South Asia Cymru Heritage

South Asia Cymru Heritage is a strategic research programme by KIRAN Cymru, created to promote education and deepen understanding of the shared arts, culture, and heritage between South Asian and Welsh communities.

Our mission is to strengthen community cohesion, enhance cultural awareness, and promote social inclusion by:

🔹 Exploring historical connections between Britain and the Indian subcontinent (1600–1950), focusing on trade, commerce, and education.

🔹 Uncovering and celebrating shared heritage between South Asia and Wales, especially in areas of economic, cultural, and educational exchange.

🔹 Recognising the vital contributions of South Asian communities during the First and Second World Wars, and in the post-war rebuilding of Britain — with a special focus on their impact in Wales.

At its heart, South Asia Cymru Heritage is community-driven. Research is carried out collaboratively by members of the South Asian diaspora in Wales, as well as people from Welsh and neighbouring communities — including descendants of those who helped shape these shared histories.

Through this participatory approach, we revisit historical sources, collect oral histories and lived experiences, and reframe the past through the voices of those who lived it.

By placing communities at the centre of our work, South Asia Cymru Heritage contributes to a more inclusive, informed, and anti-racist Wales. The project directly supports the goals of the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan, working to decolonise historical narratives and offer a fuller, more truthful picture of our interconnected pasts.