Sidi Music in the Indian Ocean Diaspora

74 mins | English with some English Subtitles | 2003

The African-Indian Sidis of Gujarat practice a unique strand of Sufism. Followers of the 14th century Rifa’i Sufi Saint, Bava Gor, and his disciples Bava Habash and Mai Mishra, Gujarati Sidis invoke Sidi Goma and Sidi Dhamal music and dance as fundamental ritual healing and social practices. Sidis of Karnataka follow various Christian, Hindu, and Muslim paths with their own music and dance traditions. 

In From Africa to India: Sidi Music in the Indian Ocean Diaspora, and its sequel The Sidi Malunga Project: Rejuvenating the African Musical Bow in India, UCLA ethnomusicologists Amy Catlin-Jairazbhoy and Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy trace the role of music in Sidi identity in Gujarat, Karnataka, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. 

Professor Catlin-Jairazbhoy has been working with the Sidi community in Gujarat for more than 25 years. In 2002 she organized the “Sidis at the Millennium” conference where 400 Gujarati Sidis and several international scholars gathered at the Rajpipla Palace in Narmada. Juje Siddi from Karnataka, who plans to attend this screening with other local Siddis, was a participant in the conference.  

The research was conducted with Amy’s Senior Fellowship from the American Institute of Indian Studies, and is archived in their Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology (ARCE) in Gurgaon, Haryana. At the request of the Sidi community, she co-directed the Sidi Literacy Project (2015-2024), and currently co-directs the Sidi Cultural Centre Project in Bharuch (2024-) again with Sonal Mehta of Eklavya (Ahmedabad) and Professor Beheroze Shroff (University of California at Irvine). She looks forward to introducing this project after the screening during discussion with the audience.

The screening of the film will be followed by a conversation with the filmmaker.