My Book Project

I am a product of the East Indian and African diaspora’s journey to Trinidad & Tobago - a “dougla”. In my project, I seek answers to my question of belonging and un-belonging in a “Dougla Diaspora”. 

I was born in Ottawa, Ontario. My family moved back to T&T and this is where my self-discovery began. I was the “other” in Canada and then fully accepted by the country that I immigrated to as “Trinbagonian”. 

And what does it mean to be Trinbagonian? Our racial make-up is ambiguous. Growing up, I absorbed the tales about my East Indian grandparents, Black great-great-grandmother and Scottish great-great-grandfather. A DNA test revealed a somewhat different story. South Asian, Nigerian and…Finnish? There was no known wave of Finnish migration to the Caribbean. 

Rumour had it my great-great grandfather was Burmese. The DNA tests never supported this rumour. Based on my interviews with family members, who shared passenger ship manifests, the true story was revealed. The answer supports both the rumour and the DNA evidence. How could it? This project will reveal how.

The memories I will share, such as DNA discoveries, schooling and family mental illnesses, will tie into the unique historical, cultural and societal aspects of T&T and how they contribute to my ever-evolving identity.