Tales of three generations of Bengalis in Britain: Oral History and Socio-Cultural Heritage Project.
20 September to 4 October 2006
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This oral history project will voice three generations’ experience of being Bengali in multicultural Britain.
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The project consists of a collection of 58 oral histories with a focus on three specific themes:
- ‘roots and memory’ (dialogue between first and third generation on the history of Bangladesh and the 1971 war of independence);
- ‘community creativity’ (dialogue between second and third generation on welfare and community involvement in the UK, from the 1970s-80s), and finally
- ‘popular culture: between tradition and innovation’ (across three generations, mainly focusing on traditional and more recent British Bengali musical heritage, from the 1970s-80s).
This innovative project - a partnership between Swadhinata Trust (Nirmul Committee) and CRONEM (Centre for Research on Nationalism, Ethnicity & Multiculturalism, University of Surrey) & funded by Heritage Lottery Fund- offered a unique opportunity for young Bengali people to research, document and celebrate Bengali history, community creativity and Socio-cultural heritage by recording and voicing the experience of three generations of Bengalis in the UK.
The Matin family in 1976
Bengali homeless families in 1989