Credit where it's due for Bangladeshi folk music revival venture
Ancient Baul musical tradition finds unlikely advocate in the form of Manningham Housing Association
A housing provider in Bradford, West Yorkshire, has stepped in to help preserve a South Asian folk music tradition from dwindling into obscurity.
Baul music originates in Bangladesh and the neighbouring Indian state of West Bengal; historically both parts of the larger Bengal region. It was especially popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but has since ebbed.
Manningham Housing Association (MHA) wants to reverse this trend, at least across Bradford and neighbouring Keighley; it has secured funds for a project to revive, preserve and promote the writing and performance of this music.
“Baul music writers who live and work in Bradford district class themselves as ordinary people … [W]e see them as talented people who deserve recognition,” said Sadar Uddin, the housing association's community partnership and investment manager.
“This project will increase greater awareness of Baul music and motivate individuals to learn, write and perform at public events in venues easily accessible by local communities.”
There's a distinct philosophy of life embedded in the musical form. Adherents of folk music more generally might claim much the same, but Baul derives over centuries from a range of spiritual influences, both Muslim (Sufism) and Hindu, among others.
The word itself, Baul is thought to derive from the Sanskrit word 'Batul' or 'Baur,' meaning a devotee who could merge with divinity through music.
Bradford and the wider district is home to “numerous” practitioners of the Baul musical art, but most of their work has never been published. The project wants to encourage a wider audience.
There's more to the venture than the cultural dimension, it must be said; tackling deprivation and uplifting communities gripped by poverty and low incomes is another.
According to the latest census, 2.3% of the district's residents identify as of Bangladeshi heritage. That comes to around 12,400 people out of a total population of over half a million. A minority group, yes, but one that is disproportionately represented among those enduring poverty.
As the housing association's deputy chief executive and director of operations, Ulfat Hussain put it, the Baul music project is a “non-housing added-value” project with “major cultural value”.
“The project will target beneficiaries living in hard-to-reach neighbourhoods which face multiple deprivations and disadvantages,” Hussain added.
“Almost 99% of the targeted participants are from poor economic or unemployment backgrounds or low-income families.
“Long term, we would like this project developed into a learning hub for Baul music, creating a vibrant forum for writers and enthusiasts.”
The project has secured funding from the Leap Pioneer Programme, Bradford council's Arts, Culture & Heritage Fund, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The plan is to translate the lyrics of more than 100 original songs into English so they can be promoted in local communities. The songs will be brought together, along with the accompanying sheet music, into a book.
This book itself will be launched in Bradford later this year. Some of the songs will also be performed by professional musicians at what is said will be a large community event.
There's a further reason why this is a fitting project for the city and its surrounding district; it certainly fits the context in which it finds itself.
Bradford is the UK City of Culture 2025; right now, it's gearing up for its year in the limelight, during which time it will showcase its multicultural variety and the creative talents of its young people.
Obviously, Baul music, whether you're already an enthusiast or have never heard of it before, is very much a part of that cultural tapestry.
“MHA likes to do things differently,” said the housing provider's chair, Barrington Billings. He went on to say the funds will “allow this exciting new project to fly”.
“I congratulate Sadar for his hard work in securing the funds,” he added. “It will promote Baul music to a wider audience, enabling different communities in Bradford and Keighley to come together.”
Uddin added: “I have met with several highly qualified Baul song writers who have published some of their works, but there are many others in the communities of Bradford and Keighley who have spent most of their lives writing Baul folk songs which have never been shared publicly.
“We want to put that right.”
MC