Freedom Walk – Whitechapel Peter Ashan will be exploring the history of Black loyalists in the 18th century, Black writers, the Bengali squatters movement and Asian footballers in East London. Julie Begum Chair of Swadhinata Trust
Spotlight: The Power of Food Festival – “Chai-Chana Time”, 20 September 2025 The Power of Food Festival was a 10-day festival across Tower Hamlets – celebrating the borough’s community and food cultures, and showcasing local projects building fairer, more sustainable food…
Spotlight: Untold stories: Creating a new Bengali heritage trail in East London, May 2024 A new Bengali heritage walk covering the south of Commercial Road was developed in collaboration with Queen Mary University of London. The Queen Mary appointed English…
Spotlight: The Kindness of People to Face the Climate Crisis in Bangladesh Together, A Season of Bangla Drama, 4 November 2025 Climate change activists gathered at Queen Mary University of London on 4 November for an evening exploring how…
Spotlight: Prime Time group meeting at Cubitt Town Library, 30 October 2025 Swadhinata Trust members Val Harding and Abu Sahid gave a talk to the Prime Time group for the over-50’s held at the library and run by their Customer…
Founders’ Day Eve dinner 8th July 2025 Our Chairperson Julie Begum was welcomed to the event as a recent recipient of an Honorary Fellowship and enjoyed sitting at dinner and finding out more about your time at Queen Mary as…
Spotlight: Forest Gate Freedom Walk, 14 June 2025 A historical journey of black and Asian presence in the beautiful Forest Gate area, celebrating freedom and community spirit! The Forest Gate Freedom Walk looked at the struggles of a multi-ethnic,…
Spotlight: Community Celebration with Kensington Palace, 13 August 2025 The Community Celebration event celebrated the themes of community, friendship, celebration and unity. Julie Begim – The Swadhinata Trust ran a Nakshi Kantha workshop between 12-6pm on 13th August 3025…
Spotlight: Brick Lane Curry Festival Walks, 19/20 September 2025 The Swadhinata Trust conducted a Bengali heritage walk for the participants of Brick Lane Curry Festival ending at Kobi Nazrul Centre, where participants were treated to refreshments, viewed heritage films…
Bengali Photo Archive The Swadhinata Trust, in partnership with Four Corners, launched the Bengali photo archive project in East London in 2022. In 2026, the archive was deposited in the Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives. The…