We are very thankful to be a part of PlayLa.bZ and Nutkhut’s new immersive online arts and heritage project and 360° experience, Girmit, which aims to educate, raise awareness and facilitate open conversations around indentured labor, an unspoken part of history.
Girmit focuses on a legitimate but forced mass migration and labor system put in place by British and European powers between 1870 and 1920, the indentured labor system.
After slavery was abolished in 1833, the British and other European powers started the indenture system to source cheap labor for their colonies. Over 60,000 Indians were transported to Fiji between 1870 and 1920 as part of a legitimate but enforced mass migration.
Nutkhut artistic director Ajay Chhabra is deeply connected to the story of indentured labor as his grandfather, Laali Maharaj unwittingly became an indentured laborer sent to Fiji, a land 7,000 miles away from his home at the tender age of 14.
It’s time to show the wider public what impact this system had on those laborers and their families and how this has impacted generations. The team behind Girmit are deeply committed to highlighting this forgotten history and helping to open conversations and eyes around what happened during this period of history.
The project recently premiered at the first-ever virtual Mozilla Festival. All Girmit activities and experiences are now available at https://girmit.world/. This is a free-to-access hub, that everyone and anyone can view and explore online forever.
For further information on Girmit, please visit: https://www.nutkhut.co.uk/projects/girmit