In the storied, tropical realm of the Republic of Guyana, a unique society exists, made up mainly of Africans and Indians, both of whom were brought to this part of the world in ages past by European colonists who exploited them. The ancestors of today's Afro-Guyanese were forcibly brought to Guyana from West Africa, and the ancestors of today's Indo-Guyanese were brought as indentured laborers for the most part from Southern India.
Fast forward a couple hundred years, and Guyana is a uniquely diverse and multicultural nation. While maintaining great cultural and linguistic relations with the former British Empire, Guyana has come into its own as a nation. Politically and geographically, Guyana is part of both the Caribbean and South America, which makes it a dynamic destination for reasons of tourism and commerce.
Long considered a third world country with great potential, Guyana is coming out of its British colonizers shadow. This wouldn't have been possible without Black/Indian cooperation. Nevertheless, while the Indians and the Africans of Guyana have a power sharing agreement, this doesn't mean that racism doesn't exist. Guyana has had Afro-descended and South Asian men and women as Presidents, and for the most part, relations between the two communities are peaceful. Indeed, quite a few mixed-race people of African and Indian descent, known as the Douglas, call Guyana home.
Meet Jalil Barnes, a young Afro-Guyanese man born and raised in the City of Georgetown, Capital of the Republic of Guyana. The son of poor farmers, Jalil excelled academically, and dreamed of a life outside the Republic of Guyana. Six feet two inches tall, brawny and ruggedly handsome, Jalil definitely stood out among the many young scholars produced by the Republic of Guyana.
The young man's drive even won him the esteem of Mr. Matthew Sharma, the Director of the prestigious Cadmus Collegiate, an elite private school catering to the sons and daughters of Guyana's wealthiest people. The school was owned and operated by a group of wealthy Indo-Guyanese, and the Indians made up sixty percent of its student body. Jalil was one of its few Black students, and he recently became its first Black male Valedictorian.
When Mr. Sharma, a former Mayor of Georgetown, was appointed the Ambassador of the Republic of Guyana to Canada, he approached Jalil Barnes and his parents with a unique offer. Jalil was nineteen years old, a recent graduate of Cadmus Collegiate. Alas, the education system in the Republic of Guyana left much to be desired, and Jalil was less than impressed with the universities which were available to young people like himself, following their Collegiate studies.
"This will be a terrific opportunity for you, Jalil, in Canada, as part of the diplomatic mission, you will receive a first-rate education at a Canadian university," Mr. Sharma said enthusiastically, and Jalil, overjoyed, pleaded with his parents to accept. Although Jalil's parents, Mariam and Malik Barnes were hesitant to send their son so far from home, they relented because they wanted him to have the opportunities which they lacked.
"Take good care of my son, Mr. Sharma," said Malik Barnes, and the tall, slim and dark-skinned, silver-haired Afro-Guyanese Muslim farmer looked at the chubby, well-dressed Indo-Guyanese politician-turned-educator, then held out his hand. Nodding, Mr. Sharma shook Malik's hand, and for a brief moment, the old farmer wondered if he was sending his son out into the world like a sheep among the wolves...
"Mr. Barnes, no worries, I will treat Jalil here like he were my own," Mr. Sharma said, smiling a bit too much. Jalil Barnes shook Mr. Sharma's hand and hugged his parents. A few weeks later, Jalil Barnes and Mr. Sharma boarded a flight from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport in Georgetown, Guyana, to the MacDonald-Cartier International Airport of Ottawa, Canada. Thus began Jalil Barnes journey into a brand new world...
At first, Jalil Barnes was blown away by the sheer size and scope of Canada. Roughly eight hundred thousand souls call the Republic of Guyana home, while Canada has a population of roughly thirty six million souls. During his first few weeks in the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Jalil got himself a Presto bus pass and explored different parts of the Capital in this manner. Soon he grew confident enough to walk around on his own, getting to know his new digs, as they say...
"Excuse me, could you please tell me how to get to Carleton University?" Jalil asked a tall, brown-skinned young woman whom he saw at a bus stop on Bay Street. He'd been walking around downtown Ottawa for hours, mostly exploring, and getting lost. It was mid-August and he'd mailed his transcripts from Cadmus Collegiate in Guyana to his intended school, Carleton University. He'd gotten an acceptance letter from the Office of Admissions, but he had yet to set foot on his new campus...
"The number four bus is coming soon, it goes right to Carleton, I am waiting for it too," replied the smiling young woman, and Jalil thanked her profusely. He took a last look at the oversized map of downtown Ottawa which he'd purchased from a little shop in Chinatown, and tucked it away. While he did so, he noticed that the young woman was looking at him.
"Yes, I am new in town, I'm Jay, well, Jalil," he said, smiling faintly, and much to his surprise, the young woman returned his smile and shook his hand. Jalil took a good look at her and realized that she was of South Asian descent, but an altogether different breed from the Indo-Guyanese whom he was used to dealing with. This gal was five feet ten inches tall, athletic yet curvy, with light brown skin and golden brown eyes, and her dark hair was tucked under a bright orange turban.
"Good to meet you, Jalil, welcome to Ottawa, I'm Jagdeep Bhattal," the young turbaned woman replied, sounding very much like the white Canadians Jalil had spoken to throughout his journeys around Ottawa. Jalil nodded, and then, realized he was still holding onto her hand. Why do I do these things to myself? Jalil asked himself silently, before rectifying the situation...
"Nice to meet you Jagdeep," Jalil said hastily, and Jagdeep nodded. Awkwardly he let go, then smiled some more. Jagdeep looked at Jalil, and that's when the young woman noticed two things. Firstly, the big and tall, smiling young Black man with the funny accent was looking at her intently and standing a bit too close. Second, he wasn't bad-looking, even if a bit too 'new dude on the block' for her...