Unesco recognises Bangabandhu’s 7th March speech.

Unesco has recognised the historic 7th March Speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as part of the world’s documentary heritage.

The historic 7th March speech of the Father of the Nation has been included in the Memory of the World International Register, a list of world’s important documentary heritage maintained by Unesco.
The world will now get to know more about our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and our glorious Liberation War", said Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali said in the press release.

The International Advisory Committee (IAC) is responsible for recommending whether or not a document qualifies for inclusion on the Memory of the World International Register. The International Advisory Committee during its meeting from 24 to 27 October 2017 recommended the 7th March speech for inscription on the Memory of the World International Register.

On March 7 in 1971, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in his fiery speech called on the freedom-loving Bangalis to wage a decisive struggle against the Pakistani rulers.

“Ebarer sangram amader muktir sangram, ebarer sangram swadhinatar sangram [The struggle this time is a struggle for emancipation, the struggle this time is a struggle for independence]”, Bangabandhu declared in a thunderous voice at a mammoth rally at the Racecourse Maidan (now Suhrawardy Udyan) that day.

“Turn every house into a fortress, resist the enemy with everything you have ... Having mastered the lesson of sacrifice, we shall give more blood. God willing [Inshallah], we shall free the people of this land,” Bangabandhu also said in his speech.
The watershed speech touched every Bangali heart across the then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, and mobilised the whole nation, excepting a few pro-Pakistani elements, to prepare for the ultimate sacrifice they made in the Liberation War.

The speech had set the tone for the Liberation War that would officially begin on March 26.