About Us
A non-profit organization founded by anthropologists, oral-historians and writers, Anam Zakaria and Haroon Khalid, Qissa is a storytelling platform that documents, archives, and exhibits oral histories of immigrants to Canada. Telling the stories of immigrants in their own voices, Qissa challenges the western gaze through which stories of immigrants are framed. Starting as an artistic collective in 2020, Qissa incorporated as a non-profit organization in 2024.
Vision
To become Canada’s leading archive of immigrant oral histories, creating a vibrant, interactive space that showcases the rich and diverse experiences of newcomers and weaves their stories into the larger narrative of Canada.
Mission
At Qissa, we amplify the voices of immigrants by preserving and sharing their oral histories through innovative and inclusive storytelling. Our mission is threefold:
- Archiving & Exhibiting: To meticulously document and archive the lived experiences of immigrants, transforming these narratives into interactive museum exhibitions, written works, documentaries, and other artistic outputs that challenge stereotypes and reshape cultural understanding.
- Community Support: To build meaningful support networks for newcomers and refugees, offering resources and fostering connections that empower individuals and celebrate communities through the transformative power of storytelling.
- Artistic Expression: To reimagine oral histories as dynamic art, bridging the gap between cultural preservation and creative expression, and ensuring these stories reach a wide audience to inspire empathy, understanding, and change.
Through our work, we seek to redefine how immigrant stories are told, remembered, and valued, creating a platform that connects the past, enriches the present, and shapes a more inclusive future.
Board
More information about the board coming soon!
What is Qissa?
Qissa is a story. It is the encapsulation of a community’s history, philosophy, sensibilities, culture, and politics expressed through stories, legends and fables. Qissa is also an escape from this reality. Sitting around a qissa khawan – a storyteller – a community emerged, brought together by the power of narrative, the power of qissa. The word qissa is an expression of the rich culture of South Asia, a culture of storytelling, a culture of oral tradition.
