INDIAN women historically and in contemporary South African society, embody a courage that is not momentary, but unwavering, and persistent. Courage that shows up loudly in the form of our most revered political activists, and also quietly, in everyday lives, lives that have experienced oppression, patriarchy, migration, forced removals, poverty, and ultimately, survival.
The phrase, “Unbowed and unbroken”, has been widely used in academic scholarship to describe people who have faced incredible challenges, yet continue to resist and persevere. This phrase aptly captures the resilience of Indian women in South Africa, who have embodied strength over the past 165 years while living in a country, that for too long, made them feel like outsiders.
Our ancestors, particularly the women who lived lives under servitude and indenture, a system akin to…
