Stories and significant changes
Ferdousi Begum: A Question of Identity
- Name:
- Ferdousi Begum
- Home town:
- London, UK
- Exchange:
- Wales - Kazakhstan, 2005
Image and reality are two different spheres which are always there. Every culture, and the people of that culture, have a certain way of thinking and imagining the 'other' in their own way. But reality stays far away until it's actually been experienced.
Taldykorgan is a small lovely town in Kazakhstan where people have the image of British people as "serious", "conservative". They thought that all British people live in London or England. Places like Wales, Scotland, Guernsey had never been heard before. They also never imagined Britain as a melting pot of many diverse nationalities with different attitudes and identities. Most of the volunteers were seen as "American" or "English" in some way, and I was seen as "Indian".
I believe that our presence in Taldykorgan opened a door to the reality of diversity in Britain. The appearance of British volunteers with all their different attitudes and cultural identities gave a big shock to the community over the 3-month period of our project, and they learned a lot more about Britain.
Taldykorgan is a town where most of the people are Kazakh and traditionally Muslim, although Western music and dress code can be seen everywhere. Watching a lot of western movies and listening to music from the morning breakfast table to work is a very common thing to do, but a little question like 'what is your name' in English will not get any answer back. Detailed knowledge about the Western world is very restricted.
Over the last 3 months, we have lived in the heart of Taldykorgan, very close to each other. We have been working in different schools all over Taldykorgan with the most disadvantaged children in the community. Beside work, we were always visible within this small town because of other activities we arranged, like CADs and EADs, which involved the community. The event of 21st of May in the Central Park of Taldykorgan was a big day to reflect 'what British culture is' as well as raising awareness of the rights of disabled children. We celebrated diversity and made the event most effective, with cross-cultural music and dance - such as Scottish and Indian dance, showing the openness of our culture. My identity of being a British and Bengali Muslim was a big challenge to their perception of what being British means. At first sight, I was always defined as 'Indian', as people in Kazakhstan watch lots of Bollywood films every Sunday night on Kazakh national TV.
My day-to-day life in Taldykorgan amazed them and made them question their static view at the rest of the world. I performed the elegant Indian dance for the children at the event on the 21st of May, which the children loved and which made them see such a culture that they didn't know, a culture which arrived from Britain not from India. Cooking spicy curry for the Community Farewell Party was another cross-cultural experience which they never had before. I was thanked thousand times for offering such an exotic taste of British curry.
In Taldykorgan, modernity and Islam contradicts. People are culturally Muslim rather than in practice. Someone like me who is a British Muslim and attending in mosques for Friday prayers and wearing scarf sometimes, and not drinking alcohol and being able to read Koran and recite Namaz (prayers) completely led them to understand the Britishness in a new way. Whenever I attended in a social gathering with my host parents, they introduced me with all of my multi-cultural identities: Oh! She reads Koran; Oh! brilliant dancer; Oh! She knows a lot about Elizabeth!
I apologise for making this piece of story very much personal but I believe that all British volunteers had something to offer to show the celebration of difference in British culture. Rohanna had an amazing Scottish dance which she taught to the children in school, and this Scottish dance was performed by the Kazakh volunteers at the community Farewell Day which was appreciated by the local community.
I think that although it is difficult to say whether there is any practical impact on the community where we lived, the perception and attitudes of people towards the rest of the world has certainly changed. I believe that they are more open to diversity and alien culture. Floods of tears proved their feeling for us on the day when we said good-bye to Taldykorgan. They love us, our culture. I can tell at least that the people of Taldykorgan are more tolerant, open, friendly.
I believe that our team had a great impact on their way of understanding of the 'other' culture. They also realised that the West isn't all about pop music and clothing. It is about diversity, multiculturalism, and tolerance.