Who is really an Indian, African?

THE EDITOR: This is an open letter to Dr Cris Mahadeo. There is an online debate  presently in an international web site about diasporic peoples of Indian origin using the word Indian to describe themselves. Some scholars think this is inaccurate and erroneous. Interestingly enough, many people here use the word Indian to describe people from our country instead of saying or writing: “people of Indian origin.” I know quite a few people from India who do not see themselves as Indians and if you should make that mistake and call them so, they will be very insulted and in many cases become violent, for they see themselves as Pakistanis. Now the question: Who is really an African? Well! Think about this, if you are related, to the race of people, who was brought to this western part of the world against their will, around the eighteenth century from that continent, as a slave in chains, beaten, raped, forced to drop your way of life, culture, your name, your various languages, were called Nigger, Negro, Spook, or you are not an Indian, Chinese, Caucasian, Persian, Syrian, etc.

In conclusion, our people (slaves) who were forced to work on the white man’s plantations were from Yoruba, Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea and other places situated on the continent of Africa anyhow so, do not worry about us calling ourselves Africans or that if Rastas go to wherever and run back home so what! He born here, and people running from here and going to Canada crying discrimination, and how about you, being a confused person because you are carrying an English and an Indian name and nobody is bothered, my advice is to leave black African people alone and let us call ourselves whatever we want to. And to all my brothers and sisters, you see what you are up against, so please just love one another.

RONALD TIMOTHY
African born in Port-of-Spain