Jane Thakoordin: “It’s taken me a long time to swim in that ocean of mixedness”
The artist on contextualising her heritage, being proudly other and Guyana’s diverse communities
Hi, welcome back to Mixed Messages! This week I’m speaking to artist Jane Thakoordin, who is of Guyanese and white heritage. Jane is part of Mixed Rage Collective, whose exhibition Unapologetically Other was part of the Birmingham Commonwealth Festival 2022. Jane has come to be incredibly comfortable in her mixed identity, influenced by her activist family. Read her story below.
How do you define your racial identity?
I always describe myself as a Black woman, and I use that term from a political perspective – my family were activists. I’m politically Black, and proudly mixed-other. It’s taken me a long time to feel comfortable and confident in saying that – I now know where I am and where I locate myself in the world.
My dad is Guyanese and my mum is white from London. If I ever had to write down my origin, I’d say mixed-other-Indian-Caribbean-British. Guyana’s population is really mixed and an incredibly diverse community.
Other than political activism, have there been other ways you’ve connected to your culture?
Going to Guyana and visiting my family was amazing. I first went when I was 18 and it literally felt like there was a me-shaped void that was being filled after visiting my family, who had so much love for us. That really helped me identify with my heritage and contextualise why it was so important for my dad to keep that identity alive for us.
Guyanese culture is so eclectic because of its history – our families had Hindus, Christians, Muslims and people with no religion. That cultural mix is brilliant, but it can also be a deficit because there’s nothing specific to hook it to.
It’s interesting what you say about hooking on, I struggled with connecting to the British Asian community when my family have Punjabi and East African background. Saying I’m half Indian doesn’t give you the full story.
There’s no such thing as one experience. That’s what frustrates me – we’re all lumped into these categories because it’s easier for people to compartmentalise. That’s the reason I’m proudly unapologetically other. It’s really important to feel proud of who you are and proud of your difference.
Speaking of being unapologetically other, I’d love to hear how you got involved with Mixed Rage and what it’s been like to stage the exhibition Unapologetically Other.
We got together as a collective during lockdown. I saw the Mixed Rage zine, and connected with Sevonah Golabi and the wider group. We realised that we had so much we needed to say, and how powerful it would be to do it collectively. We’ve got the beginnings of something really solid here, dare I say it, almost a movement.
I didn’t want people to feel pity or sorrow after seeing the exhibition. I don’t feel shame or any sense of ‘poor me’. We’re not coming from a deficit, we’re coming from a position of pride, owning that otherness. We’re reclaiming it and making it into something special and celebrated.
How do you want the conversation around mixedness to move forwards?
The confusion stuff, somebody saying you’re lucky because you’re half-white, that’s all about making other people feel comfortable. I was never confused, I’m very clear. I’ve got my mum here and my dad here, I know exactly why I’m the mix I am. It’s taken me a long time to fully absorb and swim in that ocean of mixedness and own it in a really proud way.
Can you define your mixed identity in a word?
Cook-up. It’s a Guyanese dish, where you cook up leftovers into something else. It’s the way I’d describe all of these elements, some of which have been taken from other places like Africa, India, indigenous Guyanese people or London, and you’ve mixed it all together in a lovely cook-up.
Next week I’ll be talking to actor and musician Jordan Stephens and illustrator Beth Suzanna, whose children’s book The Missing Piece comes out on Thursday. Subscribe to get Mixed Messages in your inbox on Monday to find out.
Enjoy Mixed Messages? Support me on Ko-Fi! Your donations, which can start from £3, help me pay for the transcription software needed to keep this newsletter weekly, as well as special treats for subscribers.
Mixed Messages is a weekly exploration of the mixed-race experience, from me, Isabella Silvers. My mom is Punjabi (by way of East Africa) and my dad is white British, but finding my place between these two cultures hasn’t always been easy. That’s why I started Mixed Messages, where each week I’ll speak to a prominent mixed voice to delve into what it really feels like to be mixed.
Love that description of mixed identity: "cook-up." So rich and evocative.