Citizen UK: Bangladesh 50 Years
Commemorating 50 years of Bangladesh Independence with Tower Hamlets
In Spring 2021, we are commemorating 50 years of the independence of Bangladesh in partnership with Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archive. Working with artist Ruhul Abdin and digital producers Rainbow Collective, volunteer Citizen Researchers from the Bangladeshi community in Tower Hamlets have been delving into the local archives to explore the role people in Tower Hamlets played in the independence of Bangladesh and the legacy of the events of 1971 on the local community. Drawing on their research, family histories and generational reflections, the project will culminate in the creation of collaborative artwork, which will be displayed locally in July 2021.
The artwork
Artist Ruhul Abdin is working with the Citizen Researchers to create a collaborative piece of artwork in response to their research. The final work will be displayed in Tower Hamlets to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Independence Day of Bangladesh.
Meet the Citizen Researchers
Each volunteer Citizen Researcher has a strong connection to Tower Hamlets, Bangladeshi heritage and passion for wanting to remember the events of 1971, but they have each explored this through a different lens. Have a look at some of the Citizen Researcher projects and hopefully learn something new or see something differently.
Missing voices from Tower Hamlets
The 1920s is the earliest example of a photographic record of South Asians in East London, but even after this date it is still very difficult to find references to Bangladeshis, Indians, Pakistanis, Bengalis, Sylhetis in the archive.
Throughout the workshops we have been asking why these groups are not represented in the archives.
Bangladesh liberation in photographs
Photographs showing the call for recognition of Bangladesh as a nation state are an important record of the strength of support for Bangladesh liberation in the UK. Yousuf Choudhury collated a series of images from 1971 through to early the 2000s captured across London, Coventry, Birmingham and Dhaka.
Funded by The National Heritage Lottery Fund and Art Fund
