Tamil Association of Brent

Project Summary

Promote Tamil culture: Tamil Heritage Records-Northern Sri Lanka

Heritage Focus

To explore the heritage of traditional Tamil clothing through: documenting by means of photographs and videos traditional clothes specific to Sri Lankan Tamil culture and focusing on the northern district of Sri Lanka. Oral history of those who migrated from Jaffna, Sri Lanka describing their life in Sri Lanka, motivations for their decision to migrate to UK, challenges they faced, how they overcame them and their thoughts looking back at their life. Recording and describing traditional Jaffna Tamil weddings, l and other rituals.

Project Description

To celebrate Tamil heritage in Brent by highlighting traditional attire and customs associated with key life events such as weddings and religious festivals. This project will teach participants how to make traditional Tamil clothes, preserving important skills and heritage knowledge. It will create a photographic and video record of traditional clothing used by Tamils from Northern Sri Lanka, suitable for exhibitions and public events to increase awareness and appreciation of Tamil heritage. Oral history interviews will be recorded with older members of the community who arrived in the UK during the 1960s to 1980s, many of whom fled the civil war and sought asylum. These interviews will be conducted by professional radio presenters to ensure high-quality documentation. The project will also seek permission to film and photograph a wedding party to document traditional Tamil attire.