“When we first came [to Bradford], life was hard. Men went to work, women stayed at home, we didn’t know when day came or night came, as outside it was always dark and foggy – there was a lot of smog.”
Experiences like this belong to women who left their family and homeland behind and migrated to the city in the 1960s and 70s.
It was a time when communities weren’t set up to receive migrants - there was no cultural infrastructure and little opportunity for women to build a life outside the home.
Their true stories, shared in Urdu and Punjabi and translated into English, have now inspired a dazzling performance packed with music, drama, and spoken word.
With tickets close to selling out, ‘Aurat Kahani’ tells the real life history of women who married young and followed their hopes and dreams to a new country.
Created by best selling writer Abda Khan, the show reveals the tough challenges faced by many in adjusting to their new lives.
Abda, whose parents moved to Bradford from Pakistan, told the Telegraph & Argus: “I have memories of my late mother talking about when she first came over in 1968. I lost my mum at 18 so I never had the chance to record the things she said. There’s not that many women from that generation around. I thought now was a good time to capture their stories. There is a sense of responsibility.”
The lawyer turned ‘Razia’ author, who has produced a stage play, said: “I’ve used some direct quotes from the women. The women that come and watch are going to see their stories unfold on stage. I hope I’ve done justice to their stories.
“I felt it was time to do something.
“Anybody who’s interested in history, South Asian history or Bradford and the music and stories, it’s got a universal appeal.”
One woman who shared her experience said: “The day I arrived it was really cold. I missed my mum and dad so much."
Another said: “There was no mosque, no family here, no community to speak of. Eid and Ramadan felt very strange here. It was quite lonely, just at home, we felt embarrassed about wearing our bright clothes out of the house.”
One woman said: “I used to communicate with my parents via air mail letters. Later we used to record tapes and send them back and forth.”
Their stories have also inspired work by young women and brand-new poetry from Sharena Lee Satti.
Aurat Kahani is taking place at Mind The Gap Theatre on Saturday, September 14, while a women's only community performance is being held at Manningham Library on Saturday, September 21.
To buy tickets visit the Eventbrite page via https://shorturl.at/nv1V3
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