Invitation to join us this Sunday for the 174th weekly ICC ZOOM Public Meeting
Ethnic identity is a complex and multifaceted concept that includes an individual’s sense of belonging to a particular cultural group often shaped by a shared heritage, language, history, origins, beliefs and values. Maintaining Indian identity as an ethnic minority in South Africa, Fiji, Réunion, and St. Vincent presents an intricate and fascinating challenge. In these countries, Indians have shown resilience in preserving their identity by adapting and recreating cultural forms in their native homelands.
In South Africa, 152,184 Indians arrived under the scheme of indentured labour between 1860 and 1911. Today, their descendants constitute 1.55 million persons (2.5%) of the South African population. They have managed to preserve their cultural heritage through festivals like Diwali and Eid and maintain a strong connection to Indian languages such as Tamil and Gujarati.
InFiji in the South Pacific, approximately 60,500 Indian indentured labourers were recruited to work in the country’s sugarcane plantations between 1879 and 1916. The estimated population of Indians in Fiji today is 315,000 (35%). Indo-Fijians have played a pivotal role in shaping the nation’s cultural mosaic, blending Indian customs with Fijian traditions, particularly through the celebration of festivals like Holi and Eid.
On the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean,more than 117,000 Indians were brought to work as indentured labourers from 1826 to 1885. An estimated 297,000 (30% of the population) Indians live there today. The Indian community has contributed significantly to the island’s diverse culture with the Malabar Tamils and Bhojpuri-speaking Indians leaving their imprint on the local music and cuisine. In St. Vincent in the Caribbean, 2,474 Indentured Indians arrived between 1861 and 1880. Currently, Indians constitute about 7,700 persons (7.4%) of the total population. They have been able to maintain their Indian identity through their high participation rate in education, agriculture and business.
Please join us THIS SUNDAY for the 174rd weekly ICC ZOOM Public Meeting, Sunday Sept 24th 2023 at (1.00 p.m. Belize), (3.00 p.m. New York/Eastern time), (3.00 p.m. Trinidad/ Atlantic time), (3.00 p.m. Guyana), (4.00 p.m. Suriname), (8.00 p.m. England), (9.00 p.m. South Africa), (11.00 p.m. Mauritius), (Mon 12.30 a.m., India), (Mon 7.00 a.m. Fiji).
TOPIC: Maintaining Indian Identity as an Ethnic Minority in South Africa, Fiji, Réunion and St. Vincent
SPEAKERS:
- SARANYA DEVAN (South Africa) – MA in Bharathanatyam from the University of Madras, and MA in Dance from the University of Cape Town (UCT). PhD student at UCT in dance and the Indian performing arts in SA.
- DR. SUBHASH APPANA (Fiji) – Public Sector Reform specialist, Chair of the Boxing Commission of Fiji as well as a weekly columnist in the Fiji Times on cross-cultural studies, race relations, identity and belonging.
- PROF. DEVA KOUMARANE (Réunion) – Born in Pondicherry in India, settled in Réunion Island, speaks Tamil, writes poems, and studied Tamil culture, French, French Literature, History and Political Science.
- DR. ARNOLD THOMAS (St. Vincent) – Author of the monograph entitled “The Argyle Chronicles: From Home to East Indians”. Member of the Indian Diaspora Council and the Global Girmitiya Society.
Followed by Q&A
Join Zoom Meeting THIS SUNDAY by touching or clicking on this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87368474599
ZOOM Meeting ID: 873 6847 4599
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Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/skype/87368474599
Live-streamed on the YouTube channel of the Indo-Caribbean Cultural Centre
https://www.youtube.com/@dmahab/streams
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WhatsApp +1 868 756 4961 or +1 868 329 7051
indocaribbeanstaff@gmail.com, dmahabir@gmail.com
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is a full-time anthropologist at the University of Guyana (UG) and Fellow of The Eccles Centre for American Studies, British Library (2022-23). He is a former Assistant Professor at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT). He obtained his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Florida (UF). As a doctoral student, he won a Florida Caribbean Institute Award, an A. Curtis Wilgus Grant, and an Organization of American States (OAS) Fellowship.
Mahabir received a National Award (Hummingbird Silver Medal) for his contribution to education in his country in 2011. He was among 50 recipients who received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the UWI Alumni Association.
Mahabir is the author of 12 books to date.