Because is coolie mek..
Tuesday night, the 44 minibus driver and conductor were angry, they had just seen the accident involving what they said was a speeding prison van which had hit down a child. They talked abotu the torture of the 14 year old child. The driver said, Jagdeo is a good man, but that he needs to get rid of the black people from around him.. I asked which ones, they were not sure which ones or who was black around Jagdeo. (I heard a big pandit say a similar thing about Berbice officials, that Jagdeo is a good man but he dont have good people in Berbice working for him - these are 'indian' though)
The gaff turned to the torture. The bus driver said he dont understand how come people are not on the road outside the police station, he say that Demerara got too much 'black' and coolie, that in Berbice where he come from black and coolie people would come out and picket and behave bad for any child that get bun up. But that town people, they dont hold one head.
They said the black police always tormenting people. This bus driver said he works nights, he prefers the nights and he fetches 'black' passengers the conductor said that black people would be more easy in a bus than coolie people - no fuss about overloading and so on.. The driver said that in the night, when the police see that 'is black' people he carrying, they do not hassle him. One night a police man take the big gun butt and jam him in his belly when he was not wearing a shirt, and the police tell him to put on a shirt and drive safely. the driver say dat he and dem arite.
Thursday night, after the Vlissengen Road picket, I came to Regent Street with a woman to catch the bus. The minibus man asked me where I was coming from, I told him the picket outside OP. He said you 'lie' , and he said, 'you and the girl was there" in that kind of tone which said I was hussling the girl and that was why I was there. He asked what I picketing about, and I told him about the abuse of children, and the torture. And a lady at the back said, it was cruel, very cruel and that somebody should bun dem back the same way. And then the conductor said how is dey own dey bun, how could two coolie officers look at indian people and do dat. I ask them whether they think that the people who would do that care about race and whether they vex. I told them about the Friday picket outside the hospital. They did not come to the picket. In fact, not many 'Indian' people come to any of the pickets against child abuse or in this case, the torture. Maybe they busy or they friken or they think it is okay or that it cannot happen to them.
On Friday, another woman told me that is because the suspect police are Indian mek the police so keen to investigate, that when the torturers are black, the police never reveal who they are and that this is about race. I tried to explain that many of the victims of torture are black, and that the commander in chief is an Indian. The weekend before, two lawyers were in conversation about this race thing as well, prompting Demerara waves to do a note about racial unity
The gaff turned to the torture. The bus driver said he dont understand how come people are not on the road outside the police station, he say that Demerara got too much 'black' and coolie, that in Berbice where he come from black and coolie people would come out and picket and behave bad for any child that get bun up. But that town people, they dont hold one head.
They said the black police always tormenting people. This bus driver said he works nights, he prefers the nights and he fetches 'black' passengers the conductor said that black people would be more easy in a bus than coolie people - no fuss about overloading and so on.. The driver said that in the night, when the police see that 'is black' people he carrying, they do not hassle him. One night a police man take the big gun butt and jam him in his belly when he was not wearing a shirt, and the police tell him to put on a shirt and drive safely. the driver say dat he and dem arite.
Thursday night, after the Vlissengen Road picket, I came to Regent Street with a woman to catch the bus. The minibus man asked me where I was coming from, I told him the picket outside OP. He said you 'lie' , and he said, 'you and the girl was there" in that kind of tone which said I was hussling the girl and that was why I was there. He asked what I picketing about, and I told him about the abuse of children, and the torture. And a lady at the back said, it was cruel, very cruel and that somebody should bun dem back the same way. And then the conductor said how is dey own dey bun, how could two coolie officers look at indian people and do dat. I ask them whether they think that the people who would do that care about race and whether they vex. I told them about the Friday picket outside the hospital. They did not come to the picket. In fact, not many 'Indian' people come to any of the pickets against child abuse or in this case, the torture. Maybe they busy or they friken or they think it is okay or that it cannot happen to them.
On Friday, another woman told me that is because the suspect police are Indian mek the police so keen to investigate, that when the torturers are black, the police never reveal who they are and that this is about race. I tried to explain that many of the victims of torture are black, and that the commander in chief is an Indian. The weekend before, two lawyers were in conversation about this race thing as well, prompting Demerara waves to do a note about racial unity
but is like you arguing both sides...you making blanket generalization bout coolies then you link up with unity at end... which is it?
ReplyDeleteThere are no 'sides', it is a futile position in this country. In the end , we all lose out.
ReplyDeleteyou miss the pt -- you condemning one grp, then asking for unity? doesnot wrk
ReplyDeleteYou are right, it would not work if I choose to condemn 'coolies' and then call for unity. These are conversations with some people about how they feel. There are other coolies like me who would feel differently
ReplyDelete"In fact, not many 'Indian' people come to any of the pickets against child abuse or in this case, the torture. Maybe they busy or they friken or they think it is okay or that it cannot happen to them." this is a blanket statement. they might be doing dey own ting, expressing themselves outside of pickets, maybe in letters, maybe in the masjid.
ReplyDeleteu a coolie?
I have not seen any public statements about child abuse from any masjids. You are right, there could be other quieter movements outside of pickets which no one knows about.. but then if no one knows about the protests, how will things change? Silence is taken as consent?
ReplyDeleteAm I coolie? good question - I have been called coolie by many, and I have also been told that I do not reflect traditional Indian values and been called anti-Indian by many. So I not sure what that makes me..
racism: attributing tendencies of an entire community to innate or unchanging attributes. danger: racism may manifest in self-hating feelings.
ReplyDeleteV, I don't see any self-hate or condemnation of any one group. Keep sharing so we're all encouraged to do open, critical reflection before throwing charges about.
ReplyDeleteWillJ, some of speak from the perspective of liberation, some of us on the side of the oppressor, at least we know how you identify. "we're all encouraged to do open, critical reflection before throwing charges about" but where is your critical SELF reflection? and is your accusation of "charges" away of silencing criticism?
ReplyDelete