At the turn of the 20th century, the British took Indian indentured labourers to sugar plantations in Fiji. There, Indian women would sing “bidesia” — laments for a lost homeland. In this Chatroom, acclaimed Fijian poet-philosopher Sudesh Mishra speaks of bidesia, and about Fijian indigenous knowledge systems that place humans as part of the planetary assemblage.

Time Markers (mins: sec)

• 0:05 – Poem “The Hula Hoop”
• 1:16 – Sudesh on writing poetry during Covid
• 3:11 – Fiji’s history of indentured labour
• 3:56 – Bidesia by Saraswati Devi (Bidesia Project)
• 4:13 – Sudesh explains Bidesia, and connection with the blues
• 5:16 – Bidesia by Priyanka Kumari (Bidesia Project)
• 6:05 – Analogous to the blues
• 6:49 – Sudesh sings and explains a bidesia
• 8:23 – Western culture erases memory
• 9:15 – The con in a can of tomatoes 
• 10:37 – Fijians are returning to old ways due to Covid and climate change