Oral History Press Release

PRESS RELEASE
TALES OF THREE GENERATIONS OF BENGALIS IN BRITAIN

Swadhinata Trust (Nirmul Committee) together with Centre for Research on Nationalism, Ethnicity & Multiculturalism (CRONEM) at the University of Surrey will be working together to produce a collection oral histories of the Bengali community in East London. The project will offer a unique opportunity for young Bengali people to research, document and celebrate their history, community creativity and socio-cultural heritage by recording and voicing the experiences of three generations of Bengalis in the UK. The Swadhinata Trust long-term goal is to promote Bengali culture through establishing a centre whose main activity will be in the field of culture, research and education.

THEMES The project will consist of a collection of around forty-five oral histories with a focus on three specific themes:

Roots & Memory, to promote a constructive inter-generational dialogue between first and third generation on the history of Bangladesh and the 1971 war of independence

Community Creativity, to promote inter-generational dialogue between second and third generation on welfare and community involvement in the UK from 1970s-80s

Popular Culture: Between Tradition and Innovation, covering all three generations, mainly focussing on traditional and more recent British Bengali musical heritage, from 1970s-80s to unravel how sub cultural practices evolved as part of a mixed dynamic cultural identity.

AIMS

• To engage young Bengali people in discovering their own cultural and historical heritage by fostering a dialogue between older and younger people through the interviewing process.
• Young people will have the opportunity to understand the experiences of the elders settling in Britain and adjusting to a new social environment through participation in community life.
• The project will also provide an opportunity for young people to appreciate the influence of Bengali cultural traditions in the creation of music and contemporary forms of cultural expressions.
• Older members of the community will be able to express the importance of knowing and preserving the community history and cultural heritage and they will also have the opportunity to learn more about young people’s experience of growing up in Britain.
• Young people will be empowered by the research process, which will not only enable them to learn and preserve their community’s heritage but also to acquire transferable research and interviewing skills.
• A number of educational materials will be produced for use in the wider community such as CD, collecting photographs and a community booklet, organising exhibitions around the themes of migration, identity and community aimed at a broad, diverse audience.
• The project also aims to forge links with other heritage organizations locally and nationally to promote knowledge about Bengalis in Britain to the wider population.