ULAB-MSJ Hosts Project Showcasing of the Ctrl+Alt+Story Initiative
Department of Media Studies and Journalism (MSJ) of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) hosted the Project Showcasing of the Ctrl+Alt+Story: Research & Storytelling in Journalism fellowship program on Thursday, August 20. The event exhibited student works developed under the fellowship program, jointly organized by ULAB and Drik Picture Library.
ULAB Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Samshad Mortuza and Dr Shahidul Alam, Founder and Managing Director of Drik inaugurated the exhibition held at ULAB campus. Addressing the gathering, Professor Mortuza applauded the student works and the initiative and advised the young storytellers to keep telling stories and to curate and archive them in a way that can connect people easily. “Storytelling is important; effectively told stories can initiate change and can give the voiceless a voice,” he added. Echoing this sentiment of creative empowerment, Dr. Shahidul Alam added, “Let your expressions and exhibitions give opportunity to others' inner creators and activists to rise.” For doing this effectively, he stressed on choosing the right medium for reaching particular audiences alongside putting together a good story.
Professor Dr Sumon Rahman, Dean of the ULAB School of Social Sciences and Head of the MSJ Department, also graced the ceremony. Highlighting the long-term impact of the initiative, he noted, “In a world full of distractions, it is not easy to catch the attention of the audience. This initiative gave the participants a great opportunity to explore long-form journalism and present the story of the people in a creative and innovative way that can engage the audience.”
The session was moderated by the project coordinators: Dr Sarkar Barbaq Quarmal, Associate Professor at the Department of Media Studies and Journalism, and Oliur Rahman Sun, Lecturer at the Department of English and Humanities. The current cohort of the Ctrl+Alt+Story fellowship program began with 21 participants who learned the art of long-form storytelling through a series of workshops and masterclasses facilitated by leading academics, journalists, and storytellers. Following a rigorous Project Proposal Presentation Session, ten participants were selected to advance their projects. Each selected participant then received a fellowship grant of fifty thousand taka to bring their dream projects to light.
The showcasing highlighted the collaborative efforts of ULAB and Drik in fostering the next generation of journalists, providing them with the platform and resources to explore in-depth research and creative narrative forms.
