New exhibition celebrates British Asian success

A new exhibition profiling some of the success stories of British Asians went opened at the National Media Museum in Bradford on Tuesday.

The “Making Britain” Photographic Exhibition has been put on by photojournalist Tim Smith and profiles a wide cross-section of well-known and not so well-known individuals of South Asian background in a visual celebration of their cultural, political, artistic and economic contribution to British life.

Famous faces include Coronation Street actor, Shobna Gulati; DJ turned sitcom star, Adil Ray; the first British Asian captain for Bradford City, Zesh Rehman; stand-up comic Shazia Mirza and BBC newsreader, Mishal Husain.

The event has been organised by QED-UK, a not-for-profit organisation which is celebrating its 21st anniversary. Founded by Dr Mohammed Ali in 1990, the Bradford-based charity works towards creating a society in which opportunity is not dependent on ethnic origin, race, religion or gender.

Dr Ali said,

“Social and economic exclusion was, and still is, the biggest driving force behind community disintegration. The key issues that are essential to the health of any community are education and employment – for without the prospect of an education, a job, and a home, there is hopelessness. We’re all about creating hope.”

Photojournalist Tim Smith's work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. His books include ‘Here to Stay,’ a portrait of Bradford’s South Asian communities, and ‘Asians in Britain’, which includes photographs taken over the past 20 years.

Smith said,

“These photographs celebrate everything QED has worked hard for over the past 21 years. As a photographer I’ve been witness to this period of extraordinary change, where British Asians have moved from the margins to the mainstream. This new project is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate success stories that embody this transformation, and to illustrate how British Asians are a vital part of our contemporary, cosmopolitan society.”

Picture: Judge Mushtaq Khokhar at Manchester Crown Court