This project is about commemorating the evolution of the indentured labourer system in the form of a week of Girmit Exhibition in Wellington. Girmit is a term used for the Indian-indentured labouring period in Fiji. It’s been 100 years since this slavery system stopped. This project will create a timeline for those 100 years. Through a week-long exhibition, it will display objects and stories of the labourers, the ancestors of a large Fiji-Indian diaspora population that currently lives in NZ and spread across the globe.

This project will equip NZ-based Fiji-Indians to re-connect with their resilient nature which can be beneficial during this COVID situation. The key benefit of this event is RECONNECTING, RECLAIMING and RESTORING Girmit history by REMEMBERING, CELEBRATING and ADVOCATING Fijian Indian heritage, identity & diaspora.

If successful, this event will realise the following benefits/outcomes:

• Outcome 1: create awareness (empowering people through education)

• Outcome 2: give momentum to Girmit history by sustaining knowledge. This exhibition will help develop further educational materials like poetry book, videos, calendars, photo books etc for the younger generation

• Outcome 3: rekindle in the younger people to take pride in their history

• Outcome 4: re-connection with resilience. This COVID pandemic has reminded the Fiji-Indian community about the harder times our ancestors had during the Girmit period. This resilience has been diluted over the time with better lifestyles. This is an opportunity to remember and reconnect how resilient our community is.

This year also marks 50 years of Fiji’s independence on 10 October. The Girmitiyas played a critical role in shaping Fiji. Having this event the weekend before the 50th Fiji Day is a fitting platform to celebrating Fiji’s milestone independence anniversary.

– by Kashmir Kaur, Project Lead, Fiji Girmit Exhibition: 100 years of reflections