A scene from Manush Ebong staged at the studio Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Sunday.— Snigdha Zaman

Civilisation and oppression are interlinked: this universal truth has been highlighted in Natya Prayash’s latest production Manush Ebong.
The play, written and directed respectively by Manik Mandal and Shishir Rahman, was staged at the studio Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Sunday.
Portraying a character named Goda, who lives in a remote village inhabited by almost equal numbers of Hindus and Muslims, the play reveals that how the poor of the village like Goda get oppressed by the influentials no matter whether they are the Hindu or Muslim.
Goda’s tale depicted in the play is not just a mere saga of oppression, rather symbolically he represents oppressed and tortured human beings, who are the victims of the dominating class.
Manush Ebong, in fact, highlights how human beings are oppressed and tortured by the means of gender, religion and muscle power.
The play was enjoyable despite most of the artistes are new faces.
A moderate number of audiences enjoyed the production. Meraz Rahman Rana, a private service holder, said, ‘The production was enjoyable. The troupe isn’t popular but the artistes have performed well.’
While Joy, who is also a service holder, observed that the theme of the play is really relevant to the contemporary society.