Knowledge Dissemination through Creative Medium: Potsong at Dacope, Khulna

ICCCAD-IUB, as part of the COLOCAL project, has partnered with Rupantar to disseminate knowledge on locally led adaptation (LLA) among local communities using an indigenous tool called potgaan or potsong. This activity aims to raise awareness and promote LLA among vulnerable coastal communities through edutainment at a large scale. With the production completed, the first performance was organized in Kailashganj Union of Dacope, Khulna on 13 May 2026. The event brought together local residents, farmers, women, youth, elderly community members, and local leaders to discuss the impacts of climate change and ways to adapt at the local level.

The potsong performance included local artists with traditional painted scrolls (pot), songs, and community interaction to communicate climate adaptation messages in a culturally familiar and engaging manner. The performance provided audiences with insights into climate change impacts in coastal areas, local initiatives to reduce vulnerability, how to strengthen community capacity with coordination among local institutions, community-led adaptation practices, and local leadership, and the audience’s response to it indicated its success as an effectiveness means of communicating important messages to marginalized communities.

The performance mainly attempted to communicate the principles of LLA to the community through a medium of their preference. It also highlighted the need to bring decision-making closer to local communities, address inequalities faced by women, youth, children, persons with disabilities, displaced people, and marginalized ethnic groups. The performance further emphasized the importance of ensuring transparency and accountability, encouraging community participation, valuing Indigenous knowledge, and strengthening local leadership.

Following the performance, a roundtable discussion was held between community members and the ICCCAD-IUB team. They spoke about several challenges they are currently facing, including crop losses caused by heavy rainfall, especially in watermelon farming, which often leads to unfairly high production costs. Farmers also shared their concerns about shrimp farming potentially exacerbating the existing fresh water scarcity and disrupting their livelihoods further. The team echoed that many decisions affecting climate-vulnerable communities are often made without fully understanding local realities and assured participants that their stories would be shared with policymakers at the national and international levels. The discussion also showed that while seminars can be useful for sharing information, edutainment tools such as potsongs are often more interactive and effective in bringing together the larger community, encouraging discussion, and learning.

Potsong is an indigenous medium of knowledge dissemination rooted in Bangladeshi culture, using painted scrolls, songs, and dance.