Tape Letters

Shining light on the use of cassette tapes as an unorthodox mode of long-distance communication by British-Pakistanis and their families abroad between 1960-80.

[Tape Letters @TapeLetters]

Episode 13: Generations of Tape.

"There's something poetic about these old cassettes—they carry not just sound, but the memories and ghosts of the past."

#tapeletterspodcast #oralhistory #southasianheritagemonth

[Hyphen @onlinehyphen]

'It felt like they were right here talking in front of me.'

With intimate portraits by Miriam Ali, plus an @EdinCulture show, @TapeLetters explores how the UK Pakistani community used audio cassettes to stay connected across continents, pre-internet.
https://t.co/nQt5JZEIoI

[Inkslingers Media 🇦🇺🇲🇲🇬🇧 @inkslingersltd]

Blimey. After 4 years of working with the @TapeLetters team, it feels like we've hit a defining moment winning Best Arts + Culture podcast at the Independent Podcast Awards last week. 🙏 @IndPodAwards for having the gumption to create a celebration of all things indie.

[🦋 @greatergovanhill.com on BlueSky 🦋 @Govanhill_mag]

Voices across time: the Tape Letters project preserving British-Pakistani heritage is now available to read in #Urdu.

@tapelettersscot exhibition opens up later this week at Greater Govanhill's Community Canvas space at @GlasgowTramway

@TapeLetters

[🦋 @greatergovanhill.com on BlueSky 🦋 @Govanhill_mag]

کس طرح پرانی کیسٹس کی ایک بڑی تعداد پاکستانی تارکین وطن کی تاریخ اور زبانوں کی جانکاری کا ذریعہ بن گئی۔ ٹیپ لیٹرز پروجیکٹ کو بہت جلد گلاسگو،ایڈنبرا اور ڈنڈی میں ہونے والی نمائش میں پیش کیا جائے گاجس میں مقامی باسیوں کی کہانیاں دکھائیجائیں گی۔

https://t.co/tHHowdIyMH

[🦋 @greatergovanhill.com on BlueSky 🦋 @Govanhill_mag]

The @Tapeletters project uncovers how the Pakistani diaspora in Scotland used cassette tapes for long-distance communication between 1960-1980.

We're excited to showcase Glasgow's stories at @GlasgowTramway's Community Canvas from 12 Oct.

More info: https://t.co/imXiHvQeus

[Tape Letters @TapeLetters]

Here's how to listen this episode:

https://t.co/39QNYQTe4L

[Tape Letters @TapeLetters]

Episode 14: Behind the Project: Imran Arif - In a Suitcase.

Arif is a Social Scientist and was a community engagement officer for the Tape Letters oral history project. He carried out multiple interviews for the archive with the elders of the community in multiple languages.

[Tape Letters @TapeLetters]

In this final episode he reflects on his experience of the project and the importance of preserving the stories of previous generations.

Learn more about the Tape Letters Podcast here: https://t.co/qboURvQRZh

#tapeletterspodcast #southasianheritagemonth #oralhistory

[Tape Letters @TapeLetters]

@WajidLondon reflects on the significance of these tapes in preserving family connections and memories across generations.

Full episodes in the series available wherever you get your podcasts or visit: https://t.co/Pe2JgfUSuK

[Tape Letters @TapeLetters]

Episode 13: Generations of Tape.

"There's something poetic about these old cassettes—they carry not just sound, but the memories and ghosts of the past."

#tapeletterspodcast #oralhistory #southasianheritagemonth

[Tape Letters @TapeLetters]

Episode 13 explores the cultural and emotional impact of the decline in cassette tape usage for communication between British-Pakistani families, highlighting concerns over the loss of native language and cultural heritage among younger generations.

[Tape Letters @TapeLetters]

Full episode available here:
https://t.co/J5abNwmVoY

[Tape Letters @TapeLetters]

Episode 12: Behind the Project: Syma Tariq - A Particular Archive.

In this episode she describes the Tape Letters archive as a community resource, produced in collaboration with its subject.

#pakistanicommunity #tapeletterspodcast

[Tape Letters @TapeLetters]

Syma Tariq is a Sound Artist & Journalist focusing on history and politics. Her PhD was entitled “Partitioned listening: sonic methodology and the archive after 1947” and is part of the Tape Letters research team.

[Tape Letters @TapeLetters]

Listen to her experience with the Tape Letters project in the full episode here: https://t.co/sYfd1GIVjG

[Tape Letters @TapeLetters]

Episode 11: Behind the Project - Suna Afshan.

The poet Suna Afshan was commissioned by Modus Arts to produce a body of text in response to five cassettes selected from the Tape Letters archive held at the Bishopsgate Institute library.

[Tape Letters @TapeLetters]

She adopted a poetry as a word-for-word translation approach, and the work is directly informed by the messages and languages on the cassettes, with the aim of reifying speech into ink.

[Tape Letters @TapeLetters]

Tape Letters exhibition featured in @tamesideradio:

https://t.co/WCupYzX6iQ

[Tape Letters @TapeLetters]

It highlights some of the hierarchy and class differences associated with Pothwari when compared to Urdu or Punjabi. Including the dilemma of modernisation and preserving the ‘mother tongue’.

Now streaming free: https://t.co/qboURvQRZh

#oraltradition #culturalidentity #Pothwari

[Tape Letters @TapeLetters]

Episode 10: Spoken and Unwritten.

“There were letters too” – hear about the struggles of letter writing for those who could not read or write in Urdu. Listen to the origins, characteristics, and generational evolution of Pothwari, an oral-only language with no written form.