Sunday, March 24th, 2024, will mark the 200th edition of the Indo-Caribbean Cultural Centre (ICC) weekly Sunday ZOOM Public Meetings. By that date, we will have been presenting the webinars every single Sunday for 200 unbroken, continuous weeks over three years, ten months and one week, when we would have featured 844 presenters from all parts of the world speaking on 200 topics. We wish to sincerely thank all those who have contributed, in whatever way, to the success of this on-going Pan Indo-Caribbean, and Pan Indian-Diaspora Global project.
The Ameena Gafoor Institute (AGI) – directed by Professor David Dabydeen – and the Pluto Educational Trust (PET) have joined the ICC in hosting some of these programmes that deal with indentureship and its legacies. The ICC has also partnered with the Networking for World Awareness of Multicultural Integration (NWAMI) and the Centre for Commonwealth Research (CCR), both led by Dr. Sibani Roy.
The topics of the meetings focus mainly on Indians, but the forum is not for Indians only.
Our MISSION is to bring the Indian Diaspora in the Caribbean and elsewhere closer for the purpose of intellectual discussions, unity, solidarity and empowerment every Sunday afternoon/night on one platform. Our VISION is to achieve a better understanding and appreciation of ourselves in seeking to create a diverse, just, equitable and non-discriminatory society in which Indo-Caribbeans and others thrive harmoniously with other ethnic groups.
The forum was created by anthropologist Dr Kumar Mahabir, and is co-directed by Ms Shalima Mohammed, on the premise that Indians in the Diaspora are often marginal, or marginalised, in the mainstream media, in formal discourses, and in public groups, organisations and institutions. This platform gives voice and visibility to this minority ethnic group in the region. Our agenda is similar to that of the Black Lives Matter movement with the objective to eradicate inequality, injustice, institutional discrimination and systemic racism.
See some commendations:
- “Great of you to be doing these ZOOM meetings, Kumar. Thank you for your intellectual leadership! I, AGI and the PET have a lot of admiration for your amazing work.” – Dr. David Dabydeen, Professor Emeritus, University of Warwick / Director, Ameena Gafoor Institute for the Study of Indentureship and its Legacies.
- “Your ZOOM programmes mean a lot to me.” – Dr Sibani Roy, Founder/Chair of NWAMI, , UK, and The Centre for Commonwealth Research (CCR), UK.
- “I enjoy your meetings very much. It is wonderful to see such a large audience tuning in from so many different places.” – Professor Jonathan Connolly, University of Illinois, USA.
- “Please accept my warm congratulations for the initiative you have taken. There is so little we know about each other as descendants of the Indian diasporas in the Global South – the Caribbean, East and South Africa, Fiji, Mauritius ….” – Dr. Sultan Somjee, Founder of Community Peace Museums in Eastern Africa.
- “I view your webinars and fully appreciate the difficulties your community is facing, and truly admire your intellectual courage. Sadly, Asians in the diaspora have always been lacking in having a voice….” – Dr. Mohamed Keshavjee, Specialist in mediation with a focus on Islamic Law, South Africa/ Kenya/ Canada/ England.
- “May God bless you for the tireless work you do. This is your purpose and your karma. You are a treasure to our East Indian global community.” – Dr. Surujrattan Rambachan, Former Senator and Minister in the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, Trinidad.
- “Rest assured, even though I am not online during the program, I view every recording.” – Swasti Bolay, Girmitiya Foundation, New Delhi, India.
- “I also wish to thank you and your team for your consistent commitment to these critical issues – providing such platforms does make a difference.” – Sudeshan Reddy, United Nations Information Center (UNIC), South Africa.
- “Thank you for these wonderful sessions. I am getting a lot out of them.” – Nalini Naidu, Global Girmit Institute Museum Project, Fiji.
- “I must commend you and your team for the excellent webinars you have been conducting every Sunday.” – Professor Susan J. Chand, University of the Southern Caribbean, Trinidad.
- “Your contribution to the case of Diaspora is appreciated. It has always been an enriching experience to be part of your programs.” – Pravasi Foundation, New Delhi, India.
Our webinars are also live streamed, recorded and archived on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@dmahab/streams
Almost all of them have been uploaded to our ICC’s website:
https://indocaribbeanpublications.com, and our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/watch/indocaribbeanculturalcentre/
In order to continue these weekly programmes, and to make them better, bigger and stronger, we are asking for volunteers and suggestions as well as donations. Please contact Ms. Shalima Mohammed, Co-Director & Moderator. WhatsApp +1 868 329 7051, shalimamd@gmail.com. For more info, contact indocaribbeanstaff@gmail.com, or WhatsApp +1 868 756 4961 in Trinidad and Tobago, Caribbean.
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.