Bangladesh |
Movement
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The Bangladeshi Garment Industry
Check the label on your clothes. You think it will say China… Right? Well, you might be right, but you will see “made in Bangladesh” more often than you might think. This is because Bangladesh exports the second most clothing in the world; first, you guessed it, China. The clothing industry in Bangladesh brings in over $19 billion each year. The reason Bangladesh is gaining on China in the garment department is because they can pay their workers quite a bit less. An average income for a Bangladeshi clothing factory worker is about $43 a month compared to in China where a worker will be paid over $100 each month. The low labor costs are a huge advantage to Bangladesh. Also, because Bangladesh is so densely populated lots of people are looking for work, those people will take whatever jobs they can get, even a job with very low pay and in a dangerous work environment; therefore Bangladesh has abundant workers. Bangladesh mainly exports clothing to the UK and America and provides clothing for popular stores such as Primark(UK), H&M and Gap. Bangladesh is gaining on China and some think that someday Bangladesh will be number one for clothing exports. Nomadic/Bede Culture Commonly called river gypsies Bangladeshi Nomads’ culture is slipping through their fingers.There are approximately 1 million Bangladeshi Nomads (Bede) left. They travel along Bangladesh's many rivers in small wooden boats for 10 months of the year. In the other two months they celebrate weddings and births that happened in the past 10 months. Unlike many nomadic groups Bede do not farm instead they snake charm, sell trinkets, perform spiritual healings and do magic shows. Unfortunately their items and performances are no longer making enough money to live on and belief in magic is very rare, so no one is investing in their medical treatments. Since the Bedes aren't making any money they are seeking other jobs, but their lack of education is making finding any jobs very difficult. Though the origins of the Bede community is unclear those who are Bede want to keep their traditions alive. Another big reason the Bede community is falling apart is because they eat vultures and charm snakes, both animals are frowned upon by Islam since most of the country is Islam they are thought to live a “dirty” lifestyle. The Bede community isn't particularly important to Bangladesh as a whole, but they are one of the largest communities of nomads left in the world. The Bede community is losing their culture and lifestyle like so many other groups of nomadic people and we can only hope that they will not be forgotten. Transportation Transportation in Bangladesh is very different than what we are used to in America.In Bangladesh’s cities transportation is very different from the small villages spread through out the country; the following descriptions of transportation relate only to the small villages. In the small villages in Bangladesh it rare to own a car or even a bike. This makes public transportation a great money making opportunity. It is common to ride on buses, but instead of just sitting or standing inside of a bus people will also hang on to the frame of the bus and sit on the roof. Tricycle “taxis” are also used, but not as commonly. These makeshift “taxis” are possible because the land in Bangladesh tends to be very flat. Railways criss-cross over the country though mainly used to travel longer distances as it is expensive. Transportation in the larger cities is much more modern and similar to the U.S. In the small towns of Bangladesh the poverty of many of the citizens can be seen through their means of transportation. |