After the Partition:
A Shared Cultural Heritage in Essex

Launching a New Pop-up Touring Exhibition 

Over half a million Sikhs, Hindu’s and Muslims came to Britain because of the upheaval of Partition, the promise of economic opportunities and a safer life. In 2024 Essex Cultural Diversity Project was awarded funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for Sikh, Hindu and (Pakistani) Muslim communities living in Essex to reflect on seven decades of their families’ lives, to explore experiences, challenges, successes, and social change from 1947 to today.

With few original settlers surviving, this is the last chance to bring three generations together to document the fortunes of settlers and their families who can trace their migration directly to Partition between India and Pakistan. This is a rare chance to focus on lived experiences since Partition, rather than on the experience of Partition itself, opening opportunities to explore this unique cultural context within and between communities. As time passes and memories fade, it is important for Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslim communities to capture what shaped their modern heritage for posterity, and to reflect on wider issues of migration and colonialism today.

Through the project we have captured people’s memories through oral history recordings, films and interviews. The project has created a touring pop-up exhibition by emerging Sikh female historian Simran Bance. The exhibition was launched at a special event at Essex Record Office on Saturday 1 February, and was on display along with the oral history interview recordings. There were also talks and a panel discussion with interviewees, who shared their memories.

Find our more about the project and listen to the oral history accounts at After the Partition: A Shared Cultural Heritage in Essex

If you would like to host the touring exhibition, email us at info@essexcdp.com