Liberation War Museum Archive (Documents, Oral History, AV, Photo)

Overview

The Liberation War Museum (LWM) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is a civil society institution dedicated to preserving and presenting the history of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. Its archive holds over 21,000 artefacts, documents, photographs, oral histories, and audiovisual materials relating to the nine-month conflict that resulted in Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan. The museum is independent of the Government of Bangladesh and is governed by an eight-person Board of Trustees.

History and Founding

The Liberation War Museum was inaugurated on March 22, 1996, at 5 Segun Bagicha, Dhaka. It was founded in the backdrop of civil society mobilization for war crimes trials and the desire to document civilian contributions to the liberation struggle. The museum describes itself as the product of a citizens' effort: it was funded through public donations and its collections built from materials donated by families of freedom fighters, survivors, and the wider public. Due to insufficient space at its original premises, a new permanent building was constructed at Agargaon, Civic Centre, Dhaka, and inaugurated on April 16, 2017, with 3,500 square meters of gallery space.

Collections and Holdings

The archive comprises rare photographs, government and military documents, print and electronic media coverage from 1971, personal effects of freedom fighters and civilian victims, weapons used by the Mukti Bahini guerrilla army, human remains recovered from mass graves, and donated family heirlooms. The Oral History collection contains more than 60,000 historical narratives gathered through a school outreach program in which students interview elderly witnesses. An audiovisual archive, photo archive, and library are maintained on site and accessible through a dedicated catalogue. In 2006, the Japanese government donated audiovisual and exhibition equipment to aid preservation efforts.

Notable Materials

The archive holds burnt wood pieces from a house set ablaze by the Pakistani army in November 1971, materials excavated from two killing fields in Dhaka suburbs, and donated artefacts from families of intellectuals targeted in Operation Searchlight. An ongoing oral history project has recorded accounts of over 225 freedom fighters and civilians.

Access and Usage

The museum is open to the public at its Agargaon facility. Many archival documents have been digitized and are accessible online, and the museum offers a virtual tour. A mobile museum bus travels to schools across Bangladesh, extending the archive's reach to rural areas.