A New Bangladesh? (2025)

Landing in Dhaka for the first time in seven years, I’m immediately struck by the political street art: murals and slogans that line the road from the airport and spill into the university districts. They greet newcomers with bold declarations of change and Gen Z resistance. Just as visible, though, are the traces of erasure: scrubbed-out slogans, faces on pre-revolution murals chipped away, shadows of individuals that held power before the July ‘revolution’: as the student leaders now refer to the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

"It is a good time to come to Bangladesh, if you go around the city you will see the murals on our street walls expressing desires and dreams; in every single town in every single city of Bangladesh. That’s what we call the new Bangladesh," Chief Interim Adviser, Muhammad Yunus.

Dhaka in 2025 is a city thrown into an interim period: restless, confident, and politically charged. In small pockets of free time—and in upper pockets of the city—I notice other everyday changes. Cafés like North End Coffee and Jatra Biroti restaurant, new to me, are now trendy hangouts. The tree-lined, dusty streets still feel familiar, even as the city around them continues to shift.

Dhaka at street level.

Dhaka from above

About: In March 2025, I visited Bangladesh for work. The photos above are moments I managed to sneak in in my free time—brief windows of still.