African tribe, long marginalised in India, seeks sporting glory

Siddis are believed to have descended from Bantu peoples of sub-Saharan Africa and mostly live on India’s western coast.

Rohit Majgul has weathered racism and rejection in India as part of a marginalised community tracing its roots back to Africa – but he still dreams of bringing sporting glory to his country. The 16-year-old is part of a group of teens practising martial arts in a sun-baked field near Jambur village in India’s western state of Gujarat’s Junagadh district, where his parents work as manual labourers. Growing up around open drains and swarms of flies in the remote village, he and other members of the local Siddi community have been abused for their distinctive dark features and curly hair.