In Goa, Conference about Siddis

In January, 2006 from 9th to 11th January, I attended an International Conference about Siddis.This was a very interesting gatering because I met scholars and activists from different parts of the world who were interested in the issue of Siddis. Siddis are the African Diaspora in India and some of them have converted to Islam, some are Hindus and others are Christians. When I was in Maulana Azad National Urdu University, we had done a Project on Siddi women and had developed some good rapport with the Siddis of Hyderabad. Like the others the Hyderabad Siddi’s are also descendants of Africans from North-East and East Africa who were brought to India as slaves, soldiers or servants. As from the past most of them are stationed in A.C Guards since the time of Nizam Mahboob Khan. Some say Raja of Wanaparthty ,who ruled Mahboobnagar dist of Hyderabad had 25 African body guards who were hardworking, enduring and loyal soldiers and he presented them to the Nizam who stationed them in A.C Guards ( African Cavalry Guards). Today also this areas can be traced back to more than 100 years and many roofs of houses have British titles and workmanship. Their music, song and dance are the only links with their African past. Their ethnic identity is enshrined in daff-the small hand drum, which is their main cultural element. It is the Siddi linkage to their ancestral past and heritage. Historically daff is linked to royalty and aristocracy and they were known to have performed in Nizam’s palace during festivals and in marriages. But today it is a poor man’s musical instrument and they play it in marriages but the daff is facing challenge due to modernization and globalization and the changing taste of the people towards more techno music. Today also they have two groups of daff players, the sherri baja group- and the Daff party group. Some Sidis are keenly aware of their past, and a few remain in touch with relatives in Africa. But by and large they have lost touch with their roots and have got amalgamated to the local culture. They know for sure that their forbears came from Africa. But they have lost any knowledge of African languages, and don't know where exactly their ancestors came from or why they settled in India.They have remained on the fringes of society ever since courtesy the bigotry ingrained in India by the Varna (colour) based Case System of India. While a few Siddis are know for their sporting exploits, the vast majority barely manage exist on the outer fringes on Indian society.
Theirs is a patriarchal society with male based superiority. Majority of the Siddis in Hyderabad are Muslims and speak Urdu and Telugu. They seem to have integrated to the local culture adopting many of their ritual and practices but the local culture has really not assimilated them completely. Due to the dark skin there is a lot of discrimination among girls and there are problems in getting them married . Even the Siddi boys prefer to marry Dakhani girls who are fair skinned when compared to the Siddis. Dowry is rampant. The Siddis practice purdah very strictly and there are a lot of curbs on the mobility of the girls. Due to lack of education many of these girls are not working outside the house and spend their time at home in helping with the household work and watching T.V.