Built in 1667, the Bastion Bungalow on River Road is an Indo-European building and the only remaining structure of the once extensive Dutch fortifications.
This public sculpture that represents the histories of the struggles of Africans in the Portuguese and Dutch occupied Kochi (Cochin) is displayed at the Bastion Bungalow Museum at Fort Kochi.
Three-legged drums covered with scared cloth at the dargah of Kamli Shah in Kurla, Mumbai. The drums are played during the special prayers on Thursday and on the urs.
At the chilla of Gaiban Shah Baba most of the rituals are offered according the Siddi worship tradition . Local non-Siddi Muslim devotees visit the chilla to get the blessings of the saint and to also consult with the Siddi muzawar Nazir Bai.
The mazar of the Siddi Sufi saint Kamli Shah who is believed to have performed miracles and who has the ability to interceded in the live of his devotees and solve their afflictions. The caretaker of the mazar is Amina, a Siddi woman.
The shrine dedicated to Kamli Shah in Dadar Mumbai is maintained by a Sidi family. Kamli Shah is a Siddi Sufi Saint who is believed to have come to Bombay from Maghreb, which mostly encompasses the west North Africa.
The shrine dedicated to Hazrat Gaiban Shah Pir who is a Sufi saint is managed by a local Siddi family in Kurla. Seen here is the entrance of the shrine thronged by devotees.
Two elderly Sidi residents of the African Cavalry Guard (AC Guard) locality in Hyderabad. In comparison to other parts of India, the Sidis of AC Guard are in a better place economically and socially
A general store in Barkas, a suburban locality in Hyderabad that is the home of the Hadhrami community. The store various sells food, textiles, and other commodities from the Arab world.
Seen here are women from the Sidi community in Karwar. There are few Sidi families living in Karwar and these are Sidis who had moved from small villages of Karnataka to find better job options.
Young Sidi children in the villages of Karnataka help their family with the household chores after returning from their schools. Seen here is a young girl taking care of her cow.
Sidi Athletes in the Karnataka Sports Academy, Karwar
Sidi Athletes in the Karnataka Sports Academy, Karwar
Sidi boys and girls staying at the Karnataka state sports academy at Karwar. They were shortlisted from a state-level pool of candidates and are undergoing training to be professional athletes.
Majority of the small Sidi community in Karwar, Karnataka are practicing catholics. Most of the men and women serve in the different catholic establishments in Karwar.
Loban or Frankincense, an aromatic resin with medicinal qualities burned during the Sidi ritual ceremonies. The ash is later collected and distributed to the devotees.
Devotees walking to attend the afternoon rituals at the shrine for Bava Habasah after observing the rituals to the central shrine of Bava Gor at Ratanpur in Gujarat
“Sidi Jhujhar” as he is remembered in the present, was a statesman and a general who served the last Sultan Shamsud-Din Muzaffar Shah III of the Gujarat Sultanate.
Devotees visiting the shrine of Bava Gor can in the restrooms adjacent to the shrines. People suffering from afflictions stay at these restrooms till they are cured.
Sidi women walking to the river in Shrivan to wash their clothes. The river is the main source of water for the entire village situated in the Gir National Forest.
Most of the Sidi communities in the villages of Gujarat are muslims and followers of Bava Gor. They also attend the local mosques to offer rehular prayers
The only standing remnants of this beautiful mosque built in the mid-15th century are the two exquisitely carved minarets. The structure of the mosque was destroyed in 18th century during the Maratha raid. While it is not clear whether Sidi Bashir was the patron of the mosque, what can be argued is that he played a major role in the commissioning and construction of the mosque as his tomb is seen right outside the mosque.
Most sidi men in Gir are employed as chakda riders. A chakda is a hybrid vehicle and the only mode of transportation for most of the villagers living in interior Gujarat
Aspinwall was the headquarters of a former British trading company and now this colonial building serves as the venue for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, one of Asia’s biggest contemporary art festival.
Dutch artist Gabriel Lester created this installation for the third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale to tell the histories of the enslaved Africans in Cochin (Kochi).
The sculptural installation of Kappiri created by Rigo 23 for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012. The suspended wooden sculpture narrates the treatment of Africans in Portuguese Cochin.
Portuguese artist Rigo 23’s tripartite installation Kochi Tower at an abandoned boat jetty in Fort Kochi. The installation presents the history of fraught African migration towards Kerala during the Portuguese period.
A converted auto rickshaw displayed represent the vessel of Vasco da Gama installed next to the tower that commemorates the Portuguese age of discoveries and expansion.
A hollow structure displayed to represent the Arab vessel Miri that was bombarded of the Calicut coast by the Portuguese to terrorize travelers and gain control of the Arabian Sea.
Seen here is the wooden sculpture that represent the memories of African presence in colonial Cochin (Kochi) and in the background is the tower of discoveries
The installation Kappiri Spirits (2016) is a large wooden house like structure tilted like a boat swaying in the ocean winds. The window curtains represent sails of a dhow that were used in the Indian Ocean maritime trade