Healing the Wounds of History: South African Indian Writing‪.‬

A feature of the post-apartheid literary scene is the way the history of earlier times and of groups which were previously silent is being recalled and recounted. As part of this 'memory work' the history of Indian indenture in South Africa has emerged as a potent theme for both historians and writers of fiction. This history is being reclaimed and is being recognised as an intrinsic component of any South African narrative. A definition of South African 'Indians'--the term has persisted almost 150 years after the arrival of the first indentured labourers from India in 1860, and will be used in this essay--may be helpful to non-South Africans, and even to South Africans who live outside of KwaZulu-Natal. Like many terms used to designate population groups, it is inexact. A considerable proportion of the slave population brought to South Africa between 1653 and 1808 was of Indian origin, and after the final abolition of slavery in 1838 their descendants were absorbed into what is now known as the 'Cape coloured' group. With these people I am not concerned here.