Blog: Maleehah – My Journey with Mai

Hi, my name is Maleehah Hussain. I’m on the Youth Panel for Bradford 2025, City of Culture. I have been involved in the Journeys with Mai Project since April 2025.

From co hosting the summit for young people and partners, to create some amazing Vox Pops at the launch event, to a community event on the weekend for children and their parents. 

I really enjoyed hosting and organising the summit. It was great taking the lead and speaking to people about the agenda for the day. The agenda was action packed and such a success in the feedback!

My favourite highlights from the Youth Summit had to be the Polynesian dances and Lei making. It was a great fascinating experience to learn about the Fiji Islands culture. Many of the London colleagues from the National Portrait Gallery enjoyed how interactive the summit was. I.e Lei making and the Q and A.

Personally, I enjoyed taking part in the Lei making workshop. This allowed me to network with the Fiji colleagues about their culture and identity. The dances were an absolute hit! The costumes they all wore were beautifully unique! I was inspired how the Fiji colleagues were in touch with their ancestral roots and who they are. Watching them speak and dance in their native traditions in an immersive way amazed me. You appreciate diversity to another level!

The panel discussion led by me and my colleagues was another great agenda item! We spoke about how Mai’s portrait impacted us and the perceptions of history in time. The Lai making enabled me to learn about the cultural designs of Lai making and the creativity behind it got the community spirits high. 

The project has transformed how I interpret immigrant history and identity. Being a daughter of immigrants, it has allowed me to learn about immigrant identity struggles coming into the UK.

I can relate from my parents who immigrated to the UK, and they did struggle in assimilating into British society. Yes, my late Mother who passed away recently. My Mother immigrated to the UK from Azad Kashmir and she did struggle with the culture shock and sacrificing the move from her family home to the UK. I think we often do not understand the depths of trauma immigrants experiencing in moving landscapes for another life. My Mother spoke little English and she had a lot of pride in how she dressed according to her religion and culture. She was fluent in language and her love for food.

This is something that parallels Mai’s struggle to assimilate into British society. Art is subjective however painting art needs to be curated in an authentic manner, by this I mean painting the true tones of skin tone. I have noticed in Mai’s portrait his skin tone does not reflect his ethnic skin and different paintings show different skin shades. The importance of accurate representation of ethnic figures needs to be changed. Also, it is important for the viewers to understand the true meaning of a portrait. 

I have been freelancing in the Bradford Museums in Mai events, and I hope to continue freelancing in the Museums sector. I have enjoyed working with the Bradford Museums staff, they have been supportive of my journey in the Mai Project.

Losing my mother and grieving in the middle of the Project was a turning point in my life. But continuing to return to the Project allowed me to share my Poem on Mum at the Summit.

Something inside me kept saying, keep going. It felt like Mum’s presence. She knew about my works in the Arts. Many people were drawn back in awe of the personal touch the poem brought. The project was perfect for me to explore my Mums journey and mine. A very emotional one like Mai’s.

My Mother carved my identity

I embraced my femininity and faith.
We visited Allah’s house in February, yet she left me back to our creator, back to Allah
We had dreams for the future, I wanted to give back more.
I was only becoming Maleehah. Yet we lived 22 years of adventure.
Life is always about facing challenges.
I didn’t realise the unpredictability my life would hold. All at 22.
I am only 22 but all my affairs were written, the moment the call to prayer was whispered into me.
All her sacrifices for me to live a better life than her.
She left me behind, but her story left a permanent mark in my heart.
Migration is not always about taking our jobs.
It’s about contributing to people’s hearts for generations to come.

I am hoping to spare some time as Mai moves to Cambridge and Plymouth. I would hope to learn more about young people’s creativity in bringing Mai alive through art, dance, writing and performance arts.

The aim is to see how wide Mai’s portrait can be conveyed and to understand his identity on an authentic level to the time period. Mai is a complex being but his true art forms were not portrayed accurately in different paintings.

I believe history needs to be delved into detail and tonal shade to his ethnic roots should be accurate. A painting should reflect the true ethnic identity and the history needs to be looked into detail to understand Mai’s Journey.

Also, it would be interesting to relate it to young people now in the modern climate. How we feel about our identities etc.

 I have begun my legal career now at DAC Beachcroft which means Arts has been on the side. It is a matter of finding time for opportunities or booking leave!