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Bangladesh

KORAIL - City of culture

This project is a sustainable urban development initiative supported by the Creative Economy Programme of the Federal Foreign Office in Germany, in collaboration with Goethe-Institut Bangladesh and its local counterpart, Paraa, and international partner, Floating e.V. The project aims to support cultural practitioners and producers living, working, and playing in Korail in establishing sustainable cultural practices, and to feed this knowledge back into processes of global and local learning and teaching on sustainable urban development.

Korail - City of Culture © FNQ.AIA.RN

Where is KORAIL?

The Background of the Project

The Paraa team has been working with a dedicated group of youth volunteers from Korail for the last two years.
 
In the beginning of the Korail project, the youth volunteers did a series of participatory design and research workshops with the wider Korail community. This was under the supervision of the Paraa team, supported by Goethe-Institut. These workshops took form in dynamic ways, playful interactive methods that involved roaming around, making models with available local materials, asking questions to diverse groups of people and mapping and understanding critically the challenges of creating a new public space in Ershad Maath.
 
The participatory research questions explored around play - what is it, who plays, why is play important, how is play happening in Korail, where is a safe space for girls to play, etc. Through this research, the youth then worked together to develop an architectural model and vision of an ideal place that reflected the community’s aspirations for an all-inclusive safe play space.

Festival of Design 2024

Join us this December 2024 for the 'Moja-Kori' festival! The four-day long festival organized across multiple sites in and beyond Korail, aims to engage youth, design professionals, and create a cultural center, envisioning a replicable model for a Design Biennale. Focused on community engagement, the festival explores design's impact within cities like Korail through collaborations and showcases projects at the intersection of arts, climate, culture, gender, accessibility, and sustainability.
Want to become a part of the festival?
Collaborate with us through sponsorship, venues, artistic partnerships, communications, logistics, volunteering, or workshops!

Design festival call © Goethe Institut Bangladesh

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2023

The first dream model made by the Korail Youth team with Paraa.

The first dream model made by the Korail Youth team with Paraa. | © Paraa, Goethe-Institut

Korail youth with the final design model at the Korail play exhibition at Drikpath.

Korail youth with the final design model at the Korail play exhibition at Drikpath. | © Paraa, Goethe-Institut

The architectural vision of the cultural space in the Ershad Play Field.

The architectural vision of the cultural space in the Ershad Play Field. | © Paraa, Goethe-Institut

The project team with the Mayor of North Dhaka, Mr. Atiqul Islam and the Deputy to the Embassy of Germany, Mr. Jan Janowski.

The project team with the Mayor of North Dhaka, Mr. Atiqul Islam and the Deputy to the Embassy of Germany, Mr. Jan Janowski. | © Paraa, Goethe-Institut

The project team with the Member of Parliament, Mr. Mohammad A. Arafat and the General Councilor of Ward 19 of Dhaka North City Corporation, Mr. Md Mofizur Rahman.

The project team with the Member of Parliament, Mr. Mohammad A. Arafat and the General Councilor of Ward 19 of Dhaka North City Corporation, Mr. Md Mofizur Rahman. | © Paraa, Goethe-Institut

The Project team in Korail

The Project team in Korail | © Paraa, Goethe-Institut

A kid is interacting with the bamboo pavilion designed and executed by Paraa

A kid is interacting with the bamboo pavilion designed and executed by Paraa | © Paraa, Goethe-Institut

Programs under the project

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WORKSHOPS AND EXHIBITIONS

In 2023, the Goethe-Institut Bangladesh, alongside partners Paraa, Floating University, and the Korail Youth team, organized the 'KorailPlay' exhibition featuring research by Paraa, visual narratives from Floating University, and insights from the youth leaders of Korail. The exhibition provides a comprehensive understanding of the collaborative spirit of the Korail-City of Culture project.

Workshops and Exhibitions © Rafid Nahian

Glimpses of KORAIL

Women and children celebrating Victory Day

Women and children celebrating Victory Day | © Md. Kowshikur Rahman

Inside a bazaar (grocery market) in Korail

Inside a bazaar (grocery market) in Korail | © Md. Kowshikur Rahman

A small portion of regular groceries neatly stacked in front of a little boy in the bazaar

A small portion of regular groceries neatly stacked in front of a little boy in the bazaar | © Md. Kowshikur Rahman

Children are playing cricket in the alleys of Korail

Children are playing cricket in the alleys of Korail | © Md. Kowshikur Rahman

Small portion of regular groceries neatly stacked in front of a little boy in the bazaar

The typical housing patterns in Korail | © Md. Kowshikur Rahman

Pitha making molds is demonstrated by a seller in the Ershad field

Pitha making molds is demonstrated by a seller in the Ershad field | © Md. Kowshikur Rahman

Children of Korail

Children of Korail | © Md. Kowshikur Rahman

Project partners

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