This film is part of Free
Coolie Dance
An intriguing film capturing a group of women dancing together to a vibrant beat as the men drum the dhols
Overview
In what appears to be a village setting, a group of women gather, bejeweled and dressed in their finest clothes, to dance rhythmically to the beat of dhol drums played by their village men. Focused and intent, the group move round and round in circles. It’s difficult to know where this film was shot and why it is called ‘Coolie Dance’.
‘Coolie’ is a term steeped in colonial history. Highly stigmatised, it was used to define people on the margins of society, working as low paid, manual, unskilled labour in India and beyond; people of Indian and Chinese descent formed the cheap indentured labour forces that were sent out across the British Empire. Only in recent history has the Indian government redefined the role of coolies at train stations in order to redress the daily prejudice and stigma these people endured. Tejinder Jouhal
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