Celebrating 162nd Anniversary of the first arrival of Indian indentured workers in Natal

Fresh out of the stable of heritage publisher Micromega is The Indian Africans written by Paul David, Ranjith Choonilall, Kiru Naidoo and Selvan Naidoo. The lavishly illustrated 374 page book launches on 16 November 2022 to mark the 162nd anniversary of the first arrival of Indian indentured workers in colonial Natal aboard the SS Truro. "What really sets this book apart is that it shows for the very first time actual photographs taken on board indenture ships," says publisher Anivesh Singh.

Indentured workers are no longer just a mass of anonymous data in the archives. Curator of the 1860 Heritage Centre, Selvan Naidoo, was able to secure the diaries, scrapbooks and photographs of Captain Max de Gruyter who commanded several voyages of the SS Umona between the Indian sub-continent and Port Natal. Naidoo described the find as "mindblowing" enabling researchers to work on tying ship records to actual names and perhaps even faces. He paid tribute to De Gruyter's grandson Stewart Fairbairn in Australia for generously sharing this priceless material over an extended period of correspondence.
The project's lead author and originator, struggle stalwart, Paul David passed away in 2020. Co-author, Ranjith Choonilall, President of the 1860 Pioneers Foundation, saluted David for planting the seed "so that the collective story of the struggle for a free South Africa is not forgotten or erased from history".

David prodded the #1860Project to "reflect on Indian indenture in South Africa and to tell that story within the richer tapestry of deepening non-racialism and highlighting the collective contribution of our various communities in the building of our country". The authors also took on the challenge from the activist photographer, archivist and artist, Omar Badsha, to look at this history through African eyes.

In the foreword, David's niece Zandile Qono says: "This book is a verse in a longer story. Its title is provocative. It forces us to see ourselves differently, from within and from without. As another great poet, Bob Marley, urged us, we must sing these songs of freedom." Reflecting on the shorter narratives and deep captions accompanying the hundreds of rare photographs, co-author Kiru Naidoo added: "The idea was to document in light reading and selected images the lived experience – social, political, economic, cultural and spiritual - of a community defined by the vagaries of history yet evolving in diverse directions."

The national book tour starts in Durban and extends across the country during November and December. A further launch programme on Saturday, 26 November at the KwaZulu-Natal Museum in Pietermaritzburg will honour the arrivals on the second ship, SS Belvedere, which reach Natal ten days after the Truro. The book is available online at https://www.madein durban.co.za for countrywide delivery. Enquiries may be directed to Anivesh Singh on 0837781991.