members of matarbari folktales

Cultural Activist. Founder of BroquéCreative Producer & Curator

Research and Documentation Lead

Subham Barua is a graduate in Political Science (International Affairs) from the University of California, Riverside, with a focus on conflict resolution and climate security. As a MISRA Fellow at UCR’s Department of Political Science, his research examined the intersection of international law crimes against the environment during wartime. He was recently a youth representative from Bangladesh at the 2025 United Nations ECOSOC Youth Forum where he contributed to global discussions on sustainable development and intergenerational peacebuilding.

“Working on Discovering Matarbari Folktales has been a transformative experience. Though outside my usual academic focus, it deepened my understanding of how art can serve as a form of decolonial resistance by restoring agency to those most affected by climate change. Engaging with the voices of fishermen, salt workers, and young artists at the frontlines of climate change reminded me that resilience often lives in the quietest forms of creativity.”

Graduate student & Indigenous rights advocate
Researcher & Writer (Top-up Grant Publication)

Myat Moe Khaing is an Indigenous woman from the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh. Her work explores the intersections of Indigeneity, gender politics, and social justice through a decolonial lens. She is currently pursuing a Master of Social Work in Australia.

With a background spanning journalism, telecommunications, and academic training in Business Administration and Development Studies, Myat brings a multidisciplinary perspective to questions of equity, representation, and Indigenous self-determination. 

Committed to expanding educational opportunities for Indigenous children, she has co-authored multilingual children’s books and picture dictionaries grounded in oral histories shared by Indigenous elders. The Legend of Boga Lake, one of these works, received the Independent Publishers of New England’s Book Award.

Myat co-created a digital exhibition on exploitative labour conditions in Bangladesh, which was later showcased at the Nobel Peace Center. She is also a World Economic Forum’s Global Shaper.

“Working in the Matarbari project as a researcher has been deeply meaningful and rewarding for me. As an Indigenous person and as a Social Work student committed to social justice, I carry an Indigenous lens shaped by histories of land dispossession, cultural loss, and gender-based violence. I could connect deeply with the stories of Matarbari’s communities, and at the same time, learn entirely new things. I saw Matarbari through the eyes of its young people reflecting their memories, frustrations, longings, and quiet acts of resistance. Their voices are refreshing and promising. They have taught me that resistance can take various forms, like storytelling, art, and most importantly, imagining futures beyond the narratives imposed on them.”

Research Assistant

Azim Niloy is a recently graduated civil engineer and environmentalist from Bangladesh, whose work combines art, community, and sustainability. With an emphasis on regional narratives and ecological identities, his works examine the relationship between human stories and the shifting landscape. Azim Niloy's approach incorporates field research, visual storytelling, and interactive engagement to reinterpret local tales for a climate-conscious future.

“Stories, in my opinion, are living bridges that span time and connect people, places, and memories. I regard my work as a conversation between the land we stand on and the sounds that emanate from it, between the seen and the felt.

To me, “Discovering the Matarbari Tales” is more than just a project; it's a trip back to one's origins. Through interactions with fishermen, salt workers, ethnic people, elders, and storytellers, I hope to recover the shared wisdom held by the community and the sea it meets. Each story echoes perseverance and love for the environment, pointing to a past that can help us navigate our uncertain future. I’m motivated by the idea that art can preserve memory so that we can remind ourselves of what the world still reveres via color, sound, and movement.”

Designer, Co-founder Loudworks, Rndm
Book Design & Publishing

Navid Hasnain is an architect, designer & photographer based in Dhaka. Through a multidisciplinary design approach Navid explores themes of identity, materiality and place with influence of time, space, forms & culture.

He is the founding partner & creative director of Loudworks, a brand identity & communication design studio and Rndm, A retail brand offering playful designer products.

Editor & Translator

A lifelong reader who became a writer, Tarin Fatema Mithila has always believed in the power of connecting people through stories. Tarin is currently employed at ICE Media and uses her platform, Talespeople, to champion reading and storytelling.

“This project, which focuses on the children of Matarbari, felt incredibly important when I first learned about it. These young people are the genuine custodians of their village's memory, sharing the folktales that define Matarbari’s spirit. As a reader myself, I find that working with this material is a privilege because it is so real and direct. The book ensures that this rich, local knowledge is not lost, but is instead clearly and respectfully shared with the world.Description goes here”

Film Maker. Founder Applebox Production.
Film Making Workshop

Piplu R Khan, founder and director of Applebox Films in Dhaka, is a prolific advertising filmmaker known for captivating storytelling and nuanced character development. He also directed ad films in Bombay under Potli Baba.

“Matarbari Story Lab was a happy place, a space where I could meet and share the art of storytelling with young students, and in return, see the world through their eyes. Connecting with such a diverse community and their lived realities was an eye-opener for me as a filmmaker. The Matarbari experience is something I would love to carry forward as a learning process on how we, as storytellers, can act responsibly toward community building, using storytelling as an asset.

My role there felt more like that of a fellow someone who came to share, exchange, and listen. I wanted to blend my experiences with their ideas, and I found that exchange truly inspiring. Yet, what struck me most was how limited their access is to even the most basic creative resources during these formative years.

That’s when I reached out to my colleagues at Applebox, and together, we approached this lab as a community engagement initiative. For any creative collective today, I believe it’s time to associate ourselves with problem-solving. The potential of using storytelling as a tool to empower and connect people felt natural and deeply aligned with who we are and what we stand for.”

DA and AD 
Applebox Films
Film Production Workshop

“I recently visited Matarbari School in Moheshkhali for a two-day filmmaking workshop with students who are deeply enthusiastic about cinema. Honestly, I had no clear idea what I was going to do or how to structure the sessions. It was my very first workshop as an aspiring filmmaker, and I walked in with excitement mixed with uncertainty.But after two days, what I received in return was far more than I could have imagined. The fourteen students I worked with were curious, dedicated, and incredibly energetic. Along with Moztaba from the Applebox Films team, we guided them through the basics of filmmaking from story development to production. Out of ten stories they came up with, we selected two to bring to life.We divided responsibilities the way a real film crew would. Some took charge of costumes and props, some handled location permissions, and others operated the camera scene by scene, learning the rhythm of storytelling through the lens. A few even acted in the films, discovering their confidence in front of the camera. Later, we let every student edit a film they had worked on, so they could experience how the story truly comes together in post-production.The most inspiring part was seeing how ten out of the fourteen students were girls, and how supportive they were of each other. They pushed one another forward, shared ideas, and helped refine each other’s visions. It was teamwork in its purest, most beautiful form.These young storytellers carry big dreams within a small community. Matarbari’s rich folklore and local stories are what fuel their imagination and through their own lens, they are already beginning to tell those tales with honesty and heart.My journey to Matarbari reminded me why I fell in love with filmmaking in the first place because it’s not just about cameras or scripts, but about people, collaboration, and the endless ways we can see and share the world.”

Photographer & Videographer for the project

Farzana Hossen is a Bangladeshi photographer, artist, and documentary storyteller whose work centers on women’s lives within systems of inequality, exploring themes of human rights, intimacy, loss, and resilience.

An alumna of Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, Photoart Institute in Chattogram, and the Angkor Photo Workshops, Farzana’s work has been recognized globally. Her honors include the Ian Parry Scholarship Grant (2013), Getty Images Emerging Talent (2013–14), the Alexia Foundation Student Award of Excellence (2014), and fellowships with the Magnum Foundation (2020) and Chobi Mela (2021). She was shortlisted for the Amnesty Media Awards in 2025.

Working across photography, video, archival materials, and handmade interventions such as alternative printing and embroidery, Farzana crafts layered visual narratives with deep emotional texture.

Her work has been published internationally—including in The Sunday Times Magazine, The Guardian, and Greenpeace Magazine—and exhibited at festivals and museums worldwide, with pieces in the permanent collection of the China Academy of Fine Arts Museum.

Farzana currently serves on the Advisory Committee of the Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant and contributes to The Guardian and The New Humanitarian.

“As part of Matarbari Folktales, organized by Mahenaz Chowdhury, I documented two workshops conducted by different artists and professionals — one on photography and videography with youth, and another on Nakshikantha with women artisans. Over the course of the project, I photographed and filmed the sessions, observing how art and storytelling became a bridge between generations and communities.

Beyond the workshops, I followed one of the artisans to her home, meeting her family and neighbors, listening to how their environment and livelihoods are shifting amid Matarbari’s rapid industrial transformation. Through their stories, I witnessed resilience shaped by change — and the deep connection people continue to hold with their land, sea, and history.”

Founder and Filmmaker. Checkmate Events. Raptors
Photography Workshop

Sadia Afrin is a business graduate turned filmmaker with over a decade of experience working with international and local Institutions on films and documentaries. She complemented her academic studies with professional training in Photography and Filmmaking at Pathshala South Asian Media Institute and the National Film and Television School (NFTS), UK . Sadia leads Raptors, a content agency focused on documentary and brand storytelling, and co-founded Checkmate Events. Passion for visual storytelling drives her to lead photography and filmmaking workshops, currently acting as an instructor at BRAC University’s Uddami Ami program.

“Visited Matarbari, Maheshkhali Island for a two-day residency workshop under “Discovering Matarbari Folktales” by Mahenaz Chowdhury, supported by the British Council’s Climate Futures: South Asia (Bangladesh).

A hundred miles from home, we found stories, laughter, and creativity rooted in Matarbari’s soil. The workshop brought together youth, women artisans, and local storytellers to preserve their folktales, ecological wisdom, and lived experiences amid rapid change.

The young storytellers and artisans left a lasting impression. In Matarbari, amid modern shifts, we rediscovered the quiet wisdom of community and the pulse of the earth that still speaks softly beneath the noise of change.”

Cinematographer — Checkmate Events
Photography Workshop
Professional Cinematographer currently working with Checkmate Events.

He specializes in wedding cinematography and corporate video production, capturing stories with creative visuals and cinematic style and his goal is to create visually compelling films that connect emotion with storytelling.

Film Production Workshop

Project Coordinator & Focal Person, YPSA Maheskhali Officer.
Community Liaison Lead

M Azizul Haque is a graduate in political science from the National University Bangladesh. I have been working at YPSA as a development worker for 14 years. I am also writing for various Newspaper and online portal. I am working on a livelihood plan implementation project to improve the quality of life of marginalised communities.

“Matarbari folktales project. I also lead Matarbari high school and communities. completed the following tasks as a project coordinator for the YPSA-ULAB ARISE project in Matarbari. Training of entrepreneurship for market linkages. Profit sharing meeting with fisher-folk communities. Training on land rights and capacity building of development affected communities. Consultation workshop with local communities Upazila level consultation meeting and cash support distribution for fisher women communities. Training on business plan for the fishermen communities. Training on social media linkages for market linkage.”

Community Mobilizer, YPSA
Community Liaison

Munni Akhter is an NGO worker as well as a masters graduate.

Community mobilizer, YPSA

Sohel Uddin is an NGO worker as well as an honors graduate.

“Discovering Matarbari Folktales" project facilitated on field by YPSA and supported by British Council will take Matarbari Nakshikantha industry further and strengthen their family's economy. Week-long training of students of Matarbari High School will contribute to their career as well. “