Pawmum Parbon 2025, a weeklong cultural festival featuring Mro children and community members from Lama in Bandarban, will be held at Alliance Française de Dhaka from 17 to 24 December 2025. The venue will remain closed on Sunday.

The festival aims to present Mro language, art, music and heritage to a wider audience, while offering indigenous children an opportunity to showcase their creative work in the capital for the first time.

Pawmum Tharkla, a community-led school in Lama established more than a decade ago, has been working to preserve the Mro language, cultural practices and early childhood education. For many of the participating children, the festival marks their first journey outside the hill tracts.

Shohoz has joined the initiative as the official travel partner, ensuring safe transportation for 40 Mro children and community members from Lama to Dhaka and back. Other partners supporting the event include Prachyanat Theatre as theatre partner, Together for Bangladesh as event management and volunteer partner, ZhirZhir Pvt Ltd as concert support partner, Graam Cha Initiative as logistic partner, Cartoon People as exhibition and decoration partner, and The Business Standard as print and online media partner. Alliance Française de Dhaka is hosting the festival as venue partner.

The programme will feature children’s artwork, bamboo crafts, photography, weaving demonstrations, short films and live performances, including Mro dance, songs and the traditional plung flute. Workshops, guided tours and community dialogues will also be held throughout the week.

Shahariar Parvez, co-founder of Pawmum Tharkla, said, “Our school began in a small bamboo hut with only a few children. For more than a decade, we have worked to protect their language and identity through education. Pawmum Parbon 2025 is an opportunity for these children to be seen and heard beyond the hills.”

The organisers said the festival has been arranged without major corporate sponsorship and is largely supported by volunteers, partner organisations and individual well-wishers committed to promoting cultural diversity and indigenous rights.

The festival will be open to the public, with visitors invited to attend the exhibitions, interact with the children and community members, and experience the cultural expressions of the Mro people.