Thursday, March 28, 2024 – 5pm, Foster Hall 103
Tomal Hossain, PhD Candidate, Music Department, University of Chicago
This TAPSA session will feature a hybrid conversation between Tomal Hossain and Osman Goni, a Rohingya refugee musician based in Kutupalong Registered Camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The subject of their conversation will center on a feature film they are currently co-producing that centers on the life of Osman and the social life of music/song among Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar. Osman’s musical life is intertwined with many other musicians and official bodies, including various NGOs/INGOs and governmental bodies, and his life story and Rohingya tarana song compositions and performances offer a poignant window into Rohingya identity and Rohingya pasts and futures. The presenters will also discuss the process by which they are pursuing the film project, making mention of unique opportunities and challenges they have faced along the way thus far. Moreover, towards the end of the session, they will be keen to take questions, comments, and suggestions from attendees from various angles—practical, aesthetic, theoretical, etc.—regarding the film project in particular.