ABSTRACT
After three centuries of exporting African slaves to the Americas, Britain created a new system of slavery known as the 'indenture labour' system. This new form of slavery lasted for ninety years, and it allowed the British to recruit thousands of Indians to go and work on Britain's former slave plantations and other colonies for a pittance. Although the indenture labour system was legally terminated in 1920, the recruitment of Indian labourers by the British colonials continued for several decades. Often only the men went, with hopes of a better future for themselves and their loved ones. One of these men was my grandfather who went in search of employment from Gujerat to East Africa. After some years, he was followed by his son, my father, who also left his small family behind him in India. A decade later, my mother and two brothers joined my father. My two sisters and I were born in Kenya.
