Yasmin Begum is a 26 year old queer Welsh-Pakistani writer, activist and artist living in Cardiff.
Project Name: Dadgoloneiddo’r Archif | Decolonising the Archive
Project Location: Cardiff and Aberystwyth
About the Project:
Using the Platforming Under-represented Writers funding, Yasmin Begum’s project will focus on Welsh identity, colonialism and cultural memory with the aim of better understanding and exploring the legacy of Welsh people and Welsh people of colour throughout history using decolonial theories. The outcome of the project will be the creation of a bilingual pamphlet called ‘Dadgoloneiddo’r Archif | Decolonising the Archive’ which she’ll present as a creative response at the ‘(Post)Colonial Conversations: Encounters Between India and Wales’ Conference at Swansea University.
Yasmin plans to conduct a period of research to produce this pamphlet. She aims to visit the ‘Ethnic Collection’ in Aberystwyth, and the Butetown History and Arts Centre at the Tiger Bay Exchange to explore the archives. Her project will take an intersectional method, exploring the themes of race, class, sex and gender to unpack the most pressing issues of our time in Wales and beyond.
What you hope to achieve through this project?
“I hope to better understand and explore the legacy of Welsh people and Welsh people of colour throughout history using decolonial theory.”
What impact do you think the opportunity will have on your career as a writer/artist?
“I think this opportunity will have a huge impact on my career as an artist and as a writer in helping me write, create, edit and publish a creative piece to add to my body of work.”