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Society
Shaking Up the Diaspora
by Crespo Sebunya
The Indian girl Navpreet
Kaur, 22, is making history in Uganda. Her rebellion against parents who
treated her brutally, and the support she received from Black Ugandans,
has marked a turning point in the relationship between the two
communities.
Navpreet was determined to continue her education, and her parents were
determined that she should marry a man of their choice. Twice her
parents tried to arrange marriages for her, but were unable to arrange
the dowry. When Navpreet rebelled against her parents' plans, they
roughed her up and locked her away. She managed to escape, and sought
shelter in a nearby clinic where her friend's mother Ruth Kiwanuka was a
nurse. "Twice she attempted suicide by throwing herself in front of a
speeding vehicle and by taking a drug overdose," says Kiwanuka.
She attended to Navpreet before handing her over to the Uganda
Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA) - a women lawyers' collective. FIDA
then teamed up with the Indian Female Association (IFA), who helped her
get a job and accommodation. Dipali Sharma, Chairperson, IFA, says that
they are exploring the possibility of reconciliation. "If it is about
education, Navpreet could get married and still continue with her
education. Every parent wants the best for their children, after all."
FIDA, of course, disagrees with this approach, saying that forced
marriages are illegal in Uganda and that laws must take precedence over
all else.
Besides, this is not a realistic approach. Navpreet swears that she will
never go back to her parents because they are unwilling to adapt to
modern life. "These days, most Indian families in Uganda are liberated
and girls can choose the men they want to marry," she says.
Her parents - who claim Navpreet is a slow learner and does not deserve
to continue her education - blame FIDA for their daughter's rebellion.
"Ugandan laws don't affect the Indian culture of arranged marriage. So,
I have the right to choose a partner for my daughter, and being in
Uganda does not mean we should disrespect Indian culture," says Gurbax
Singh, Navpreet's father.
Navpreet's experience has led many social observers to remark on the
changing attitudes of Indian women in Uganda. Girls like Navpreet have
grown up in a more liberal environment, mingling with Black Ugandans and
absorbing their outlook and culture. Her parents' generation though
continues to remain insular, attempting to recreate Indian customs in
this far away land - often completely cut off from the many changes in
their country of origin.
Moses Seenarine, a prominent scholar and researcher, who has studied the
Indian community in Uganda, agrees that men find it difficult to face
reality. "Indian women can now control their sexuality, are able to
destabilise the Indian patriarchal system. This is evident in the
increased murder of wives by Indian men," he says. A case that gained
prominence was the murder of Reni Joshi by her husband Kooky Sharma, a
businessperson, in 1997. Women activists actively worked to ensure that
the case was taken to court, in spite of attempts by the community to
avoid the courts. Sharma is now on death row.
Seenarine also believes that the diverse professions that Indians are
now involved in - as professionals and executives - helps them develop a
broader approach than their predecessors, who were shopkeepers and were
seen as money-minded.
The extreme insularity of the Indian population has led to much
resentment.
In fact, when Idi Amin, the then president, expelled 80,000 Indians,
accusing them of "milking a cow without feeding it", he was widely
applauded. "A vast majority of these people had never thought of Uganda
as a home. But when they were heartlessly ousted, many cried bitterly
for this homeland," recalls Jameela Siddiq, a freelance broadcaster and
writer, who was a student during that era.
When they were later allowed to return, the Indian community had learnt
a lesson and decided to open up. In fact, some, like Karim Hirji, a
highly successful Indian entrepreneur, married an African. Another
millionaire, Muhammed Thoban is now a minister in Buganda (the largest
of the traditional Ugandan kingdoms) and has even been accepted in one
of the kingdom's 52 clans.
Ugandan Blacks, on their part, are also beginning to appreciate Indian
culture. The traditional sari has become a fashion statement, and Indian
cuisine, music and movies are also highly popular.
Murtuaxa Dalal, Chairperson of the Indian Association of Uganda, thinks
there are still some rough edges that need to be streamlined, but he
thinks it can be done. "Generally, we are accepted here in spite of the
small pockets of distrust."
In an increasingly cosmopolitan society, Ugandan women activists are
also involving themselves with the problems of Indian women like
Navpreet. "It is unfortunate that the Indian community allows young
persons to go through harrowing experiences like Navpreet's. Even when
the woman reports the case, the community still tends to shield the
culprits," says Jackie Asiimwe, a lawyer and women's rights activist.
She stresses that while cultural norms have their place, the law of the
land should take precedence over all else. "Ugandan laws make forced
marriages a crime," she points out, adding that law enforcers should
ensure that there is a system in place that is deterrent enough.
Atuki Turner, the Africa Domestic Violence Coordinator for Amnesty
International, says that Navpreet's experience will help reflect on the
urgent need to pass the Domestic Relations Bill, which attempts to take
in modern reality in the institution of marriage. It criminalizes forced
marriages and marital rape and recognizes long-term cohabitation. "It
has been on the shelves since 1998 and has not been passed. This Bill
should be the starting point for women to advocate laws on domestic
violence," says Turner. She also believes that the Bill should be
thoroughly examined to reflect the dynamics of religious and cultural
beliefs.
However, Deepa Verma Jivram, an Indian lawyer and columnist for the
Monitor newspaper, cautions that unless the Bill is clear on its
definition of customs and its view on customary marriages, it will not
be a complete answer to the problem. "Only when this is done can
activists declare that dowry is outlawed."
April 2, 2006
By arrangement with
Women's Feature Service
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| Society
The Week of April 2, 2006
In Indira's Footsteps: Will History Repeat Itself?
by Rajinder Puri
Wardrobe Malfunction - of Splits, Slips and More!
by Usha Kakkar
Weakness & Selfishness – Reluctant Parents of Virtue
by Gaurang Bhatt, MD
Freedom by Naira Yaqoob
How to Overcome Failure? by Sugandha
Indulkar
The First Line of Defense by Michael Levy
Helping Your Unpopular Child by Garima
Gupta
Is Your 8 - 10 Year Old Crazy? by Gary
Direnfeld
Why do we have Kids! by Meera Chowdhry
Child out of School is a Laborer by Malvika
Kaul
The Water Bridge A Short Story by NS Murty
And, The Bell Rang A Story by Raghvendra Singh
Saving our Life-Support System by William C.
Gladish
Will the Creation of One World Solve the Problems
of Today? by TA Ramesh
Neo Imperialism at its Best by Tahir Raj
Bhasin
Homeopathy: In a Realm of Its Own by
Rajgopal Nidamboor
The Homeopathic Treatment of Asthma by Dr.
Muneeb Faraaz
The Omega 3 Code by Neeta Lal
Risky Reconstruction & Breast Cancer by Elayne
Clift
Human Rights and Criminal Justice System by
Dr. Shanker Adawal
Panch-Kanya: The Five Virgins of Indian Epics
by Dr. Prema Nandakumar
Bheel Mahabharata: Kunti and the Birth of the Sun
God's Child by Satya Chaitanya
Sadaat Hasan Manto : A Profile compiled by
Aparna Chatterjee
Tamil Nadu, Here I Come! by Usha Kakkar
Mothers Without Strings by Tripat Kaur
Shaking Up the Diaspora by Crespo Sebunya
Looking Through Water by Darryl D'Monte
One Woman Army : A Profile of Zakia Arshad
Epic Adventure by Anjum Wasim Dar
Crowning Glory: An Interview with Manoj Bajpai
by MH Ahsan
Pakistan Calling: An Interview with Akbar Khan
by MH Ahsan
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