Building Bengali Archives
Growing archival collections related to Camden's Bengali community
Camden’s Local Studies and Archives Centre is expanding its collection to honour and document the vibrant histories and experiences of Bengali communities in our borough. This project calls on Camden’s Bengali residents to share photographs, posters, flyers, and any meaningful materials that capture their community’s legacy and stories.
Be a part of Camden’s history:
We invite you to select 1 to 15 items that hold special significance to you, your family, or your organization.
By participating, you’ll help create a shared digital archive for future generations, showcasing the collective memories of Camden’s Bengali community. We will host scanning days around Camden (dates to be announced) so you can digitize your materials and see them become part of a new digital Bengali heritage collection.
Interested in contributing? Please reach out to julian.ehsan@camden.gov.uk for more details. Help shape Camden’s historical record by sharing your story today!
Skill-Building Sessions:
Alongside the archive-building initiative, we’re hosting a series of free-to-attend sessions about archival practice and storytelling through sound.
Session 1: Introduction to the Archive
Date: Saturday 25 January 2025, 11:00 to 13:00
Location: Camden Local Studies and Archives Centre, 2nd Floor, Holborn Library, 32-38 Theobalds Road, London WC1X 8PA
For the first session, we will visit archive manager Tudor Allen, who will give a tour of the archive itself, and discuss items that are held by the archive. There will be time for reflection about what the archive contains already, and what kinds of items or topics we'd like to see represented.
Session 2: Building a Sonic Archive Workshop
Date: Saturday 8 February 2025, 11:00 to 14:00
Location: The Last Word, courtyard of the British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB
In our second session, we will develop skills to produce our own archives. Led by Olivia Melkonian, this workshop invites participants to collectively challenge the traditional concept of archiving, from motive to medium. Offering a warm space of open dialogue, this workshop welcomes new ideas and explorations of archiving as a practice, alongside practical demonstrations and accessible audio production tools to develop technical skills needed to build your own sonic archive.
Session 3: Visit to the Bengali Photo Archive
Date: Saturday 15 February 2025, 13:00 to 16:00
Location: Four Corners, 121 Roman Road, London E2 0QN (travel reimbursement available)
In our final session, we will meet with staff at Four Corners who developed the Bengali Photo Archive, an online collection of images and oral histories collected from Bengali people in Tower Hamlets. We will learn how the archive was created, what it's used for, and what types of materials they have collected so far. We will also hear from Tanbir Mirza-Baeg, a volunteer on the project who developed a rich archive of his own family materials.
Who can join?
We’re looking for Camden residents of Bengali heritage aged 18 and over who can attend all three sessions. Spaces are limited, and priority will be given to those who can commit to the full series.