Coolie Pink and Green

Actor: Anisa Ali

The Indian (or Asian) aesthetic in the Caribbean is an unacknowledged and well-kept secret. It has not infused itself into the geographical or cultural space as another kind of beauty or art-making that has transformed what we consider to be “Caribbean.” It is still the “other.” The film attempts to transform this perception by projecting a new way of seeing and celebrating the form, patterns, beauty and meanings of this aesthetic, as rendered primarily through religious ritual of Hinduism and the organic communication that this group has with the landscape of Trinidad. In the tradition of the Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita, Coolie Pink and Green is presented in poetry and prose, using a narrative sequence of call and response between a young girl, who is simultaneously learning and experiencing the beauty of her culture in the rituals and practices of Hinduism (Narrator 1), and an elder in her community (Narrator 2), who attempts to hold her fast in a traditional mould. The main character is sympathetic to the elder’s views, but she already lives in a culture that has mixed and exchanged many components. She must celebrate both, she has no choice. Directed by Pat Mohammed Available from CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution CaribbeanTales-Worldwide.com info@caribbeantales-worldwide.com