Category: Weekly Responses submissions

3/23, 3/25

Readings:

1. “Voices From Home and Abroad: NYC’s Indo-Caribbean Media”
2. “Fiwi TV: Ethnic Media and the West Indian Diaspora”

These articles discussed the role media plays in keeping Indo-Caribbean migrants in New York City connected to their homeland. This homeland could be interpreted as either the Caribbean (ex. Trinidad) or their ethnic origins (ex. India or Africa). Indo-Caribbean immigrants are interesting because of their “twice migrant” status. They migrated first from their home country (South Asia or Africa) to the Caribbean, and then from there to the US. Their transnational identity thus connects them to both the Caribbean and their ethnic homes.

This creates a separation that can be seen in the media. Certain radio programs or shows are only geared towards Indo-Caribbean migrants, while some are geared towards African and other Black Caribbean migrants. Although sharing a common migration pattern from the Caribbean, these two groups still remain largely separate even in their geographic niches in New York City. Queens, is mainly occupied by Caribbean migrants of East Indian descent while those of African descent reside in Brooklyn. This was really interesting because each group keeps their cultural characteristics from their ethnic homes. Radio shows geared to this population acknowledge Islamic, Hindu, and Christian holidays, which were all observed in combination back in the Caribbean.  A point that I found relatable was that the answer to the question “Who are you?” or “What are you?” could be answered in 3 different ways. Your answer could be based on your nationality, ethnicity, or religion, each giving you a different background.

The second article focused on the Caribbean International Network (CIN) which has garnered a growing audience with the help of technological advancements. The improvement of technology has expedited the process of globalization which also facilitated communication between those living abroad and those back at home. Indo-Caribbean migrants would connect back home through radio shows or other personal methods such as online chatting or a phone call. This connection creates an awareness of both New York and the situation back in the Caribbean.  The political influence of those no longer living in the Caribbean remains strong because of this as we mentioned in class, with candidates campaigning here as well as back in the Caribbean. As mentioned in Kamille Gentles-Peart’s article, this allowed immigrants to quickly become accustomed to new culture in the US while still being connected to the one back home.

The connection Indo-Caribbeans had to both their ethnic homes and the Caribbean through the media reminded me of my own parents and grandparents. Every week, my parents would bring home Chinese newspapers that detailed both local news in New York as well as what was going on back in mainland China. Although we had cable, I would also frequently see Chinese channels playing on the TV which was connected from a different router box of sorts purchased from a Chinese vendor. This desire to remain connected to our ethnic homes is a commonality that can be seen in many immigrant households.

 

Sarafina Lin

Information and culture of individuals travel in a plethora of ways. This article by Leela Tanikella discusses the causes and importance of Indo-Caribbean relationships to New York City, and how their culture found its way there through the media and other venues. The Indo-Caribbean ritual event of Hosay, which is a celebration ritual that originated in Trinidad, has even found its way to New York and India. Another important utilization of the media by Indo-Caribbean’s in NYC was the capability to allow individuals to talk with their families over country borders, where otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to. Indo-Caribbean news stations such as WWRL 1600 AM served as a link between NYC and the people and culture of the Caribbean. Culture was also spread through free newspapers such as the Carib Sun, and Caribbean daylight, which allowed the triple diasporic people of NYC to keep up with the culture and politics of their homeland. Another emphasis of the article were the names of these articles, which seemed to highlight its diasporic and transnationalistic attitude. These titles give insight to these article’s contents, which was a political focus on not merely NYC or the Caribbean, but to its transnational and diasporic roots. While this allows for a greater transnational connection between New Yorkers with Caribbean descent, and their homes and families back in the Caribbean, it also fosters the echo-chamber of opinions commonly felt among people of similar backgrounds. Although important for understanding it as a whole, the triple diaspora felt by many Indo-Caribbean’s living in New York is not the whole story of the complex transnational culture between New York and the Caribbean.

The first article, “Voices from Home and Abroad,” by Leela Tanikella, focuses on the use of media to create communities for people who have a history of multiple diasporic movement. The article specifically focuses on the media created for Indo-Caribbean people in Queens, New York, which allows them to create a community and bond among themselves in a city that is extremely diverse. These forms of media, whether it be print or electronic, help people who identify with the multiple diasporic history of the Indo-Caribbean people to separate themselves from being categorized as an Indian or Afro-Caribbean. Rather, these medias cater towards the culture, language, history, and current events that are taking place regarding the people who share the history of ancestors moving from India, to the Caribbean, and finally, to other places, such as New York, or Canada. It allows the Indo-Caribbean families that have settled in New York, or other places, to be able to connect with what is going on in their other homes, such as Guyana, Trinidad, Tobago, and India. Some of these programs and forms of media that allow for the creation of transnational identities include radio shows like Bhawanie Singh Sunday Night Show, and newspapers like the Caribbean New Yorker. While these medias help to bring these people together, it also divides people of Caribbean descent by particularly catering to specific movements of one group of people in the very diverse lands of the Caribbean. Another important takeaway from this article is that these medias help promote Indo-Caribbean political agendas, which further helps Indo-Caribbean immigrants in New York to stay connected and up to date with what is going on with their communities outside the borders of New York and the United States.

The second article, “‘Fiwi TV’: Ethnic Media and the West Indian Diaspora,” by Kamille Gentles-Peart focuses on the effect of media on the Caribbean diaspora in New York City, similar to the first article. However, this one focuses more on televised programs and how they allow for Caribbean immigrants to keep their place within the broader Caribbean community. An interesting note made by the author here is that there is an assumption that many of these broadcast programs are created in the diasporic communities in order to address the community’s cultural and societal needs, and that these programs are mostly non-profit, when in reality, most of these programs are made in the immigrants’ homeland and are commercialized. This note is important because it highlights the way immigrants are able to create transnational communities without borders, as well as how the homelands are able to benefit from immigrants participating in the community without being there physically. This article also mentions that these programs help with the immigrants’ assimilation into the culture in New York City by promoting the social and modern standards of the new homes they found overseas. Although these programs support assimilation, they also try to keep their audiences connected to the cultural and political scene of their homelands. For instance, CIN, or the Caribbean International Network, which is a program available throughout New York City, as well as in New Jersey and Connecticut, “…supports social, cultural, and educational programs in the Caribbean as well as New York City, and endorses elected officials in the United States who promote the interests of the Caribbean community,” (Gentles-Peart, 605). This program proved to be very popular and significant in the immigrant community because of its relevance to immigrant lives in New York, who look to stay up to date with their transnational identities, as well as build a better foundation and connection between Caribbean people currently living in the United States. The business side of CIN is also significant in the broader Caribbean community. The program’s need for sponsors and advertisements in order to fund it allow for immigrants to be directly connected to business in the Caribbean, while also benefitting from the business itself by being connected and informed. In the end, however, CIN’s most important implication is its power to unify Caribbean people living within and outside of its borders, even if it supports certain hierarchies, such as its privileging of Jamaica due to most of the programs on it being made by Jamaicans.

-Isljam Purisic