PRIME MINISTER MITCHELL TO OPEN
INDIAN DIASPORA CONFERENCE IN GRENADA

"The Indian Diaspora in Grenada and the wider Caribbean"

At the end of this month, Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell will formally open the International Conference on The Indian Diaspora in Grenada and the Wider Caribbean.

Prime Minister Mitchell is also the Minister of National Security, Public Administration, Disaster Management, Home Affairs and Implementation in Grenada. He is the longest-serving Prime Minister of Grenada, presiding in that office for over 13 years.

The weekend conference, from Friday April 29 to Sunday May 1, 2016, will commemorate the arrival of East Indians in Grenada on May 1, 1857. May 1st has been officially recognised by the Government since 2009 as Indian Arrival Day.

On that historic day, the Maidstone docked at Irwin’s Bay in St. Patrick’s with 287 passengers who were brought as indentured labourers to replace the emancipated African slaves. Over 22 years (1856 to 1878), 3,033 Indians came from India to Grenada to work on the sugarcane estates.

The Grenada conference aims to bring together academics, historians, teachers, tourism and culture workers, and other persons with an interest in the Indian Diaspora in the Caribbean to discuss their research findings. Space will be provided for less formal presentations from activists and practitioners in the field in order to contribute to the limited store of public knowledge on Indians in Grenada.

Attendance to the conference is free of charge and open to the public.

For attendance and participation in the conference, please contact

Dr Kumar Mahabir (Trinidad),
Cell: (868) 756-4961 E-mail: dmahabir@gmail.com,

Ms. Shadel Nyack Compton (Grenada),
Cell: (473) 533-9525 E-mail: Shadelcompton@gmail.com

Mr. Jai Sears (Grenada),
Cell: (473) 405-2921 E-mail: jaisears@yahoo.com

DETAILS OF THE CONFERENCE:

Weekend conference and family vacation in Grenada – 2016

Conference: The Indian Diaspora in Grenada and the wider Caribbean

Date: The weekend of Friday April 29, 2016 to Sunday May 1, 2016
                                                                                                          
Venue: Gem Holiday Beach Resort, Morne Rouge Bay, Saint Georgeʼs, Grenada, Caribbean

Conference organisers:

Indo-Caribbean Cultural Centre Co. Ltd (ICC),
Indian Cultural Organisation (Grenada) Inc., and
The Indo-Grenadian Heritage Foundation (IHF)
with support from
Belmont Estate Group of Companies, and
The High Commission of India to Trinidad and Tobago with
concurrent accreditation to Grenada, Montserrat and the Commonwealth of Dominica

The conference:

Since 1975, there has been a sporadic series of conferences on the Indian Diaspora in the Caribbean held mainly in Trinidad and Tobago. There is now a plan to organise one conference every year in various parts of the region. As recently as 2012, a conference with this focus was convened in St. Vincent; in 2013, it was held it in Suriname, in 2014, it was organized in Belize; and in 2015, two such conferences were held in Trinidad.

In 2016 (next year), there will be international conference in Grenada, beginning Friday April 29, 2016 and ending on Sunday May 1, 2016 (on the same weekend). This conference is being held to commemorate the arrival of East Indians in Grenada on May 1, 1857, which has been officially recognised by the Government since 2009 as Indian Arrival Day.

On that historic day, the Maidstone docked at Irwin’s Bay in St. Patrick’s with 287 passengers who were brought as indentured labourers to replace the emancipated African slaves. Over a period of 22 years (1856 to 1878), 3,033 Indians came from India to Grenada to work on the sugarcane estates. Mortality rates were high, both on the Middle Passage and on various estates where harsh treatment was inflicted by planters and supervisors. To offer “salvation,” Presbyterian missionaries came from Canada to educate (convert) them which resulted in the sudden disappearance of Hinduism and Islam.

However, some Hindu cultural traditions were able to survive over generations, for example,
"borgh” [death anniversaries] and the “mundan” [the shaving of a baby’s hair]. Indian cuisine has also been retained in the form of roti, curried goat and various types of tarkari [cooked vegetables]. In the African-dominated society, Indians now comprise 2% (1,700) of the total population of 105, 900 persons in Grenada. Race relations continue to be harmonious to the extent that the rate of inter-racial marriages in Grenada is the highest in the Caribbean.

Supporters: Sponsors, patrons, volunteers, exhibitors, advertisers, etc. needed

Travel and accommodation: Each participant and his/her family member/s and/or friend/s must pay for their own international travel, accommodation, meals and ground transportation.

Hotel accommodation is being subsidized at group rates. Attendees are urged to register ASAP to take advantage of these reduced rates. To make reservations, go to Gem Holiday Beach Resort, Morne Rouge Bay, Saint Georgeʼs, Grenada, Caribbean  Contact gem@spiceisle.com Tel. (473) 444 4224/ 2288 / 3267 / 5255 - 58 or 416 0330 , http://www.gembeachresort.com

Rooms can be shared to minimise the cost of accommodation. For security and convenience, all participants are advised to stay at the conference venue, Flamboyant Hotel & Villas. Participants are encouraged to invite their family members and friends for the weekend in Grenada.

Contact: Dr Kumar Mahabir in Trinidad for matters relating to abstracts, papers and presentations

Ms. Shadel Nyack Compton and
Mr. Jai Sears Tel: (473)405-2921 Cell: (473)444-4692
E-mail: jaisears@yahoo.com, jai.sears@gafsons.net for matters relating to accommodation, meals, tours, business, etc. in Grenada

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