Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki has called on all Bangladeshis to remain alert against the traps of defeated hegemonic forces. Speaking on Monday at the Bangla Academy in Dhaka during the prize-giving ceremony of the Amar Desh Readers’ Fair’s creative writing, short story, and poetry competitions, he warned that those linked to past hegemonic politics would not accept their defeat easily and might attempt to ensnare others. He emphasized that the awareness and ideals that protected the nation after the July Revolution must continue for the next decade.

Farooki described culture as a powerful determinant of life and death, not a harmless concept. He criticized the long-standing division between “high” and “low” culture, arguing that it was created to distort history and control the middle class through politics of hatred. Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman, presiding over the event, said political victory depends on winning the cultural struggle first and praised the youth for resisting foreign dominance and embracing authentic Bangladeshi culture.

Speakers also stressed the need for continuous cultural practice—through literature, music, and reading—to preserve the gains of the July Revolution and build a historically conscious generation.