overwhelmed to see Bengal Foundation’s multi-dimensional approach to promote art, literature and culture,” Kennedy Jr said.

US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission in Bangladesh Helen La-Fave, Counselor for Public Affairs Sean McIntosh, Cultural Affairs Officer Sharlina Hussain-Morgan, Bengal Foundation President Abul Khair, Director General Luva Nahid Chowdhury, trustees Zeenat Chowdhury and Nawshin Khair; Emeritus Professor of Black Hills State University Ahrar Ahmed accompanied the Kennedy Jr family.

A joint initiative of the US Embassy of Bangladesh and the Bengal Foundation, the Voices of Bangladesh: the Journey to 50 is an exclusive oral history collection programme which is showcasing the unknown stories of current Bangladesh, created through various political and social evolutions from the independence to the next five decades.

The travelling exhibition is being held as part of the programme across Rajshahi, Khulna, Dhaka, Chattogram, and Sylhet districts.