Annu Palakunnathu Matthew
From "The Future of the Past" Series
Marran Gallery & Theatre, Lesley University
Banner Art: Photo Courtesy of The 1947 Partition Archive
March 6-April 2, 2017
The Future of the Past, Voices of Partition and Lessons Learned
March 22, 2017, 6-8 PM
Lesley University
Alumni Hall, Doble Campus
34 Mellen Street, Cambridge, MA
Elizabeth Tallett
How can personal narratives help most accurately contextualize the complex cultural histories, identity, and collective memory of the brutality of the British India Partition? Annu Palakunnathu Matthew’s photo-animation exhibit, “Open Wound: Stories of Partition”, and the work of The 1947 Partition Archive seek to address that gap by giving voice to the turmoil and resilience experienced by those who were displaced by the Partition.
"Open Wound: Stories of Partition" Photo Animation
About This Exhibition
It has been 70 years since the British India Partition, an event that marked the end of the colonial rule of British India and the creation of India and Pakistan. The event was marked by brutal violence between Hindus and Sikhs on one side and Muslims on the other. It is estimated that over 12 million people were displaced and over 1 million people lost their lives in what has been identified by the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) as one of the worst forced migrations in history. It was reported that thousands of women were abducted or raped, and many were never accounted for.
Perpetrators, victims, bystanders, and saviors were on both sides of the conflict lines. Those who survived the event were brutalized, traumatized, and carried the scars of their suffering which, in so many ways, have continued to dictate the relations between the two countries today. Unlike other horrific events, such as the Holocaust, there is no memorial on either side of the border to remember the people affected by the Partition.
The 1947 Partition Archive is a 501 nonprofit oral history organization in Berkeley, California and is a registered trust in Delhi, India, that collects, preserves and shares firsthand accounts of the Partition of India in 1947.
Unlike other horrific events, such as the Holocaust, there is no memorial to the people affected by the Partition. Annu Palakunnathu Matthew’s photo-animation exhibit, “Open Wound: Stories of Partition”, and the work of The 1947 Partition Archive seek to address that gap by giving voice to the turmoil experienced by those who were displaced by the Partition. During our March 22, 2017 event, Annu Palakunnathu Matthew will share her research interviewing survivors from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and the evening will conclude with a reception to view her work in the Marran Gallery.