Brent ace

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Living in a multicultural, multifaith and multilingual community like Brent brings me so much joy. There are over 149 languages spoken here, 55% of residents were born outside of the country and 80% of people follow a faith. I love being around diversity and difference – as this is what makes our world such a beautiful, dynamic and interesting place. 

I have lived in Brent most of my life. I have been to school in this borough, I have friends and family that live here and it’s a place that I know inside out. It gives me immense fulfilment to work and give back to the place that has nurtured me, and taught me so much through my exposure to many wonderful people.

It is true that Brent is a socially deprived borough, and we have suffered from cuts, the Covid pandemic and cost-of-living crisis amongst other crises. It is far from a utopia. And in my experience, you can live amongst diversity and still keep it at arm’s length. I think it’s such a tragedy not to embrace the opportunity we have been blessed with living here. There is so much to benefit from living in a place like Brent. If you open your heart and mind, you can learn so much about the world, develop great friendships, share festivals and religious events, and be a happier person with so much dynamism and culture everywhere. 

I have a 25-year-old track record of engaging with communities in this borough. From having been a youth worker and delivering youth leadership programmes, to producing community film projects and award-winning communications and engagement campaigns with diverse and seldom heard communities. 

In 2015, I produced a film called ‘Stories of Brent’ which celebrated the borough by sharing stories from local celebrities and community leaders, asking them what they love about Brent. All of them mentioned the diversity and vibrant community, which helped shape their lives in a positive way.

Taking my passion further, I set up a project called Golden Threads in 2020 to promote diverse culture and history, fight racism, Islamophobia and discrimination through the lens of education, dialogue and sharing stories. Last year I organised half a dozen in-person cultural events and engaged with at least 250 people and thousands more online. I also have a YouTube channel and have interviewed historians, academics and authors on a variety of cultural stories. This year, I am looking forward to more collaborations and sharing culture more widely in the borough and beyond.

I love building bridges, opening doors and making culture accessible to all. It is important not to impose our own interpretation or judgement on other people’s cultures. We need to develop more platforms like BRENT Ace where we are promoting authentic stories and heritage. I look forward to seeing more cultural projects develop across Brent in the future.

You can follow my work on my website: www.goldenthreads.uk or follow me on:
Instagram: @nadia.khan30
Twitter: @NadiaKhanWrites