How 'tape letters' kept families in Scotland and Pakistan in touch

An archive project is collecting the memories of Scottish Pakistani migrants who kept in touch with family using 'letters' recorded on cassette tapes.

Tape letters were a small but useful means of communication for the British-Pakistani community between the 1960s and 1980s.

A precursor to the modern voice note, the cassette recordings overcame barriers of literacy and expensive phone calls.

Following on from the project in England, tapes north of the border will be archived by the National Library of Scotland to capture a snapshot of social history and the migratory experience.

The Scottish project launches with an exhibition at the Museum of Edinburgh on 2 October, as well as Glasgow’s Tramway and Dundee’s Central Library later this month.

Video by Zainab Ashraf