Naeem Mohaiemen's Films Excavate Fragments of 1970s Leftist History

In Afterall Journal 47, Vijay Prashad explores Naeem Mohaiemen's cinematic investigation into the Left of the 1970s. Born in London in 1969, Mohaiemen relocated from Bangladesh to Libya in 1975 due to Muammar Qaddafi's labor import policies, with his father's experiences shaping the narrative of 'Tripoli Cancelled' (2017). Prashad's essay delves into Mohaiemen's multi-part endeavor 'The Young Man Was' (2011–16), which includes four films: 'United Red Army' (2011), 'Afsan's Long Day' (2014), 'Last Man in Dhaka Central' (2015), and 'Abu Ammar is Coming' (2016). The films address themes of stagnation and fragmentation, reflecting the incomplete history of the Bangladeshi Left, contextualized by events like the 1971 liberation war and the Bhola cyclone, as well as the Concert for Bangladesh on 1 August 1971, organized by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, followed by military rule from 1975 to 1990. Mohaiemen’s work seeks to uncover truths about the war and the Left's shortcomings in the post-1990 era.