The invisibility of her community is further exacerbated by the absence of an “Indo-Caribbean” category in the UK census, a void that further perpetuates their feelings of being overlooked.

Love Island’s winter season winner, Sanam Harrinanan, echoed Ally’s sentiments. In the article, the 25-year-old reality star, of mixed Indian and Trinidadian lineage, emphasizes the widespread ignorance about her Indo-Caribbean heritage.

The absence of a dedicated checkbox for her ethnicity in standard forms is a stark reminder of the erasure her community experiences.

Despire being born in Trinidad and moving to the UK at a young age, Sanam told the BBC Asian Network she did not pay much attention to her heritage until recently when she has become popular.

Public figures and their role in amplifying Indo-Caribbean visibility

Bilal Ally (Photo via Yahoo! news)

Among those striving to bridge this cultural chasm is Bilal Ally, a 22-year-old writer and musician of Guyanese descent, based in Leeds. 

As the article notes, Bilal believes in harnessing the power of music to raise awareness about Indo-Caribbean culture and history. He asserts that celebrities like Harrinanan could play a crucial role in making the Indo-Caribbean community more visible.

The Indo-Caribbean community’s origins trace back nearly two centuries, following the abolition of slavery, when British landowners relocated hundreds of thousands of Indians to their Caribbean plantations. 

Windrush narratives: Omission of Indo-Caribbean stories

The significant migration to the UK began about 75 years ago with the arrival of the ship HMT Empire Windrush, carrying 492 Caribbean passengers.

Maria Kaladeen, a historian specializing in Indo-Caribbean culture, expressed to the BBC Asian Network her concern over the persistent exclusion of the Indo-Caribbean community from narratives concerning the Windrush generation.

She emphasized the striking parallels between the experiences of the Indian Caribbean and African Caribbean individuals who migrated to the UK during the same period. Yet, the stories of the former continue to be largely untold.

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