A Jute Lascar Story traces the untold story of a ten year old boy called Shahabuddin. It is set during the early to mid-20th Century. Shahabuddin is forced to work on a jute farm in East Bengal but runs away to try and find his father. His father had left for the forest of Goalpara in Assam to make a new life after losing everything due to his debts. Shahabuddin's search for his father ends in failure. But he unexpectedly meets Bablu, a lascar, returning from overseas. Lascars were south Asian seafarers who worked within the British colonial system. Fascinated by Bablu's stories, Shahbuddin wants to become a lascar too. This is inspired by real jute cultivation and transportation stories covering the globe. It unpacks stories of migration, survival and loss. It also reveals the cost to ordinary people of the ambitions of British colonial rule. It is a story of disappearance and rediscovery - of a man who travelled the world only to vanish into history.
Funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund
Doors 7pm Start 7.30pm
English/Bangla | 60 minutes
£10 I 5+
About the Company
The Stepney Community Trust (SCT) is a community-led charity. It works for justice and equality and helps residents to access good quality services.
Arts Without Borders is based in London and runs arts-based activities, projects and productions. These explore and promote social and cultural issues.