Durjoy Rahman, the founder of Winners Creations Ltd, a Bangladeshi garment and textile sourcing company, is building new linkages between the Gulf and South Asia through his eponymous art foundation. The Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation was founded in 2018 to promote South Asian art and artists to a global audience through programming in Bangladesh and internationally, hosting exhibitions, and promoting artists and creatives from the so-called Global South—a term used to describe a grouping of countries based on socioeconomic and political characteristics, with the Global South specifically referring to Asia, Africa, Latin America, Oceania, and the Middle East.
The promotion of long-standing linkages between South Asia and the Gulf region through cultural projects, such as culinary arts, vintage vehicles, and the visual and performing arts, is important to Rahman.
As Rahman says, we used to look to the West, but now the West is looking to the East, and the Gulf is currently rising as a socio-cultural area. “Through art and culture, countries like Bangladesh in South Asia may contribute to the Gulf’s sustained rise.”
Rahman, who started his job in the textile industry at the age of 22, says he’s always wanted to be his own boss and pursue his interests in creative fields. The Bangladeshi entrepreneur co-founded his company with a long-time business partner in 1993. Bangladesh is not alone in having a long history of local culinary habits in South Asia. As a result, DBF’s activities are heavily focused on cuisine and the use of food as a form of cultural discussion.
DBF hosted DIS/PLACEMENT in Dhaka in March 2022, an event that explored the concepts of displacement, identity, and migration through the cuisine of Bangladeshi chef Kishwar Chowdhury.
Furthermore, he states, “Indigenous dietary habits have a long history in South Asia, and Bangladesh is no exception,” he noted. “We put a lot of emphasis on food at our events.” I suddenly realized that cooking has become an integral aspect of cultural exchange. As a result, we believe DBF should include culinary arts in our curriculum.” In terms of the Gulf, Rahman feels that strong cultural synergies can lead to successful economic collaborations between the two regions, whether through food, art, or automobiles.