Diasporic Children of Indenture

We continue talking with Tifa Wine, Mx. Quest, Bijuriya, & Sundari the Indian Goddess, 4 indenture-descendant drag artists in 3 different diaspora sites, about performing gender, being Trinidadian & Guyanese, & the complex questions of identity. Tifa Wine Ryan Persadie/Tifa Wine is an artist, educator, performer, and researcher based in Toronto, Canada. His aesthetic and scholarly work interrogates the relationships and the entanglements between queer Indo-Caribbean diasporas, Caribbean feminisms, Afro-Asian intimacies, legacies of indenture, performance, embodiment, and popular culture. His writing can be found in the Stabroek News, A Colour Deep, Gay City News, and MUSICultures. He also works with and organizes with multiple community groups including the Caribbean Equality Project, and Queeribbean Toronto. Outside of academia, he also works as a drag artist where he goes by the stage name of Tifa Wine. In this capacity, he uses embodied archives of song, dance, comedy, gesture, make-up, story-telling and fashion to pursue calls of decolonial and feminist pedagogy. He has performed across the GTA and internationally and works across mediums of live performance, video, and photography. Mx. Quest Miranda EJ. Warner is a genderqueer, mixed-race, Indo-Guyanese activist and artist of many disciplines. They are the driving force behind queer clown collective #ClownsKillEmpires, as well as a member of Les Femmes Fatales Women of Colour Burlesque. A regular fixture in drag (as Sydney Quest) and burlesque (as Imogen Quest) scenes worldwide, they have spent the pandemic taking #ClownsKillEmpires online, to showcase the most ridiculous QTBIPOC digital art they can find. Bijuriya Bijuriya is a drag queen living in Montreal/Tiohtiake, Canada. She's half Indo-Caribbean and half-Québécoise. On-stage Bjiuriya is a dazzling thunderbolt of energy and quirkiness. Bijuriya is inspired by her South Asian culture and appreciated for her proud, festive and humorous outlook on Bollywood and all things Desi! With a background as a musician and interdisciplinary artist, she is currently creating a theatrical solo show to be premiered at Montréal Arts Interculturels in March 2022. Sundari the Indian Goddess Under the stage names Sundari the Indian Goddess and International Dancer Zaman, Mohamed Afzal Amin, a native of Guyana, has over 15 years of award-winning experiences as a performer. Both as Zaman and as Sundari, Amin draws on his training in Bollywood, chutney, and multiple Caribbean and classical Indian dance styles to promote Indo-Caribbean arts and culture and the multiple, intersectional identities of LGBTQ+ Caribbean immigrants in the diaspora. Zaman is one of the founding members and the lead choreographer of the Taranng Dance Troupe (Waves of the Future), a group of diversely trained dancers amplifying visibility and unity within the Caribbean performing arts community in the New York metropolitan tri-state area. And, as an LGBTQ+ rights activist and artist, he has pioneered several historic initiatives leading to queer and drag-centric performance pieces in faith-based institutions and at religious and cultural parades and festivals under both of his ionic personalities. In 2021, Amin bridged the skills, expertise and wisdom of his performer personalities into Zamandari, a consultancy, mentorship and community engagement platform to support new and up and coming Caribbean artists and connect the public with training, volunteer, and community support opportunities.

We continue our discussion with Tifa Wine, Mx. Quest, Bijuriya, & Sundari the Indian Goddess, 4 indenture-descendant drag artists in 3 different diaspora sites, about performing gender, being Trinidadian & Guyanese, & the complex questions of identity. Tifa Wine Ryan Persadie/Tifa Wine is an artist, educator, performer, and researcher based in Toronto, Canada. His aesthetic and scholarly work interrogates the relationships and the entanglements between queer Indo-Caribbean diasporas, Caribbean feminisms, Afro-Asian intimacies, legacies of indenture, performance, embodiment, and popular culture. His writing can be found in the Stabroek News, A Colour Deep, Gay City News, and MUSICultures. He also works with and organizes with multiple community groups including the Caribbean Equality Project, and Queeribbean Toronto. Outside of academia, he also works as a drag artist where he goes by the stage name of Tifa Wine. In this capacity, he uses embodied archives of song, dance, comedy, gesture, make-up, story-telling and fashion to pursue calls of decolonial and feminist pedagogy. He has performed across the GTA and internationally and works across mediums of live performance, video, and photography. Mx. Quest Miranda EJ. Warner is a genderqueer, mixed-race, Indo-Guyanese activist and artist of many disciplines. They are the driving force behind queer clown collective #ClownsKillEmpires, as well as a member of Les Femmes Fatales Women of Colour Burlesque. A regular fixture in drag (as Sydney Quest) and burlesque (as Imogen Quest) scenes worldwide, they have spent the pandemic taking #ClownsKillEmpires online, to showcase the most ridiculous QTBIPOC digital art they can find. Bijuriya Bijuriya is a drag queen living in Montreal/Tiohtiake, Canada. She's half Indo-Caribbean and half-Québécoise. On-stage Bjiuriya is a dazzling thunderbolt of energy and quirkiness. Bijuriya is inspired by her South Asian culture and appreciated for her proud, festive and humorous outlook on Bollywood and all things Desi! With a background as a musician and interdisciplinary artist, she is currently creating a theatrical solo show to be premiered at Montréal Arts Interculturels in March 2022. Sundari the Indian Goddess Under the stage names Sundari the Indian Goddess and International Dancer Zaman, Mohamed Afzal Amin, a native of Guyana, has over 15 years of award-winning experiences as a performer. Both as Zaman and as Sundari, Amin draws on his training in Bollywood, chutney, and multiple Caribbean and classical Indian dance styles to promote Indo-Caribbean arts and culture and the multiple, intersectional identities of LGBTQ+ Caribbean immigrants in the diaspora. Zaman is one of the founding members and the lead choreographer of the Taranng Dance Troupe (Waves of the Future), a group of diversely trained dancers amplifying visibility and unity within the Caribbean performing arts community in the New York metropolitan tri-state area. And, as an LGBTQ+ rights activist and artist, he has pioneered several historic initiatives leading to queer and drag-centric performance pieces in faith-based institutions and at religious and cultural parades and festivals under both of his ionic personalities. In 2021, Amin bridged the skills, expertise and wisdom of his performer personalities into Zamandari, a consultancy, mentorship and community engagement platform to support new and up and coming Caribbean artists and connect the public with training, volunteer, and community support opportunities.

In this episode, we chat with Tifa Wine, Mx. Quest, Bijuriya, & Sundari the Indian Goddess, 4 indenture-descendant drag artists in 3 different diaspora sites, about performing gender, being Trinidadian & Guyanese, & the complex questions of identity. Tifa Wine Ryan Persadie/Tifa Wine is an artist, educator, performer, and researcher based in Toronto, Canada. His aesthetic and scholarly work interrogates the relationships and the entanglements between queer Indo-Caribbean diasporas, Caribbean feminisms, Afro-Asian intimacies, legacies of indenture, performance, embodiment, and popular culture. His writing can be found in the Stabroek News, A Colour Deep, Gay City News, and MUSICultures. He also works with and organizes with multiple community groups including the Caribbean Equality Project, and Queeribbean Toronto. Outside of academia, he also works as a drag artist where he goes by the stage name of Tifa Wine. In this capacity, he uses embodied archives of song, dance, comedy, gesture, make-up, story-telling and fashion to pursue calls of decolonial and feminist pedagogy. He has performed across the GTA and internationally and works across mediums of live performance, video, and photography. Mx. Quest Miranda EJ. Warner is a genderqueer, mixed-race, Indo-Guyanese activist and artist of many disciplines. They are the driving force behind queer clown collective #ClownsKillEmpires, as well as a member of Les Femmes Fatales Women of Colour Burlesque. A regular fixture in drag (as Sydney Quest) and burlesque (as Imogen Quest) scenes worldwide, they have spent the pandemic taking #ClownsKillEmpires online, to showcase the most ridiculous QTBIPOC digital art they can find. Bijuriya Bijuriya is a drag queen living in Montreal/Tiohtiake, Canada. She's half Indo-Caribbean and half-Québécoise. On-stage Bjiuriya is a dazzling thunderbolt of energy and quirkiness. Bijuriya is inspired by her South Asian culture and appreciated for her proud, festive and humorous outlook on Bollywood and all things Desi! With a background as a musician and interdisciplinary artist, she is currently creating a theatrical solo show to be premiered at Montréal Arts Interculturels in March 2022. Sundari the Indian Goddess Under the stage names Sundari the Indian Goddess and International Dancer Zaman, Mohamed Afzal Amin, a native of Guyana, has over 15 years of award-winning experiences as a performer. Both as Zaman and as Sundari, Amin draws on his training in Bollywood, chutney, and multiple Caribbean and classical Indian dance styles to promote Indo-Caribbean arts and culture and the multiple, intersectional identities of LGBTQ+ Caribbean immigrants in the diaspora. Zaman is one of the founding members and the lead choreographer of the Taranng Dance Troupe (Waves of the Future), a group of diversely trained dancers amplifying visibility and unity within the Caribbean performing arts community in the New York metropolitan tri-state area. And, as an LGBTQ+ rights activist and artist, he has pioneered several historic initiatives leading to queer and drag-centric performance pieces in faith-based institutions and at religious and cultural parades and festivals under both of his ionic personalities. In 2021, Amin bridged the skills, expertise and wisdom of his performer personalities into Zamandari, a consultancy, mentorship and community engagement platform to support new and up and coming Caribbean artists and connect the public with training, volunteer, and community support opportunities.

Episode 09c is a post-reading conversation, diving deeper into the questions of identity, language, writing and words. ~ An Indenture Writer's Round Table ~ This special three-part episode brings together five diasporic writers with indenture origins from two hemispheres, from Eastern Africa's Mauritius to the Caribbean's Guyana, Trinidad, and Suriname, to talk about identity, language, these artists' craft of words, and to read some of their work. Kama La Mackerel (they/them) - @kamalamackerel, Karimah Rahman (she/her) - @karimah__kr, Rajiv Mohabir (he/him) - @rajivmohabir, Siela Ardjosemito-Jethoe (she/her), and Ryan Persadie (he/him) - @tifa.wine graced us with their presence and magic! Give the episode 9 series a listen to hear about how these writers locate themselves and their identities with words and hear their artistry, ranging from poetry and spoken word to short stories and article excerpts. Working across several time zones and a difference of 6 hours came with some challenges, but we made it happen! However, the universe did not allow everyone to stay the entire recording session. Either way, a HUGE thank you to these 5 writers for joining us!

Episode 09b is where the magic happens. Come listen to Kama La Mackerel, Karimah Rahman, Rajiv Mohabir, Siela Ardjosemito-Jethoe, and Ryan Persadie share their writing! Readings include: Kama's “Your Body is the Ocean” from their book ZOM-FAM, Karimah's “Belonging Nowhere but Unapologetically Me: Muslim Indo-Caribbean and More” in Blooming Through Adversity: A Collection of Short Stories, Rajiv's “Coolie Oddity” from his book Cutlish, and excerpts of spoken word pieces by Siela and a forthcoming article excerpt by Ryan. ~ An Indenture Writer's Round Table ~ This special three-part episode brings together five diasporic writers with indenture origins from two hemispheres, from Eastern Africa's Mauritius to the Caribbean's Guyana, Trinidad, and Suriname, to talk about identity, language, these artists' craft of words, and to read some of their work. Kama La Mackerel (they/them) - @kamalamackerel, Karimah Rahman (she/her) - @karimah__kr, Rajiv Mohabir (he/him) - @rajivmohabir, Siela Ardjosemito-Jethoe (she/her), and Ryan Persadie (he/him) - @tifa.wine graced us with their presence and magic! Give the episode 9 series a listen to hear about how these writers locate themselves and their identities with words and hear their artistry, ranging from poetry and spoken word to short stories and article excerpts. Working across several time zones and a difference of 6 hours came with some challenges, but we made it happen! However, the universe did not allow everyone to stay the entire recording session. Either way, a HUGE thank you to these 5 writers for joining us!

Episode 09a starts off the series with introductions and discussions of identity with the five writers of the round table. ~ An Indenture Writer's Round Table ~ This special three-part episode brings together five diasporic writers with indenture origins from two hemispheres, from Eastern Africa's Mauritius to the Caribbean's Guyana, Trinidad, and Suriname, to talk about identity, language, these artists' craft of words, and to read some of their work. Kama La Mackerel (they/them) - @kamalamackerel, Karimah Rahman (she/her) - @karimah__kr, Rajiv Mohabir (he/him) - @rajivmohabir, Siela Ardjosemito-Jethoe (she/her), and Ryan Persadie (he/him) - @tifa.wine graced us with their presence and magic! Give the episode 9 series a listen to hear about how these writers locate themselves and their identities with words and hear their artistry, ranging from poetry and spoken word to short stories and article excerpts. Working across several time zones and a difference of 6 hours came with some challenges, but we made it happen! However, the universe did not allow everyone to stay the entire recording session. Either way, a HUGE thank you to these 5 writers for joining us!

We continue our chat with Fazle, Pravini and Siela, three Indo-Surinamese or Hindostanen, about their experiences growing up and living in the Netherlands, at the heart of empire. Fazle (they/he/she/dem) - @fazle_shairmahomed Fazle Shairmahomed creates decolonizing rituals, performance art, and dance. Their work is rooted in ancestral work and intersectional activism. Through the urgency of community building their work creates spaces in which different communities are invited to nurture conversations around colonialism and the ways in which it has impacted our histories and the ways in which it exists today. The multi-sensorial approach in their work also challenges the ways in which we perceive the world around us through themes such as death, rebirth, ancestry, belonging, colonial histories, and healing. Since 2013 he is also one of the members of CLOUD danslab, an artist run dance studio which supports research and practice of dance, movement, and performance art in the Hague. The physcial work and research of Fazle is deeply rooted in ways of approaching the state of trance, through archaic movements and ritual practices mostly inspired and informed by Muslim/Sufi traditions of Gnawa, Zar, the whirling Dervish; Japanese Butoh, Surinamese Winti culture, Hindu rituals, Caribbean Bubbling, Muslim funeral practices, Vogueing, and the Club. Pravini (she/her/hers) - @pravinimusic Pravini Baboeram is an artist and activist, creating art to contribute to social change. As an independent artist she has set up her own label Pravini Productions, that has produced 5 albums, 6 singles and 5 international tours. She is co-founder of action committee Holi is not a Houseparty, a campaign against cultural appropriation of the Hindu spring festival Holi, and initiator of the Anti-racism Voting Guide. In addition, she led the campaign Tetary Must Rise, a crowdfunding campaign for the replacement of the statue of colonizer Barnet Lyon by the Hindustani warrior of resistance Janey Tetary. Pravini also set up Indian History Month to celebrate stories and contributions of people from the Indian diaspora. In 2019 she released her new album and documentary “The Uprising”, a film about the anti-racism movement in Europe. Siela (she/her/hers) Siela Ardjosemito-Jethoe is an anthropologist and sociologist. She has spent the past 20 years working in the field of diversity inclusion, with equity as its foundation. She started within welfare and social work and later on switched to higher education and the public sector at the level of national and local government. June 1st 2021 she started as the Diversity and Inclusion officer at the University of The Arts- The Hague. She also runs her own company Connecting the Dot's unlimited where she provides training, coaching and advice and she works as a wordartist. She contributed to several publications such as Superdivers! (2013), Onbeschreven Erfgoed (2017) and Diversiteit in de Samenleving (2017 and 2020), she is editor-in-chief of the latter. Furthermore, she writes a monthly column about diversity and inclusion at the Sarnamihuis and is a columnist for Cultuurpers. With her husband and children she created the podcast Diversity in Check and she is jointly responsible for the podcast ‘Zeg maar gewoon wit.' She is a supervisory board member for Mauritshuis, chairperson for Lloyds Company and board member of Het Haags Theaterhuis.

In this episode, we chat with Fazle, Pravini and Siela, three Indo-Surinamese or Hindostanen, about their experiences growing up and living in the Netherlands, at the heart of empire. Fazle (they/he/she/dem) - @fazle_shairmahomed Fazle Shairmahomed creates decolonizing rituals, performance art, and dance. Their work is rooted in ancestral work and intersectional activism. Through the urgency of community building their work creates spaces in which different communities are invited to nurture conversations around colonialism and the ways in which it has impacted our histories and the ways in which it exists today. The multi-sensorial approach in their work also challenges the ways in which we perceive the world around us through themes such as death, rebirth, ancestry, belonging, colonial histories, and healing. Since 2013 he is also one of the members of CLOUD danslab, an artist run dance studio which supports research and practice of dance, movement, and performance art in the Hague. The physcial work and research of Fazle is deeply rooted in ways of approaching the state of trance, through archaic movements and ritual practices mostly inspired and informed by Muslim/Sufi traditions of Gnawa, Zar, the whirling Dervish; Japanese Butoh, Surinamese Winti culture, Hindu rituals, Caribbean Bubbling, Muslim funeral practices, Vogueing, and the Club. Pravini (she/her/hers) - @pravinimusic Pravini Baboeram is an artist and activist, creating art to contribute to social change. As an independent artist she has set up her own label Pravini Productions, that has produced 5 albums, 6 singles and 5 international tours. She is co-founder of action committee Holi is not a Houseparty, a campaign against cultural appropriation of the Hindu spring festival Holi, and initiator of the Anti-racism Voting Guide. In addition, she led the campaign Tetary Must Rise, a crowdfunding campaign for the replacement of the statue of colonizer Barnet Lyon by the Hindustani warrior of resistance Janey Tetary. Pravini also set up Indian History Month to celebrate stories and contributions of people from the Indian diaspora. In 2019 she released her new album and documentary “The Uprising”, a film about the anti-racism movement in Europe. Siela (she/her/hers) Siela Ardjosemito-Jethoe is an anthropologist and sociologist. She has spent the past 20 years working in the field of diversity inclusion, with equity as its foundation. She started within welfare and social work and later on switched to higher education and the public sector at the level of national and local government. June 1st 2021 she started as the Diversity and Inclusion officer at the University of The Arts- The Hague. She also runs her own company Connecting the Dot's unlimited where she provides training, coaching and advice and she works as a wordartist. She contributed to several publications such as Superdivers! (2013), Onbeschreven Erfgoed (2017) and Diversiteit in de Samenleving (2017 and 2020), she is editor-in-chief of the latter. Furthermore, she writes a monthly column about diversity and inclusion at the Sarnamihuis and is a columnist for Cultuurpers. With her husband and children she created the podcast Diversity in Check and she is jointly responsible for the podcast ‘Zeg maar gewoon wit.' She is a supervisory board member for Mauritshuis, chairperson for Lloyds Company and board member of Het Haags Theaterhuis.

One last posting for the theme of la francophonie and indenture. In episode 7b, I talk a little on my findings on Guadeloupe, beginning with the end of slavery and start of indenture to life on the island today. For the fall term in 2021, I completed an independent study of Guadeloupean Creole with the French Department of my uni. When you learn a language, you learn a new culture. In episode 7a on my study of creole, I spoke on how that new culture was so familiar to me as a Caribbean person. Something crucially new was learning how colonialism has undeniable impacts on everyday life in Guadeloupe, especially on racial dynamics of the tourism industry, and challenges of everyday Guadeloupeans. People commonly envision a postcard paradise of the Caribbean, but what is the real cost and other side of that image? Don't forget to subscribe, follow us on instagram (@DiasporicChildrenofIndenture), and turn on notifications! And, while you're at it, check out the digital humanities site (link in ig bio)! Checkout episode 4a and 4b with Manuela Latchoumaya on being raised in Guadeloupe and living at the heart of empire in Europe. "A Break in the Clouds" by PNFA (2010)

Continuing with the theme of la francophonie and indenture, I switch things up this episode and chat about my experience learning Guadeloupean Creole as a creole-speaker during the fall term. Guadeloupe continues to be an Overseas Department of France, and out of the francophone Caribbean, the island received the largest number of people indentured from South Asia. The francophone Caribbean was a region I didn't know much about. However, through my study, I've come to learn how much we share as Caribbean people. Byen mèsi a prof chéri an-mwen! Enjoy! Don't forget to subscribe, follow us on instagram (@DiasporicChildrenofIndenture), and turn on notifications! And, while you're at it, check out the digital humanities site (link in ig bio)! I learned Guadeloupean Creole from French with the textbook Le Créole Sans Peine from Le Méthode Assimil. Poullet, Hector et Telchid, Sylviane. Le Créole Sans Peine (Guadeloupéen). Assimil, 1990. And here's a dictionary: Pinalie, Pierre. Dictionnaire élémentaire français-créole. L'Harmattan, 2009. Podcast Music: "A Break in the Clouds" by PNFA (2010)

We continue our conversation with our guest Karimah Rahman, exploring growing up anglo and Muslim Indo-Caribbean in francophone Quebec and life settling in other parts of Canada. Karimah (she/her) is the founder of The Muslim Indo-Caribbean Collective (MICC @muslimindocaribbeancollective) and The Muslim Indentureship Studies Center (MISC- @muslimindenturestudiescenter). She is currently pursuing her PhD in Policy Studies focused on the intersectional marginalization, lack of representation and Anti-Muslim Racism towards Muslim Indo-Caribbeans (and marginalization of Indo-Caribbeans) in policy (India's Diaspora Policy and Ontario's South Asian Heritage Act, 2001) as well as Indo-Caribbean, Indentured Diasporic, Indian and South Asian spaces. She has coined a few terms: • The South Asian/Indian "Authenticity/Purity" Hierarchy Theory • The Indian(Indentured/Indo-Caribbean)“Authenticity/Purity” Hierarchy Theory • Mainland South Asian/Indian Supremacy • Mainland South Asian/Indian Privilege • Hindu Indian/Indenture/Indo-Caribbean Supremacy • Hindu Indian/Indenture/Indo-Caribbean Privilege to unpack this along with popularizing the term Muslim Indo-Caribbean and coining the terms: • Muslim Indo-Caribbean Heritage Day • Muslim Indo-Caribbean Studies • Muslim Indentureship Studies, • (Radical) Muslim Indo-Caribbean Feminism • (Radical) Muslim Indentured Diasporic Feminism. Karimah looks at the legacy of Muslim Indo-Caribbean resistance to colonization, journey of learning/unlearning, intergenerational trauma (rooted in Indentureship, colonization, white supremacy, Hindu supremacy, Hindutva ideology, Brahmin supremacy etc.) and decolonizing (including Decolonizing Mental Health). Karimah is a published author with work ranging from academic to spoken words, she gave talks, interviews and workshops on the topics mentioned earlier. She is currently working on a documentary movie and upcoming book on Being Muslim Indo-Caribbean made by Muslim Indo-Caribbeans for Muslim Indo-Caribbeans. @DiasporicChildrenofIndenture Karimah - @karimah__kr Muslim Indo-Caribbean Collective - @muslimindocaribbeancollective Podcast Music: "A Break in the Clouds" by PNFA (2010)

In this episode with our guest Karimah Rahman, we explore the intersections of la francophonie and indenture by discussing growing up anglo and Muslim Indo-Caribbean in francophone Quebec, as well as settling in other parts of Canada. Karimah (she/her) is the founder of The Muslim Indo-Caribbean Collective (MICC @muslimindocaribbeancollective) and The Muslim Indentureship Studies Center (MISC- @muslimindenturestudiescenter). She is currently pursuing her PhD in Policy Studies focused on the intersectional marginalization, lack of representation and Anti-Muslim Racism towards Muslim Indo-Caribbeans (and marginalization of Indo-Caribbeans) in policy (India's Diaspora Policy and Ontario's 2001 South Asian Heritage Act) as well as Indo-Caribbean, Indentured Diasporic, Indian and South Asian spaces. She has coined a few terms: • The South Asian/Indian "Authenticity/Purity" Hierarchy Theory • The Indian(Indentured/Indo-Caribbean)“Authenticity/Purity” Hierarchy Theory • Mainland South Asian/Indian Supremacy • Mainland South Asian/Indian Privilege • Hindu Indian/Indenture/Indo-Caribbean Supremacy • Hindu Indian/Indenture/Indo-Caribbean Privilege to unpack this along with popularizing the term Muslim Indo-Caribbean and coining the terms: • Muslim Indo-Caribbean Heritage Day • Muslim Indo-Caribbean Studies • Muslim Indentureship Studies, • (Radical) Muslim Indo-Caribbean Feminism • (Radical) Muslim Indentured Diasporic Feminism. Karimah looks at the legacy of Muslim Indo-Caribbean resistance to colonization, journey of learning/unlearning, intergenerational trauma (rooted in Indentureship, colonization, white supremacy, Hindu supremacy, Hindutva ideology, Brahmin supremacy etc.) and decolonizing (including Decolonizing Mental Health). Karimah is a published author with work ranging from academic to spoken words, she gave talks, interviews and workshops on the topics mentioned earlier. She is currently working on a documentary movie and upcoming book on Being Muslim Indo-Caribbean made by Muslim Indo-Caribbeans for Muslim Indo-Caribbeans. @DiasporicChildrenofIndenture Karimah - @karimah__kr Muslim Indo-Caribbean Collective - @muslimindocaribbeancollective Podcast Music: "A Break in the Clouds" by PNFA (2010)

In this episode, we continue with the second part of our chat with our guest Manuela Latchoumaya and discus being Indo-Guadeloupean and living in Europe, at the heart of empire. Manuela is a PhD researcher in Sociology and Politics at the University of Manchester in the UK. In her PhD, she focuses on the emergence of South Asian identities in the French public space, looking at how French South Asians, both those with an indenture background and those whose families migrated to France through more recent waves of migration, mobilise against State racism. Her academic and personal interests include questions of identity, belonging and exclusion and have been shaped by her experiences as an Indo-Guadeloupean woman both in the Caribbean and in Europe. Follow us on Instagram: @DiasporicChildrenofIndenture Manuela - @AngryWomanOfColour Spicy Devis - @SpicyDevis Podcast Music: "A Break in the Clouds" by PNFA (2010)

In this episode with our guest Manuela Latchoumaya, we explore the intersections of la francophonie and indenture by discussing being Indo-Guadeloupean and living in Europe, at the heart of empire. Manuela is a PhD researcher in Sociology and Politics at the University of Manchester in the UK. In her PhD, she focuses on the emergence of South Asian identities in the French public space, looking at how French South Asians, both those with an indenture background and those whose families migrated to France through more recent waves of migration, mobilise against State racism. Her academic and personal interests include questions of identity, belonging and exclusion and have been shaped by her experiences as an Indo-Guadeloupean woman both in the Caribbean and in Europe. Follow us on Instagram: @DiasporicChildrenofIndenture Manuela - @AngryWomanOfColour Spicy Devis - @SpicyDevis Podcast Music: "A Break in the Clouds" by PNFA (2010)

This episode is part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Bissonauth on being Indo-Mauritian and the intersections of indenture and la francophonie. Dr. Natasha Bissonauth joins the Visual Art and Art History department at York University (Toronto, ON). Prior to, she was Assistant Professor at the College of Wooster (OH) in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Her research centers on contemporary artists of color, queer and feminist art-making in particular situated in contemporary global visual cultures. With an emphasis on South Asian and South Asian transnational circuits of art, select artist interviews, exhibition reviews, and book reviews include Art Asia Pacific, Art India, C Magazine, and Women + Performance. Peer-reviewed articles include “Zanele Muholi's Affective Appeal to Act” (Photography & Culture, 2014) and “Sunil Gupta's Sun City: An Exercise in Camping Orientalism” (Art Journal; 2019). Recent publication includes a book chapter on how Chitra Ganesh's speculative aesthetic intervenes in museum display (2020). She also published an article in South Asia journal on the artwork of Sa'dia Rehman titled, “The Dissent of Play: Lotahs in the Museum,” where Bissonauth lays out her ideas on play as a form of aesthetic dissent. New research interests include examining the role of the speculative in the study of indenture studies.

In this episode with our guest Dr. Natasha Bissonauth, we discuss being of Indo-Mauritian heritage and growing up anglo in South Shore/Rive-Sud nestled in francophone Québec. Dr. Natasha Bissonauth joins the Visual Art and Art History department at York University (Toronto, ON). Prior to, she was Assistant Professor at the College of Wooster (OH) in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Her research centers on contemporary artists of color, queer and feminist art-making in particular situated in contemporary global visual cultures. With an emphasis on South Asian and South Asian transnational circuits of art, select artist interviews, exhibition reviews, and book reviews include Art Asia Pacific, Art India, C Magazine, and Women + Performance. Peer-reviewed articles include “Zanele Muholi's Affective Appeal to Act” (Photography & Culture, 2014) and “Sunil Gupta's Sun City: An Exercise in Camping Orientalism” (Art Journal; 2019). Recent publication includes a book chapter on how Chitra Ganesh's speculative aesthetic intervenes in museum display (2020). She also published an article in South Asia journal on the artwork of Sa'dia Rehman titled, “The Dissent of Play: Lotahs in the Museum,” where Bissonauth lays out her ideas on play as a form of aesthetic dissent. New research interests include examining the role of the speculative in the study of indenture studies.

We continue our episode with Fazle Shairmahomed @fazle_shairmahomed(he/they/she/dem) on being Hindoestaan—or Indo-Surinamese—in The Hague, The Netherlands and the meanings of dance and identity. Fazle Shairmahomed creates decolonizing rituals, performance art, and dance. Their work is rooted in ancestral work and intersectional activism. Through the urgency of community building their work creates spaces in which different communities are invited to nurture conversations around colonialism and the ways in which it has impacted our histories and the ways in which it exists today. The multi-sensorial approach in their work also challenges the ways in which we perceive the world around us through themes such as death, rebirth, ancestry, belonging, colonial histories, and healing. Since 2013 he is also one of the members of CLOUD danslab, an artist run dance studio which supports research and practice of dance, movement, and performance art in the Hague. The physcial work and research of Fazle is deeply rooted in ways of approaching the state of trance, through archaic movements and ritual practices mostly inspired and informed by Muslim/Sufi traditions of Gnawa, Zar, the whirling Dervish; Japanese Butoh, Surinamese Winti culture, Hindu rituals, Caribbean Bubbling, Muslim funeral practices, Vogueing, and the Club. Fazle was born and raised in a multicultural society in de Transvaal/Schilderswijk in Den Haag, in the Netherlands, they feel very hybrid, and identifies currently, but not exclusively, as Dutch, Surinamese-Hindustani, Indo-Caribbean, Muslim, Queer, non-binary, and as a person of color.

In this episode with our guest Fazle Shairmahomed @fazle_shairmahomed (he/they/she/dem), a Hindoestaan—or Indo-Surinamese—modern dancer who employs various decolonial methods in her art, we discuss being Indo-Surinamese in Den Haag (The Hague), The Netherlands and the meanings of dance and identity. Fazle Shairmahomed creates decolonizing rituals, performance art, and dance. Their work is rooted in ancestral work and intersectional activism. Through the urgency of community building their work creates spaces in which different communities are invited to nurture conversations around colonialism and the ways in which it has impacted our histories and the ways in which it exists today. The multi-sensorial approach in their work also challenges the ways in which we perceive the world around us through themes such as death, rebirth, ancestry, belonging, colonial histories, and healing. Since 2013 he is also one of the members of CLOUD danslab, an artist run dance studio which supports research and practice of dance, movement, and performance art in the Hague. The physcial work and research of Fazle is deeply rooted in ways of approaching the state of trance, through archaic movements and ritual practices mostly inspired and informed by Muslim/Sufi traditions of Gnawa, Zar, the whirling Dervish; Japanese Butoh, Surinamese Winti culture, Hindu rituals, Caribbean Bubbling, Muslim funeral practices, Vogueing, and the Club. Fazle was born and raised in a multicultural society in de Transvaal/Schilderswijk in Den Haag, in the Netherlands, they feel very hybrid, and identifies currently, but not exclusively, as Dutch, Surinamese-Hindustani, Indo-Caribbean, Muslim, Queer, non-binary, and as a person of color.

We continue our chat with guest Anjuli Shiwraj on being Indo-Guyanese in the Greater Toronto Area and the meanings of dance and identity. Anjuli Shiwraj is the Founder and Artistic Director of Shivanjali Arts. Being a professional Kathak dancer, visual artist, makeup artist, and costume designer, Anjuli decided to create Shivanjali Arts: an organization to promote Indian Arts and culture as well as performing arts. Anjuli hails from a very artistic and musical family. Her relatives have among them talented singers, musicians including harmonium, tabla, dholak and tassa players. She was trained by Mrs. Deviekha Chetram who also was from Alexander village, Guyana. Anjuli has been dancing in the Greater Toronto Area as well as internationally for many years. Anjuli has danced for numerous organizations, charities, and has been a part of several dance companies, including: Tarana Dance Company, Natya Arts, and Panwar Dance Productions. Anjuli is trained in both Lucknow and Jaipur Gharanas of Kathak. She has had the distinct honor and privilege of training under notable dancer Alokparna Guha. She has also trained with Pt. Birju Maharaj Ji and his foremost disciple Smt. Saswati Sen Ji in numerous dance workshops in North America, as well as recently she learned a beautiful piece online with Pt. Rajendra Gangani. Anjuli has also received professional level training in Jaipur Gharana, as a company dancer with Panwar Music and Dance Productions. She has toured with their production of "Shakuntala" and Also Taken part in their debut performance on Krishna, among many of their other stage performances including Mosaic: Rajasthan Calling. Teaching has become one of Anjuli's greatest passions and seeks to pass on what she learned with utmost humility. It is her goal to not only nourish the upcoming generation, but also encourage anyone of any age to pursue their love of the arts. Anjuli provides Kathak dance classes for all ages online, and studio in Ajax, as well as dance makeup classes, costume design and rental, and dance performance training through Shivanjali Arts.

In this episode with our guest Anjuli Shiwraj, founder and artistic director of Shivanjali Arts (@shivanjali.arts) and a skilled, classically-trained dancer, we talk about being Indo-Guyanese in the Greater Toronto Area and the meanings of dance and identity. Anjuli Shiwraj is the Founder and Artistic Director of Shivanjali Arts. Being a professional Kathak dancer, visual artist, makeup artist, and costume designer, Anjuli decided to create Shivanjali Arts: an organization to promote Indian Arts and culture as well as performing arts. Anjuli hails from a very artistic and musical family. Her relatives have among them talented singers, musicians including harmonium, tabla, dholak and tassa players. She was trained by Mrs. Deviekha Chetram who also was from Alexander village, Guyana. Anjuli has been dancing in the Greater Toronto Area as well as internationally for many years. Anjuli has danced for numerous organizations, charities, and has been a part of several dance companies, including: Tarana Dance Company, Natya Arts, and Panwar Dance Productions. Anjuli is trained in both Lucknow and Jaipur Gharanas of Kathak. She has had the distinct honor and privilege of training under notable dancer Alokparna Guha. She has also trained with Pt. Birju Maharaj Ji and his foremost disciple Smt. Saswati Sen Ji in numerous dance workshops in North America, as well as recently she learned a beautiful piece online with Pt. Rajendra Gangani. Anjuli has also received professional level training in Jaipur Gharana, as a company dancer with Panwar Music and Dance Productions. She has toured with their production of "Shakuntala" and Also Taken part in their debut performance on Krishna, among many of their other stage performances including Mosaic: Rajasthan Calling. Teaching has become one of Anjuli's greatest passions and seeks to pass on what she learned with utmost humility. It is her goal to not only nourish the upcoming generation, but also encourage anyone of any age to pursue their love of the arts. Anjuli provides Kathak dance classes for all ages online, and studio in Ajax, as well as dance makeup classes, costume design and rental, and dance performance training through Shivanjali Arts.

Bienvenue à Diasporic Children of Indenture avec Alex Bacchus (iel | they/them), un podcast et site numerique qui concilie la signification de descendre de l'engagisme lorsque habiter en diaspora. En plus de donner des informations generales sur le projet, le premier épisode discute la signifcation de diaspora et l'engagisme, reconnaître l'occupation des terres autochtones tout en vivant•e en diaspora, en peux sur le « mot en C » et le besoin d'être inclusif•ve des autres diasporas. Venez écouter et découvrez ce qui vous attend dans cette série captivante en cours de production cet automne. musique du podcast: « A Break in the Clouds » par PNFA (2010)

Welcome to Diasporic Children of Indenture with Alex Bacchus (they/them), a podcast and digital humanities site that reconciles what it means to descend from indenture while living in diaspora. In addition to giving some background on this project, this first episode discusses the meaning of diaspora and indenture, recognizing occupation of indigenous land while living in diaspora, being in solidarity with other diasporas and a little bit on the (in)famous c-word (c**lie). Come give a listen and learn more about what to expect in this exciting series being produced this fall! Podcast Music: "A Break in the Clouds" by PNFA (2010)