With a notebook filled with carefully recorded stories and a voice recorder capturing elderly voices, Hamid Ullah works tirelessly to preserve the cultural heritage of his community. Through ESDR’s cultural preservation program, this 30-year-old has become the community’s official historian and storyteller.
Hamid recognized that displacement threatened not just physical security but cultural continuity. “Our stories, our traditions, our knowledge—they were all at risk of being lost,” he explains. “I realized that preserving our culture was just as important as rebuilding our lives.”
His training covered oral history techniques, documentation methods, digital archiving, and cultural education. He learned to conduct interviews, organize information, and present cultural knowledge in engaging ways for different audiences.
Hamid now leads cultural documentation projects, recording stories from elders, documenting traditional practices, and organizing cultural events that celebrate community heritage. He’s created an archive of stories, songs, and customs that serves as a cultural library for current and future generations.
“Culture is the soul of a people,” Hamid reflects while reviewing recorded interviews. “When we preserve our stories, we preserve our identity. When we share our traditions, we strengthen our community bonds and teach our children who they are and where they come from.” His work ensures that cultural knowledge survives and thrives, providing a foundation of identity and pride for his community’s future.
