Alina Mirza

When I moved to Scotland I felt like a Pakistani-Scot, now I feel more Scottish- Pakistani…  

My parents had lived in the UK since the late 50s but returned to Pakistan where I was born. Family on my mother’s side already lived in Scotland. We visited them in Glasgow in 1989. I never thought I'd eventually be living here.

I met my husband, Suhayl Saadi, a writer, on that trip – he was living in Paisley – and we've now lived in Glasgow for the past 14 years.

Even the first time I came here after graduating in Pakistan, I loved the university area and the architecture – the Glasgow tenements (buildings divided into apartments) are unique. People are so friendly and it's a beautiful country.

Since I moved here in 1991 Glasgow has changed a lot. I think the driving force was when it was crowned European City of Culture in 1990. The music and arts scene have also become more vibrant. And I think people in Glasgow are more upbeat and have a more positive attitude to their city.

A lot has happened to me in the past 14 years – a big change in my career and the birth of my daughter, Nadia.

I had been working in public health and teaching at the medical school at Glasgow University but I now work full – time in arts.

The Pakistani community makes up nearly 50% (around 40,000) of the minority ethnic population in Glasgow and is the largest such community in Scotland. Yet there has been very little involvement in the mainstream arts and creative communities. I wanted to explore this.
 
I got professional training in art and applied for a placement in production at BBC Scotland in the Diversity unit- E Force. I worked there part- time for nine months and the rest of the time was spent setting up our production company, Heer Productions.

My husband and I set up the company in 2004. We were keen to set up on our own as I think ethnic minority communities get more independence that way.

At Heer, we are focused on the need to address the under-representation of ethnic minorities in the arts, film and media scene in Glasgow and Scotland as a whole.

We run workshops, seminars and courses, and work to establish film and arts links between Pakistan and Scotland.

As part of my work, I was really interested in arts and the role art plays in health and well- being including rehabilitation and mental health. I've held exhibitions of visual artists work at health centres and have used short stories from multicultural backgrounds in a bid to tackle racism. 

The stories challenged people's perceptions of ethnic minority stereotypes, for example, the archetypal Asian corner shopkeeper. 

Our involvement with the Pakistani Film Festival in 2005, Europe's first ever Pakistani film, media and arts festival was a great success.

It was a real compliment for the Big Issue (the magazine published on behalf of and sold by homeless people) to refer to it as the 'People's Festival'. It has begun the process of breaking down barriers for Pakistani filmmakers to enter further into the mainstream.

At Heer we are aiming to encourage a change in attitudes within Asian communities. Instead of simply encouraging children to follow only prescribed professions such as law, medicine, accountancy, etc, interest is being generated at school level for kids to get into the arts. 

Also the barriers to career progressions of college leavers and graduates are being addressed. 

As a place to live, I think Scotland is amazing if you're coming from an urban environment – there are great outdoors pursuits such as water sports as the countryside is so close.

The castles in Scotland are amazing. I love the Glasgow museums and theatres and the Botanical Gardens have just had a facelift.

I will say since I moved here in 1991 that the food has improved a lot! When I first came here I found it surprising that there were so many Indian and Pakistani restaurants in Glasgow – it's great to have something from back home!

Although I feel the pull of passing on my culture and identity to my daughter (who is five), I will step back and let her develop her own cultural identity.

However hospitality towards guests and family ties – a big part of the Pakistani culture – are all still very important to me. And I speak Punjabi and Urdu so would like her to be able to speak the language.

The school my daughter attends, Hillhead Primary has children from 27 different communities – Chinese, Albanian, African as well as Scottish white.

I would totally recommend coming to Scotland – but it's easier if you have some communication level and have learnt the language. If you're thinking of coming here I would recommend coming to live for short time initially to get a feel for the place – meet the people and see the country.

Scotland is a dynamic country with a young parliament and has a lot to offer – it's looking at its own challenges. There's a lot of scope to look at the direction it’s going to go, whether in the creative industry or other art forms.

There are a lot of success stories within the ethnic minority communities so it's a great decision to come and live in Scotland.

My parents have recently moved from England to Scotland. They have very English accents – I wonder if they'll pick up the Scottish one!

Alina Mirza