Many material relics of our human civilisation are not public property on display in museums, or Dewey decimalised in public libraries. Some of the finest works and pieces of art are found in private collections either recently purchased by wealthy collectors or secured over generations by families as heirlooms. In truth and in fact, we are all private collectors, gathering favourite books, rare documents, historical photographs, postage stamps, postcards, paintings, jewellery and other artefacts piecemeal throughout our lifetimes. For some of us, the value of our collections may even end up being more than just sentimental.
The public is eager to see what relics have been kept and preserved over time by vatious collectors, individuals and family members. Of particular interest to some people are the artefacts of girmitiyas, indentured labourers, some of whom left India for Mauritius as early as 1834 to work in British-owned sugarcane plantations. For 86 years, between 1834 and 1920, Britain shipped over two million labourers to the far-flung corners of its empire to replace now-emancipated enslaved Africans. This system of servitude was adopted by the French, Dutch and Danish, and resulted in the birth and growth of a large Indian diaspora in Mauritius, Réunion, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Fiji, Africa and the Caribbean.
Please join us THIS SUNDAY for a joint ICC+AGI ZOOM Public Meeting, January 23, 2022 at (1.00 p.m. Belize), (2.00 p.m. New York/Eastern time), (3.00 p.m. Trinidad/Atlantic time), (3.00 p.m. Guyana), (4.00 p.m. Suriname), (7.00 p.m. England), (9.00 p.m. South Africa), (Mon 12.10 a.m. India, ND), (Mon 7.00 a.m. Fiji).
TOPIC:
Individual & Family Private Collections of Indentureship Materials in the Indian Diaspora
SPEAKERS:
MARK MC PEANNE (Trinidad) – Collector and trader in art and antiques who has travelled five continents, tracing his ancestry to Swedish, France, Portugal, St Vincent, Africa and India
TARA DEOLAL (Trinidad) – Naau [ritualist’ assistant] at birth, wedding and death ceremonies; food caterer and collector of generations of family heirlooms
LES KUMAR-MISIR (Canada/Trinidad) – Executive Director of Indian Diaspora North America, (IDNA) and collector of colonial-era artefacts, historical audio/video materials, books, photos, etc.
CHITRA SINGH (USA/Guyana) – Singer, songwriter, musician, actor, painter and activist with The Rajkumari Cultural Center, Jahajee Sisters, Sadhana Group, Sakhi for Women, etc.
DRS. SHARDHANAND SINGH (Spain/Holland/Suriname) – writer, columnist, collector and former teacher in the Netherlands, now living in Portugal and studying for his Ph.D. in Ayurveda
Followed by Q+A
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83622540898
Meeting ID: 836 2254 0898
No Passcode Needed
Live-streamed on the Facebook page of the Indo-Caribbean Cultural Centre
https://www.facebook.com/indocaribbeanculturalcentre
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WhatsApp +1 868 756 4961 or +1 868 381 0386
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