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Doraemon Barred from Bangladesh TV to Support Local Language
posted on by Karen Ressler
Authorities in Bangladesh have banned Hindi-dubbed Doraemon from TV out of concern for children learning the native Bengali language. Local newspapers called for a ban on the popular cartoon, citing worry that fans would speak to each other in Hindi. Television stations airing Doraemon were sent official notifications to remove the show from the air.
Ruling party lawmaker Shahriar Alam demanded previously that cartoons not be shown on the air unless they are dubbed in Bengali. Many residents of Bangladesh, which neighbors the much larger India, are sensitive to cultural preservation as a growing number of households prefer to watch TV in Hindi.
The Doraemon anime has been running since 1973, and with more than 2,000 episodes is one of the longest-running anime franchises. To promote foreign interest in Japanese culture, the Tokyo foreign ministry appointed the character Doraemon as the first "anime ambassador" in 2008.
Sources: Japan Times, AFP
