Coming in From the Cold was a project delivered by the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust between January 2018 and March 2024. It was funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and supported Global Majority community groups to deliver projects exploring and sharing their histories. Many of these resulted in new archive collections, increasing Global Majority representation in Greater Manchester archives.
Through Coming in From the Cold, they supported over 40 community groups. Importantly, the groups were in the driving seat at all times, defining which aspects of their heritage they explored and how. Their projects captured diverse histories, but all had one thing in common: the desire to tell their stories and share their heritage, in their words and through their eyes.
Our Heritage
For Global Majority communities in the UK, holding onto their cultural heritage is vital. Passing these onto younger community members is also essential, so they can embrace this inheritance and make it theirs. Groups explored and documented their heritage: many focused on their cultural traditions and practices while others explored their migration stories and the memories of older community members.
Tracing the Heritage of Zimbabwean Women living in Greater Manchester explored traditional Zimbabwean practices, and what these meant to Zimbabweans in Manchester.
The Manchester Ukrainian Community collection gives us insight into Ukrainian life in Manchester. In her interview, Zenia Mitchell describes how significant her language heritage is to her.
“No matter what language it is, it is important to carry on with your own language- To me, language is very important. When I went to the Ukraine for the first time this year, we went to Kyiv, then we went to Lviv, I heard the Ukrainian language, honestly my heart just went.”
Cultural celebrations have always been important in recognising our heritage and traditions. The Malik Bakht collection contains records of important Pakistani community celebrations.
GB3228.76/7, Malik Bakht Archive, Pakistan Republic Day Celebrations, 1957, Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre, Manchester.
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Journeys
Some journeys are literal, some are imagined. Not all journeys begin with a choice or with excitement.
The Memories of Partition archive captures the collective memory of those affected by the 1947 Partition of India into independent nations of India and Pakistan (and subsequently Bangladesh in 1971).
“We started from Lahore we had to go to Ferozepur, border of Pakistan. We were 2 or 3 families in the same truck. Stayed in a camp- we were in Ferozepur for a few days but when we were crossing, then there was a lot of bloodshed while you were crossing. Physically killing of people in the fields here or there- it was very frightening.”
The Story Telling Project ‘Ustaraabu Yetu; Our Culture’ oral histories are told by Salford’s migrant African community. The collection covers themes such as childhood, family, cultural differences and their journeys.
“I left my country because of political problem. So, I came here as an asylum seeker. The government- they are not happy. They are cracking down anyone. The day you are talking, you are passing the radio station or television- the night they would visit you. If you are lucky, you escape. So, you left your country for political reasons? Yeah, I’m asylum seeker here. Since then, when I came, I didn’t have the rights to do anything.”
Black History in Stockport explored the lives of people of African and Caribbean heritage in Stockport.
Photograph of Tolu Fibersima taken at the Black History in Stockport interview.
“I was born in Nigeria and came to England in 1983. I first came to Oxford to study before settling in Stockport. I’m from large close family, with uncles, aunties, cousins everyone together, in Africa it takes a village to raise a child. Here in England, it’s more a nuclear family system- just parents and children.”
Photograph of Ngozi Edi-Osagie taken at the Black History in Stockport interview.
“I’m a Mancunian. I was born in Manchester, my father was Nigerian, and my mother is West Indian. When I was 11, we moved to Nigeria was a big wrench for me, but I also think it’s the best thing that happened to me. I grew up in a place where I was never made to feel a second-class citizen.”
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Identity
How do we hold onto and assert a positive sense of identity, in the face of indifference or hostility?
Kashmiri Lives documents the stories of the Kashmiri Community in Greater Manchester across three generations. These stories are commemorated through oral histories which provide intimate portraits of community members.
“There’s a lot more people now who are, sort of, willing to identify themselves as Kashmiris whereas, I think, my parents’ generation if you’d ever asked them about their identity they always identified themselves as Pakistanis, I don’t think they’ll- they would have identified them as Kashmiris but now I think a lot more people are more open to themselves being identified as — Kashmiris.”
“I’ll go home, I’ll be with a completely different culture, completely different environment. If you’re bilingual, you have two personalities. And I definitely see that when I’m speaking aapni zubaan (my language) to my grandma for example, I completely change. For a brief moment I take on their values and I’ll start to speak and change. When I’m speaking to my British friends, that’s all been removed. I won’t really bring in much of my Kashmiri things. Obviously because they’re not Kashmiri, but they wouldn’t understand, which is a key thing. I do feel like I change, in ways that I speak and ways that I kind of act and it’s something unconsciously- it’s not something I’m actively thinking about. Funnily enough, I’ll even change my voice a bit.”
The North West Islamic Media Forum was created in 2006 to highlight inaccurate information and references to Islam in the media which they felt purposely vilified Islam. Here, Faisal Qureshi talks about the impact of assumptions and stereotypes they’d encountered.
“What was difficult about getting to this point? It was just people’s preconceptions about what a Muslim in the media should be…I’ve lived all my life in Manchester. But I would keep repeatedly being told that because I sounded middle class that everything would be okay for me, because I had a degree everything would be fine for me. And really, I didn’t fit people’s perception of what a needy, minority person should be. And it was very discouraging.”
LISAPO- The Congolese Tales oral histories project documented the stories of Congolese people in Greater Manchester.
In her interview, Christina Fonthes shares that she appreciates that her mum did not compromise her culture because some of her family members are losing their identity. She says that in the UK a lot of Congolese kids don’t know about their language or music because their parents want their kids to be fully integrated in the British society, with the risk of losing their own identity.
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Loss
Loss is universal, but there are different types of loss – loss of home, family, connection with heritage and roots. Communities come together and find solidarity in shared grief.
The oral histories from the Tracing the Heritage of Zimbabwean Women living in Greater Manchester project illustrate the difficulties of being separated from family and culture.
“It’s really been a hard journey because we have relatives living back home. And we are living in the diaspora. It’s a very difficult situation because there is no way we will have all the family members migrating into England- When we grew up in our culture, we used to live in the same area. People grew up knowing each other. So, now we are so decimated, it’s becoming very difficult to maintain the relationships.”
The Malik Bakht collection documents the life of Malik Bakht, who came to Manchester from Assam (India) in 1947. It spotlights the considerable contributions to community life; his loss was felt across many communities.
GB3228.76/2/7, Malik Bakht Archive, Letter to Mrs Bakht from W[illiam] Finn, Deputy Regional Co-ordinator, No. 1 Regional Crime Squad, Manchester sending his condolences on the death of her husband. The letter details Malik’s contributions to Mr Finn and the wider community, 1977, Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre, Manchester.
Anwar Ditta, left her children in Pakistan when she came to the UK, thinking she could bring them later. She ended up fighting a 7 year battle with the Home Office, who didn’t believe they were her children and refused them entry to the UK.
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Pride and joy
Many of the projects explored difficult issues, but pride, passion, joy and celebration were frequently present (often in unexpected places).
The Brave Women of NHS is an archive of images, documents and recordings celebrating the contributions of African and Caribbean women from the Windrush generations to the NHS.
“Naturally I believe I am a caring person; I love helping people and get a lot of satisfaction from them being happy from what I do for them. I built a good relationship with the older generation- it pleased me to help them. Sometimes they don’t see anyone all week. That is where I grew my passion.”
The Malawi Flames Heritage Project explored Malawi marriage and its joyful traditions.
The Black History in Stockport project uncovered stories from Stockport residents of African and Caribbean heritage to learn about their lives.
“I am really proud, my grandmother worked in Manchester Foundation Trust as a cook, she came with the Windrush Generation, there was a sense of real pride when I qualified as a doctor…. she couldn’t believe it. My mum also worked in the hospital as a Nurse…hopefully my daughter will work there too….4 generations of my family would have contributed to the NHS.”
The Story Telling Project ‘Ustaraabu Yetu; Our Culture’ oral histories cover childhood, family and cultural differences. These stories – some difficult, some joyful – are told by Salford residents from various African countries.
“You celebrate childbirth by having a naming ceremony. Usually held in the 8 days of having a baby. You have friends, relatives and loved ones, neighbours come- just rejoice with you. You kind of make it like a big party, you cook, people dance. You have the point of telling everybody the name of your children.”
The Malik Bakht collection includes photographs of Yvonne and Malik’s wedding.
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Creativity
Many of the projects explored difficult issues, but pride, passion, joy and celebration were frequently present (often in unexpected places).
Daalat Ali came to Rochdale from Kashmir. His journey as a writer is documented in the Kashmiri Lives collection.
“It was an accident but I always, no matter what language I write in, I always think in my mother tongue- Pahari language. And this is how I can express my true feelings, the rest is translation.”
Nana Kofi is a scriptwriter. In his oral history with the Black History in Stockport project, he talks about the relationship between his identity and creative expression.
“I’d written something in my 2nd year at Uni. After a conversation with my Tutor, I came to the realisation that I was predominantly writing white characters and I had never thought about it before. I was afraid to be a Black writer and to write Black stories. After that my writing completely changed.”
Yvonne Bakht, donor of the Malik Bakht collection, has a long career in the creative arts, education, writing and illustrating. She used these creative skills when creating artworks for the Indian restaurant she ran with her husband, Malik Bakht.
“It was a question of saving money- Utilise what you’ve got. Thats why there’s loads of onion skins involved. But if you set it in polyester resin- fabric, lentils, seeds, somebody’s old string vest in the middle, shells, anything that I could find. But because it was embedded, I made large plywood bases which I put shuttering around, then did the decoration. Then I put polyester resin on top, so that held everything in place. It looked good but it cost very little…it was just a question of utilising anything you could get your hands on.”
The Gardens of Babylon collection explores this creative heritage of Iranian and Kurdish communities in Manchester. Rhymes, poems and stories were gathered through oral histories. Haideh Ahmadzadeh was a ballet dancer in Iran. She played figures from Persian mythology and poetry, touring the world.
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Resilience
Community resilience was well documented – adaptability, resourcefulness and the ability to handle life’s challenges.
Anwar Ditta talks about her sustained fight for the fight to bring her children to the UK, and how her successful challenge inspired others in similar positions.
“You know I was a mother, and I was struggling, God knows how many other mothers were struggling and I didn’t want to be just isolated. Because it wasn’t just an isolated one case. God knows how many others with my strengths and my struggle, how many other mothers succeeded. And that’s true, a lot of mothers succeeded after that.”
Many people from the Kashmiri Lives project talked on the importance of asserting their traditions, heritage and identity in the face of racism and hostility.
“Then I thought “We are not thick”, it is just that we have been taught in another language and we don’t understand that language. If we were taught in our own language, we are brilliant. So that encouraged me more to write and campaign for this language.”
The Cheetham Hill Advice Centre collection documents their long organisational history and activities supporting local communities from its founding in the 70s. The Advice Centre suffered many financial challenges and forced relocations whilst still striving to serve their communities.
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Togetherness
The groups the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust work with belong to communities scattered around the world. Unsurprisingly, unity, connection and togetherness were a recurring theme.
The Kashmiri Lives project aimed to record, share and preserve the stories of the Kashmiri community in Greater Manchester across three generations.
“My father actually believed in community cohesion and building bridges with people from different backgrounds and different communities and he believed that, for a successful society and community this was a core British value, that we are united together and to succeed in society and to help each other out, because it was all about humanity for him and helping people from all walks of life.”
The Malawi Flames Heritage Project explored traditional Malawi marriage practices and forming new connections between families.
Farhat Khan’s collection documents her successful campaign to remain in the UK, a campaign that depended uniting people in support of her cause. One tactic was a petition which gathered over 9000 signatures and was presented to the Home Office.
GB3228.83/3/4, Papers of Farhat Khan, Postcard for supporters to send to the Home Secretary, 2005, Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre, Manchester.
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