GUYANA - THE WEST INDIAN COUNTRY WHERE PEOPLE OF INDIAN ORIGIN WERE TAKEN TO WORK AS INDENTURED LABOURERS ON SUGAR PLANTATIONS

(Bibi Fareeza Haniff (right) with Ms Monika Singh of Fiji at the PBD conference in Chennai in January 2009)

Guyana is the first country in the West Indies where the South African national cricket team, Proteas, recently played their matches in the tri-nation series against Australia and the West Indies. BY SUBRY GOVENDER The South African national cricket team, Proteas, is currently involved in a tri-nations series against Australia and the West Indies in the West Indies. Some of the countries that make up the West Indies include Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname where people of Indian-origin make up significant percentages of the population. In January 2009, I had the opportunity of talking to journalists from the West Indies about the lives of people of Indian-origin in their countries. I met the journalists at a conference for People of Indian-origin (PIOs) at the Pravasi Bharati Divas conferences organised by the Government of India in the southern city of Chennai. We were part of a group of 19 INDIAN-ORIGIN JOURNALISTS SOUTH AFRICA, GUYANA, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO AND SURINAME IN THE WEST INDIES, MAURITIUS, SEYCHELLES, FIJI, MALAYSIA AND AUSTRALIA. DURING THE COURSE OF THE CONFERENCE, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF TALKING TO SOME OF THESE JOURNALISTS AND COMPILED A SERIES OF RADIO FEATURES ON SEVERAL COUNTRIES WHERE INDIAN-ORIGIN PEOPLE HAD SETTLED OVER THE PAST 300 YEARS. THIS IS THE FIRST REPORT ON GUYANA, WHERE INDIAN-ORIGIN PEOPLE, MAINLY FROM BIHAR AND UTTAR PRADESH, HAD BEEN RECRUITED TO WORK AS INDENTURED LABOURERS ON SUGAR PLANTATIONS. I SPOKE TO BIBI FAREEZA HANIFF, ONE OF THE YOUNGEST JOURNALISTS, WHO ATTENDED THE CONFERENCE FROM GUYANA.