The Siddi

The Siddi – India’s Black Sprinters

by Lars Barthel and Marian Kiss | SWR | 2025

 
Like a lightning bolt, 18-year-old sprinter Nimeksha flies across the finish line. She is a Siddi. Hardly anyone knows her people, not even in India, where the Siddi have lived for 500 years. Their ancestors came from Africa to India as slaves or mercenaries. After the end of slavery, they moved into the dense forests and kept to themselves. They all bear the surname Siddi. Most live in poverty, working as day laborers, gathering plants, honey, and red ants for an ancient African recipe. Their talent for sprinting is a chance for a better life. Nimeksha Siddi could become India’s great hope for the 2028 Olympics.