24th July 2023
Civica’s Nabil Islam shares the importance of South Asian Heritage Month to him.
18th July - 17th August is UK South Asian Heritage Month and here at Civica, our Race and Ethnicity Affinity Group is recognising the month by amplifying the voices and experiences of some of our colleagues.
First up, our Race and Ethnicity Affinity Group Co-Chair and Customer Support Manager, Folu Fabikun spoke to Support Analyst Apprentice Nabil Islam about what South Asian Heritage Month means to him:
Folu: Tell us about you and your role at Civica.
Nabil: I work in the support team for Civica Financials. I was born and raised in the UK after my parents moved from Bangladesh to settle in the UK for a better lifestyle and to give their children a proper education, which wasn’t easily accessible in Bangladesh.
Folu: Why is South Asian Heritage month important to you?
Nabil: It’s important because it gives a platform to our colourful South Asian history and allows us to share our individual stories. As a Bangladeshi, my country went through civil war where many people lost their lives to fight for their independence (represented by the red circle on the Bangladesh flag). It’s also important for us all to know and recognise that South Asia has brought culture and diversity to many other countries around the world; the food, clothing, language, and more, are all things shared and loved by many. We can be proud that our traditions, influences, and aspects of our heritage have been incorporated into other cultures and societies.
Folu: How do you think your heritage has impacted your current position?
Nabil: It’s had a positive impact; Civica values diverse perspectives from colleagues of different ethnicities and I feel treated with respect and enjoy a real sense of community. Likewise, I believe my culture and faith as a Muslim has taught me how to be compassionate and trustworthy with the people around me, an important contribution to, and part of, our company.
Folu: What do you think is an important part of South Asian history that impacts the world today?
Nabil: A defining moment in South Asian history that continues to have ramifications today was the 1947 partition which saw the split of India, creating Pakistan and Bangladesh. It has caused rifts between each respective country because of the civil war. While in today’s generations, the people of Pakistan and Bangladesh are more accepting of each other regardless of the civil war, older generations have witnessed the war and are still scarred from it. So it’s important to understand the history from when the British empire colonised India to the civil war and the consequences it had on different countries and their people.
Our Race and Ethnicity Affinity Group actively drives and contributes to our culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Civica, pioneering events such as our ‘Learning from Each Other’ internal webinar series - the latest of which saw two of our senior leaders, PMO Director, Precious Agoma, and Group Strategy Director, Douglas Ibrahim, discuss their career journeys, the achievements they’ve celebrated, and challenges they’ve overcome along the way.