Deciding which type of project would be ideal for such a short period of time was a difficult choice. I started off with many ideas about how I would like to exhibit a number of materials on a platform that is easy to access. However, when I reviewed what I wanted to relay, I had to settle for a research proposal because rushing and minimizing my presentation would not be an effective way to relay my project’s true purpose.   

I eventually decided that for this semester, it would be ideal to work on a research proposal consisting of at least one of the materials I wanted to present. If everything goes according to plan, I  will be able to complete my archival site by the end of the Spring 2022 Semester. 

***

The overall purpose of my project is to create an exhibition using postcards to depict  the lives of indentured workers on the sugar plantations in Guyana during the time period of 1830-1930. With the help of Professors Lisa Rhody and Duncan Faherty, I decided that this would be a more honest way to display the scene of the plantations during that time, opposed to other types of artifacts, like newspapers, which may have been filtered and/or owned by the plantation owners. My exhibition will allow individuals to become more aware of the lifestyle and conditions of the sugar plantations in Guyana during that time period.  

As an American Indo-Guyanese woman, it is an honor and privilege to be given this opportunity to present a part of Guyana’s history. Many individuals I meet usually have no idea that the people of Guyana were indentured servant; even some of the Guyanese youth have no knowledge about the struggles and difficulties the Indentured workers faced after their migration from India. By presenting these postcards, I hope to create an accessible platform that will aid in understanding the lifestyle of indenture Guyanese workers during the 1800s.

This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.