2021 marks the 50th Anniversary of ‘British Bangladeshi’ identity and the independence of Bangladesh. During the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971 which culminated in the independence of Bangladesh, the people of East Pakistan who were living in Birmingham and the West Midlands (now known as British Bangladeshis) played a significant role in supporting the liberation movement. This included: campaigning for the cause, fundraising, working and campaigning to get international support, and supporting the formation of Bangladesh.
One example of this was recorded in the Birmingham Post that year. On 28 March 1971, over 6000 people gathered in Small Heath Park to demonstrate their support for the leader of East Pakistan, Sheik Mujibur Rhaman, and the new flag of East Pakistan was raised by the activists. The event was organised by the Bangla Desh Action Committee which demanded recognition of East Pakistan by the USA, China, Russia, Britain and the United Nations and sought to raise money to purchase rifles for East Pakistan.
In the years since independence, British Bangladeshi activists and participants in the liberation movement kept their stories to themselves or shared them within their families and friendship circles. Until now, this shared history has not been collected, preserved or recorded and many of the participants are no longer alive. However, the independence movement affected lots of British Bangladeshis here in Birmingham, impacting on their sense of identity.
We, Purbanat CIC, think it is high time the shared historical heritage of British Bangladeshis in Birmingham is identified, presented and preserved to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh. To this end, eight oral history recording ‘Champions’ developed oral history recording skills and started to record and archive oral history recordings from the activists and participants of that movement, from their friends and families.
We are planning to share and display the the recordings and digital outputs in an event called Bangla Brummies in the Heritage Learning Space on floor 4 of the Library of Birmingham on 16th December 2021, 11-4. We look forward to seeing you there.
Murad Khan, Purbanat CIC
The Iron Room 