Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist and International Artist on Our Journey to Meet Africans in India

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The Siddi people living in India today are the descendants of enslaved Africans of centuries past. Journalist Kenneth Cooper and Lucilda Dassardo-Cooper, an American artist of Indian and African ancestry, will recall their moving experiences; his as Washington Post South Asia Bureau Chief, hers through stunning photographs. The couple traveled through the northwestern state of Gujarat, Gandhi's home, to visit the town of Talala and the nearby village of Jumbur, where residents clearly have retained aspects of their African heritage. His article, "Within South Asia, a Little Touch of India," appeared in the Washington Post on April 12, 1999.  It featured postings from New Delhi and reports of other African-descended populations, the Muslim Sheedis of Pakistan and the Catholic "kaffirs" of Sri Lanka.

Our current exhibit, Africans in India: From Slaves to Generals and Rulers, allows the Museum to continue the ongoing discussion of freedom rising and explore the history of enslavement, migration, and diverse cultural legacies of Africans in the Indian Ocean World. Join L'Merchie Frazier, MAAH's Director of Education and Interpretation, for the final guided tour through the exhibit before it closes on August 30.  Stay tuned for our next exhibit, Freedom Rising: Reading, Writing and Publishing Black Books, opening in September.

Space is limited | rsvp@maah.org | 617.725.0022 x22 | Accessible