INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY 2023

BANGLADESHI WOMEN IN STORYTELLING

Celebrate International Women's Day with Oitij-jo!

Presenting a panel of British-Bangladeshi Women working in Publishing, Research, Journalism + a very special short film screening.

RESERVE A FREE TICKET HERE.

This event will act as an official public launch to our community library featuring an array of South Asian books on culture and art, all donated from members of the community. Attendees will have the opportunity to browse through our collection.

We are always accepting new donations. Bring your old books!

Food will be available and prepared by Oitij-jo Kitchen.

PANEL Featuring:

Nilopar Uddin;

the author of The Halfways, an epic family drama that spans over four decades, moving between London, Wales, New York and Bangladesh. It is a story of mothers and daughters, of fathers and daughters, of sisterhood, exploring belonging, family and what makes forgiveness and redemption possible.

Nilopar was born in Shropshire to Bangladeshi parents who, like the fictional family in The Halfways, owned and ran an Indian restaurant in Wales. She has had a successful career as a financial services lawyer practising in both London and New York and is a trustee of iProbono, a charity whose mission is to enable people to access their rights in pursuit of a just society.

Renasha Khan;

is a PhD Candidate at the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Kings College London. Her research focuses on the ways social media is redefining what it means to be a British Muslim woman in the UK today. As a documentary producer, Renasha has produced films for international broadcasters such as the BBC and National Geographic Channel and is applying her filmmaking knowhow in her research, co-producing films with her research participants.

Tahmina Begum;

is a journalist, editor, and creative consultant. The former Editor-in-Chief of XXY Magazine, Begum has nine years of journalism experience and writes for publications such as The Independent, I-D, Glamour, iPaper, Metro, HuffPost UK, Riposte, AnOther, Dazed, etc. She also copywrites and consults for labels, brands and social enterprises.
Begum curates The Aram, a bi-monthly award-nominated newsletter that centres women of colour and Muslim women and our relationship with joy and ease.
In 2019, Begum was published in three collections of essays: Comfort Zones, Mixed Feelings and Unicef's Words By.

Faima Bakar;

is a freelance writer and editor who worked on the Metro Lifestyle desk for three years and later at HuffPost and Journo Resources. Since being freelance she has worked as a contributing writer at Time Out, Stylist, Mashable, LadBible and more. She often writes about identity, culture, gender, work and relationships.

Panel Host:

Momtaz Begum-Hossain;

is an award-winning Journalist and Colour Therapist. She developed the modern colour philosophy Hello Hue®; a seven-point manifesto for how to use colour to boost your mood and mental wellbeing which she discusses in her book Hello Rainbow – Finding Happiness in Colour. She hosts the podcast Hello Colour.

A lifelong crafter and woman of words, Momtaz has worked as a professional Lifestyle Journalist and Television Presenter for over a decade. Momtaz began her career as a young writer at the BBC on their children’s magazines and later joined Popular Crafts, the UK’s oldest Crafts Magazine, before leaving to write her first book.

Short Film Screening:

BanglaTown by Farihah Chowdhury

Synopsis:

Banglatown is falling down, an area in Brick Lane that had been shaped and dominated by the Tower Hamlets Bengali community for decades is facing hardships due to today's gentrification. The British Bengali community of Tower Hamlets have never failed to adapt to their circumstances, from the rag trade era to its current curry houses, with many young entrepreneurs also starting their own businesses in the East end. However, the area faces devastation as the widespread of Brick lanes 'hipster movement' have started a new wave of cultural Wipeout led by the Truman Brewery as they are planning to redevelop the area by building a large mall in the heart of Banglatown! Emphasised with great "job opportunities for the locals" by organisers, this may just be the end of an era for Brick Lanes authenticity. Not only was the recent pandemic a huge struggle for local businesses and residents, this development will only make it worse due to factors like increased property value/rents and the disappearance of their sense of 'Home'.

This is what Brick Lane means to South London born British Bengali Tasnim Chowdhury

In'Sha'Allah the culture will continue. Farihah x