I am Rohingya, a former refugee, and now a British citizen.

Today, we are at the Rohingya Exhibition, hosted at Great Horton Community Centre. This exhibition shares the stories of Rohingya people as part of Bradford’s wider story, who we are, where we come from, and how we contribute to the city. Bradford is home to people from many countries affected by war and conflict, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen, Ukraine, and many others, including Rohingya people from Burma.

Our goal is to help people navigate their new environment and become active, confident contributors to their new community here in Bradford.

The Rohingya people are recognized by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted communities in the world. This is not my opinion; it is a documented reality. Over the years, more people arrived at the UK, through family reunification, marriage, and migration from countries like Malaysia and Indonesia. Today, Bradford is home to one of the largest Rohingya communities in Europe.

Bradford was the first city to welcome Rohingya people. It is a City of Sanctuary, and now a City of Culture. Its diversity, compassion, and openness reflect why our community has been able to rebuild life here.

Today, Rohingya people are nurses working at Bradford Royal Infirmary, engineers, taxi drivers, chefs, business owners, civil servants, teachers, and NHS professionals.
I arrived as a refugee myself. I refused to let my trauma define my future. I studied Computer Science at university, worked in IT, became an immigration consultant, and now work as a civil servant.

This gathering today, this moment reflects what Bradford, and the City of Culture truly mean. Culture is identity. It is who you are.

For Rohingya people, culture includes our food, which many people love when they try it, rich, flavorful, slightly spicy, influenced by South Asia and Arakan’s long history. Our language is one of the rarest in the UK. It has no written script because everything was destroyed by oppression. We preserved it orally, passed from mother to child, generation to generation.

I feel very happy living here because many people from my community live here too. If I don’t understand something, a letter, an office, a building, people from the Rohingya Centre and my community help me at any time. I never feel alone.
Bradford feels like a place of sanctuary.

I feel peaceful and safe here. Bradford feels calm. People say that some big cities can feel dangerous sometimes, but Bradford feels different to me. It feels safe and peaceful.

In Bangladesh, my dad protested for the rights of Rohingya people. Because of that, he was arrested and faced serious risks.
He protested so that Rohingya people could have the chance to travel abroad and live safely in countries like England.

Culture is our past; it is about our ancestors and where we come from. It’s what makes us different. It’s like the point of living, because it helps you understand who you are.

At home, my mum cooks traditional Rohingya food, and she also sews clothes, skirts and shirts in traditional Rohingya styles.
She makes them for us so we can experience what it feels like to wear our cultural clothing, almost like being back where our family comes from.

It makes me very happy. I meet my community every two or three weeks. We come together, we talk, and we eat together.
I like cooking for my friends and family. When people come to my house, I cook fish, meat, and rice. It feels very nice to share food. Because in my country, people love fish. I love fish too. When I cook, I feel happy. Cooking brings us together, and it makes me happy to take care of them.