Hello, Jen here to talk to you about this week's episode of The Sunday Chops.

Now, the British Empire has been a hot topic for centuries, but in recent years there have

been increasing debates about the impact of that empire.

Rita, podcaster and advertising exec, and also one of my faves, Shilina Jamahamed, was struck

by how few resources there were when she was trying to explain those debates to her children.

And so she wrote her own book about it, the story of now, why we need to talk about the

British Empire, which is for children aged 10 and above.

This week, I chat to her about why understanding the British Empire is so important in understanding

the world around us, why the conversations about it need to extend beyond those around

slavery and colonisation, and why children need to understand those conversations as well.

I make no secret of the fact that I think Shilina is brilliant and that I thoroughly enjoy

interviewing her. I do hope you enjoy listening to this as much as I enjoyed our chat.

I am joined by Rita, advertising exec, and award-nominated podcaster Shilina Jamahamed.

Shilina, thank you very much for coming back to talk to me again.

I have been waiting a whole year to come back until it's you, Jan.

You are here today to talk to me about your new book, Story of Now. Let's talk about the

British Empire. Shilina, let's talk about the British Empire. Tell us about the book, please.

Okas are written for children aged 10 plus, although the plus does mean all of us grown-ups can

read it too, and it was written to help children make sense of the world that we live in today and

who they are and their place in it. In 2020, when the statue of Edward Colston fell, I was with my kids

who are now 12 and eight, and I wanted to give them some things to read to try and explain

what had happened and why, and to my complete and utter shock in 2020, there was nothing that I

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