The Tragedy of Indians

By The Piper

The PiperIndians in Guyana and Trinidad face an insurmountable problem when it comes to the politics of race. The problem is two-fold. Firstly, Indians are almost always assumed to be the privileged ones despite a vastly more complicated story on the ground.

Secondly, and far more problematic is that there is no general, universal narrative of Indian suffering and oppression and this, despite the fact that both Indians in India and in the diaspora have been subjected to centuries of ridicule and violence. We can therefore examine the condition of Caribbean Indians in both material and discursive terms.

On the material side of things there is no doubt that East Indians have done well, with many of them owning big businesses. But by no stretch of the imagination do they have a monopoly on businesses. Further, the fact is that there are as many poor Indians in Guyana and Trinidad as any other groups.

Many of the poor Indians in these two Caribbean countries work in the agricultural sector, meaning sugar cultivation. In Guyana they are the backbone of the sugar industry – many doing backbreaking cane cutting and fetching with wages that are embarrassing when compared to wages in the bauxite industry. The workers who form the shovel gangs and the gangs who clean the trenches are underpaid, this being comparable to Afro-Guyanese workers in many sectors of urban employment.

Indians have a second class position in practically all areas of national life including but not restricted to sports (excepting for cricket), and national culture or what is presented as national culture. The Inter-Guiana Games is a good indicator of the situation. Most of these Games usually only have about a dozen Indians of the couple hundred athletes representing Guyana. It goes without saying that Indians from the country-side almost never make any of the teams.

Although Indians have been living in Guyana for one hundred and seventy five years, their religion, music and other cultural practices are seen as ‘ethnic’. The standard, national culture is always more grounded in things Christian and urban. Things Indian apparently cannot ever be national.

On the discursive side Indians are in a hopeless situation, not because of any inherent condition but because of the new ways of representing who is the oppressed in Guyana. Africans are indeed the victims of racism and discrimination world-wide. The constant is that in most places in the world (outside Africa); Africans do not have access to state power.

That same cannot be said of Guyana. However, many folks simply slide from Black oppression in America to Guyana as if the two are really comparable. Persons of African descent have had considerable control of state power and key state institutions, including the forces of coercion, for extended periods. People of African descent have also held key positions even when the supposedly Indian PPP party has been in power. Note also, that practically half of all the anti-PPP activists are Indians.

Indians cannot, appeal to any already constructed narrative with global currency to draw attention to their suffering. The reason – there is none. A population may suffer physically, but if there is no corresponding narrative, the material circumstances are simply dismissed. The reverse is true in other situations. Although a population may not be as oppressed in their own place, it can simply take cover behind other struggles.

The APNU-AFC administration promised that it would end all forms of racism in Guyana, but its actions to date have shown no promise in that direction. Every Guyanese has a moral and patriotic obligation to put an end to the madness of prejudice. What have you done lately?

hahahahahah : LoL

I told Mapoui over 5 years ago lets do a straight swap !

Swap  Guyana Afros for Trini Indos !

So Guyana will be a full out Indo country

and Trinidad a full out Afro island : the wealthiest with oil and gas in the caribbean !

I am willing.....

who said I wasnt..you ::confused::

I know yuh tryin' tuh pull a  ratch on mih but I wud swap any day..because the ratch is on  you....yuh pullin ah ratch on yuhself.

wat will yuh do with BG..replicate India ::confused::

how does that threaten me or make better in BG than I wud do in Trinidad?

your population too small to do much with BG and you can phuck forever you not making no 20 million people  in a hurry.

and the reality in this region is that the powers that be in the americas will not let you build up no indian nation there by importation from India.  that is out of the question.  Brazil will not allow it..nor will VN nor the Americans.  so no matter what you are doomed to the people you have and that means Guyana will be a rump nation, kept small and poor by all concerned powers.

there is one way out fuh Guyana..and for the whole english speaking west indies..and that is real federation.  that is the only chance BG has of escaping its storehouse category until Brazil  and or America ready fuh allyuh rarse..to simply take the place or leave allyuh there as token and fig leaf, while they rape the place

but if allyuh think ya'all will be allowed to develop a big indian country there think again. 

it go be hard enuff getting development off, in a federation far less the way allyuh seem to have in mind.  and we born deh in the region and only looking fuh what is rightfully we own..to use what we have to make a good life fuh we'self

america operates on the principle that all the raw material in the world is theirs, which often have very inconveniently people living on top of them..darker peoples who must be run off, and the resources stolen.  so deh go let a new nation come big and strong that can challenge dem in the region?

doh hol' allyuh breath

you want BG take it.  I go be fine in Trinidad.

let me see allyuh beat dat! ::LOL:: ::LOL:: ::LOL:: ::LOL::

none of your biz : you worries will be the African Republic of TnT 

oh but it is my business...I must know before I make my decision.  but I know already what will take place.  I can see it in Trinidad..in India..wherever allyuh are.

and I know dat allyuh will lose the Esequibo region.  that is gone. done, finish.  so Guyana will be a rump no matter what. 

to stop Guyana all the USA must do is remove its opposition to a settlement and allow VN the win.  then VN will take it and put jets on the border.

Federation is what I  really man..a real west indian Federation.  and in that event to leave the Guyana people to deal with you.  and I know wat deh will do with you..the majority of them..you and all like you...... ::LOL:: ::LOL:: ::LOL:: ::LOL:: ::LOL::

all dat can save the esequibo is federation and occupation of the region in question.  dat is all. 

VN wud have to deal with the whole west indian nation not jess BG and a compromise would have to be made that would favor all parties

anyway..most Indian Titties would not  leave Titty fuh BG..regardless.  yuh have cut ah nice piece of wuk out fuh yuh own skunt haven't you ::LOL:: ::LOL:: ::LOL::

Malcontent ! giving Afros the RICHEST island and Indos the Poorest ...

and yet still ....***sigh ***

ViV ?? fork dat Pan African

Indo GUYANA leaving WICB 

have a nice time.  enjoy!  yuh welcome! ::LOL:: ::LOL:: ::LOL:: ::LOL:: ::LOL::

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No longer Federation or that CARICOM....

dats it : we DIVORCING the Afros : game over !


ramesh will be a very happy afro with his Family in St. Augustyn