April 19, 2026
Born in Lal wa Sarjangal District, Ghor Province, Afghanistan, Hassan Rezaee grew up within a rural Hazara farming community where oral storytelling, literature, religious traditions, and collective memory played a central role in everyday life. His testimony preserves not only personal experiences but also the cultural knowledge, historical narratives, and community values passed from one generation to the next.
In this oral history interview, Rezaee reflects on family history, childhood experiences, migration, and the influence of storytelling traditions inherited from his parents and elders. He recalls evenings spent listening to stories narrated by his father, ranging from Persian literary classics, religious narratives, and historical accounts to local folklore and legends. These oral traditions shaped his understanding of Hazara identity, ethics, history, and belonging while demonstrating the important role of storytelling in preserving collective memory within Hazara communities.
A significant portion of the interview explores everyday life in Hazarajat during the second half of the twentieth century. Rezaee describes agricultural livelihoods, seasonal labour, village cooperation, family relationships, and the social structures that sustained rural communities. Through detailed recollections of farming practices, neighbourly support, and shared responsibilities, he documents aspects of everyday life that rarely appear in official historical records.
The interview also offers a rich account of Hazara cultural heritage and community traditions. Rezaee discusses celebrations of Nowruz, Muharram and Ashura commemorations, wedding customs, funeral practices, traditional foods, weaving, embroidery, felt making, and other forms of craftsmanship that connected generations through shared knowledge and practice. His reflections demonstrate how cultural traditions were preserved through lived experience and oral transmission rather than written documentation.
Rezaee further reflects on historical relations between Hazara communities and nomadic Kuchi groups, describing recurring conflicts over land, grazing rights, and access to natural resources. He also discusses the broader political climate during the Daoud Khan era and the ways government policies contributed to experiences of inequality, exclusion, and marginalization among Hazara communities. Rather than focusing solely on conflict, he emphasizes the resilience of local communities and the importance of solidarity, dignity, and mutual support during periods of hardship.
Throughout the interview, Rezaee reflects on the evolving meaning of Hazara identity across different generations. He describes how understandings of ethnicity, religion, and community have changed over time while emphasizing the importance of preserving language, cultural heritage, oral traditions, and collective memory for younger generations. His testimony highlights the enduring relationship between personal memory and community history, demonstrating how oral histories serve as living archives of cultural identity.
By weaving together personal recollections, historical reflection, oral literature, and cultural knowledge, Rezaee's testimony makes a valuable contribution to preserving Hazara oral history and offers important insight into the lived experiences, resilience, and cultural continuity of Hazara communities across generations.
Hazara Heritage. Hazara Heritage Oral History Project. Oral history interview with Hassan Rezaee conducted by Fatima Framarz. April 19, 2026. HH-OH-003.
Hazara Heritage Oral History Project Interview Collection.
Persian Interview Transcript.
Edited Audio Recording.
Muslims in Canada Archives (MiCA).
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