This year, for the first time in almost a decade and a half, the people living in Chak Channamara village in southwest Bangladesh have revived their age-old tradition: their community festival worshiping Goddess Durga.
The ritual was halted after major cyclones – Sidra in 2007 and Aila in 2009 – damaged a 600-metre road that connects the village to the nearby mainland, disrupting access to markets, hospitals and schools. And income also got cut.
Without a road, the Hindu village would have difficulty transporting by boat the supplies needed for the 10-day festival – the stage, decorations and materials – and the visitors – artists, sculptors, priests, relatives and the wider community.
So when international funders asked Chak Channamara’s nearly 3,000 residents what their priority was in addressing the “loss and damage” caused by the impacts of climate change, they pointed across the street.
Completed earlier this year, its renovation has increased income – and led to the revival of a lost community festival.
“Think of the younger generations who grew up during this period not knowing how we would worship communally – what a pity!” Rahul Mandal, an elder from the village, said he was happy to see the return of the colorful Hindu festival.
As the world debates the design of a “loss and damage” fund for climate-impacted communities, one question is how far communities themselves can take the lead and make choices about what types of damages What should be addressed first, and how.