Dear Editor,
Pardon this long letter – in response to Mr. Hamilton Green’s three most recent letters to the Editor.
It truly befuddles me why Mr. Hamilton Green and others are perturbed at the World Cup 2007 brochure statement regarding Guyana’s “distinct” Indian heritage. In his SN letter of 01-26-07, Mr. Green is “rather surprised to learn that we now advertise to the world a distinct Indian heritage”.
I honestly cannot fathom this “surprise”, since it would be clear to any impartial observer of culture in Guyana that there is indeed a distinct Indian heritage. Is there any doubt that Indian culture is distinguishable in the country?
Almost anytime of the day there is either a radio, a television, or live show ballyhooing Indian music. This music is not only apprized by Indians; many from other ethnic groups enjoy it even though they may not understand one word of the lyrics.
Indian culture is still appreciated and expressed by all of the major religions in Guyana. The Hindus still use age-old language of Sanskrit(!) to conduct many of their rituals. The Moslems for the most part have an Indian orientation as they express their worship, and maintain a distinct Indianness, as seen in their regular qasida music competition. And a growing number of Christians in the country relish the old Guyanese Indian tradition of Yeshu Katha, and Satsangs, which include listening and worship through the medium of Hindi, and using Indian musical instruments including that of the harmonium, dholak, and jhaal while singing Christian bhajans (Indian devotional songs). Indian clothing such as saris and shalwaar kameez for the women, and kurta for the men, are enjoyed by people of all religious backgrounds. It is notable that this Indian clothing is not reserved for special ethnic festivals or holidays; it is a common sight at weddings, birthday parties and special gatherings, and some adorn themselves with it on an almost daily basis.
The vocabulary and food of many Indo Guyanese punctuate Indian heritage. The appellation of grand parents such as “Aaja”, “Aagee”, “Naana”, “Naanee” is common with people from all religions, and is disparately Indian. Names of vegetables and fruits in Guyana are given the names used in India, such as bora and jamoon. Indian foods such as curry, roti and dal are a regular staple in most Guyanese households, irrespective of race and religion.
Indian music and dance are firmly embedded in Guyanese (and Trinidadian) society. The Indian bottom house dance in Guyana is something to apprehend. I’ve been to countless numbers of weddings in Guyana and India; the dance by the Indian Guyanese outshines his counterpart in India – by far!
The offending statement in the brochure to Green and others is, “With Guyana’s distinct Indian heritage you are sure to experience the fusion of West Indian and East Indian culture”, because, as Mr. Green puts it, “this term suggests that our Indian heritage is distinguishable, special and perhaps above all others”.
As is noted above, Indian heritage is surely distinguishable in Guyana. Mr. Green is agitated that Indian heritage is considered “special and perhaps above all others”. Like all ethnic heritage in Guyana, it should be considered very special. Is it, or should it be “above all others”? Certainly not! Like the red and green colours of the flag of Guyana, certain heritage hues are more palpable than others, in Guyanese everyday life. The red and green colours, though more prominent and more distinct, are not more important or more precious than the other colours. The palpability does not make it better or “above all others” than the other culture hues; it is simply a case of how the culture cookie crumbled.
Yes, East Indian culture is readily evident in Guyana, and yes, one can and should behold the fusion of East Indian and West Indian cultures in the country. East Indian culture is part and parcel of West Indian (Caribbean) culture but the two are not one and the same. When one thinks of Indian culture in Guyana, one thinks of the absorption of Bollywood, Indian culture in the media, in homes and communities, Indian forms of worship, Indian clothing, Indian vocabulary, etc. When one thinks of West Indian culture, one thinks of the English-speaking Caribbean, with each state having its similar but unique patois accent/dialect, reggae and calypso, cricket, and having peoples from different parts of the world inhabiting various countries.
The chatney music in Guyana (and Trinidad) is a classic example of the fusion of East Indian and West Indian culture. The music is distinctly Indian. (I was playing some chatney music to some of my Indian friends recently here in India, and they were a bit confounded at first. They thought that it was Bhojpuri music they were listening to, but could not understand the lyrics because it was in Caribbean patois!) Chatney, however, also has somewhat of a calypso/soca beat to it – a quintessence of the East Indian and West Indian concoction – fusion at its best!
The promoters of the most colourful television ad during the last West Indies-India cricket match on January 31 capitalized on the West Indian/East Indian culture fusion by showing a large group of mostly Afro West Indians dancing away Indian style to chatney type music – wooing viewers to visit Barbados. The message in the ad was very clear to the thousands of high disposable income Indians: there is Indian culture you can enjoy, and also lots of good Indian food available in Barbados. And the scheme seems to be working, since as of 07-02-07, at least 1,500 cricket fans have booked with one agency, heading to the Caribbean!
In a similar tone, Mr. David Shields, the Deputy Director of Tourism Marketing, Jamaica Tourist Board, recently stated to the Indian media, “we’re expecting at least 15,000-20,000 visitors for the World Cup. We would like India to make it to one of the semi-finals in Jamaica, so that would attract the Indian diaspora from North America. So we’re on your side!”
Mr. Green’s concern over racial equality should be commended; his comments on this topic warrant another letter. In the meanwhile, the ICC World Cup officials and the Guyana Government should have absolutely nothing to apologize for, except for not being more aggressive in promoting the East Indian/West Indian culture fusion as a marketing strategy, as the promoters for Barbados and Jamaica have done.
Yours faithfully,
Devanand Bhagwan
