On 5 June 1873, the Lalla Rookh, a ship that left Calcutta three month earlier, arrived in Suriname. On this ship were the first group of Hindustani indentured labourers contracted to work there. These people were shipped throughout the colonies between 1830s-1920—most under British rule, but also French and Dutch—including Trinidad, Guyana, Jamaica, Fiji, Uganda, South Africa, etc. These illiterate workers were contracted under false pretences—short and safe journey, land of milk and honey, return after 5 years—to replace the slaves on sugar plantations, etc.
The ONLY difference between #slavery and #indentureship was that the latter group got a patch of land after their contract ran out, and that's it. Same housing, same gruelling work conditions, same treatment. 1 in 6 workers in Suriname did not survive their first contract period; other places were worse.
Let's just face facts that the abolition of slavery really didn't change much.
#equality #HumanRights #history #colonialism