Thursday 26 February 2015

Interview with Bangla Channel S (UK)




Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig


In the middle of January 2015, my Mum got in touch with Mr Samad Ahmed Chowdhury, the Chair of Channel S UK, a Bangladeshi satellite TV station based in East London (the heart of the British Bangladeshi community).  The channel is the most watched Bengali satellite TV station in Europe.  Mr Chowdhury is an uncle of my mum’s and my Nana.  He was amazing about the story, as although he knew that his audience would not be that interested in the environmental disaster in the Sundarbans, he was prepared to give it a go on the basis that it could be sold as a humanitarian disaster (which it was for the people living there).

My Mum’s family are from Sylhet, North East Bangladesh where more of Britain’s Bangladeshi’s are from.  


Chris Craig, Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig, Helena Craig and Ayesha Ahmed-Mendoza
Photograph taken by Alex Price and copyright Helena Craig



Chris Craig, Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig, Ayesha Ahmed-Mendoza and Laila Price
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig


The channel had looked at my blog and was interested in the fact that I had seen so many birds around the world, had become the youngest to see 3000 birds and also the work I had done to publicise the Sundarbans oil spill and help raise money for the American charity Water Defense to go out there are clean up the oil spill.


Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig


A week later, Tanvir Ahmed, their main reporter came to interview me with a cameraman at Chew Valley Lake, where we had a great time.  We talked about the birding I did, in the UK, Bangladesh and around the world.  I also spoke about the Sundarbans oil spill and the rare Spoon-billed Sandpiper.



Child collecting oil in Sundarbans, Bangladesh


Spoon-billed Sandpiper Sonadia Island, Bangladesh
Photograph taken by and copyright Bangladesh Spoon-billed Sandpiper Conservation Project


Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig with Tanvir Ahmed and crew
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig



Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig with Tanvir Ahmed and crew
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig


Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig with Tanvir Ahmed and crew
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig


Also, they talked to my Mum about why she thought other Bangladeshi girls were not interacting with nature.  There are the usual problems encountered by all children across the cultural divide, but on top of that, lots of Bangladeshi teenage girls are not allowed out on their own and their parents do not think it important to take them into nature even parks.  This is such a shame are most of those same parents, growing up in Bangladesh, would have been surrounded by nature growing up in rural Bangladesh.   It is sad that things have changed so much just in one generation.



Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig with Tanvir Ahmed and crew
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig


My interview was shown on Channel S UK on Wednesday 11th February 2015 on the 10 pm News and then repeated again on the 1 am News.  It was then shown again on Friday 13th February 2015 on Ekattor TV in Bangladesh, a 24 hour News Channel.  The broadcast was planned to tie in with my trip to Bangladesh http://on.fb.me/1E1kBcZ


A few days later I was spotted by a girl in a parlour (beauty salon) who recognised me from Ekattor TV News, which was a bit of a funny co-incidence.


Unfortunately, the section about the Sundarbans oil spill was cut back, probably because Water Defense had not started their clean up operation, even though they had raised the money they needed more than a month before.


Channel S are planning to show a longer programme about my visit to Bangladesh and the rare Spoon-billed Sandpiper.


About the writer



Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig on Scilly
Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig


Mya-Rose Craig is a 12 year old young birder, conservationist, writer and speaker.    She is based near Bristol and writes the successful Birdgirl Blog, with posts about birding and conservation from around the world.  She has recently been listed with the singer songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people.  Please like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter
















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