Diaspora of the mutating marigolds

Silently mutating marigolds You are a pioneer in foreign fields blessed and cursed to till this earth discarded beauty on roadside hills naturalised with artificial worth

THE journey of marigolds is intriguing and contested, not unlike our diasporic tale. Yet, undeniably, the Tagetes marigold is pervasive in Indian rituals globally, conquering evolution as genes change to express new ways of being to brave new environments.

As our population persists, mutations are inevitable. But in our survivalist and wary community, a paradox emerges in which certain mutations are silenced, and unconscious tradition and orthodoxy (which, for me, differs from tradition that is consciously enacted to nourish one’s soul) is revered and perpetuated.

And in the silence of these mutations, bearing environmental pressure, we risk stagnation and disease.

Why are we still going on about indenture?

Surely, by now, we should know this story. But we are never done with it, at least, not until we understand it deeply within ourselves.

As much as attention is drawn to the suffering and challenges of the indentured labourers, there is also a subtle invitation for the present community to appreciate the trauma we collectively carry – our ancestral or intergenerational trauma – which has remained largely tangled and unaddressed.

This is not to disregard the extensive and vital literature on the topic that begins the diagnosis of this trauma, snowballing mental illness and societal isolation. However, this operates primarily within the mind’s intelligence, accessible to only a stratum of diasporic descendants.

There is a gap in which the heart and spirit’s intelligences are neglected, indicated by our unresponsiveness to the story of indenture or by the academic arguments on the minutiae of events. Consequently, we tread the surface of our existence, unwilling or unable to tackle the entangled roots of our indenture.

Engaging the heart and spirit’s intelligence

The performing classical arts have a significant role in activating heart and spirit intelligence. As Indian descendants, we have kept semblances of these forms active in our communities. Yet, a major trend persists that is a symptom of this unresponsiveness to our legacy of trauma (or trauma of legacy).

In South Africa, a proclivity remains towards restrictive orthodoxy in which we are expected to regurgitate stories that have become far removed from our experience.

This is not to say we should not be re-enacting the stories of the gods, but that we should, firstly, not do so unconsciously, and, secondly, explore these deeper to understand how they may facilitate intergenerational and present healing, transformation, and transcendence.

Of course, we could also write new stories and reimagine flawed gods as our ancestors and as ourselves. A few productions have indicated the value of such innate exploration to me, such as Flatfoot Dance Company’s Bhakti or John Newell’s Hebridean Treasure.

We do have a handful of classical-integrating-contemporary artists in South Africa trying to steer into this new and uncharted direction. However, without the platforms (including our communities and institutions) to do so, many are forced back into convention or exhaustion.

They are silenced in their transformations that could shift the plane of ancestral or intergenerational healing that our communities (at various levels) need. We are marigolds suppressing an innovative vibrancy merely because of entrenched and unquestioned expectation.

Mutation through crossing-over

To produce novelty, genes cross over between the chromosomes of an organism.

Through the spread of indentured labour, the world is blooming with marigolds, all slightly different to their originals.

This offers immense opportunity to gain insight from other diasporic populations who have been tackling their indentured history through performing arts and literature, such as the Sarnami Hindostanen (Surinamese people descended from Indian indenture), allowing for a cross-fertilisation of ideas and an awakening of healing through empathy.

Artistes in South Africa have tried to promote this cross-fertilisation, but sustained effort has been difficult.

The South African Indian Dance Alliance conference (2020) was pivotal in turning my own thoughts.

It was the first time I encountered such a breadth and volume of Indian diaspora dancers. By listening to their challenges and successes, we were able to better understand our own journeys.

Un-silencing our mutations

If our advancement appears straightforward, then, it risks a superficial approach to solving this complicated problem of histories and healing.

Change to our interior spaces is inevitable, and eventually, mutations will no longer be silent; whether they are lethal or beneficial remains entirely in the hands of those holding the space right now.

Should we fear that our evolution will erase the links to our past?

Warily, I would say that such fear risks a cancerous decay of our being.

Evolution should perhaps, then, not be looked upon as a disregard for our indentured past, but as an honouring of the pioneers who crossed over and began this process of transformation.