Breaking waves and taboos, Bangladeshi girl surfers enter global stage

DHAKA: Fatema Akhter knew nothing about surfing when she was younger, until she saw people riding the waves for the first time on the beach of Cox's Bazar, a fishing town in southeastern Bangladesh. As a young girl watching them take on the waves and moving as one with their boards, she could not help but feel the excitement. By the time she started learning how to surf at nine years old, she discovered for herself a joy that was like no other. 'When I finally tried it, I fell in love with the feeling,' the 16-year-old told Arab News. 'At first, I was terrified of the massive waves, but once I learned how to stand up on the board, that fear turned into pure joy. Surfing makes me forget all my sorrows and the struggles of my life.' After her father died, her mother worked to support Fatema and her three siblings. For years, the family struggled financially while she faced criticisms from her community, which still views girls surfing as taboo. 'In our society, it is not easily accepted for a girl to wear a T-shirt and go into the water with boys. People in my neighborhood used to tell my mother that I would turn black from the sun and that no one would marry me,' Fatema said. 'It was deeply discouraging, but my coach, Rashed, stood by me. He spoke to my mother, convinced her to let me surf, and even took responsibility for my educational expenses. Now, my mother supports me fully.' This month, Fatema is making history as Bangladesh's first girl surfer to compete at the Asian Games in Japan, which begins on Saturday and where the sport will make its debut at the continental games. Her ultimate dream is to continue representing Bangladesh at global sports events and 'one day surf in the Olympics,' she said. For her teammate Mahima Akhter Mili, who will also be at the Japan games as a backup surfer, surfing offers an opportunity to lift her family out of poverty. 'I want to build a career through surfing so that I can support my parents financially and take care of my younger brother,' she said. 'I want to show the world what Bangladeshi female surfers can achieve.' In Cox's Bazar, which is home to a 120-km uninterrupted stretch of sand, perhaps no one is a bigger advocate of girls in surfing than Rashed Alam. He has been coaching Fatema, Mahima and other young surfers in the town, including Mohammad Mannan, who will represent Bangladesh in the men's surfing category at the Asian Games. Alam, who runs the Bangladesh Surf Girls and Boys Club, said that keeping girls in surfing has been one of the main challenges in his career. Not only does he have to fight against deep-seated cultural norms in a conservative community, money is also a big issue as there are little to no support from either the government or sponsors. But he is hopeful that the upcoming Asian Games might help Bangladesh's surfing community turn a corner. 'I face many obstacles and challenges for keeping girls in surfing,' he said. 'If we can bring these two girls back from Japan after a good performance, people's perspectives on surfing here in Bangladesh might change a lot.'