Rainbow Lives
“RAINBOW LIVES” (RL) – has Scottish Charity status and aims to record, with the aid of modern technology, the memories and experiences of ethnic minority groups in Fife. The first major project undertaken was Home Front Recall (HFR) funded by the Big Lottery Fund.> Rainbow Lives recorded memories and experiences of the second world war:Recollections of a family during Japanese Occupation in Sabbah (formally, British North Borneo) / memories of living and growing up in a large family / attitudes of family to Japanese soldiers who tortured and beheaded the grandfather / the aftermath of occupation> African memories – Rwanda, African involvement during the Second World War. Living through and surviving tribal warfare / massacres / witnesses of atrocities / story of coming to Scotland > Italian lives before and after the war….background history of how Italians came to Scotland / Fife / ‘Little Italy’ / prisoners of war / internment / > British / Scots Chinese – the first Chinese restaurant in Glenrothes assisted by Glenrothes Development Corporation / inter-racial marriage / attitudes / growing up and schooling in Fife / education / > Polish lives / Polish Paras MarkinchRL facilitates community oral history training programmes in Fife to teach how to operate modern technology to record life experiences. Aims: to produce a comprehensive oral history library which reflects the ‘hidden histories’ of Fife.> RL Launch was held Friday 3rd February 2006 at Rothes Halls in Glenrothes. Key Speaker, Janet Klak from Fife HQ, Library Information Services.A presentation of handing over the first Master CDs to Fife Council Archivist, Andrew Dowsey. >The RL project is ongoing and will continue to contribute master recordings to the archive for storage and safe keeping
