Dear all,

London’s Southbank Centre once again hosted ‘Alchemy’, the wonderful festival focusing on South Asia, and featuring drama, music, discussions, films, food and exhibitions. This year one of the exhibits was by the Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP), the pioneers of the Oral History project on Partition.

This was a fascinating exhibition: confidently and thoughtfully curated, mixing viewer-activated content with graphic displays (banners, postcards, paintings etc.). Along with all of these they had a small screen with a few seats, showing Sabiha Sumar’s 2003 film Khamosh Pani (Silent Waters). I had forgotten what a very beautiful and powerful film this is: the story of a widow and her son who are caught up in the wave of ‘Islamisation’ unleashed by the military dictator General Ziaul Haq, this is a moving story of the terrible cost of Partition in human terms. In this story the past, with all its unacknowledged horrors and unspoken atrocities, returns more than three decades later to haunt a family and a village. This wonderfully evocative film set just the right note for reflection on stories about partition.

It was here at the exhibition that I was able to meet CAP’s Executive Director Swaleha Shahzada and hear from her not just about this show but also about all the work of the Citizens Archive and just how far it has managed to get in just seven years. It was terrific to hear how a small group of volunteers, over several years, have made this more than just an Oral History project and been able to record what are, really, witness testimonies in the the great game of History.

These citizen testimonies both supplement and challenge the official narrative, and they are important contributions to the study Of Pakistan’s history. The fact that the Citizens Archive Project has grown and developed and remains steadfast in recording testimonies and checking facts is really quite heartening.

A big salute to all the many individuals who have been a part of this whole process…it is both a work in progress and a tremendous achievement.

 Best wishes