Write Your Village
Thousands of Bhutanese villages have no written record — not a single paragraph, not a single photograph, not a single name preserved. You are the only person alive who remembers. Write it down before it is gone forever.
Why this matters
The archive is disappearing
Elders who remember the villages are in their 70s and 80s. Within a generation, living memory of Bhutanese village life before 1990 will be gone. Text written today outlasts any individual.
No external record exists
Most Bhutanese villages — especially in the south — were never mapped, photographed, or described in any accessible document. You are the primary source.
Your children will search for this
The next generation of Bhutanese diaspora is already asking: "Where did we come from? What was it like?" Write something they can find.
What can I write about?
You don't need to write everything. Even one memory is worth preserving.
The landscape — mountains, rivers, forests around your village
What the houses looked like, how they were built
Festivals celebrated in your village and how they were different from elsewhere
What crops were grown; how people farmed
Local temples, shrines, or sacred sites
Foods and recipes unique to your area
Elders and community leaders you remember
Family life, marriage customs, birth and death rituals
Songs, stories, or oral traditions passed down in your family
What happened during the crisis of 1990–1993
Start your article
Enter your village name and district — we'll pre-fill the article title for you.
Write your villageHow to write a good village article
- 1
Start with location
Name the district and gewog. Describe where the village is — which valley, near which river, how far from the dzong. Even approximate directions help.
- 2
Write what you remember
Don't worry about perfect English or formal structure. Write like you're telling a story. You can always edit later, and others can help improve the language.
- 3
Add a source if you can
This might just be "personal recollection" or "family oral history." That is a valid source. Note it.
- 4
Save a draft — you don't have to finish in one sitting
You can save a draft and come back. Share the draft with a family member and ask them to add details you've forgotten.
- 5
Consider recording audio too
The oral histories section accepts audio recordings. Sometimes it's easier to speak than write.
Share this campaign
Know someone who grew up in Bhutan? Share this page and ask them to write one article about their village.