Kamla celebrates ancestors’ resilience

“Next year will be 100 years since the abolition of Indian indentureship that led to the movement of tens of thousands of Indians and their families to places like Africa, Mauritius, Fiji, Thailand and the Caribbean,” Persad-Bissessar said adding, “It is an anniversary worth noting and I look forward to celebrating it with all of you.” Delivering the feature address on the sixth day of the National Council of Indian Culture (NCIC) Divali Nagar in Chaguanas on Tuesday evening, Persad-Bissessar noted that Indian labourers made the journey across the kala pani (black waters) with, “very few possessions” in the hope of a, “better life.” “When our forefathers landed here starting in 1845 and right up to 1917, they came with few possessions, the most important of which were hope for a better life and the memory of the homes many of them would never see again. And here, on the other side of the planet, they recreated communities and attached to them the same values that had preserved their culture for centuries,” she added.

“They could have been wiped out by the dominant host culture but they held strong to their value system,” she said, adding the descendants of the Indian labourers had moved from the “periphery of society to the centre and have reached the highest levels in national life.” She said the Divali Nagar was more than an event to enjoy the wonderful cuisine, music and dance, but was about cultural persistence and the education one gets from learning about the past and the struggles to preserve something very special.

“The message of Divali resonates with the need to continue to protect and preserve our history and culture,” she said.