Young Ismaili travellers discover their history and heritage

Delegates visited the Citadel of Aleppo in Syria. Photo: Navroz Mitha

Last year, a group of young Ismailis from around the world undertook a unique expedition. Through the Heritage Discovery Programme (HDP) — an international programme established as part of the commemoration of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Golden Jubilee — they explored the physical, intellectual and spiritual dimensions of centuries of Ismaili legacy.

One-hundred fourteen delegates from 19 countries were selected from among 450 applicants aged 25 – 35 to participate in the inaugural cycle of the programme. The highlight of the HDP was the travel component, where delegates visited specific historic monuments, heritage sites and AKDN projects.

Setting off from the United Kingdom in March 2008, they each travelled along one of five routes: Egypt – India, India – Egypt, Syria – East Africa, East Africa – Syria, or Tajikistan – Afghanistan. All of the routes culminated in London, where delegates shared their experiences with participants who had travelled along other routes.

The journey provided a springboard for experiential learning and individual reflection: “Throughout the trip, it was in these collisions of souls where our stories were shared and our thoughts transformed,” said Ashnoor Nagji, a delegate on the Tajikistan – Afghanistan route. The trips also fostered personal and intellectual growth of all the delegates.

Exploring identities

Children gather to celebrate Navroz in Tajikistan. Photo: Moez Visram

From its outset, the HDP challenged the delegates’ notion of identity: “I found that it was very difficult for us to define ourselves,” commented Iman Fattoum in London as she began her 18-day journey. “We all chose to define ourselves in terms of multiple identities including ethno-cultural and religious identities.”

Reflecting on having met the other delegates for the first time, Fattoum noted: “Each one of us had achieved a kind of balance between ethno-cultural identity and religious identity... As Ismaili Muslims, our faith provides a common vision that allows us to look beyond our individual cultures. In other words, it is our faith, and not culture, which became the primary mode of identification.”

As they visited places of historical significance to Ismailis, the delegates experienced a warm welcome from their brothers and sisters, who generously shared their hospitality. Nagji recollected that in Tajikistan, an entire village had dressed in their finest clothing and lined up for two hours to receive the delegates:

“We danced on the street to traditional music, sampled local cuisine and enjoyed meeting one another. An intimate candlelight meal was followed by deep discussions atop a mountain as we witnessed the awakening of the new day. In Shugnan, the day before Navroz, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much! Many Tajiks had been invited by the Government and the AKDN for an outdoor concert... several people had walked two days to attend this annual celebration. After an Afghan meal, we all gathered in a traditional Pamiri house... with the Jamati leadership and seniors. As we were pulling away in our convoy, an old lady came to my window and insisted that I take her traditional hat as a keepsake — with so little, they are so generous — indeed, a reminder for me as I give and take in this world.”

Tradition and history

The diversity of language, culture and traditions within the Jamat was a tangible aspect of the delegates’ experience. Fattoum observed that “some delegates interacted and tried to learn to sing qasidas in Arabic and ghazals in Farsi, whereas those of Iranian, Arabic and Afghani origins discovered the ginan, which was new for me as a Syrian.”

“It was a strange and unique experience for me — I felt that Jamatkhanas were places where all Ismailis spoke Arabic, but this was not so in India or in London, where devotional literature were ginans sung not in Arabic but in Urdu or Gujarati. Moreover, I learned different words and expressions in Tajik, Farsi and Hindi with its various dialects. We were excited to talk in these languages — it created a closer bond with our friends.”

Along the journey, the delegates also immersed themselves in the history of the Ismaili Imams. They learnt about the services of Ismaili dais, who had contributed to realising the vision of the Imams of their time, and the work of the Imamat.

Ethics and inspiration

A view of Al-Azhar Park in Cairo. Photo: Asif Bhalesha

During their journey, the delegates had an opportunity to visit some of the Imamat initiatives undertaken through the Aga Khan Development Network. Among the diverse range of projects that they encountered at Cairo’s Al-Azhar Park in Egypt, the Citadel of Aleppo in Syria, the Pamir Energy Project in Tajikistan and the Aga Khan Hospital Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, they identified common themes and ethical underpinnings.

“The ethics of the AKDN, which are a reflection of the ethics of Islam, are interplayed in a myriad of levels with a holistic approach to development” said Zahra Alidina, a delegate from Nairobi. “But at the same time, there are some differences that are specific to the nature of each project,” she continued.

“At Darb-al-Ahmar, there was physical and socio-economic revival of some of the poorest areas and communities of Cairo, utilising cultural assets to improve the quality of lives of existing poor communities. On the other hand, the Diamond Jubilee High School in Mumbai provided a holistic development for young individuals to empower themselves to improve the quality of lives of their families and others when they grow up. It was an intervention today and an investment in the future.”

Echoing Alidina, Iranian delegate Elham Alizadeh noted: “The local environment greatly impacts the approach of the projects. In the case of Prince Aly Khan Hospital, much has been done to provide new and modern technology to those underprivileged individuals. One outstanding feature of all AKDN projects is that they are built in regions that are really in need of those facilities. Moreover, the construction is consistent with the conditions of those regions.”

Delegates tour the Madrasa Resource Centre for Early Childhood Development in Kampala, Uganda. Photo: Navroz Mitha

Cheila Jiva Pires Dos Santos, a delegate from Portugal found inspiration in the breadth and magnitude of the Imamat initiatives. “I saw and felt the work of Mawlana Hazar Imam, through the institutions of the Imamat. What these institutions do is fantastic — the dignity they bring to people’s lives has no price; improvement in the living conditions of the people, without looking at their religious backgrounds or nationality,” says Pires Dos Santos. “We have a proverb in Portugal that ‘Faz o bem sem olhar a quem.’ It means to do well, not looking at [for] whom we are doing it.”

Others were moved in similar ways. They were inspired to think beyond their boundaries — physical, mental, social and cultural — and reach out to their spiritual brothers and sisters to understand their perspectives, needs and dreams.

Through the HDP, the delegates were able to see firsthand, the rationale for the contemporary initiatives of the Imamat, and their impact on the Jamat and the societies within which they live. The programme culminated with all participants reuniting in London, England where networking was nurtured and similar profound experiences which exemplified unity, diversity and humanity were shared.

Now in the post-travel component, HDP alumni will seek to share the passion and understanding that they gained with Jamats in their home countries. The inaugural year of the programme demonstrated how the richness of the past can inform a better understanding of who the Jamat is today, and help Ismailis around the world to get to know one another a little bit better.

Delegates gather for the culmination conference at the Ismaili Centre in London. Photo: Nazim Lokhandwala

For more information and updates regarding the programme, please visit: TheIsmaili.org/HDP.

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