Shelina Janmohamed is an accomplished author, delving into crucial subjects affecting girls and women today. Her writings encompass profound explorations of identity, our position in the world, and, perhaps most importantly, the power of autonomy in decision-making.
As a non-fiction author, her books have soared on the bestseller lists, resonating with readers across the globe. With a specialized focus on women's representation, Shelina has garnered recognition as a leading global expert in the field. Her articulate voice is a familiar presence on radio and TV, where she fearlessly advocates for empowering women and amplifying their voices.
Asian Voice reached out to Shelina regarding her upcoming book, “Story of Now: Let's Talk about the British Empire” which has been illustrated by Laura Green. Here’s what she had to say-
What was your inspiration behind ‘The Story of Now’?
When the statue of Edward Colston fell in 2020, it was a huge national event. My children were fascinated and I wanted to help them read and better understand what was happening, by understanding what had happened during the British Empire. To my shock, I couldn’t find any for their age group, which was unbelievable. So I decided to write something myself, something that would be serious, but also give children the power to be adventurous, curious and thoughtful.
I wanted my book to engage children whatever their background – from the industrial towns of the north, to the families of the Windrush generation, to those who live in the four nations and children of the diaspora like me. The story of the British Empire is often seen as historic and limited to minority groups. What I set out to do was to help children understand ‘now’ and to show children of all backgrounds that this is a story for them. Which is why we called it the Story of Now. And just in case it wasn’t clear, we added “This is not a history book”.
Why did you feel that it was important to write a book that could explain the Empire’s history to the children?
The British Empire was the biggest ever empire in the history of the world. It was bigger than the Roman Empire, the Incas, Mayas, Aztecs, Mughal, Ottoman and any other European, Asian, African or American power. In fact, it was so vast that “the sun never set on the British Empire.”
We teach our children about all the other empires, yet breathe barely a word of the biggest, wealthiest, most powerful and most influential empire in the history– the British Empire. I wanted to change that.
While history is important, I wanted to ensure children have the tools to work out who we are now. And it seems to me that having a shared understanding of the past – and the many and varied stories each of us have – is the starting point. Plus it explains so much about what we are as a country today, and why the world works as it does.
This is how good conversations and respectful societies begin: by knowing our stories and talking about them. Kids don’t need culture wars, they need conversations. And they need to start from the point of what’s relevant to them.
The Empire’s history is a vast and complex topic for children’s understanding. How does your book make it easier for them to understand this history?
My aim has been to stand in children’s shoes to see the world as it matters to them – everything from the heated debates to climate change, technology, migration, social and racial equality, global relationships and big businesses. And I’ve told it through the stories of children like them, so they can hear the voices of kids through the ages and around the world: enslaved children, the home children who were sent away from Britain, the kids of the industrial revolution and many more. I’ve made it interactive with quizzes and posing questions for them to solve. But most of all, I’ve centred them: the book is written from scratch for children for them to make sense of the world.
What works related to the empire and diaspora history, according to you, should be included in the study curriculum across the UK?
My focus has been on Key Stage 2 and Key stage 3 children, around 8 – 16 years old, bringing to life, the stories of the British Empire and its impact on us today and in the future. This is the age where not only are our ideas of the world formed, but crucially it’s the age where we form our ideas of who we are and how we fit into the world. Thankfully there are some really wonderful books coming out for this age group. Some of my favourites include Lands of Belonging: A History of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Britain by Vikesh Amey Bhatt and Donna Amey Bhatt. And books by Sufiya Ahmed including the story of Noor Inayat Khan and Princess Sophia Duleep Singh.
Do you think that the diaspora stories in history are easily side-tracked and forgotten when the Empire’s history is narrated? How can these excluded stories be highlighted?
Diasporas around the world trace their origins back to the British Empire and the subcontinental diaspora is probably far more widely spread than we can imagine. I know my own story as an East African Indian is rarely told. But the more I read, the more I discover – Indians in the Caribbean, in South America and in countries such as Suriname and even in the Pacific Islands, and so much more. The key is establishing a shared understanding that the Empire stretched across vast geographies, over four centuries and covers stories, varied and complex. When we have that framework we can start to uncover and place the varied and complex diaspora stories. One of the things I suggest to readers to do is to collect the oral stories of their older family members and capture them, so they can be shared, and even show them how to do it. The oral stories of our family are so powerful and important – after all, they shaped our liv
