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Oral History Interview with Michelle Mohabeer
Mohabeer discusses her experience of moving to Canada during the 1970s, when racism, sexism and homophobia were rampant. She also discusses briefly her experience as a Pakistani person in a time where Paki-bashing was common place. Mohabeer then goes…
Oral History Interview with Natasha Singh
In her oral history, Natasha Singh articulates why Desh was so influential, and also goes into depth about the world-wide influence Desh had on South Asian festivals. Additionally, she gives an example of how Desh empowered her in her everyday life.
Oral History Interview with Pamila Matharu (2014)
Matharu discusses the critical progressive nature of the Desh Pardesh festival, and how this was targeted specifically for a population of people of colour. Matharu also touches briefly on the intergenerational nature of the festival, and how this…
Oral History Interview with Paramjit Rai (2014)
Paramjit Rai was a volunteer and co-coordinator at Desh Pardesh for a number of years. She discusses her experience as a social policy worker and academic at the festival and how this role of “outsider” informed her perspective on the festival. She…
Oral History Interview with Sharon Fernandez (2014)
Sharon Fernandez begins by discussing her various works within the people of colour community prior to the Dash Pardesh festival, with a specific goal to push women of colour’s involvement in the writing and in the community. She then discusses the…
Oral History Interview with Sheila James and Rachel Kalpana James (2014)
Sheila and Rachel, in this oral history interview, speak about their roles in Desh Pardesh, as a contributor and a programming coordinator, respectively. They explain the internal mechanisms of Desh, as well as its public perception at the time. They…
Oral History Interview with Shelly Bahl (2015)
Shelly Bahl was one of the founders of the South Asian Visual Arts Centre (SAVAC). In this interview she discusses her role in several small collectives prior to her full involvement in SAVAC, and how these collectives worked hand in hand with the…
Oral History Interview with Shyam Selvadurai (2015)
Selvadurai, a writer and cartoonist, discusses his involvement with the Desh Pardesh festival and analyzes the deep identity politics that permeated every conversation held at the festival. He is a Sri Lankan born gay man in a festival where Sri…
Oral History Interview with Zainab Verjee (2015)
Verjee talks about her experience interacting with the Desh Pardesh festival in the late 1990s. She was not involved directly at an organizational level, but comes from a background in community organization because of her involvement in groups such…