Arveene,
DJ/producer

I’m constantly fielding questions about my identity. Something you have to deal with when you’re non-white and have an accent that doesn’t match people’s perceptions. I have distant memories of being at boycott picket lines as a small child. Ireland is home to a reasonable South African Indian community, some of whom, like my father, were members of the ANC and were fighting the struggle from abroad. The racism they experienced in Ireland, for the most part, was mainly words and ignorance. The racism in South Africa was a more deadly variety. They didn’t fear words. They feared the regime. I remember being taken to see the film Cry Freedom and my father Raman, reading the names of his friends who had been murdered by the police in South Africa. Emotional stuff. My father watched Indian movies and played us Hindi music when we were kids. Mix that with Westmeath GAA and a Cavan Grandad (RIP Mick), who loved a ghost story about the banshee to scare the kids before bedtime. I had this amazing clash of culture growing up that I’m forever thankful of. India, South Africa and Ireland. Three places with so much in common and a rich history of tragedy, music, politics and culture.

There’s so much more to achieve to get us to a place where they don’t judge you on colour but see your colour. We should see all colour, acknowledge and embrace it for what it represents, what makes it different, unique and great. Representation is such an important thing, which we really have a lack of in Ireland. Diversity is not just about gender, it’s about non-white faces and perspectives. It means hiring culturally and across the entire spectrum of our community. But I am optimistic. We can teach our young people to be understanding, welcoming, accepting and open.

Read Part 2 of 100 Voices: #AllAgainstRacism in the current issue of Hot Press: