About Qissa
Qissa (قصّہ) means 'story' in Urdu and Punjabi. Founded in 2020 by Anam Zakaria and Haroon Khalid, Qissa began as an artist collective collecting oral histories of different diasporic communities in Canada.
Our Mission
Qissa amplifies the voices of immigrant communities across Canada, documenting the lived experiences of newcomers navigating the complexities of credential recognition, underemployment, and economic survival in their adopted homeland.
Our Vision
A Canada where the stories of newcomers are heard in their own words, their nuanced experiences are understood, and immigrants tell their own stories rather than having them told for them.
Driving Canada: A Front Seat View of Immigration through Uber
In partnership with the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, Driving Canada is an oral history project that captures the experiences of immigrant Uber drivers, revealing the complex realities of immigration beyond the narrative of upward mobility.
Our Approach
In October 2024, we conducted in-depth life-history interviews with Uber drivers and family members. Each interview lasted approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, following a semi-structured questionnaire divided into three main categories: Life before coming to Canada, The process of coming to Canada, and Life in Canada.
- Outreach through personal contacts when taking Uber rides (collected 30 phone numbers)
- Social media outreach and traditional Punjabi language media interviews (radio and television)
- Settlement agencies and stakeholder organizations for outreach
- Multiple interview sessions with each participant (approximately 1 hour 45 minutes)
- Professional video documentation by videographer Darryl LeBlanc
- Collaborative process with participants providing consent and reviewing content
- Interviews conducted by Qissa founders Anam Zakaria or Haroon Khalid
The Digital Exhibition
This website serves as a digital exhibition space, transforming oral history into an interactive experience. Rather than passive viewing, visitors 'request a ride' and engage with drivers through their own questions, mirroring the intimate conversations that happen in the backseat of an Uber vehicle.
Immersive video interviews from the passenger perspective
Interactive question-and-answer format
Real participant stories and authentic quotes
Contextual resources on immigration statistics and policy
Life-history narratives
Why These Stories Matter
Almost all the participants had a better perception of Canada than the reality they experienced. Their perception changed drastically after the challenges they encountered. These stories illuminate the gap between Canada's image as a land of opportunity and the systemic barriers newcomers face.
of landed immigrants work in personal transport/delivery apps (2023)
of new Canadians say living in Canada is worse than they expected
of employed newcomers couldn't find a job in their field of study
had difficulty finding a job due to non-recognition of credentials or lack of Canadian experience
cumulative professional experience of just 5 Uber drivers in this project
The stories in this exhibition are not just about individual struggle—they illuminate systemic failures in how Canada integrates skilled immigrants. These are IT professionals who worked at Microsoft and IBM, pharmacists, musicians, and bureaucrats. Their expertise is going unused while they drive 17-19 hours a day to survive. As one participant said: 'Nobody wants to come here and drive Uber.'
By bearing witness to these stories in the participants' own words, we hope to inspire policy change, shift public perception, and create pathways for newcomers to contribute their full potential to Canadian society.
Our Partners
Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21
Lead Partner & Oral History Expertise
The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 is Canada's national museum of immigration. Emily Burton, Oral Historian at CMIP, provided expertise in oral history methodology and helped shape the ethical framework and archival standards for this project.
Visit websiteSupported By
This project is made possible through the generous support of:
Community Collaborators
- Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21
- Emily Burton - Oral Historian
- Darryl LeBlanc - Videographer and Media Editor
- Various community organizations and settlement agencies
Project Team
Founders
Anam Zakaria
Co-Founder, Qissa | Interviewer
Award-winning author of three books using oral history methodology. Former Director at Citizens Archive of Pakistan. Master's degree in Anthropology from University of Toronto. Moved to Canada in 2019 due to political situation in Pakistan. Winner of KLF-German Peace Prize (2017). Work cited in The Guardian, The New York Times, NPR, Reuters and BBC.
First moved to Canada in 2008 for undergraduate degree from McGill University, returned to Pakistan, then forced to move back to Canada in 2019. Experienced the challenges of job hunting despite Canadian education and extensive work experience.
Haroon Khalid
Co-Founder, Qissa | Interviewer
Published five books (Penguin Random House) using oral history methodology, focusing on religions, cultures and histories of Punjab. Academic background in anthropology, professional experience in journalism. Former Director of Minority Project at Citizens Archive of Pakistan. Written hundreds of articles for MacLean's, CBC, Al-Jazeera, HuffPost. Cited in BBC, Forbes, Vice, CNN, Reuters, AFP.
Married to Anam in 2013, had no desire to move to Canada until political situation in Pakistan forced them to consider immigrating. Apprehensive about employment prospects due to South Asian focus in writing, but excited about collecting oral histories of diasporic communities.
Collaborators
Emily Burton
Oral Historian, Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21
Provided oral history expertise, methodology guidance, and interviewed the Qissa founders
Darryl LeBlanc
Videographer & Media Editor
Professional video documentation and editing for all interviews
Niharika Aggarwal
Participant & Context Provider
Spouse of Yalgar Singh, post-graduate degree in computer science, data analytics professional. Immigrated in 2022, experienced employment challenges and credential devaluation
Provided family perspective and insights into newcomer experiences