Sharing culture in schools

The Anand Mangal ladies have continued to work with us supported by Creative Learning Services and Loughborough University in a school’s outreach project. They shared stories of their heritage, lives and culture with reference to memories of Partition and migration.

The workshops covered My Journey; Memories of Childhood and Schools; Clothing, Craft, Culture and Belief; Navrati Stick Dancing and Diwali. We have captured this way of working with communities in a short film available here.

What would you take if you had to leave your house in a hurry? The children at Hathern Primary School saw what Anila brought with her from Uganda and considered what is precious to them.

The brilliant musician Mr Shay brought the sounds of Punjab to the school as the ladies shared memories of their school days.

The children had first-hand experience of traditional clothing and crafts with the opportunity to try on saris, suits and headwear, make rangolis, draw henna patterns and make rakhi (brother and sister bands) to take home.

During the final workshop, the ladies talked about two major Hindu festivals that they celebrate – Navratri and Diwali. They showed the children photos of the Hindu gods and goddesses and described the celebrations that take place, including stick dancing.

The ladies taught the children a 5-movement circular stick dance which the whole class performed for other members of the school.

‘Sharing memories is so important particularly in educational settings where some diverse histories are not necessarily being encountered or engaged with. These workshops were valuable to be able to share memories, share culture and to develop new understandings and hopefully make a positive change in local communities and beyond.’ Jasmine Hornabrook, Research Associate, Loughborough University