A new exhibit at the Museum of London Docklands, has put on display, the underrepresented history of Indians who were indentured into plantation labour by the British in the Caribbean. Following the end of African slavery, the British started recruiting workers from India as a source of cheap labour.
The first undertaking ship set sail in 1838 and, since then, around 450,000 Indians took this very difficult journey between then and its end in 1917. The difficult journey took five months and, in its course, forged between the migrants as they braved the Kala Pani. The conditions on board didn’t help either. The workers were recruited for three to five years in return of transport, a minimal wage and few other basic provisions.
While the Indo- Caribbean community is well- versed with this tale of slavery, a large number of Britons are unaware of the country’s history. Speaking to Asian Voice, Dr Saurabh Mishra, academic partner and advisor for the exhibition, explained the reason behind this part of history being known to just a few- “The primary reason, I think, is an unwillingness to come to terms with the problems with the British Empire.”
Dr Mishra is a professor at University of Sheffield and asks a new batch of students if they have had any prior exposure to history of imperialism every year. “I’m invariably told that most of them didn’t have it as part of their school curricula. To me it is surprising that such a large part of British history is swept under the carpet. To a certain extent this is also caused by a rise of nationalism in Britain, which has led to an excessive focus on the ‘great island story’”, he said. According to him, “It is important to teach these histories for two reasons: to give Britain’s diasporic community a sense of self-worth; and to inform the British public at large that Britain was not an isolated island built by Britons alone.”
Asked about other stories of diaspora that need to be heard, Dr Mishra re- emphasised the importance of learning the stories of the Indian- Caribbean community, as it is “is one of the most tragic ones.” “It involves deceiving people who were in dire circumstances, and convincing them to embark on a journey to faraway lands where they were met with hard labour slavery-like conditions”, he told Asian Voice.
Dr Saurabh Mishra is of the opinion that, “there is an urgent need for such stories to come out, as we need to acknowledge the ‘sins’ of Empire before we can begin the task of rectifying them.” He feels that the best way the unheard diaspora stories can be represented is through exhibitions and displays. He said- “Exhibitions and museum displays (such as the one currently on at the Museum of London), present visual images that stay with people for a long time“. He made the point of reiterating the importance of inclusion of such themes in school curriculum to promote awareness from a young age.
The display features letters to the government from planter Sir John Gladstone, contracts, shipping company records, postcards and papers from the Parliamentary Archives. These documents give insights into the realities of life under indenture.
The display has been put up in time for the 75th anniversary of Windrush and draws on photos, jewellery, film and artwork to uncover personal stories and family memories from London’s Indo-Caribbean community.
