Activity: Illustrated readings
Host: Moray House Trust
Date: 5th May 2024
Time: 11.00 AM Guyana
YouTube: https://youtu.be/LkKCeR1TzOU
We continue our annual series of illustrated readings to commemorate Arrival Day in Guyana.
TITLE: Lutchmee and Dilloo: a study of West Indian Life
DATE: Sunday 5th May 2024
TIME: 11.00 AM (Guyana)
YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/LkKCeR1TzOU
In 1870 John Edward Jenkins, a 32 year old barrister, was sent to British Guiana to observe and report on the system of indenture. Born in India, educated in Canada and now settled in Britain, the young barrister had earned a reputation for concern and empathy for the lives of ordinary folk. Jenkins produced what many consider the most comprehensive contemporary account of the system of indenture in a British colony, The Coolie: His Rights and Wrongs. His verdict was summarised in one sentence: ‘There is no question that the Indian system is rotten.’
Jenkins had already written a bestselling novel about a ‘derelict child’ in Britain. He decided to employ a similar tactic ‘to throw the problem of Coolie labour in our Colonies into a concrete and picturesque form.’ Thus he subsequently wrote Lutchmee and Dilloo: a study of West Indian Life to try to engage public interest on the topic in Britain. The novel is well crafted and bears witness to his close study of the conditions of indenture in the colony at the time.
In following the fate of the main characters, Lutchmee and Dilloo, we encounter some of the many challenges and hardships endured by indentured immigrants.
This is Part One of a series of illustrated readings based on the novel.
If you enjoy this recording, we suggest that you look at our previous work:
Kala Pani: https://youtu.be/U17dAhiGLu0
I am a Coolie: https://youtu.be/dUirPfa8Fjg
Girmitiyas: https://youtu.be/hUNRn7itffc