The Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) museum has been renovated to preserve the country’s history, heritage and the memory of its glorious movements. The renovation has made the museum more modern, aesthetically presented and information-rich.
DUCSU vice-president (VP) Sadik Kayem inaugurated the renovated museum on Sunday (September 13). The renovation work was overseen by Fatima Tasnim Juma, DUCSU’s secretary for liberation war and democratic movement affairs.
The inauguration was attended by DUCSU treasurer Professor H M Mosharraf Hossain, Dhaka University political science professor Shariful Islam, DUCSU general secretary (GS) S M Forhad, student transport secretary Asif Abdullah, career development secretary Mazharul Islam, social service secretary A B Zubair, and Farzana Alam, daughter of former DUCSU VP Badrul Alam, along with her family members. Leaders of DUCSU and the hall unions, as well as students from various university departments, also took part.
Fatima Tasnim Juma said DUCSU’s history is deeply intertwined with the history of Dhaka University’s student community. Since its founding, DUCSU has played an important role in securing students’ rights, democratic movements, and social and cultural activities, with much of that history and evidence scattered across various places.
Noting that the museum had long remained in a dilapidated state, Fatima said plans to modernise it began after she took charge, culminating in the completed renovation and Sunday’s reopening.
She added that over the coming week, important historical documents and materials would continue to be added to the museum, covering not just Dhaka University but the country’s broader history, heritage and glorious achievements. Old photographs, documents, publications, posters and memorabilia held by former DUCSU leaders, university teachers, students and others would be gradually collected and incorporated, she said, expressing hope that the museum would become a rich historical archive for DUCSU.
Farzana Alam, daughter of Badrul Alam, DUCSU VP for the 1957-58 session, said the museum presents history and data continuously from 1957 through to July 2024 without the influence of any political ideology. Through this, she said, current and future generations would be able to learn about the work, struggles and achievements of DUCSU’s past leaders.
She said the student representatives of that era had risen above political ideology to speak for the student community, and expressed heartfelt gratitude to DUCSU for this initiative to present genuine history without favouring any single party or view.
DUCSU GS S M Forhad said the museum, long neglected since 1990, had now been renovated and reopened, presenting ancient history, the 1971 Liberation War, the mass uprising of the 1990s, the July 2024 movement, and various events between 2009 and 2024 in chronological order.
However, Forhad noted that some information gaps remain in the museum, including photographs of some former VPs. He said the coming week would be used for corrections and additions, and appealed to anyone with relevant information, photographs or corrections to share them with DUCSU.
DUCSU VP Sadik Kayem said the renovated museum presents Bangladesh’s history from 1905 through the July 2024 movement, preserving documents, photographs and the memory of martyrs from the language movement, the Liberation War, the anti-autocracy movement of the 1990s and other democratic movements.
He added that the history of all 39 DUCSU sessions held since 1921, along with honour plaques bearing the names of former VPs and GSs, had been added to the museum, and appealed to the public and researchers to contribute historical documents and rare photographs from the July movement to further enrich the collection.