Honouring women of indenture labour period
TO PRESERVE the history and legacy of their Indian forebears, the 1860 Indentured Labourers Foundation Verulam will host a conference themed “Woman Power – Inspiration from Indenture”.
The event will take place on November 12, at the Verulam Day and Frail Care Centre.
The foundation’s media liaison officer, Anand Jayrajh, said the main speaker would be Dr Devi Rajab, and a panel discussion would follow.
“One of our main aims is to preserve the history and heritage of the indentured labourers, who were imported from India to the then Colony of Natal, during the period 1860 to 1911,” said Jayrajh, who added that little was written and hardly any records preserved on the role of women during indenture.
“This is no small measure due to the fact that women were largely ignored and not accorded the importance they deserved.
“If one had to pause, stand back and contemplate on this vital issue, it will surely dawn upon one that there is a mighty huge lacuna in our historical narrative about the role of women in indenture.
“The purpose of the conference is to provoke debate and ignite discussion on this topic, more so in the light of the present resurgence of efforts by women to claim their rightful role and place in history, and assert their rights.”
He continued: “The history of the role of women in indenture needs to be revisited and restructured to present a far more accurate picture of their contribution to the development and progress of our country.
“The foundation hopes to set in motion a general move towards setting the records as straight as it possibly can with further investigation and research. We surely owe at least that much to our women.”
The event will start at 2.30pm. For enquiries, call Roy Rughubir on 073 490 7561.