The Indian Community in Barbados.
The Indian community in Barbados is one on the increase.
The community has strived on being a close knit one, which
tend to live in large families in the city environs.
The Indian community especially the Muslims have tried to
maintain their "indianness" by adhering to religion and
culture.
The community who came to Barbados at a time when persons of
African descent were exiting plantation form of work after
hundreds of years of slavery: came to the island in order to act as
traders on the island. These Indians successfully formed businesses which
sold merchandise to the blacks.
The Indians have therefore been an important impetus to what
Barbados is as a respectable community as a whole the world
over. The Indians would travel into the black
communities who live mostly in the countryside and sell
merchandise at high prices, but allowed easy repayment
terms.
These easy replacement terms allowed many Barbadians to
acquire things such as household commodities and clothing,
which they ordinarily would not have been able to afford at
cash prices. The whole community was able to progress as a
result.
This has made the Indian community very rich powerful and
influential within the Barbadian community as they tend to
help each other in forming wealth. Indians for the most part
have isolated themselves and have shied away from direct
community service, but has chosen to do so indirectly.
The segregation by the Indian community is not healthy for
the society as a whole, because as the Indian numbers
increase it will lead to racial tensions within the society
as in neighbouring countries such as Trinidad and Tobago,
and Guyana.
Recently, many Indians have been entering Barbados from
Guyana and some of these are in the island illegally. As these
numbers increase Indians will seek to acquire more and more
of their own space in terms of places of worship, radio and
television stations. They will eventually form their own
political party which will lead to further divisions again
as depicted in Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana.
In order to combat the inevitable, what is needed in
Barbados is for the Indian community to become involved in
the wider Barbadian society and offer contributions at all
levels. If they can feel as part of the whole then there
would not exist a feeling of wanting to be a separate
entity.
Recently, the Honourable Dr. Esther Byer-Suckoo has called
on the Indian community to become more involved in the wider
Barbadian Society. this is a notion which Trivester also
supports as our Indian brothers and sisters also have a lot
to offer to this Barbadian community we all call home.
Further Info
India Honorary Consulate , Barbados
91 Cherry Drive Oxnards
Saint James
Barbados
Phone:
+1-246-4262858
+1-246-4245491
+1-246-4380108
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