Tallberg Foundation Podcast

Democracy may be struggling across much of the world, but Bangladesh offers a rare counterexample. In the summer of 2024, a student-led movement forced out the long-ruling government of Sheikh Hasina. Less than 20 months later, the country conducted elections widely described as mostly free, fair, and peaceful—leading to a democratically elected government replacing the interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. In this episode, Aysha Siddiqua Tithi and Umama Fatema—leaders of Students Against Discrimination and central figures in the revolution—share what it took to organize, mobilize, and persist. They reflect on the risks they faced, the hopes that sustained them, and what democracy’s revival in Bangladesh might signal for a world increasingly skeptical of democratic governance.