An Original Scripted Episodic Series Created and Written By Taij Kumarie Moteelall
When a brutal attack by her partner on New Year's Eve shatters her world, an undocumented immigrant mother in Queens, NY, must choose between silent survival and fighting for gender justice, while navigating a tangled love triangle, uncovering dark family secrets, and ultimately healing generational trauma
Jahajees Rising is an intersectional feminist TV series that highlights the Indo-Caribbean people and culture, while championing gender, racial, and transformative justice.
Inspired by a true story, the series offers a futuristic and fictional take on NYC's first homicide in 2018, which shook a community and spurred the growth of the only Indo-Caribbean gender justice organization in the United States. Evolving from a theatrical production, staged in 2018, to an episodic series for screen, Jahajees Rising aims to transform narratives and culture, center survivors, imagine new possibilities, and embody principles that move us closer to a solidarity economy.
The Jahajees, or the Indo-Caribbean community in New York City, trace their origins to the 19th century, when their ancestors were transported as indentured laborers from India to the Caribbean. This migration, initiated to fill labor voids on sugar plantations post-slavery, led to the fusion of Indian traditions with Caribbean cultures. The term "Jahajees" comes from the Hindi word "jahaj," meaning ship. Merged with Bhai (brother) and Bahen (sister) the expression symbolized bonds of solidarity. By the late 20th century, facing political and economic challenges in their home countries, many migrated to NYC, creating vibrant communities rich in culture in areas like Richmond Hill. Today, NYC's Indo-Caribbean population exceeds 150,000, mainly with roots in Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago, enriching the city with festivals, cuisine, and art, yet they navigate unique challenges around visibility, economic and political inclusion, and gender-based violence.
Core Components of the Jahajees Rising Episodic Journey
- Cultural Resilience: Dives into the spicy Indo-Caribbean community, from Indian Indentureship to New York City's "Little Guyana."
- Narrative Revolution: Shifts culture by dispelling long standing harmful narratives & advancing new paradigms.
- Community Organizing: Showcases the strength of collective action against gender-based violence.
- Transformative Justice: Offers alternative pathways to justice, emphasizing redemption and restoration.
- Intersectional Feminism: Builds on the foundations of inclusivity, centering those most impacted by oppression.
- Healing Generational Trauma: Explores pathways toward healing deep-seated ancestral & personal trauma.
- Solidarity Economy: Incorporates principles and practices for collective well-being and community wealth-building.
- Intersectionality: Makes visible a range of identities, including women of color, gender non-binary, LGBTQIA+ and transgender to advance gender justice.
- Futurism: Leverages the power of radical imagination to call forth the future we desire and deserve.
“Break a vase, and the love that reassembles the fragments is stronger than that love which took its symmetry for granted when it was whole.” - Derek Walcott