The Exploration of Indian Diasporic Identity in Africa Through the

Medium of Indian Cinema

IAMCR Durban 2012Soumik Parida

Global Bollywood

• Bollywood is the signature for popular cinema of Mumbai (India). It has become a critical motto in the vocabulary of universal South Asian popular culture.

• Bollywood films are viewed in all of South Asia, Africa, South America, Eastern Europe, Russia

• TV channels in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and many other Afro-Asian countries provide a good dose of Indian cinema, often half-a-dozen films in a day

History of Indian diaspora in Africa

South Africa

• Indians have been in South Africa since 1653. • The Dutch merchants sold Indians as slaves to the then Dutch Cape colony. • Primarily laborers worked in plantations Banning of slavery (1883-1834) by

British Empire• Laborers signed 5 year bond (Kalapani)• Worked in Railways, dockyards, coalmines, municipality services and as

domestic help• Gujarati traders followed and set up shops and businesses which were very

successful• Teachers, accountants, priests, lawyers and professionals arrived, mostly from

Gujarat

History of Indian diaspora in Africa

Other Countries of Africa

• Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Nigeria

• Indian’s in other parts of Africa have been there since 1860s with the export

of over 30,000 Indians - mostly Sikhs from the Punjab - on three year

contracts to provide labor for various public works.

• Railway tracks from Kenya to Uganda.

• The Sikhs were joined by large number of free emigrants, both Hindu and

Muslims, mainly from the Gujarat coast

• Since the 1970s-80s onwards, Indian professionals began heading towards

the more flourishing countries like Botswana and Nigeria.

History of Indian diaspora in Africa

Movie poster

Indian laborers working on Railway tracks

The Cultural perspective of the Indian Diaspora

• The diverse Indian diaspora – Ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity

• Diaspora, carried with them the rich traditions of harmonizing different customs, practices, values and beliefs

• Gujarati diasporic community in south Africa has still connections with India through exchange of goods signs and symbols.

• Average Indian diaspora from middle class is distant and have no connections with Indians in India

• The true signs of ethnicity lie in local religious practices and institutions, food habits, and cultural preferences of their parents and older people.

Role of Indian Cinema

• Indian cinema reached Africa in early 1950’s

• Instant connection to India

• Even the locals adhered to these movies - because many issues like arranged marriages, struggle for independence, importance of honor, family name, morality, fight against exploitation of poor was integral to their society also

• Indian film music – Orchestra, wedding functions

• Bandiri singers, who are Hausa musicians in Nigeria, take Indian film tunes and change the words to sing songs praising Prophet Mohammed. (Larkin, 2005).

Case study

• Pilot semi in - depth interviews through skype and telephone with 12, 18-24 years old Indian diaspora youths in Kenya

Case study - 1

• Shamit Shah- Born in Kenya

- 23 years old

- Studying medicine in UK

- 3 generations in Kenya

- Loves watching Hindi movies – mostly with family

“Indian movies have brought me closer to my culture, I relate to

India more and would like to visit it one day”

“Movies like Chak De India, Gadar and Border make me feel extremely patriotic”

Case study - 2

• Anisha- Born in Kenya

- 18 years old

- Student

- 4 generations in Kenya

• ““I feel proud to be associated with India and some of the films

released do depict the inner workings of Indian society, rather than simply song and dance as people usually stereotype Bollywood.”

“

Case study - 2

• Vikram Solanki - Born in Kenya

- 21 years old

- Student

- 3 generations in Kenya

• “India is a good place to invest in and for tourism.”• “ Indian traditions and culture are portrayed through movies and I

learnt a lot about India”

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai• The movie released in SA in 1998• Initially screened in one of the small screens in

Durban• Movie released in major halls after 2 months with

subtitles.• Sold out for next 6 months• The setting of the film is completely Americanized.

The culture of rock, hip-hop attires, beach volleyball, basketball.

• The film celebrates the romantic love and clean relationship between individuals. There is no sex, no pressure and no violence.

• The movie shows India in a pure fantasy space where dirt and lower classes do not exist