Bangladesh, located in south-central Asia next to India and Myanmar (Burma), is a relative young democratic country which gained its independence in 1971. It is also one of the most populated countries in the world, and the people of the region have a long, diverse and rich history, coming from different cultural backgrounds. The first Bangladesh immigrants began to migrate to Canada in the 1960s, from a region which at the time was called East Pakistan. Today more than 100,000 people with Bangladesh origin are living in Canada. The Bangladesh Heritage Museum in Edmonton, Alberta, is striving to feature the diversity of the Bangladesh Canadian heritage. Visitors of the virtual museum on our website shall be given the opportunity to experience and explore the places, history, people, culture and art of Bangladesh. As a local centre for Bangladesh culture we will create events exploring past and recent art in form of concerts, film, lectures, and exhibitions. We further seek to establish a physical location which we want to dedicate to the local history and heritage of Bangladeshi Canadians, and which shall become a source for people with Bangladesh descent offering archives and a library to provide access to literature and other media in Bengali language. Mission Statement The purpose of the Bangladesh Heritage Museum is to inspire the interest, understanding, and appreciation of Bengali culture through visitor experiences, and to engage the dialog about cultural heritage between generations. Our close by vision is to build a centre for historical and cultural activities in corporation and partnership with members of the Bengali community, and to give our community access to objects of knowledge, arts and science under one united roof.