Hinduism in Guadeloupe
Encyclopedia
History of Guadeloupe
GuadeloupeGuadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
, an island in the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and a French Department
Départements of France
The departments of France are French administrative divisions. The 101 departments form one of the three levels of local government, together with the 22 metropolitan and 5 overseas regions above them and more than 36 000 communes beneath them...
, had traditionally been a bone of contention between the French and the British. The British occupied it from 1759 to 1763. In 1763, it was restored to France in exchange for all French rights to Canada. It was finally designated as territory of France through the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1815)
Treaty of Paris of 1815, was signed on 20 November 1815 following the defeat and second abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte. In February, Napoleon had escaped from his exile on Elba; he entered Paris on 20 March, beginning the Hundred Days of his restored rule. Four days after France's defeat in the...
in 1815. It was represented in the French parliament for the first time in 1871. It became a French Department on 19 March 1946.
After the abolition of slavery in 1848, to meet a shortfall in labour, over 40,000 workers were brought from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to Guadeloupe to there for work on plantations through an agreement reached between France and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in 1861. Most of the workers came from the Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
region. The importation of Indian labour was gradually discontinued after 1883 as a result of adoption of a policy by the British Government
Politics of the United Kingdom
The politics of the United Kingdom takes place within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is the head of state and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government...
against recruitment of labour in its territories and also because of high mobility of Indian labour.
Over 10,000 of them perished as a result of difficult living and working conditions and the rest of them continued to be treated harshly till the efforts of Henri Sidambarom in 1904 gave them some political rights. It was in 1923 that Guadeloupeans of Indian descent were granted citizenship and the right to vote.
Since the cessation of migration, the history of the Indian community has been one of steady integration with the rest of the population, to the extent that there are very few Tamil speakers left on the island. However, third or fourth generation persons of Indian origin
Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
still maintain links with India in many different ways, such as adopting Indian names.
The Indian community in Guadeloupe is estimated to be approximately 40,000 in a population of over 450,000. Some of them have acceded to important posts in the public and private sectors. Dr. Henri Bangou
Henri Bangou
Henri Bangou is a politician from Guadeloupe who was elected to the French Senate in 1986 .- references :*...
held the post of Senator from Guadeloupe in the French Senate
French Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the Parliament of France, presided over by a president.The Senate enjoys less prominence than the lower house, the directly elected National Assembly; debates in the Senate tend to be less tense and generally enjoy less media coverage.-History:France's first...
. Ernest Moutoussamy
Ernest Moutoussamy
Ernest Moutoussamy, born 7 November 1941 at Saint-François , is a Tamil politician from a family of Indian origin with ancestral roots from the Indian states of Tamil Nadu or Pondicherry.-Political career:...
has been the Depute of Guadeloupe in the National Assembly of France
French National Assembly
The French National Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. The upper house is the Senate ....
.
Promotion of Indian culture
There are several associations to promote Indian cultureCulture of India
India's languages, religions, dance, music, architecture, food and customs differ from place to place within the country, but nevertheless possess a commonality....
in Guadeloupe. These associations, run by mostly people of Indian origin, are fairly active in organising cultural activities in all the principal towns, namely, Pointe-a-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre is the largest city of Guadeloupe, an overseas région and département of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a sous-préfecture, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre....
, Le Moule
Le Moule
Le Moule is the sixth-largest commune in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe. It is located on the northeast side of the island of Grande-Terre.-History:...
, Port-Louis
Port-Louis, Guadeloupe
Port-Louis is a commune in the department of Guadeloupe, on the northwest of Grande-Terre.-Geography:Some settlements are depending of the commune of Port-Louis, such as:* La Goguette-References:*...
, Capesterre-Belle-Eau
Capesterre-Belle-Eau
Capesterre-Belle-Eau is a commune in the French overseas region and department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is located in the south-east of Basse-Terre Island. Capesterre-Belle-Eau covers an area of 103.3 km² and the population as of 1999 is 19,568. The population density is 189...
and Saint-Claude
Saint-Claude
Saint-Claude or St. Claude can refer to:Canada*St. Claude, Manitoba, the largest community in the Rural Municipality of Grey*Saint-Claude, Quebec, a municipality of Le Val-Saint-François, a Municipalité régionale de comté of QuebecFrance...
. One such prominent group is ‘Association Culturelle Guadeloupeenne des Armis de L’Inde’, which has over 300 members and 2000 associates.
Cultural troupes sponsored by ICCR
Iccr
ICCR stands for:* Indian Council for Cultural Relations* The Interdisciplinary Centre for Comparative Research in the Social Sciences* Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility* International Centre for Classroom Research...
have also been visiting Guadeloupe to enable the locals to
have a glimpse of Indian cultural heritage. A 10-member Mohiniattam dance troupe led by Dr.
Kanak Rele and sponsored by ICCR visited Guadeloupe in 1999.
A Festival of Women and Cinema with India as the theme was organised in Guadeloupe in 1997.
This also coincided with workshops on Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine consists of thousands of regional cuisines which date back thousands of years. The dishes of India are characterised by the extensive use of various Indian spices, herbs, vegetables and fruit. Indian cuisine is also known for the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society...
and exhibition and sale of Indian art
Indian art
Indian Art is the visual art produced on the Indian subcontinent from about the 3rd millennium BC to modern times. To viewers schooled in the Western tradition, Indian art may seem overly ornate and sensuous; appreciation of its refinement comes only gradually, as a rule. Voluptuous feeling is...
objects. At the initiative of the Depute of Guadeloupe, Mr. Ernest Moutoussamy, a photographic exhibition on the theme ‘The World of Tomorrow & Gandhi’s Vision’ was organised in January 1997. A Festival of Indian films to be organised in Guadeloupe under the Cultural Exchange Programme has been pending consideration in the Directorate of Films Festivals, New Delhi.
The city of Basse-terre
Basse-Terre
Basse-Terre is the prefecture of Guadeloupe, an overseas region and department of France located in the Lesser Antilles...
in Guadeloupe and Pondicherry have been designated as twin cities to promote cultural links and exchanges.
Recently, 152nd birthday of the arrival of the Hindus Tamil in Guadeloupe was held. The Indian Associations in the territory are in the process of forming a committee, which will start working to realise the event.