Mustafa Monwar chose puppets over weapons during Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971, using storytelling, humour and satire to inspire courage, hope and resilience among refugees. On Monday, the pioneering puppeteer, eminent artist and cultural icon passed away, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy that extended far beyond children’s entertainment.
Throughout the war, Monwar staged puppet shows at refugee camps across India, bringing moments of hope and laughter to women, children and families displaced by the conflict.
American filmmaker Lear Levin documented many of those performances. Years later, footage from the historic puppet shows featured in Tareque Masud’s acclaimed documentary Muktir Gaan (Songs of Freedom).
One of Monwar’s best-known wartime productions was Agacha (The Weed). In the story, Pakistani soldiers asked a farmer where the freedom fighters were hiding. The farmer replied that they lived in the heart of every Bengali. The symbolic tale inspired refugees with patriotism and strengthened their resolve to continue the struggle for independence.
Recalling those days in a post-war interview, Monwar said the puppet shows were often staged in refugee camps using nothing more than a black cloth as a backdrop. Whenever one of his puppets caricatured Pakistan’s military ruler Yahya Khan, audiences—from children to the elderly—burst into laughter.
That laughter, Monwar said, allowed people to momentarily forget the horrors of war, regain their courage and express defiance against the occupying forces.
The man who brought smiles to war-ravaged faces through puppetry breathed his last at around 8:30am on Monday while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Dhaka.
His death has cast a deep shadow over Bangladesh’s artistic, cultural and Liberation War communities, but the stories he told during the nation’s darkest days remain an enduring testament to the power of art in the service of freedom.
