THE Manchester Museum, part of the University of Manchester, started the South Asian heritage month celebrations on Sunday (18) with a number of online activities.
Activities include two online book discussions focusing on Postcolonial Banter by Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan, and a poetry workshop responding to prompts around decolonising public statues.
The event takes place annually to celebrate and raise awareness of British South Asian heritage and history in the UK through education, arts, culture and commemoration.
Events will be taking place across the UK, and patrons include Broadcaster Anita Rani, and will conclude on 17 August.
According to a statement, 18 July is the date that the Indian Independence Act 1947 gained royal assent from King George VI. The Radcliffe Line, which set out where the border between India, West Pakistan and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) would be, was published on 17 August 1947.
As part of the celebrations, there will be an online screening of two works created in the galleries of Manchester Museum by artists from the South Asia Gallery Collective, followed by a discussion focusing on research and collaboration, it added.
Families can discover the magic of Vedic Maths in an online workshop too, where children will learn to calculate sums super quickly and beat their calculators.
“Working with Our Shared Culture Heritage is significant – it’s very important to amplify the voices of young people across the city and beyond, and empower them in leading on activities they deem relevant and useful to their heritage and histories," said Dr Sadia Habib,city coordinator, Our Shared Cultural Heritage, which curates the events.
"The poetry workshop, for example, provides a powerful opportunity to explore the contested nature of statues of empire and colonialism in a safe and supportive environment.”
Our Shared Cultural Heritage is a three-year programme with 11 – 25-year-olds across the city, exploring the shared cultures and histories of the UK and South Asia, in partnership with the British Council.
It is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Kick the Dust programme and aims to involve more young people in heritage.
Manchester Museum is currently being transformed into hello future, a £13.5million project that aims to build understanding between cultures.
When hello future opens in late 2022 it will include the new South Asia Gallery, a space and the first permanent exhibition dedicated to exploring the stories, experiences, cultures and contributions of South Asian communities in the UK, the statement added.
For more details-www.mcrmuseum.eventbrite.com
Bob Blackman MP speaks during the event