Untold Journeys: Mahsa Malekmarzban Documents the Stories of Immigrant Women in Linköping
Building on Parvin Ardalan’s project ‘Women Making History’ in Malmö, writer, translator, and TV host Mahsa Malekmarzban documents the ‘untold journeys’ of immigrant women in Linköping through the illustrated story collection I Won’t Come Back (2023) in English and Persian.
Adding to the collective history of Linköping, the ‘Untold Journeys’ project shines light on the contributions, stories, and experiences of women from immigrant backgrounds. Reflecting on the process of meeting the women, conducting interviews with them, and producing a bilingual book at the end of it, Mahsa Malekmarzban speaks of building trust and sharing experiences. She says:
‘Little by little, the women shared hidden parts of their immigrant experiences which they had not shared with anyone else. Their inner thoughts about being an immigrant or living in exile and how that works- from the language barrier to the weather and the food. This was priceless.’
Malekmarzban found participants through local organisations working with women originating from different countries, including the Philippines, Iraq, and Iran. After a couple of meetings, interest from women in the wider community grew as the initial 25 participants encouraged to others join. As a 6-month pilot project, however, there was not enough time or resources to include more people, shares Mahsa, hoping that soon she will be able to continue into the second phase of the initiative.
‘We have had interest from LGBTQI+ people from immigrant backgrounds and they are who we would like to consider for the second stage of the project. Many people are ready to share their experiences and the project has potential in different shapes and versions.’
Taking the ‘Women Making History’ initiative from Malmö to Linköping also presented an important learning curve, tells Mahsa Malekmarzban. As her two- year ICORN residency was coming to its end, Mahsa used the opportunity to develop her project management and fundraising skills, as well as learn how to navigate a new system and GDPR regulations.
The ‘Untold Journeys’ project was funded by the Swedish Arts Council (Kulturrådet) and the Municipality of Linköping which also facilitated connections with various stakeholders, including the NBV study association. As well as Mahsa Malekmarzban, the team working on the project included advisor Fakhri Barzandeh, assistant Samin Asri, and graphic designer Ali Bagheri.
The initiative ‘Women Making History’ was started by Parvin Ardalan in Malmö, together with the network Feminist Dialogue, and aimed at making visible the histories of immigrant women, popular memory, and informing the public. The permanent ‘Women Making History’ exhibition launched at Malmö Museum in 2014.
