Crossing Continents: Connecting Communities • New partnerships: new perspectives • Project review Opposite Children during creative Foreword workshops in Harrow Afghan Partnership Once the rooms of the Royal Esmeé Fairbairn Foundation, John Lyon’s Connecting Communities project we Geographical Society echoed with Charity and with specific support from have encountered new insights which male Victorian and Edwardian voices the Department for Children, Schools add to the landscape of our geographical announcing new geographical and Families for our Afghan strand, our understanding. ‘discoveries’ made, lands mapped three year programme has developed The Society has been delighted to share and encounters with the people of new exhibitions and education resources our geographical Collections with our Africa and Asia. It was from the Society through partnerships with the Afghan, community partners. However, the real that the geographers of the 19th and East African, Chinese, and Punjabi source of joy has been to witness the early 20th century set out to bring communities. shared perspectives that have brought back new geographical understanding Crossing Continents: Connecting contemporary relevance to our historic to quench the British public’s thirst for Communities also helps to advance items and widened understanding of new knowledge about the world. the Society’s work in highlighting and others’ views. We may not yet know the In recent years our rooms have promoting the importance of geography final destination of any future ‘learning resounded not only with researchers, in the 21st century. Through geography journeys’ into our Collections. However, students, the public and policymakers everyone can understand more fully the what we do know is that the Crossing but also with new and different voices, world’s people, places and environments, Continents: Connecting Communities including those of Punjabi ex-servicemen, and how and why they are changing. project has ensured that these will now Afghan teenagers, Chinese children and Our work, as one of the leading learned be shared journeys on which we will East African women. It has been through societies, takes us into schools and embark together. these voices that we have revealed new universities and connects us with policy discoveries, mapped new relationships makers and the public. Dr Rita Gardner CBE and re-encountered our shared Director Once it was the blanks on the world Royal Geographical Society with IBG geographical and cultural histories map that motivated people to travel with modern and inclusive accents. to seemingly distant lands. Today very Through our Crossing Continents: few, if any, uncharted blanks on the Connecting Communities project we map remain. Now it is the search for have rediscovered our geographical understanding of the processes that Collections, bringing new relevance and shape and change our world and of new meaning to some of our 2 million different perceptions of that world that maps, photographs and documents inspire new intellectual and physical dating back many hundreds of years. journeys. As illustrated in the following Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, pages, through the Crossing Continents: 2/3 Introduction From Kabul to Kandahar 1833-1933 In 2004, the Society’s historical collection the Heritage Lottery Fund, Esmeé Fairbairn available to view at the Society. In of maps, photographs, books, journals, Foundation and John Lyon’s Charity with addition, the exhibitions toured education, documents and objects became additional support from the Department community and cultural venues across fully accessible to the public through for Children, Schools and Families for the the UK, and also internationally. the Heritage Lottery Fund supported Afghan strand. Education resources for primary and Unlocking the Archives programme. The programme aimed to increase secondary school pupils were created This programme provided a new access for communities to whom the for formal and informal teaching exhibition pavilion and Foyle Reading Collections directly related. The Society settings. Online resources for Key Room, alongside online access to the also wanted to draw wider public Stage 2 and 3 geography, history Society’s Collections and accompanying attention to the Collections, develop and citizenship teaching, available via educational activities. It was followed in educational activities and to promote www.unlockingthearchives.rgs.org, and 2005 by the Designation of the Society’s greater understanding of our shared hardcopy packs with content suitable Collections, this recognition identifies geographies and histories. The Crossing for informal teaching in supplementary pre-eminent collections of national and Continents: Connecting Communities schools were developed to link to the international importance held in England. programme addressed these objectives exhibitions. In addition, the Society also The opportunity to use our Collections by creating a series of exhibitions hosted creative education workshops in partnership with a wider range of and education resources around four during the presentation of the exhibitions. audiences was highlighted within the geographical and cultural themes, award of Designation, the Society’s This partnership approach was new to the each related to the Afghan, Chinese, citation noting, Society and proved to be a challenging, East African and Punjabi communities “the wider cultural significance yet rewarding process that saw many in the UK. of the collection is fully demonstrated other unexpected and welcome in the application. The collections… Community consultation for the outcomes. This publication provides an offer a unique access point to the development of the programme was at overview of the programme and reveals understanding of cultural exchange the core of all activities. A total of twenty the dedication and contribution of the and encounters around the world. community partners, with cultural ties to community partners, workshop Commitment to broadening the four themes, took part in consultation facilitators, specialists, researchers, audiences… is evident.” workshops. They provided personal academics and Society staff during In 2006, a three year programme entitled reflections on the Collections which the course of the Crossing Continents: Crossing Continents: Connecting shaped the development and content Connecting Communities project. Communities was launched to increase of the exhibitions. The exhibitions were Vandana Patel public awareness and interaction with our accompanied by talks and ‘showcase’ Project Coordinator Harpreet Kaur Sanghera collection. This project was supported by events during which original items were Project Education Officer 4/5 6/7 3 Horse dealers, Kandahar B Simpson1881 Bombay Africans 1850-1910 4 Jeweller’s shop in a bazaar BDeCardi c.1930 Sariks Turkoman women, Maruchak,1933 Group of Hazaras, Kandahar Ahmed Shah’s Tomb, Kandahar In the streets of Kandahar B Simpson 1881 Belooche’s in the Bolan Pass Street in the bazaar, Canbul J Atkinson 1842 Ayaub’s ambassadors Char Su, Kandahar B Simpson 1881 5 Ramsay taking photos TRJWard1903 Mosque at Baber’s tomb, Kabul G TVigne 1836 In the streets of Kandahar B Simpson 1881 Dr Gray and Armenian interpreter Van derWyde1895 6 Children during creative workshops in Harrow Afghan Partnership 8/9 10/11 7 A Livingstone, T Livingstone, Programme development A Susi, J Chuma and Rev. H Waller, Nottingham R Allen and Sons 1874 and outcomes 8 The four partnership strands developed into the • Muslim Women’s Welfare Association, Illford Reminiscence workshops with adults provided Liberation by the Royal Navy exhibitions and education resources listed below: • North Hertfordshire Sikh Education Council invaluable commentary that was used to guide the T Baines1859 ©David Pearson • Obay Supplementary School, London development of exhibitions and included within Afghan Partnership Sidi Mubarak Bombay • Sangat Group, London the accompanying interpretative panels. The J A Grant 1860 Exhibition: From Kabul to Kandahar 1833-1933 • Soho Family Centre, London historic Collections triggered discussions covering Education Resources: Afghanistan – Moving Uganda railway • Tanzanian Women’s Association, London complex issues and emotive memories from R E Critchley 1907-18 Stories (online) • UK Punjab Heritage Association the early recollections of arrival in England as Mathew Wellington, c.1930 Chinese Partnership • The Undivided India Ex-Servicemen’s Association immigrants, to the exploration of ‘homelands’, Exhibition: Seeing China: Community Reflections national histories and British identities. This Education Resources: China – Snapshots in Time The development of community partnerships commentary provided unique and alternative 9 (online) and Seeing China – Snapshots of the was an integral part of the Crossing Continents: interpretative voices; revealing stories of hardship, Mazagon Hill, Bombay Past and Present (pack) Connecting Communities project. Community acceptance and pride. Inaccuracies within the Francis Frith & Co.1883 partners contributed to the project from the Society’s Collections catalogue were also highlighted East African Partnership Mathew Wellington beginning and assisted with short-listing items through this process; places and landmarks were Exhibition: Bombay Africans 1850-1910 W McGregor Ross 1910 from the Collections for use during workshops correctly relocated, dates questioned and rare Education Resources: Encounters – Images