Dance, costumes and joyful colour
HAMARI Jarain ‘Our Roots’ at Touchstones, Rochdale, was a vibrant, joyful celebration of the diverse cultures living side by side in our borough.
Julia Glover, Mosscare St Vincent’s Housing Group’s community projects manager, explained: “This project, funded by the Heritage Lottery, started a year ago with an idea that came from talking to residents at Khubsuret House (sheltered accommodation for the elderly) about their stories from their different cultures.”
Among the inspiring and illuminating stories gathered were:
Kadria: “Coffee is very precious, it reminds me of my childhood, my country, socialising and everything precious.”
Granted refugee status and moving to the UK in 2007 with her children, she left her family behind and found it hard to adjust to the culture of closing the front door, but found that retaining the traditional coffee ceremony, Jebena Buna, that she grew up with, helped her adapt to a new way of life.
Sandra: “When I wear my Nigerian clothing here in the gloom of winter, I know it’s going to lighten up the darkness around me. That’s why I love it.”
Abdul, of Kamran Sweet Centre, Rochdale: “When my grandfathers used to make the sweets back in India, they used to make them in their homes. They put them on a big round tray and took it to the markets, where they had to stay until they sold out.”
Andrew: “At Easter, when most other kids got a chocolate egg, my dad used to give us a hardboiled egg that was painted with a face on, which was the Bosnian tradition.”
Along with the stories, displays and collections of artefacts at the Hamari Jarain ‘Our Roots’ event, we were treated to music and dance from the Sunshine African Dance Group, a part of Caring and Sharing Charity Organisation.
Co-ordinator Nicky Iginia told me: “We are based in Rochdale and are available to groups, organisations, communities and events.”
Charlotte Norman, St Vincent’s Housing Group chief executive, summed up the day, saying: “When I started to work for St Vincent’s, I worked in Rochdale for several years and loved it.
“It’s such a culturally rich and diverse place and this project brought that to life.
“The event at Touchstones served as a brilliant reminder that we should all be good neighbours and support each other as citizens, understanding each other’s culture and traditions and celebrating our diverse heritage.
“I felt very proud and humbled to see the culmination of this wonderful project.”