Culture And Memory

Bringing New Perspectives: North Korean Oral History and Storytelling Project

Building on our successful 2023 National Lottery Heritage Fund project, which used food and cultural exchange to open up North Korean stories and promote inclusion and well-being in New Malden, this project will safeguard lived experiences that form part of UK heritage. This two-year oral testimonies project will, for the first time, capture the histories and cultural heritage of the North Korean community in New Malden. It will strengthen pride and connection within the community and increase public understanding of what it was like to grow up in a traditional, closed society, to escape, and to rebuild lives in the UK. We will record stories, songs, myths, customs, rituals, and traditions carried across borders and still practised here. As many community members are older, there is an urgent risk these memories and oral traditions will be lost. Using digital approaches, we will preserve testimonies for public access and community memory.