New Zealander Tasha Black relays what it’s like in post-revolution Bangladesh from an eight-hour traffic jam in Dhaka.

It’s Friday night on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and the traffic is stuck. Trucks, auto-rickshaws, private cars, buses, all stuck. A stationary ambulance futilely spins its red and blue lights.

It’s creeping closer to midnight and boredom is chewing on my brain. My phone is dead. We have been travelling for eight hours. We should have been back at the hotel two hours ago. But should is not a useful word in Bangladesh. Try instead: inshallah.

I reach for a packet of jhal muri (jhal: spicy; muri: puffed rice). I decide I will eat my way out of this boredom. Crunch, crunch, crunch.  

Suddenly, on the road ahead, two young men jump up and swipe at an open window on a bus. “Whoah! Wild!” I exclaim, spraying puffed rice in the back of the minivan. Our driver quickly locks our doors. Next thing, whack! The youths have smacked their hands on our car and shout something in anger before storming off. 

“You understand what they were doing?” says Allen from the front passenger seat. I shake my head. “Trying to steal a phone off someone on the bus through the open window,” he says. I swallow some jhal muri and lean back into the seat. It’s going to be a long night.

Four months ago, thousands of students took to the streets in Bangladesh in peaceful protest. What started as a demand to reduce a quota system for government jobs spilled into a wider protest movement. Tension between the people and the government had been building for years. Finally, it ignited. Enough with the autocratic leader Sheikh Hasina, the protestors said. Resign, they said.

Bangladesh has seen rapid economic growth over the last two decades, thanks largely to ready-made garment exports and remittances. But as the economy rose, democracy – fragile since the nation’s independence in 1971 – slid further into decay. Under Hasina’s rule, corruption deepened and censorship tightened. Those who spoke out against the government might find themselves “disappeared” – imprisoned or killed. And Bangladesh’s much-touted economic success story wasn’t benefiting everyone equally. Limited opportunities, high youth unemployment rates, and increasing inflation led other citizens to join the student-led movement.  

“Ahhh, it’s bad!” I blurt out, unable to hold back my frustration at the traffic jam. In the front seat Allen chuckles and simply says, “Mhhhmm.”

Dhaka is a mega city, with nearly 24 million people. At times it can feel like all of those people are on the move simultaneously, or at least trying to move. Last year, a research paper from the US National Bureau of Economic Research labelled Dhaka the slowest city in the world. The traffic is notorious and crippling. The reasons are multiple, including a rise in private vehicles, poor road infrastructure, and limited public transport. Walking is often faster, but that too brings challenges – footpaths can be hazardous and hectic. Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and it’s a constant hustle for space.  

“I need the washroom,” I tell Allen. “You have to keep tight,” he replies. It’s past midnight and nowhere will be open. We start to roll forward a few dozen metres. And then we stop, lurching abruptly. And so it goes: drive. Brake! Stop. Lurch. Repeat.

Bored, I open a packet of fried peas. Crunch, crunch, crunch. It’s a damned world, sitting in a Dhaka traffic jam.

The protest movement was successful. Despite an internet black out, despite more than 700 protestors being killed, pressure continued to grow. After weeks of rallies, prime minister Hasina, who had held onto power since 2009, resigned. She fled the country in an army helicopter to Delhi. Young people had changed the course of history in Bangladesh forever. It was a momentary blip on the international news.

Hasina leaves behind a complicated legacy. Under her rule, the economy grew, the country increased its digital capability, and more women joined the workforce. Hasina was also a powerful global advocate for climate change.

But it came at the cost of human rights and unfair elections. 

An interim government is now in place, led by Muhammad Yunus. In 2006, Yunus won a Nobel Peace Prize for founding Grameen Bank, which gives microloans to people in poverty. Optimism for a better future is pinned on Yunus and his ability to reform the nation’s democratic institutions, including the judiciary and electoral commission. A date for the election has not yet been settled, but is expected to be at least a year away.  

An hour has passed and we are back to being stuck. Not even lurching forward. Nothing. Time is swallowed up in this traffic jam. It’s past 1.00 am, the night sky is settled. I let out a dramatic sigh, “Ughhhhhhhhh”. This cannot be good for my bladder health. I find little pieces of jhal muri in the folds of my jeans and eat them. Out of sheer boredom, I open my third snack: a packet of crisps called Naughty Tomato. Crunch, crunch, crunch.

And then like a miracle, and for no apparent reason, the traffic starts to part. Vehicles awaken, rickshaw bells chime, horns beep, ambulance sirens wail. Toot, toot, toot! A chorus of mayhem. Could it be? Yes! We propel forward, haphazardly, but moving at least. The ambulance overtakes. A washroom is located. Relief.

There are no guarantees in Bangladesh. History has shown us that overthrowing an authoritarian leader does not necessarily lead seamlessly to democracy. It’s been more than a decade since the Arab Spring, when a cluster of North African and Middle Eastern nations overthrew their leaders. In many cases, human rights and democracy has since worsened in those countries. 

What comes next, after the revolution, is the often overlooked struggle. It’s not enough to want democracy and peace. Bangladesh has to overcome deeply embedded corruption. There’s a real concern that terrorists may proliferate in the vacuum of government control. And Bangladesh’s once strong economy is under strain.

But still. But still! As storm clouds hang over the free world, as people in the west increasingly distrust the media and the government, and lean ever closer to authoritarian leaders, maybe we can look to Bangladesh for hope. However fragile it may be. 

We are almost back at the hotel. We take the recently opened flyover, one of Bangladesh’s new mega projects. We are eye-to-eye with multi storey apartment buildings. A view of Dhaka I’ve never seen before. Washing is hanging from tiny balconies. The traffic is flowing beautifully. Finally, we are flying.