Stories of Struggles and Strides
Half a century of Bangladeshi endeavours in London’s East End (1950-2000) awarded funding for important project
East End Connection (EEC) is pleased to announce an award of £84,896 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to run an exciting new project called – Stories of struggles and strides: half a century of Bangladeshi endeavours in London’s East End (1950-2000).
The project will focus on East London Bangladeshi activists of the past – the pioneers who responded to challenges that the community faced in the 1970s and 1980s. It will work with a dozen community participants from diverse backgrounds, who will research, record and reveal the important history of the Bangladeshi community’s struggles and activism over a fifty-year period. The hope is that this will highlight how these movements have helped lower racial violence, discrimination, poverty and low aspirations to create the thriving multi-cultural community in Tower Hamlets today.
The Bangladeshi community – primarily young men – started coming to the East End more significantly after the Second World War. In the 1950s, a small growing community emerged, which paved the way for more significant developments in subsequent decades.
Kamal Uddin Ahmed, Chair of Trustees of East End Connection (EEC) said: “Discrimination, racism and widespread poverty were the everyday experiences of the East End Bangladeshis. The pioneers from the 1970s and 1980s were the changemakers for our community. They got organised, developed campaigns, joined mainstream politics and ran countless activities to turn things around.”
Kamal continued: “It’s important that their stories are recorded, explained and shared from the community’s perspective as they are at risk of being lost. They will be shared through their own voices and protected for generations to learn from.”
East End Connection will work with several organisations and individuals who were active in the area during this time to develop this valuable project.
The project will undertake background archival research, data analysis and oral history recordings of past activists from a Bangladeshi background including community leaders, businesspeople, politicians, religious figures, cultural advocates/performers and educationists as well as non- Bangladeshi residents who lived in East London during 1970-90.
Young people will also be offered an opportunity to learn directly from the mouth of the activists who paved the way for how things have developed today through the archival and oral history work. An education learning pack for Key Stages 2 and 3 will also be produced to help share the story in schools.
Kamal continued: “The impacts of direct learning and recording from the mouth of some of the people who played important roles in dealing with the complicated challenges of the past will have a significant impact on the understanding and memories of the younger generations and community participants. It will help them in developing their understanding of the past and how they communicate that through their activities and the project outcomes.”
The project will create a collection of thirty-six oral history recordings, a dedicated website, virtual reality learning materials and immersive video experiences, a short documentary, an exhibition, a drama performance and a printed book with all the oral history transcribed and findings from research. There will be a project completion celebration where a high- quality theatrical performance will bring the past to life. The community participants and some past activists will share their experiences, and they and the public will view the exhibition.
Kamal concluded: “We are very pleased to receive the good news of the funding from the Heritage Fund and look forward to delivering this unique, important heritage project. EEC is a grassroots community organisation that runs activities designed to inspire, motivate and up-skill members of the local disadvantaged communities to go forward. We would like to thank the Heritage Fund for their support and thanks to National Lottery players that fund projects showcasing Britain’s diverse heritage.”
If you’d like to be involved in the project, please contact East End Connection on [email protected]
About East End Connection
East End Connection (EEC) is a community based (bridge) project that aims to help empower and upskill local residents; promote community history and heritage; achieve social and community cohesion in Stepney and Whitechapel, London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
EEC was initially established in 2009 and have successfully organised and offered socio- cultural activities and informal educational supports to small groups of children and adults. It has recently delivered a number of Awards for All funded project.
During the last few years, the organisation has been delivering Awards for All (Big Lottery) funded projects covering ESOL, ICT and Job search.
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
As the largest dedicated funder of the UK’s heritage, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033.
Over the next ten years, the Heritage Fund aims to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to bring about benefits for people, places and the natural environment.
The Heritage Fund helps protect, transform and share the things from the past that people care about, from popular museums and historic places, our natural environment and fragile species, to the languages and cultural traditions that celebrate who we are.
The Heritage Fund is passionate about heritage and committed to driving innovation and collaboration to make a positive difference to people’s lives today, while leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy.
Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund www.heritagefund.org.uk.
Further information
For more details about this unique project, please email: [email protected] East End Connection
46 Myrdle Street, London E1 1HL