I thought that it was ARRIVAL Day and not Indian Arrival Day, and the fact that there is involvement of the Chinese is evidence of this. 

The day is meant to commemorate the arrival of the groups which arrived after slavery ended.  In fact Africans were also among these groups.

There were quite a lot of debates about whether it should be "Arrival Day" or "Indian Arrival Day" . Eventually, the PPP, fearful that the Blackman would call them racist gave in and dropped the "Indian". That being said, I am getting a little sick and tired of how this day/month is being celebrated. Too much emphasis is being given to the "song and dance" aspect of this celebration. While I have nothing against it, because singing and dancing is part of our culture, I would like to see an EDUCATION component built in to the programs. Our children and others need to know about our history,  the struggles and sacrifices, pains and sufferings etc. that our forefathers faced on a daily basis. By excluding this component, I have to ask this question- Have we arrived? Trees have roots and rivers have sources - If we don't know from where we came, we don't know where we are going.

Dondadda posted:

. Our children and others need to know about our history,  

 

Whose history? Indians only?  Or the full range of peoples who arrived after 1838, inclusive of Africans who didn't arrive as slaves?

caribny posted:

Dondadda posted:

. Our children and others need to know about our history,  

 

Whose history? Indians only?  Or the full range of peoples who arrived after 1838, inclusive of Africans who didn't arrive as slaves?

I have no problems with blackman or for that matter any other race being educated in their history. But that is for Black people to do, because they know their history well. As a matter of fact, black people know more about their history than Indians do. They have education built in to Black History Month, Emancipation Day etc. and yes they do have their song and dance too. However, all he Organizers of Indian Events know to do is the "Sing and dance" thing. They need to get their head out of their ass. Ask a an ordinary Indian child to tell you the name of the first indentured immigrant that stepped foot in Guyana from the SS Whitby in 1838, and hear the answer. It is so pathethic!

History of a country has no ethnic separation.

It may be compartmentalize on specific issues, yet they are all historical events.

I am heading out to India, DG. I am looking to buy a Bunglow as my vacation home. I forget where Guyana is located.

Cobra, perhaps we will meet in India.  I will be staying in city about an hour's drive from the Taj Mahal.

By the way, Guyana is in South America.   

Dondadda posted:

There were quite a lot of debates about whether it should be "Arrival Day" or "Indian Arrival Day" . Eventually, the PPP, fearful that the Blackman would call them racist gave in and dropped the "Indian". That being said, I am getting a little sick and tired of how this day/month is being celebrated. Too much emphasis is being given to the "song and dance" aspect of this celebration. While I have nothing against it, because singing and dancing is part of our culture, I would like to see an EDUCATION component built in to the programs. Our children and others need to know about our history,  the struggles and sacrifices, pains and sufferings etc. that our forefathers faced on a daily basis. By excluding this component, I have to ask this question- Have we arrived? Trees have roots and rivers have sources - If we don't know from where we came, we don't know where we are going.

 

Well said uncle Daddo.

caribny posted:

I thought that it was ARRIVAL Day and not Indian Arrival Day, and the fact that there is involvement of the Chinese is evidence of this. 

The day is meant to commemorate the arrival of the groups which arrived after slavery ended.  In fact Africans were also among these groups.

The East Indians should have their arrival day with traditional songs and dress. You can celebrate with the Chinese on their arrival day when you can take to the streets like a drunk 16th century Englishman Pirate then wine high and wine low with the rum bottle in your racist hand.

Demerara_Guy posted:

Cobra, perhaps we will meet in India.  I will be staying in city about an hour's drive from the Taj Mahal.

By the way, Guyana is in South America.   

I was hoping you wouldn't remind me where Guyana is located.  however, I am very serious about India. This year I am going there to seek the possibility. BTW, Rajesh Khanna home is vacant.  

Dondadda posted:

 

I have no problems with blackman or for that matter any other race being educated in their history. !

Given that Africans, East Indians, Chinese, and the Portuguese all impacted each other, and had to operate within the context of the British colonial system, there is no separate "ethnic" history.

You cannot tell the history of the East Indians without having a context.  And that context is the fact that the colonial administration and planters wished to thwart the struggles of the Africans.  In addition the Chinese and Portuguese fled the cane fields, and the African indentures and the West Indian migrants integrated into the local creole black population.  So a more controllable source of labor was needed.

So pray tell how can an East Indian understand their history if they are ignorant of the histories of other groups?  That is like me learning Afro Caribbean history, but not being told about the colonial systems that dominated the Caribbean for over 4 centuries.

ian posted:

Dondadda posted:

There were quite a lot of debates about whether it should be "Arrival Day" or "Indian Arrival Day" . Eventually, the PPP, fearful that the Blackman would call them racist gave in and dropped the "Indian". That being said, I am getting a little sick and tired of how this day/month is being celebrated. Too much emphasis is being given to the "song and dance" aspect of this celebration. While I have nothing against it, because singing and dancing is part of our culture, I would like to see an EDUCATION component built in to the programs. Our children and others need to know about our history,  the struggles and sacrifices, pains and sufferings etc. that our forefathers faced on a daily basis. By excluding this component, I have to ask this question- Have we arrived? Trees have roots and rivers have sources - If we don't know from where we came, we don't know where we are going.

 

Well said uncle Daddo.

Maybe if you departed for India you wouldn't have to learn pesky things that the history of GUYANA. 

But even in India you will need to know something of the British Raj, and Queen Victoria.  In fact that pretty much explains why your ancestors found themselves in Guyana in the first place.  If the British didn't destroy much of the economic base of the Indian masses, they would have had no reason to leave.

Prashad posted:

 drunk 16th century Englishman Pirate then wine high and wine low with the rum bottle in your racist hand.

I will leave that for you, given that the most avid consumers of cheap rum are folks like you.

Indeed it is YOUR folks who most often can be seen crawling drunk and landing in the ditches of Rose Hall, and the gutters of RH.

Dondadda posted:

. Ask a an ordinary Indian child to tell you the name of the first indentured immigrant that stepped foot in Guyana from the SS Whitby in 1838, and hear the answer. It is so pathethic!

Given that the arrival of East Indians greatly transformed Guyana, and not just for Indians, don't you think that this is something that African, mixed, Chinese, Portuguese (the few who remain) and Amerindian kids should also know?

Do you know that there are more East Indians living in Region 4, where they are outnumbered by Africans, than in Region 6?  So East Indians also need ti be knowledgeable of the history of other ethnicities in Guyana.

IAD in Richmond Hill?

Demerara_Guy posted:

History of a country has no ethnic separation.

It may be compartmentalize on specific issues, yet they are all historical events.

Exactly.  I agree that one can look at the history of East Indians in Guyana, but one cannot view this in isolation to the overall history of Guyana, or that of other ethnic groups in Guyana.

So the notion that "ahbe can learn ahbe history, and leff blackman to learn his" is pure nonsense.  The arrival of the Whitby didn't just involve Indians.

Cobra posted:

Demerara_Guy posted:

Cobra, perhaps we will meet in India.  I will be staying in city about an hour's drive from the Taj Mahal.

By the way, Guyana is in South America.   

I was hoping you wouldn't remind me where Guyana is located.  however, I am very serious about India. This year I am going there to seek the possibility. BTW, Rajesh Khanna home is vacant.  

I agree you should head out there, shitting in the streets will be a perfect fit for you.