The Rochdale Bangladeshi Partnership Project (RBPP) which founded the Rochdale & Sylhet Friendship Link in 2009 is currently undertaking a project to learn about the history of Bangladeshis living in the borough of Rochdale.
 

In Rochdale we now have 3rd and 4th generation of British Bangladeshis living and working in the borough, who have been born and bred here.  Yet we do not have anything to show in terms of the history of this community who are an integral part of the society and have come in leaps and bounds in all indicators despite deprivation and inequalities.
 

The Oral History project would be the first-hand experience of the past.  It will focus on how people arrived in the borough, how they went about their lives to how they settled and got into family life, as well as cover how culture, religious and educational issues were dealt with.  The Bangladeshi community have always been entrepreneurial and have many businesses and a large presence in the catering trade (restaurants, takeaways & hospitality) which we would try and highlight.  The project will also look into the issues around language barrier, understanding of law and generally engaging with the communities that live here.  Rochdale is a beacon of community cohesion and the Bangladeshi community is an integral part of it, so we will explore how the communities have developed and integrated including inter-racial marriages, multi faith partnership, etc.
 

So the heritage project will therefore cover the following:
 

1. Recruit project workers, volunteers and partners (such as local schools, businesses, colleges, local studies library, media and other interested organisations/individuals) and form a steering group which will be chaired and managed by RBPP.
2. Identify potential people, organisations etc to seek for materials and to interview by way of a marketing campaign.
3. Research into the history of early settlers in Rochdale from Bangladesh and south east Asia accessing archives, etc but also carrying out interviews within the community of Elders within the Bangladeshi community and the indigenous population including veteran politicians, people who may have worked in Bangladesh or visited Bangladesh.
4. Arrange focus groups of young British Bangladeshi’s to explore what they know of the community and it’s rich history.
5. Create a DVD presentation of people’s experiences, knowledged and our findings.
6. Put together an event to mark the history of Bangladesh at the local art gallery and display old photo’s and any other materials (which will be obtained from archive and from local people who may have historic items/photo’s).
7. We will work in partnership with the youth service and local schools (focusing on those that have a high Bangladeshi intake) and get them to participate in this project.
8. We will use key national events such as International Mother Language Day, Independence Day, Victory day etc to draw people’s attention.
9. The information collated will then be put together in a website for everyone to freely access.

10. The findings of the project will be showcased with an event and literature, with the participants and members of all communities invited to celebrate achievement and cultural diversity.
 

The project will hopefully prove to be very useful and no doubt enlighten the history of the Bangladeshi community in Rochdale for many generations to come.  And will allow for them to learn about their own identity, history and the way their own Bangladeshi community had come to the borough of Rochdale and integrated here.
 

The project will be unique and diverse as it will explore and try to understand the Bangladeshi communities integration within Rochdale.  So that future generations can reflect upon this and continue to prosper and continue to make positive contributions. 
 

We hope that we can secure funding to ensure we can deliver this project and allow us to capture a piece of history that will become history itself and prove to be a major tool in educating and informing others of the makeup of the different ethnic groups in the borough of Rochdale and how they contribute to the rich and diverse society we live in.

To find out more, or to get involved please contact us!