Dhaka Geek Convention 2019 was held on the fifth floor of Jamuna Future Park in a long empty corridor, which has stores that probably have not yet been sold. But for three days from July 18 to July 20, it was packed with stalls full of action figures, miniature toys, comic books, caricatures of superheroes, and their hand-drawn posters, as well as a myriad of memorabilia from pop culture, films, and animes. And delightfully, the crowd of the convention lived up to the comic-con spirit, and came in costumes. Cosplay contests probably played no small part in this matter. There were also panel discussions, and workshops from rising and talented artists, collectors, and geeks, including live stage performances. When I stepped into the convention on Friday, a very energetic display of beatboxing was in full-swing.
Dhaka Geek Convention 2019 was organized by Action Figure Association of Bangladesh, BD Cosplayers, Mazecity- The biggest Anime Community, and Die-Cast Car Collectors' Club Bangladesh.
Mehedi Hasan from the stall Knock told the Dhaka Tribune Showtime: "The interest among the people in comic books, and action figures is still growing. About five years back there was almost no recognition for the geek community in Bangladesh. Now, because of events like this people are recognizing us. People who are not part of this culture also show up in numbers to see what their friends are doing, and from that our geek community is gradually growing. Geek means you are obsessed about anything from comic books to pop culture. This is what it is all about.
"In order to make our community bigger we need more planned events. If the same things happen in the event, that are being organized without any central organizational structure, then people might lose interest. We need bigger events, where celebrities, and media personalities will come to unveil their new work, along with big company executives," Mehedi added.
