Our work in East London

We work with different community groups in the East End of London, especially (but not limited to), Tower Hamlets, where we work in partnership with the Arts Office of Tower Hamlets Council. Tower Hamlets is home to a variety of arts and cultural organisations, such as theatre companies, literary organisations, poetry clubs, local history groups and storytelling groups, to name a few. Throughout the year, several community and cultural events (such as, for example, A Season of Bangla Drama, or the Boishakhi Mela) celebrate the British Bengali diaspora while reflecting the broader multicultural character of the borough and promoting intercultural dialogue. 

Since we started the project, we have been working with different community groups and organisation on creative activities which involved film discussions, photography, clothing and object-based workshops, guided walks, public talks, poetry, and literature-based workshops. The aim of these projects is to gain a deeper understanding of the role of memories (of Partition and of migration) in the shaping of community identities and in the negotiation of issues of belonging and inter-community relations. The outputs of these collaborations have been public exhibitions, short films, and sound-based projects.    

What does it mean to be British Bengali? How do (inherited) memories of life in East Bengal (later on Bangladesh)
In October 2019 we joined forces with TATI to pilot our Food and Memory workshop. While trying out their menu
In summer 2019 we had a stall at the annual Boishakhi Mela, where we ran a “Listening project”: participants were
In spring 2019, in collaboration with Redbridge’s Women’s Forum, we ran a series of photography workshops at the Sikh Community Care
In Spring 2019 we organised with BSK a monthly Film Club. Films focused on Partition and its legacy and after
In autumn 2018 we run a series of workshops on migration, memory and local history at the Stifford Centre (Stepney
In preparation of the annual BSK’s Boi-Lit Festival, Emily and Clelia were invited to lead a workshop on memory and
In Spring 2018 we organised a series of film screenings on the topic of Colonial India, Partition and the South

Organisations we have collaborated with in London:

BSK London

BritBangla

IMotion