Your Heritage
The project focused on 10 games - Gulli Danda, Kabadi, Dopekel, Gollachut, Dariabanda, Congkak, Paramapadam, Shatranj, Pachisi and Keram – and documented the history and evolution of each, from the way the old games have changed, to the new games and sports they have influenced.
Volunteers were trained to record and photograph older members of the Asian community as they recounted their personal experiences of playing the games, and interpretation of the rules. These oral histories were then used to teach the games to young participants for demonstration events.
The recordings and photographs also formed part of an exhibition, and were used to create educational DVDs and booklets for distribution to local schools, museums and libraries.
The aim of the project was to improve the knowledge of the UK-born Asian community about the heritage of their culture’s traditional games, and preserve first-hand accounts and experiences for future generations.