Trinidad and Tobago 50th Anniversary Book (editorial only)

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCETRINIDAD AND TOBAGOOFFICIAL PUBLICATION

OFC T&T 50th + spine.indd 1 17/08/2012 14:30

P04-06 President message.indd 4 23/08/2012 12:08

By the end of the Second World War, colonial peoples considered themselves su� ciently equipped to become their own masters and, in some parts of the

world, the struggle for independence was a bloody one. � e Mau Mau interventions come to mind immediately.

Trinidad and Tobago’s story is quite di� erent and we were able to set aside strong political rivalries and chart a peaceful course for independence which was granted in 1962. By that time, we were ready to take up the reins of leadership and, having a cadre of well-educated persons supported by a population which shared the vision of independence, we set our course.

Our independence followed by our Republican Constitution in 1976, set out the basic charter by which we are guided and the institutions, many of which were inherited from the previous era, continue to provide the framework which informs decision making processes, throughout our systems of governance, with adjustments appropriate to our circumstances being made, from time to time. � ese institutions provide a signi� cant measure of stability which assists in guiding us to ful� l our obligations to our people in so far as their aspirations and expectations, according to guarantees in our Constitution, are concerned. Monitoring safeguards is an important element which a vigilant population must see to.

Because of the practical involvement of our local population in the various aspects of the country’s life, be it the public service, industry

including energy, agriculture, particularly primary products such as sugar and cocoa, we have been able to move forward from the umbrella of concessionary arrangements and secure markets for our products. Moreover,we have so structured our � scal arrangements as to provide a climate for investment that can withstand the competition that arises from the clamour of other developing countries for space in the global environment.

� is was a natural progression which had and continues to have, at its root, the emphasis placed on education. Long before we had a system that provides free education from nursery to tertiary levels – one of the few in the world, if not the only one – education has been central to our wellbeing. Scholarly achievement dates far back into our short history and today, Trinidad and Tobago is known, worldwide, for its contributions to international law, medicine, diplomacy and culture, inter alia.

� e people of Trinidad and Tobago have endured slavery and indentureship, placing them � rmly behind as a lesson in history that must be well learned, with the determination that they must never occur here again. � e histories of our two islands diverge, signi� cantly, in terms of our colonial past and, in that context, Tobago’s history of bi-cameralism predates that of Trinidad. Culturally, there are di� erences based on the colonisation of the islands, but we continue to work towards maximum complementarity for the bene� t of the entire country. u

PUNCHING ABOVE OUR WEIGHT IN THE WORLD

FOREWORDS

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE 5

FOREWORD BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT

H.E. PROFESSOR GEORGE MAXWELL RICHARDSPresident of the Republic of

Trinidad and Tobago


t It is not farfetched to surmise that we derive our con� dence from the fact that, while we are generally respectful of others, we are not awed by anyone or by any culture, for that matter, because we have been a melting pot, as it were, of so many peoples. Our indigenous people, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas, have all contributed to our population of some 1.3 million persons. Diversity, in many forms, is at home here. And so we quickly understand others, though I cannot say that the reverse is true, and consequently, the welcome embrace which we extend to others is easily recognised.

In culture, we are surpassing. It is said of us that, per capita, Trinidad and Tobago has more creative talent than any other country in the world. I am certainly not about to dispute that, as I continue to be amazed at the creativity of our cultural practitioners of every genre, at home and abroad.

Our sportsmen and sportswomen are on the rise. A few weeks ago we would have been proud to speak of one gold medal spectacularly won, in Montreal, in 1976, by Hasely Crawford. But 2012 and London have brought new rewards including our second gold from 19 year-old Keshorn Walcott and three bronze medals in team relays. We have not won a world cup in football, but we have made history as the smallest nation to reach the � nals where, in Germany, our sportsmanship was highly acclaimed, under the captaincy of Dwight Yorke from Tobago, whose scoring record at Manchester

United made that club the shining star of British and European Soccer, for many years. But then there is cricket and our own Brian Lara holds several records including that of 501 not out – the highest individual score in � rst class cricket. He is the only batsman to have ever scored a hundred, a double century, a triple century, a quadruple century and a quintuple century in � rst class games in the course of a senior career.

All of this is played out, � rst of all here, in our lovely, twin island State of Trinidad and Tobago and we have taken our o� erings abroad, sharing with the world what we have cra� ed and enjoy at home, uniquely the steel pan music. God has truly blessed us with natural resources and human resources that defy our size. We take no credit for the geography, the � ora and fauna, with so much that is peculiar to Trinidad and Tobago. But our people must be applauded for who we have become, over time, and for the countless ways in which they have assigned themselves the role of ambassadors for Trinidad and Tobago, unpaid, spreading the message of the goodness of Trinidad and Tobago. � ey do so with an ease and a bravado that is peculiar to the Trinidad and Tobago person.

We have o� ered much, over the last 50 years,we yet have much to o� er, and we welcome to our shores all those who wish to experience a di� erent taste of the good life and to help us to realise our full potential. I am proud to claim Trinidad and Tobago as my country.

May God bless our Nation! ■

FOREWORDS

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE6

It is said of us that, per capita, Trinidad and Tobago has more creative talent than any other country in the world


P08-09 PM message.indd 8 22/08/2012 14:53

On August 31st, Trinidad and Tobago proudly commemorates its Golden Jubilee of Independence – 50 years during which we have experienced

tragedy, triumph and transformation. � is commemorative publication o� ers

an insight into how we de� ne ourselves as citizens of a sovereign young Nation. From our commitment to democracy and the rule of Law, to our innate innovativeness and creativity which has gi� ed the world the melodious sounds of the steel pan and the colour and vibrancy of our Carnival; we are a people and a country with much to share, notwithstanding our small size.

We remain a sterling example of political stability, religious tolerance and economic resilience. Our cultural diversity strengthens rather than divides us, a� rming our ability to stand together and remain one People, one Nation. Our citizens enjoy the rights and freedoms enshrined in our Constitution, consistent with International policy and agreements. Without hesitation I can state, “We can boast of our unity and we take pride in our liberty.”

As a citizen or national of Trinidad and Tobago, when you peruse the pages of this book, you will immediately recognise that there is much for us to celebrate on this historic occasion. If you are a foreign national, I invite you to allow this publication to awaken you to a country of varied faces and facets, now striding con� dently into another 50 years of robust development.

Fellow citizens, we have now come to a de� ning moment in our history. How shall we choose to approach our next 50 years of Independence?

I believe that to continue to prosper, we must rise above partisan agendas in the interest of the greater national good. Yes, there will be con� icts and challenges, but ultimately out of these struggles we must accomplish lasting growth and development.

� e world is moving in a di� erent direction, dominated by several emerging economies, providing opportunities for new alliances and broadening the scope of our economic strategies.

� e old partnerships now co-exist with new-found, developing relationships. � is is a bold new world of more complex and sophisticated methods of doing business. � is is the world we must be prepared to step into to take our place on the world stage.

I believe that we are up to the challenge. Our best days are yet to come. But we must work together – the public and private sectors, members of civil society, workers and their unions, young persons, senior citizens, individuals. Let us not focus on what might divide us and instead, with determination and loyalty, rise together to ensure the prosperity of our nation and the happiness and success of all our citizens.

May God Bless our great Nation, Trinidad and Tobago.

Happy 50th anniversary of Independence! ■

RISING TOGETHER TOWARDS GREATER PROSPERITY

FOREWORDS

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE 9

INTRODUCTORY MESSAGE FROM THE PRIME MINISTER

THE HON KAMLA PERSAD-BISSESSARPrime Minister of the

Republic of Trinidad

and Tobago

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The opportunities for Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) presented in this 50th anniversary publication provide an insight into who we are at 50 as we cross

the digital divide and seek to embrace a bold new world of possibilities. This is not so much a scholarly production as an informative one, yet its content will provide scholarly material for many researchers who would wish to inquire into the various aspects of life in T&T presented here.

One can never cover all aspects of life in T&T by subject headings, but you will find that the coverage is indeed broad by perusing each article to examine its content and context. From calypso and chutney to constitutions and commerce, the contributors have all presented their own unique insights into T&T over the last 50 years.

However, this is not intended to be an exercise in history, important as that may be; rather it is designed to examine what has happened as part of a navigational aid to gauge where we are headed as a country and as a society.

The building of a nation is not the task of governments alone, but more so the task of its people, whether represented individually through the sheer strength of their personal contributions or channelled through their NGOs, or their wider civil society groupings and associations.

At Independence the Mighty Sparrow talked about a model nation, but the real challenge that faced us then was whether this multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural society could survive as a whole. Many of the fears back then were about the need to superimpose a dominant Western-Christian view of the society in order to retain control and provide stability in a milieu of different racial, religious and cultural practices which had been regarded as inferior in the colonial period.

Those fears have been proven to be unfounded as the formation of an Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) with a rotating chairmanship demonstrates that inclusion does not have to be decreed by

domination of one over another. The tolerance that comes from mutual respect is a priceless commodity in any cosmopolitan society.

In the sphere of politics, the fear of any other organisation besides the People’s National Movement (PNM) holding power in our society withered away with the first change of government in 1986 after 24 years of independence. Who would have thought that the names of those who had always been associated with the opposition (as that term came to imply anyone who was against the PNM rather than the more traditional understanding of those who did not have a majority in Parliament) would be entitled to hold office as ministers of government?

The fact that the swearing-in ceremony for that new government (the National Alliance for Reconstruction) in 1986 had to be delayed because there was no copy of the Bhagvad Gita to be found at President’s House captured the enormity of the change that had come to Trinidad and Tobago. For the first time, the society was able to remove one layer of fear that had gripped it by virtue, not of the PNM, but rather the concerns of its British colonial authorities that brought a variety of immigrants to Tobago and to Trinidad and created a social order of disadvantage and division in its wake.

Perhaps the PNM were the first beneficiaries through the perpetuation of those fears, but afterwards, the fears manifested themselves in other ways. Our first political change had not even started properly and already there was a documentary on Channel 4 in the UK that spoke of dark clouds hanging over us as a nation in early 1987. Fortunately, we have survived all of that scaremongering and we have gone on to have four more changes of government in which the PNM returned to power in 1991 and 2001, while new political forces, namely the United National Congress (UNC), captured power in 1995 in a coalition and in 2010 in a coalition.

The social uprising of 1970 and the attempted

overTure

forewords

Trinidad & Tobago 50 Years of independence12

connecTing The doTs of who we are afTer 50 Years

dr hamid ghanYSenior Lecturer

and Former Dean,

Faculty of Social Sciences,

uWI, St Augustine

Campus, Trinidad

P12-13 Hamid overture.indd 12 23/08/2012 16:43

coup in 1990 were two events that challenged the stability of the State, but we survived. They all comprised arguments for social justice and equality and involved different administrations. The argument about social justice continues even today, as a movement has been formed to advance the cause, yet it seems that in the developing society that we are, the cause will continue to have a place in the national dialogue. How much political support it will garner will be a factor in how it can tap into the psyche of a nation whose unemployment rate has decreased and whose opportunities for further investment suggest a brighter future over the horizon.

The so-called racial divide has manifested itself in voting behaviour patterns, yet the sociological foundations of the society are such that we have moved from cultural domination by an Afro-creole outlook at Independence to a policy of multiculturalism at 50. That transition has taken place far more easily than has been the case in many other developing societies, thereby suggesting that we have no innate desire to fight over an agenda of genuine unity, as opposed to struggling against one of domination.

Our energy and hydrocarbon industries have contributed in no small measure to our development. However, there has been a debate about whether heavy industry or economic diversification into tourism, light manufacturing and services is where our future prosperity lies. These debates will continue while our oil and gas reserves are depleted with the passage of time. All of the tourism articles in this publication have addressed the fact that this area of economic activity has not been adequately developed over the last 50 years.

Perhaps, they are pointing to the fact that there is great potential in our future for the diversified development of a tourism-driven approach that is not based on the stereotypes of what so many believe tourism to be.

The challenge to the heavy industry approach

comes from the articles on greening the economy and sustainable development, which all point to a new way of doing things. That is the wave of the future that can be caught by embracing opportunities for entrepreneurship that are waiting for a new generation – one not necessarily wedded to the idea of state control of the economy, but rather its facilitation of a different kind of development in culture, sports, film, services and agriculture.

The calypso art form and our steelband development will provide the energy for new vistas of social commentary and cultural appreciation that can drive this nation forward.

Some would have us tear up our colonial past and try to build upon the resultant emptiness and others would want to rewrite our history to recast its main characters.

This publication does none of the above. It has afforded a space to such a diversity of writers that Trinidad and its elder sister, Tobago, are all adequately covered. Indeed, the very foundation of our being as a twin-island state still needs to be understood by many so that we can truly appreciate what a gem we are together with the rough edges that still need to be cut. ■

forewords

13

The tolerance that comes from mutual respect is a priceless commodity in any cosmopolitan society

Trinidad & Tobago 50 Years of independence

Flying proudly after 50

years: the National Flag

of Trinidad and Tobago

Photograph: S

tephen Broadbridge

P12-13 Hamid overture.indd 13 23/08/2012 16:43

Six years ago on a street in Croydon, South London, I spent a pleasant afternoon in a shop that sells electronics and unlocks cell phones talking to a

Sikh and his sons. The Sikh was the owner of the shop, his sons the managers. I had dropped off an item to be repaired; and part of the repair process required me leaving my name and phone number on the repair item. When I’d first entered the shop I only met the sons. Polite young men, very willing to help someone who was clearly a visitor to their country. When I returned an hour later to collect my package the eldest son asked me to hold on, then he brought out an elderly gentleman, obviously his father from the resemblance. His dad wore the turban that identified him as a Sikh, in accented English he pointed to the slip of paper I had left my information on and asked, “This is your name?” I smiled because I knew immediately where the conversation would lead to. I nodded, and he motioned me to a corner of the shop with chairs and offered me a cup of tea. My first question to him was, “You ever heard about Indenture?” Thus began a two hour story about the diversity of Trinidad and Tobago.

Diversity is a word that can be used to describe almost every aspect of Trinidad and Tobago. This twin island republic is home to features that are both old world and new, as well as continental and island. Our very topography helps to define our diversity, with Trinidad being a continental island with much in common with mainland South America; whilst Tobago, made more so from limestone coral shares more in common physically with the rest of the Caribbean archipelago. The diversity of the islands’ topography of course has implications for flora and fauna. But the diversity I am most interested in is of course culture.

From Pre-Columbian times both islands had diverse populations with varying traditions and practices. Trinidad because of its geographic

proximity to South America has long been a hub and transshipment point between the mainland and the wider archipelago. As a result the settlement patterns of the island’s Amerindian population reveal that it wasn’t as simple as two ethnic groups settling here: namely Caribs and Arawaks. Rather, there were several Amerindian civilisations at various stages of development, which of course means complex cultural systems. Complex cultural systems would continue to be a norm for both islands in the colonial and post-colonial eras.

Though Europe made contact with both islands in 1498, their eventual colonisation and development happened at different times and at different rates. Throughout much of the 16th and 17th centuries when Trinidad was a colonial backwater, Tobago was coping with European powers fighting over her. It was only from 1783, with the Cedula of Population between France and Spain that Trinidad’s development as a colony really took off. The introduction of indentured labour in the mid-19th century to bolster the changing labour systems after Emancipation also had a distinct impact on the culture of Trinidad. Inter-island immigration also played a role in further diversifying the population and culture of the islands. As a result of these different colonial histories the two islands have very distinct cultures. Tobago has a strong Protestant background due to its strong Dutch and English heritage, whereas, Trinidad, despite eventually belonging to Britain from 1797, still has a strong Roman Catholic influence that is very much evident on the island.

Colonialism exists in the meeting and domination of people and cultures and as a result the country is a multi-ethnic and diverse one. While, as with any other mixed space there are tensions, the mixing and synergising of cultures are evident in much of our material cultures, notably music, language and food.

The musical forms that exist in Trinidad and

A TAle of DiverSiTy

identity

trinidad & tobago 50 years of independence16

conversations in croydon

rhoda bharathlecturer,

faculty of Humanities

and education,

UWi, St Augustine Campus,

Trinidad

P16-17 Rhoda Barath.indd 16 23/08/2012 10:22

Tobago are varied and many, from the Anglo-Afro-infused styles of Tobago’s Tambrin, the Spanish influenced Parang, the Euro-Afro mixture of the Calypso, the East Indian-based folk songs called Chutney and the Soca that has incorporated influences from Europe, Africa, India and even the United States. The music of Trinidad and Tobago is as fluid as the personalities of its people.

The Trinidad English Creole, documented by Lise Winer, and the Tobagonian English Creole, written about by Valerie Youssef and Winford James are two examples of how dynamic and distinct the languages of the two islands are. Tobago’s creole has strong West and Central African syntactical structures tempered by English influences, while Trinidad’s creole has evolved from an Afro-Euro French patois that

has been gradually converted to English that is heavily flavoured with Arabic, Bhojpuri, Hindi, Urdu and Yoruba words.

If the local forms of English don’t yet have you exhausted, the array of cuisine will. Trinidad and Tobago boasts a cuisine that is as diverse as its heritage. From Tobago there are traditional dishes that are heavily African-influenced like tom tom (pounded plaintain) and konkonte (cassava foo foo). This doesn’t mean that you won’t find Asian and Arabic food on the island. Trinidad, however, hands down boasts a much wider assortment of foods.

On that afternoon in Croydon, I recounted this, and much more, the many festivals that are celebrated here, for one thing. But Trinidad and Tobago is too complex a place to explain over one cup of tea. ■

identity

17

if the local forms of english don’t yet have you exhausted, the array of cuisine will. trinidad and tobago boasts a cuisine that is as diverse as its heritage

trinidad & tobago 50 years of independence

Trinidad and Tobago: a

land of many coloursPho

togr

aph

by S

teph

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road

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P16-17 Rhoda Barath.indd 17 23/08/2012 10:22

The Portuguese came to Tobago and Trinidad as early as the 17th century, including groups of Portuguese Jews, Catholics and Protestants. For over 140

years, from 1834 up to 1975, the ancestors of the modern Portuguese community in Trinidad and Tobago hailed mostly from the archipelago of Madeira, starting from 1846 (the earliest shiploads came from the Azores in 1834). At first, the Madeirans left their homeland either in search of economic relief (Catholics) or fleeing to a religious haven (Presbyterians). They emigrated to various locations throughout the then British Caribbean as migrant labourers and religious refugees, particularly Guyana, St Vincent, Antigua and Trinidad, because of economic and social conditions in Madeira in the 19th century, and because of the centuries-old relationship between Portugal and England. The twentieth century also saw emigration of Portuguese directly from Madeira, and also via Guyana, St Vincent, Antigua and St Kitts and other territories as a result of ongoing chain migration of communities and families, and those entering business partnerships here. Important communities settled in Port of Spain, Arima, Arouca, Chaguanas and San Fernando, with a few Portuguese in Scarborough. In 2011, the Madeiran Portuguese Community of Trinidad and Tobago celebrated their 165th Anniversary of the arrival of the first Madeirans in Trinidad in 1846.

Recalling the presence of the Portuguese in our nation today are over 100 Portuguese surnames (and some surnames have also become street and other place names), including those associated with the Jewish Portuguese. Surnames include Abreu, Affonso, d’Andrade, Cabral, Carvalho, Coelho, Farinha, de Freitas, Fernandes, Gonsalves, Gouveia, Jardim, Lourenço, Luz, Mendes, Mendonça, Netto, Nunes, Pereira, Pestana, Quintal, Rodrigues, Serrão, dos Santos, de Silva, de Souza, Teixeira, Vieira and

Xavier, and many more, many of them famous names in the world of business. The spelling, if not the pronunciation, has for the most part been preserved. Interestingly, the Portuguese have been mentioned in various calypsoes, such as Pharoah’s Portuguese Dance, and those mentioning businessman J.J. Ribeiro, calypso recording pioneer Eduardo Sá Gomes and politician Albert Gomes, and in skits and plays, for example the 1905 Portuguese Shop in George Street, and latterly, the 1992 Ah Wanna Fall.

Unlike descendants of other nations, the Portuguese have not contributed much in the way of food and drink, preferring instead to adopt national dishes as their own. At one time, however, they were the bakers (JV Coelho, Francisco de Freitas and Jardine) and rummakers to the nation. Among the latter, the most outstanding of all was José Bento (JB) Fernandes, whose name still lives in various quality rum brand names. Portuguese food items that have survived include the Christmas carne vinha d’alhos (calvinadage or garlic pork), bacalhau “cod” dishes (some even suggest that buljol may be derived from bacalhau), bolo de mel (a famous Madeiran molasses cake), cebolas de escabeche (pickled onions; escabeche also gave us ceviche and escoveitch), malassadas (Shrove Tuesday pancakes), and more. Luso-Trinbagonians and others of Guyanese origin generally remember much more, because of the fact that the 19th century Portuguese community was 10 to 15 times bigger than that of Trinidad’s.

In pre-Independence Trinidad and Tobago, Albert Maria Gomes was perhaps the most outstanding Luso-Trinidadian. In 1931, he launched The Beacon, successor of the magazine, Trinidad. (The Beacon group included Ralph de Boissière, CLR James, Alfred Mendes and others.) In 1945 he was elected to the Legislative Council, winning the seat formerly held by Mayor Arthur Cipriani, and the following year, he was elected to the Executive Council.

THE PORTUGUESE OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

identity


Locating an important minority

dr jo-anne ferreiraLecturer in Linguistics,

UWI, St Augustine Campus,

Trinidad

P18-20 Joanne Ferreira Portugeuese.indd 18 23/08/2012 10:32

In 1950, Gomes became the virtual first Chief Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, and Minister of Labour, Industry and Commerce up to 1956. He was leader of the conservative Party of Political Progress Groups (POPPG). From 1958, he served as a member of the West Indies Federal House of Representatives, which dissolved with the breakdown of the Federation in 1962. He made his mark in politics to the extent that that political era was referred to as “Gomesocracy” and he was undoubtedly one of the country’s more colourful and controversial federalist politicians. After POPPG’s defeat at the polls by the People’s National Movement (PNM), Gomes took the defeat very hard and left Trinidad to live in England.

Gomes will always be remembered by the Shouter Baptists, among others. In 1951, he asked the Legislative Council to appoint a committee to look into a repeal of the 1917 Shouters Prohibition Ordinance (which denied Shouter Baptists freedom of religious expression for 34 years). Gomes also strongly supported the Steelband movement and Calypso. After his defeat at the polls by Eric Williams (he was born in 1911, like Williams, just over 100 years ago), he remains sadly forgotten by the majority of our populace, in spite of his role in the recent pre-independence history of the nation. This patriot published his autobiography, Through a Maze of Colour in 1974, and four years later published All Papa’s Children, a novel about the Portuguese community.

As an independent nation, the country has recognised several members of the Portuguese community, through awards of the following national honours to: Roger (Gomez Sheppard) Gibbon (Humming Bird Medal (Silver) for Athletics – Cycling, 1969, with many accomplishments starting at age 17), Peter Carvalho and Harold (Sally) Saldenah (both awarded the Public Service Medal of Merit (Silver) for Carnival Development, 1972),

Edmond G. (D’Olliviera) Hart (Humming Bird Medal (Gold) for Carnival Development, 1973), Charles de Freitas (Public Service Medal of Merit (Gold), 1975), Hugh Ferreira (Public Service Medal of Merit (Gold), 1976), Lady Enid dos Santos (Humming Bird Medal (Gold) for Voluntary Social Work, 1978), Maria Nunes (Humming Bird Medal (Gold) for Sport, 1980), Ignatius Ferreira (Humming Bird Medal (Silver) for Community Service (also recognised by the Government of Portugal in 1991, having being appointed Grau de Comendador: Class Order of Commander), 1980), Sr Paul D’Ornellas (Public Service Medal of Merit (Gold) for Education, 1991), Hilary (Larry) Angelo Gomes (Humming Bird Medal (Silver) for Sport, 1992), June Rita Gonsalves (Humming Bird Medal (Gold) for Community Service, 1992), Stephen (Pereira) Ames (Chaconia Gold Medal (Golf), 2004), and Carl de Souza (Public Service Medal

identity

19

in pre-independence trinidad and tobago, albert maria gomes was perhaps the most outstanding Luso-trinidadian. He made his mark in politics to the extent that that political era was referred to as “gomesocracy”


Photograph: P

aria Achive

Albert Maria Gomes: one

of T&T’s more colourful and

controversial politicians


of Merit (Gold), posthumously, 2004). National awards also went to Ovid Owen Fernandes, Rupert Mendes, Neville Miranda, Nora Florence Franco, Raymond “Atilla” Quevedo, Augustine “Rock” Ribeiro, and Rene Serrao.

The T&T Sports Hall of Fame also recognised Carl de Souza (Weightlifting, 1985), Roger P. Gibbon (Cycling, 1985), Hilary (Larry) Angelo Gomes (Cricket, 1985), Gerald (Gerry) Gomez (Cricket, 1985), Compton Gonsalves (Cycling, 1985; Mr Gonsalves was the founder of the T&T Cycling Federation), Joey Gonsalves (Football, 1985), Gerard Ian Jardine (Hockey, 1985), Sir Errol dos Santos (Administration, 1987), Marjorie Paddy Fernandes-Williams (Hockey, 1995), Deborah (Mendes) O’Connor (Badminton, 2000), Gene (João/John) Samuel (Cycling, 2000), and Silvano Gomes Ralph (All Rounder, 2000). Sports figures include Lio de Freitas, David (Pestana) King, Silvano Gomes Ralph, Matthew Nunes, Carlton Franco and Ryan Mendes. In 1994, Gerry Rodrigues became the World Masters Open Water Champion in Montréal, Canada, and Robert Ames set a golf record at Palmas del Mar in 1995.

In the area of literature, Jean de Boissière claimed that the Portuguese of Trinidad created what little there existed that was genuinely of Trinidad in the Trinidadian literary scene (at that time, the 1940s). Portuguese Trinidadians such as Alfred Gomes and Albert Gomes, members of the famous Beacon group produced their works in English (not in Portuguese, which was the language of their parents and grandparents). Modern contributions in the humanities and the arts include a compilation of memoires published in 1988 by one of the last Madeiran immigrants, Mrs Maria Mónica Reis Pestana, originally of Estreito de Câmara de Lobos, Madeira, later of St Joseph and Mt Lambert, a film about the Portuguese community by Mary Jane Gomes, Angel in a Cage (1999), and the publication of The Autobiography of Alfred Mendes 1897-1991

(Michele Levy, UWI Press, 2002). In 2002, BC Pires selected as one of three

West Indians in Guha’s The Picador Book of Cricket (the other two were C.L.R. James and V.S. Naipaul), celebrating the finest writers of cricket literature, and in 2003 Cecilia (Coelho) Salazar was awarded the Cacique Award for Most Outstanding Actress (with other awards in following years). Ms Salazar most recently portrayed the patriot Gene E. (Teixeira) Miles, who was also of Portuguese descent (born in 1930, died in 1972). Beauty pageant winners include Christine Mary (de Silva) Jackson was selected Miss Amity at Miss Universe 1975, and Gabrielle (De Freitas) Walcott, 2nd runner up at Miss World 2008. In 2011, Hayden Ferreira was selected as one of 50 distinguished alumni of UWI, St Augustine.

In the area of music, John (João) Ernesto Ferreira was inducted as a pioneer into the Sunshine Awards Hall of Fame (Steelband Music, 2008). Singers and composers include Lord Executor (Philip Garcia), Stephen Ferreira, Marcia Miranda, Gaston Nunes, and others.

Luso-Trinidadians have also contributed to religion, giving several clergy to both the Roman Catholic and Presbyterian churches. In 1989, Fr John Mendes, son of João Mendes of Ponta de Sol, Madeira, was ordained Bishop of Port-of-Spain. The doctors, lawyers, soldiers, and entrepreneurs, are too numerous to count here.

In a remarkably short space of time, the Portuguese community quietly and unobtrusively spawned a number of eminent sons and daughters of the soil, far out of proportion to its relatively small size and against all odds, and has contributed beyond its fair share to the progress of this nation. They remain small in numbers but great in influence and occupational status. The vast majority of Portuguese descendants have become inseparably interwoven with other ethnic groups, to form the total picture that is unmistakably and irrevocably Trinidadian and Tobagonian. ■

identity


in a remarkably short space of time, the portuguese community spawned a number of eminent sons and daughters of the soil, far out of proportion to its relatively small size, and has contributed beyond its fair share to the progress of this nation


After governing St Kitts and Barbados with one set of political institutions, one language and one established religion, Trinidad in 1797 appeared

too poly-ethnic, poly-religious and polyglot to be considered worthy of British institutions. Crown Colony, it was said, was the best they deserved and, indeed, that is what they got. It just might be that it was precisely this polymorphic culture which upon independence attracted so many foreign social scientists to ask the question: can such a society be made into a nation? Among these were Vera Rubin, Daniel Crowley, Gordon Lewis, M.G. Smith, Harry Hoetink, Yogendra Malik, Morton Klass, and Ivar Oxaal. In Trinidad, Lloyd Braithwaite had already published his classical study of the island’s stratification system.

At the centre of gravity of all this theorising was a study done in East Asia by a British Civil Servant, J.S. Furnivall. In his 1948 book, Colonial Policy and Practice, Furnivall described societies which he called “plural” or “segmented,” in other words, societies composed of multiple ethnic groups each holding on to their own religion, culture and ways of life. As Furnivall put it, “they mix but do not combine.” They meet and interact only in the market place and even there, there is a division of labour along ethnic lines. What kept such a society together was the Metropolitan government with its umbrella of colonial institutions. Could these plural societies hold together once that colonial over-lordship was removed? It was this “plural society” model which caught the imagination of many a social scientist and Trinidad seemed to fit the description. Even V.S. Naipaul made use of it in those books which had Trinidad as his setting. In his 1962 travelogue commissioned by the-then Premier Eric Williams, The Middle Passage, Naipaul describes Trinidad as a place without a community. “We were of various races, religions, sets and cliques … Nothing bound us together except this common residence … [and]

our Britishness, our belonging to the British Empire which gave us our identity.” (p43) Naipaul develops this theme of segmentation even more strikingly in his essay, The Baker’s Story in his 1967 anthology, A Flag on the Island. In that story race defines function to such an extent that even an enterprising Afro-Trinidadian baker has to hire a Chinese-Trinidadian to man the front office.

This interpretation was pursued by those social scientists who argued that Trinidad was characterised by a social and cultural pluralism based on institutional divergences where groups of differing race and religion look inward for their strengths and orientations at the expense of the whole. This cultural segmentation existed even while these groups lived in close economic and demographic interdependence. Because there was no consensus on norms, it was illusory to believe that the society was moving towards a national community through a process called “creolisation.” Clearly the most significant theoretician of this school was the Jamaican M.G. Smith whose many writings on the subject became available in 1965 under one cover, The Plural Society in the British West Indies. It was also very much the theme of anthropologists who studied primarily Indian Trinidad. The American Morton Klass’ 1961 book, East Indians in Trinidad: A Study in Cultural Persistence and the Indian Yogendra K. Malik’s, East Indians in Trinidad (1971) were two of the better studies on the island’s cultural pluralism.

Many others, however, belonged to the “consensus” school and argued that there was a process of homogenisation taking place in Trinidad and Tobago as in the West Indies. They hewed close to the theoretical premise (a major one in Western sociology) that all societies are held together by certain “functional prerequisites” arguably the most important of which is the sharing of common values and goals. Without this consensus on norms and values the society would atomise and destroy

Foreign SociAl ScientiStS look At trinidAd At independence

identity


Understanding creolisation and assimilation

dr anthony maingotprofessor emeritus

of Sociology,

Florida international University

P22-23 Anthony Maingot.indd 22 17/08/2012 17:51

itself. To this group the trend in Trinidad was toward the “creolisation” of society, defined as an expanding reserve of values increasingly being tapped by and serving all members of the society regardless of race or religion.

Major exponents of this interpretation in one form or another were R.T. Smith (British Guiana, 1962) and Vera Rubin, Daniel Crowley and Lloyd Braithwaite, all in Vera Rubin (ed), Social and Cultural Pluralism in the Caribbean in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol 83 (1960). Rubin would do a path-breaking study of youthful attitudes which revealed how differences in social class engendered differences in plans for the future. Rubin’s study was published in 1969 as We Wish to be Looked Upon. Quite a different approach to social homogenisation in the area was advanced by Dutch sociologist H. Hoetink who argued that there was a growing consensus on the physical characteristics (the “phenotype”) acceptable to those in the society; thus, more of a colour than a racial homogenisation. Hoetink’s essays were later collected in his 1967 book, Caribbean Race Relations: The Two Variants.

The cultural homogenisation or “creolisation” thesis found strong support in the work of an accomplished British historian, Donald Wood. His 1968 book, Trinidad in Transition, revealed his support for the creolisation thesis:

“If neither the East Indian nor the Negro Creole was ever greatly attracted to the culture of the other, yet it is also true that neither felt that the other way of life was oppressive or a danger to their own values. Indeed, as time went on, the process of creolisation which had caught in its toils all settlers in the Caribbean … began to mould even the Indians.” (p301, Emphasis added).

This theme of “creolisation” as a process of shared tolerance and peaceful coexistence was picked up by an American, Ivar Oxaal, in a truly important work, Black Intellectuals Come to Power (1968). To Oxaal there were two societal

processes occurring simultaneously in Trinidad. With Daniel Crowley and the “consensus school” he believed that there existed in Trinidad a social process he called “plural acculturation” which explained why and how the conglomeration of racial and cultural mixtures had learned to appreciate the way of life of several other groups so that a “fluid yet stable system of inter-group relations is maintained.” Part of this process was the belief in that slow but inevitable “creolisation” of the whole population. Interestingly, Oxaal, who calls this a major ingredient in middle class Creole ideology, appears to have understood that he might be overstating his case. He hastily turns to describe another process which he feels should not be lost sight of:

“At least equally important as plural acculturation in keeping Trinidad society at a relatively low pitch of inter-group conflict is a pervasive state of mind which might be called plural disassociation, which is characterised by the attitude – a cardinal tenet in the philosophy of the Trinidadian – that each should attend to his own affairs and not go ‘interfering’ in the business of other groups.” (p23-24)

Taken together, these descriptions of Trinidad society underscore the fact that by the date of Independence the island had experienced a process of assimilation which may or may not have included total creolisation. The critical centre of gravity of the assimilation process is the acquisition of citizenship, in other words, becoming a full member of the national community. One does not have to “creolise,” or acculturate to every aspect of another’s culture, in order to respect everyone’s social and political rights and freedoms. The social science debate over pluralism vs creolisation which began 50 years ago should continue. We should not lose sight, however, of that on-going process which was launched 50 years ago – that of becoming full members of a national community of citizens. It is the strong bond of shared citizenship which holds the plural society together. ■

identity

23

the critical centre of gravity of the assimilation process is the acquisition of citizenship, in other words, becoming a full member of the national community


P22-23 Anthony Maingot.indd 23 17/08/2012 17:51

Trinidad is an island-state 15 miles off the north-east coast of South America, with continental characteristics, its flora and fauna being continental. Its

first inhabitants, the Amerindians, migrated from the nearby mainland. In the succeeding years and centuries they were followed by a succession of immigrants from other continents, Europe, Africa and Asia, and, as might have been expected, each new wave of immigrants found themselves in confrontation with the former settlers.

The few Spaniards who settled in the island from 1592 onwards, forcibly subdued the Amerindians, then had them working in encomiendas before settling them in the milder missions, managed by Franciscan priests. But the easy-going Amerindian culture and the hammock and the ajoupa enchanted the Spanish psyche.

From 1778 to 1790 the King of Spain issued proclamations (Cedulas) aimed at the development of forested Trinidad, granting lands and very favourable trading terms to white Catholics (and to some extent free coloured) who were citizens of nations at peace with Spain. In practice, these new immigrants were mainly from the French West Indian islands (and a few Irish settlers) who brought with them their negro slaves. In just a few years the once almost uninhabited island had thriving estates of cotton, coffee, cocoa and sugar.

There was, at first, opposition to the new settlers from the few Spanish colonists, but this was speedily settled by the remarkable Spanish Governor of the island (from 1784-1797) Don José María Chacón. He also entrusted a coloured estate owner, de la Forrest, with the formulation of a lenient slave code for the many slaves being imported to develop the estates. Though there was some dichotomy between law and practice, it meant that in Trinidad there was established a tradition of more benevolent relations between master and slave than existed in other West Indian islands.

The numerous French settlers and French-patois-speaking slaves brought to Trinidad a colonial French culture: “Mere numbers apart, it is not too much to say that the style and tone of the society was and remained, predominantly French ... French wines were drunk, French food eaten, French dress worn. At public balls French waltzes, minuets and country dances were all the rage.”

The slaves and free coloured spoke a French patois, flavoured with colourful proverbs and folk law. The new place names in the island were nearly all French. Carnival, an import from Martinique and the French islands, where the French carnival from Nice had become inextricably mixed with African rhythms and traditions while acquiring a special Antillean flavour, in Trinidad was adopted and further adapted to become a truly Trinidadian institution.

ISLE OF IMMIGRANTS - CONFRONTATION TO COOPERATION

identity


unity in diversity, by father anthony de verteuil, cssp

in just a few years the once almost uninhabited island had thriving estates of cotton, coffee, cocoa and sugar

A young English boy,

approx. 1900s, from

the collection of the

Stone Family

Pho

togr

aph:

Par

ia A

rchi

ve

P24-25 Father De Verteuil.indd 24 22/08/2012 13:54

Then, in February 1797, a British force led by General Abercromby captured Trinidad from the Spanish, and in 1802 the island was formally and finally handed over to British rule by the Treaty of Amiens. British merchants and capital helped to open up the island’s trade. A few Italians, Corsicans and Germans also set up shop in the island. Along with the long resident French they were classified by the newly arrived British as ‘Aliens’ and religious differences also came more and more to the fore. With the emancipation of the slaves in 1838 and the foreclosing of mortgages, most French creoles and free coloured estate owners were ruined, and their estates went for a song to British capitalists.

In 1840 the Anglican Church became the Established Church in Trinidad, and the paramount influence of Charles William Warner (Attorney-General from 1844-1870) saw English law imposed on the Colony and Anglicisation in education introduced. The French creoles, almost 100 per cent Catholic, strongly opposed the British ‘takeover’ of the island. Up to 1870 there was intermittent confrontation between the groups, based almost entirely on religious differences but after that date cooperation gradually took root.

From this earlier period there remain up to today the places of worship of the various Christian denominations built at great sacrifice by their adherents, with occasional help by the government: the Church of St Joseph (in the old Spanish capital of St Joseph), and in Port of Spain, the Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Trinity Cathedral and the Church of All Saints (Anglican), Hanover Street Chapel (Methodist), Greyfriars and St Anns Church of Scotland (Presbyterian), St John’s Baptist (Baptist).

Education was embraced by these various Christian denominations from the 1840s, beginning with primary schools which operated parallel to the government schools. The Catholics,

the Anglicans and the Presbyterians by 1900 had all numerous primary schools. The Catholics were the first to launch into secondary education, with the foundation of St Joseph’s Convent for girls in 1836 and St George’s College for boys in 1840, which gave way to St Mary’s College in 1863. From 1870 the government was favourable to the giving of assistance to these schools and the system of Denominational schools working hand in hand with the government grew, in spite of many a crisis, into the present system.

The coming of the East Indian Immigrants from 1845 onwards (and a few Chinese) introduced a new equation into the religious, cultural and social milieu of Trinidad. Many difficulties had to be overcome but eventually there was cooperation in every sphere including the eventual foundation of the IRO (Inter Religious Organisation) to embrace the various religious bodies. ■

identity

25

as might have been expected, each new wave of immigrants found themselves in confrontation with the former settlers


Little girl dressed in

the Martiniquan style,

approx. 1880s. From

a souvenir album that

a traveller would have

bought of faces and

places of their sojourn

Photograph: P

aria Archive

P24-25 Father De Verteuil.indd 25 22/08/2012 13:54

The performance of peoples of African descent in the post-Independence era has led many to wonder why the spirit of entrepreneurship which seemed to be in

abundance after Emancipation in Trinidad and Tobago was not sustained. Many blamed Eric Williams and the developmental policies which the PNM pursued after it came to power in 1956. Lloyd Best has argued that Williams’ pursuit of the Arthur Lewis-inspired “industrialisation by invitation” policy was largely responsible for the collapse of black entrepreneurship in Trinidad and Tobago:

“We got into an awful muddle with Caroni and sugar. We relied on Lewis’ programme of industrial development, inspired in its way….The programme destroyed any number of emergent farmers, budding tradesmen, craftsmen and entrepreneurs in the East-West Corridor, all for a grandiose, incompetent state sector of poorly conceived projects, impossible to sustain even if the boom had not collapsed so ignominiously.” (Express, December 19th 1998).

Best further argued that Williams’ historical error was to opt for the subsidised “entrepreneurship” of expatriate investors rather than promoting indigenous entrepreneurs, a choice which would have yielded political as well as economic dividends. To quote his complaint:

“The PNM never built up the sugar issue in such a way as to secure the support of the large, rural, racially distinct subculture. This omission made the essentially urban-created party vulnerable by keeping the door open to another power grouping based on the rural subculture...”

Best argued that a policy which de-emphasised the plantation and encouraged and sustained Indian entrepreneurs would have helped to deal with the ethnic disunity which prevailed in the new state. Williams was however convinced that the retention of the plantation in conjunction with the policy of seeking to attract branch plants of American and European firms with

tax holidays and other concessions was the best available option for Trinidad and Tobago. In his view, it made no sense to destroy the plantation as some UWI radicals were suggesting at the time. As he told a PNM Convention in 1966, “the best policy in the national interest is the production of sugar as efficiently as possible whilst redundant workers are settled on government lands to grow food crops.” (Nation Sept 14th 1966).

Dr Williams and The Black Power Crisis of 1970Williams could have switched to the self-reliance option which was in vogue among some left wing nationalists during the ’60s. It is however not evident that the strategic conjuncture would have allowed for the success of this initiative. In fact, substituting food and other crops for sugar succeeded nowhere in the Caribbean, not even in Cuba which in fact sought to increase sugar production.

In 1970, however, radical Blacks in Trinidad and Tobago took to the streets in their thousands to protest what they perceived as their economic powerlessness. Their spokespersons complained that Trinidad and Tobago had secured its political independence from Britain and now had all the trappings of independence – a flag, a national anthem, and a coat of arms – but the people had no say in how the country was managed economically. The “commanding heights of the economy” were owned by foreigners.

Many groups were involved in the protest movement. The National Joint Action Committee (NJAC) which emerged as the dominant protest group, wanted nothing less than a complete takeover of the economy by the people. It wanted a clean break with imperialism and white economic power. NJAC catalogued in detail the extent to which the Trinidad economy was owned by foreign and local whites:

“There is not much left for us to scramble over. The Government under pressure from the people is engaging in some tokenism. They took a piece of Tate and Lyle, (the major sugar company) on

BLACK ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN POST-INDEPENDENCE TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

IDenTITy

TrInIDaD & ToBago 50 years of InDePenDenCe26

The erIC WIllIams legaCy

Professor selWyn ryan

Professor Emeritus,


Trinidad

p26-32 selwyn ryan.indd 26 24/08/2012 14:07

hire purchase, they bought a token bank and a token share of oil, they say. Nothing meaningful. And we can’t even claim these things for Black People... When the Government invests in oil and sugar, they are going to joint ventures with the foreigners; they are wasting our money to finance the pillars of a system which is anti-black. These companies operate as parts of large multi-national corporations. They base decisions on what is in the best interest of a whole international complex. So all this foolishness about setting up boards with a local chairman is game-playing, because we know that none of the important decisions are made here anyway. What we want is ownership and control, not ownership in name. We are too much in need to be overpaying these people for company shares as political gimmicks.” (Slavery to Slavery 1970).

NJAC rejected the PNM’s attempts to promote black business as a “trap:”

“Black capitalism disguises white control just as Black government disguises colonialism. It is insulting to Black people to tell us that we should be contented with a little co-operative here and a shop or store there on the fringes of the economy, when we know that this country is ours. Black business will have to operate within the rules of the system which means all our basic problems remain.”

Offers of share-holding in foreign companies were also viewed as a disguise that did nothing about the problem of control.

“There is no point in putting ready cash in the hands of people who will just use it to exploit us more effectively. Important decisions are not made by the local branches of foreign firms. The ‘game’ of promoting ‘black-faced management ...as buffers between white controlling care and the Black dispossessed workers’ is seen as further evidence of the contemptuousness of the white power structure…They like to put Black people as public relations officers and in other positions where they have to confront the workers and the public with decisions taken by their white bosses.

IDenTITy

27

nJaC said little or nothing of consequence about small indigenous business. Its focus was on the foreign owned sector which it wanted nationalised. Williams answered nJaC’s charges, denying that he neglected the problems faced by Blacks

TrInIDaD & ToBago 50 years of InDePenDenCe

Trinidad and Tobago’s

first Prime Minister,

Dr Eric Williams


This policy is for us to curse the Black stooge instead of the White exploiter. Even when a Black man is made some manager or assistant manager, they empty the post of what little substance it had so the Black man carries the title without the responsibilities. This is the process we observe whenever an office formerly filled by a White expatriate is given over to a Black man.”

NJAC was clearly not concerned with minimum programmes. It wanted the “whole bread for the historically dispossessed.”

“We need to destroy…the system from its very foundations...to get out of our economic mess (and) build a new society. In this new society, the people, educated by their revolutionary experience, will decide what will be produced and what technologies will be utilised. They will also understand that they will have to make sacrifices and give up acquired (imposed) habits. “If we want the white man’s goods, we have to use his technology and his capital...and have his technicians running things for us. We remain slaves, unemployed, suffering.” (ibid)

NJAC said little or nothing of consequence about small indigenous business. Its focus was

on the foreign-owned sector which it wanted nationalised. Williams answered NJAC’s charges, denying that he neglected the problems faced by Blacks. Part of his problem was that he had to take note of the fact that he was the leader of a state consisting of two major ethnicities. As he said in a nationwide broadcast:

“We consciously sought to promote a multiracial society with emphasis on the economic and social upliftment of the two major disadvantaged groups. Our goal had always been Afro-Asian unity. We have [nevertheless] consciously sought to promote black economic power. We have in five years created 1,523 Black small farmers over the country. We have encouraged small business without too much success in manufacture and tourism. We have sought to promote fishing cooperatives.” (May 23, 1970).

In “Perspectives for a New Society,” the PNM’s post-1970 development plan, four sectors were identified, the foreign private sector, the public sector, the national private sector, and the people’s sector. Williams rejected socialism and any set of policies which vaguely resembled what was being done in Cuba. He however felt that there had to be a shift towards policies which privileged public ownership and involvement in the country’s economic development by nationals.

Williams did not have much confidence in the indigenous commercial class which was mainly white, “off white”, or mixed. These elements were accused of not being “risk takers” and of having a “commission agent mentality.” They were accused of preferring to buy and sell imported goods rather than produce substitutes or new products. As Perspectives complained:

“Just as the dispossessed need to cast off their attitude of dependence on the Government, so too do many business people have to cast off their inferiority complex vis-a-vis the large international corporation, and come to realise that they are capable of doing much of the job of developing the country...Do they belong to a

Williams rejected socialism and any set of policies which vaguely resembled what was being done in Cuba


IDenTITy

Prime Minister Dr Eric

Williams inspects a guard of

motorcycle police

All

phot

ogra

phs

cour

tesy

of P

aria

Arc

hive


The “people’s sector” was hailed as the Pnm’s “revolutionary” answer to the demands of black radicals that the dispossessed sons of african slaves and Indian bonded-servants should be encouraged and helped to own a piece of their patrimony

country of the Third World or do they belong to the metropolis? It is in the last analysis, a question of identity.”

While Williams was not unequivocally committed to small business in the years before 1970, he did encourage Indians and Africans to go into agriculture, light industry, transport, distribution and construction. Much to their distress, he indicated to businessmen that blacks should be given a “handicap” to allow them to catch up with would-be competitors, a view which they rejected. Several black contractors were nevertheless given preference over British companies in the construction industry whenever the state was responsible for the project as was the case with the construction of the University of The West Indies and The Federation Park housing estate that was being built to accommodate officials associated with the Federal Government. The “Rasta” plaited “Drag Brothers,” who concentrated on leather and other crafts in the early seventies, were also assisted as were several cooperatives.

Williams also paid some attention to black would-be farmers who claimed they wanted to go back to farming but could not get suitable lands in the urban areas. Some were settled by the Ministry of Agriculture on crown-owned lands previously occupied by the American military at the bases in Wallerfield and Cumuto. The declared aim was to address the twin issues of increased food production and black alienation from the land and urban drift. The project failed disastrously. Most of the settlers abandoned the lands which they sold or sublet to Indian farmers and entrepreneurs. Blacks found it much more productive to purchase and operate taxi cabs than to cultivate virgin lands. They also complained that they did not get the kind of technical, financial and help with marketing that they had been promised.

Many blacks however found it easier and indeed more economically worthwhile in both time spent on the job and remuneration, to obtain

employment on the various “work for votes” projects generated by the PNM. Interestingly, the special projects were not only expected to provide short-term jobs, but also to stimulate entrepreneurship among urban youth. This however never happened to any significant degree. Over time, project work became associated in the public mind with poor work ethic, idleness and low productivity. By the end of the 1970s, the “make work mentality” had contaminated and corrupted the work ethic in the larger society, to say nothing about the national wage structure. No one would accept jobs with wages lower than that obtained by project workers. Small-scale enterprise, whether owned by Blacks or any other group, could not survive for long in that environment.

The “people’s sector” was hailed as the PNM’s “revolutionary” answer to the demands of black radicals that the dispossessed sons of African slaves and Indian bonded-servants should be encouraged and helped to own a piece of their patrimony. While the concept was not defined in ethnically specific terms, there was an informal understanding that the state, controlled as it was by a party with a black political base, would give special attention to blacks who wished to get involved in business. It was also assumed that the two newly established national commercial banks that had been established by the state and other local investors in the wake of the 1970 crisis – the Worker’s Bank and the National Commercial Bank – would help to provide venture capital to this burgeoning black business elite. It was likewise assumed that existing agencies such as the Industrial Development Corporation, the Development Finance Corporation, the Management Development Centre and the Agricultural Development Bank would help by providing financial managerial and other services that would compensate to some extent for the lack of inherited capital, knowledge of the market and business know-how that characterised the black community.

29TrInIDaD & ToBago 50 years of InDePenDenCe


To concretise this commitment to the small man, 1970 was declared “Small Business Year”. A small business unit was established in May 1970 as a department of the Industrial Development Corporation in accordance with a cabinet directive and given TT$2.5 million as seed money. Its main goal and function was to promote growth among the nation’s small business enterprises. With the formation of the Small Business Unit came a formal definition of a “small business,” that is, units whose capital investment was TT$50,000 and under, represented by land, building, leasehold property, machinery, plant and equipment, stock-in-trade, work in progress, and furniture (in special cases). Enterprises with investments of over TT$50,000 up to TT$100,000 were also to be included.

Some positive results came of this effort on the part of blacks to break into the business sector. Quite a few rode the petrodollar boom and achieved a measure of success. Significant breakthroughs were also recorded in the construction industry, in the merchandise retail sector (appliances, household furnishings, clothing, and so on), in the service sector (taxis,

car rentals, bars, clubs, restaurants, accounting, janitorial services, valuation), and small supermarkets, to name a few of the niches in which they were to be found.

Many blacks also achieved successes in the construction industry and “suitcase trade”. They flew to Panama, Curaçao, Miami and New York and returned with suitcases full of merchandise which they sold in boutiques, in the “People’s Mall” on Queen Street, Port of Spain, or on sidewalks in commercial centres in competition with merchants belonging to other ethnic minority groups, the Syrian-Lebanese in particular, who complained of unfair competition. Many blacks however complained that the Syrians, who had themselves started as suitcase traders, were now seeking to deny them use of the route that they had taken to become established. Vendors in the “People’s Mall” claimed that the police often raided the mall looking for drugs. The real agenda, in their view, was the ongoing economic war between Syrians and black entrepreneurs.

Only a few of the companies belonging to the newly emergent entrepreneurial group of all ethnicities survived the drastic downturn in economic activity that characterised the 1980s, a downturn triggered by the 1986 drop in production levels and the price of crude petroleum from US$26 to US$9. Most of those who survived were a shadow of their former selves. Many collapsed and either went into receivership or disappeared completely. Given their recent entry, blacks as a group were unable to sustain their efforts. Only 119 of the 335 co-operatives that existed in 1984 remained active. The “Drag Brothers” continued to operate, but few grew beyond mere survival. The creation of a facility for them on Independence Square was a reaction to the demand of young blacks for space in the centre of town to produce and market their craft. It however quickly became a haven for crime, drugs and other forms of dysfunctional activity, and served to disfigure downtown Port of Spain. Williams regretted the

The Workers’ Bank and the national Commercial Bank were also enabled to secure mortgages for new customers to build or buy their own homes


IDenTITy

Black Power demonstration

outside The Royal Bank

of Canada, 1970


31Trinidad & Tobago 50 Years of independence

initiative, which was to be later demolished by a successor PNM administration.

Could Williams be blamed for what happened to the black enterprise project? Such an allegation would be historically unfair. Black West Indians generally did not see small business as the preferred way out of joblessness and poverty. That was not an option to which many aspired. As the assumed successors to the colonial ruling class, their vocational aspirations lay elsewhere. Their reference group was the white collar official in the state or commercial sector. Some saw the answer in massive migration to Britain, the “Mother Country,” Canada, the United States, or some form of unity with them. To some extent, Williams shared that view. Writing in The Negro in the Caribbean (1942), he argued that the future of the Caribbean was both an internal and an external problem. The external problem was that the United States had to take responsibility for the economic wellbeing of the islands. In Williams’ view, the Caribbean was geographically and more importantly, an American economic lake. There was no traditional homeland to which one could return and rebuild. America’s “Manifest Destiny” was to exercise economic trusteeship responsibility for the islands for “whose miseries it is in part to blame.” The Americans however had no desire to undertake that responsibility. Speaking on behalf of Americans during negotiations related to the Destroyers for Bases deal in 1941, Roosevelt made it clear that America would not welcome 2 million black West Indians coming to America and sitting on its doorstep.

If it cannot be argued that Williams was responsible for crippling black enterprise, it can nevertheless be said that he contributed greatly to its demise in the period after 1970 by pampering blacks with patronage and various make-work activities, thereby removing what was left of the incentive to work. Williams was however caught in a demographic and political trap. He was in thrall to the Westminster system in which parties

are forced to compete for the peoples’ vote. Given the competitive nature of the party system and the memories of 1970, Williams was forced to compete for the votes which were on purchase if he wanted to retain political power. The events of 1970 and the elections of 1976 and 1981 loomed large in his consciousness. He thus felt it necessary to pander to the ambitions and expectations of the upwardly mobile black middle class and the underclass that his government had nurtured.

He was also a victim of the plantation-generated cultural attributes of the black community which fostered attitudes of dependency, attributes which he himself had recognised. As he remarked in Perspectives:

“Because of their long history of economic dependence on metropolitan countries, the people of the Caribbean have never been forced to utilise their own resources. We have preferred to view our material progress in terms of handouts from the metropolis – handouts of aid, of capital investment or sheltered and preferred markets…We have never fully looked inwards. And when we do, we look to the government as a source of handouts.”

could Williams be blamed for what happened to the black enterprise project? such an allegation would be historically unfair

In the red: Barclays Bank

DC&O, decorated for

Independence Day, 1962


Blacks believed that they were entitled to the jobs and positions formerly held by the expatriates. This feeling of entitlement dogged the society from the early stages of self-government and independence where education was viewed as a way of improving one’s chances of being selected to fill the positions vacated by former colonials. Certification was an access pass to jobs formerly held by the colonials. This access to position without a strong sense of commitment to the wider society not only encouraged mediocrity but fuelled the tradition of corruption in high office.

Apart from being a vehicle for some to achieve status and wealth without work, the very role of government had a deleterious effect on the work ethic. Helped along by the seasons of great wealth generated from energy resources, the all-pervasive state quickly morphed into a centre for distribution of the oil-generated national patrimony rather than an agency for development. The net effect of the make-work programmes was negative on the work ethic. If according to Williams “Massa Day Done,” Williams was seen as the new political “Massa” whose historic role was to “run something” to the sons and daughters of the former slaves. They wanted him to distribute their “grandfather’s backpay.” His emphasis was therefore on consumption and distribution rather than on production which would have required a postponement of gratification. On the achievement of Independence in 1962, Williams gave the nation three watchwords, Discipline, Tolerance and Production. While there was much success in the area of ethnic tolerance, much was left to be desired in the areas of discipline and production. Many mistook ‘The Massa Day Done’ rhetoric to mean that in the New Day dispensation, one was entitled to be sustained by the state. These were not among the positive aspects of the Williams legacy.

This aspect of the Williams legacy came in the form of state-provided school places in the so-called prestige schools for the social elite, places

in the comprehensive and vocational schools for those who were accessing secondary education for the first time, make-work jobs, low or middle class housing, subsidised public transport and other utilities, board memberships and shareholding in enterprises which the state had acquired. Williams fussed, but he knew that in order to ensure the electoral turnout that would deliver victory, he would have to be the Godfather. He was painfully aware that once the masses had become used to living in a “freeness state”, he would have to ensure that that lifestyle was sustained. Moreover, since sugar was no longer sociologically or economically suitable as a commodity for a modern Caribbean state, one had to rely more on oil and natural gas, and concentrate on iron, steel and the other symbols of modernity. He felt that iron and steel had made Great Britain a great nation, and that that was what would make Trinidad and Tobago great. To satisfy those needs and those ambitions, the state would have to be the default entrepreneur not the little black or Indian man. As Williams told a group of students, they were being called upon to build the future modern state:

“The ’80s must surely belong to you. I urge you to accept that role, that challenge with the same determination, the same sense of discipline, with the same attitude towards productive hard work that your parents and indeed your grandparents had in the ’50s and ’60s, and the decade before that. Where our ancestors toiled in the field producing sugar under conditions of slavery, and under conditions of indenture, you will have an opportunity to produce steel of the highest quality to generate electricity.” (Press Release, Office of the Prime Minister, 4 February 1980.)

The state-centric models that Williams envisaged were Mao’s China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malayasia, and the Soviet Union, not those very few states which were facilitating and promoting small-scale enterprises. Williams wanted to catch up with History, and to do that, he felt he had no choice but to use the state as his instrument. ■

If it cannot be argued that Williams was responsible for crippling black enterprise, it can nevertheless be said that he contributed greatly to its demise in the period after 1970 by pampering blacks with patronage and various make-work activities

TrInIdad & Tobago 50 Years of Independence32

IdenTITY


T R A J A N

B usinesses are usually founded by remarkable individuals who have vision, ambition and energy. � ey create institutions that outlive

them and they, themselves, become legends. One man to whom all of the above apply is

Wilfred Sidney Knox, who may be seen as the most outstanding businessman in Trinidad and Tobago in the latter half of the 20th century. Following in the footsteps of Sir Gerald Wight, an entrepreneur and industrialist who brought brewing, manufacturing, shipbuilding and many other ventures into existence in the pre-Independence period, Knox, in company of a coterie of other young men who each operated within their own spaces, following in his footsteps, succeeded in putting into place the platforms that took an independent Trinidad and Tobago’s business sector out of, and forever away from, the business model that had been established here more than one hundred years before.

That older model had been founded on the twin-islands’ agricultural economies, grown from both the sugar and cocoa industries, which formed the bedrock of the society and shaped the culture and indeed the very nature of what is meant to be “a native of this place”. These economies were buttressed from the 1930s by the dynamic growth of the petroleum industry, wherein as in both the sugarcane and cocoa industries, these islands pioneered developments of world-changing commodities.

Sidney Knox was among the founders of the modern conglomerates, which in the wake of the collapse of the Federation of the West Indies in 1962, worked towards and were partly responsible for the creation of the Caribbean Free Trade Association, CARIFTA, the precursor of the Caribbean Community and Common Market, CARICOM. Knox’s larger-than-life personality drove this original, creative and adventurous individual, who shared in the modern entrepreneurial spirit that dominated the post-

World War II period in the western democracies.

Knox’s return to his island home a� er serving in the Royal Air Force put upon him the pressure of making the important career choices that many young men of his generation had to face. In his case, it was fate or fortune that took him into the engineering and motorcar sales � rm of Neal & Massy, and placed him in the fortunate position of coming under the in� uence of a thoroughly modern individual, Charles Massy.

Knox’s quick-witted, keen-spirited and ambitious

personality, buttressed by a strong competitive instinct, drove his career over the succeeding forty years to the top of Neal & Massy and also took the conglomerate to its full potential.

With his drive and energy, Knox, assisted by a team of intelligent, resourceful and ambitious young people, ensured that several of the older family � rms, if in name only, survived as a result of the conglomerate structure created by Neal & Massy. � e acquisition by Neal &

sidney knox and the birth of the conglomerate

HISTORY

33

Entrepreneurship and local industry in the heady days post-Independence

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: 50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

W. Sidney Knox CMT, LLD (hc), former Chairman of Neal & Massy Holdings

GÉRARD A. BESSON HBM,Historian and Author,

Trinidad

P33-35 Gerard Besson Knox HISTORY.indd 33 22/08/2012 13:50

Massy of several of Trinidad and Tobago’s long-established businesses contributed to a much-needed feeling for security and permanence in the face of fast-paced and rather frightening political and social changes taking place in the country and the world beyond.

Continuity in business, perpetuated by Knox’s business model, also ensured that international business contacts and goodwill survived into the post-independence period and beyond.

� ere cannot be any doubt that Knox’s business model for expansion, and his pursuit of quality service and best practices in management in

Trinidad and Tobago and in the Caribbean, were of signi� cant importance, particularly in the closing decades of the 20th century. He set and maintained the highest standards. Sidney Knox’s vision and leadership style – brash, forceful, outspoken, peppered with the salty language that his sailor’s heart expressed without fear or favour – have earned him a wide-ranging reputation as a no-nonsense businessman.

Some of his notable colleagues in Trinidad and Tobago’s post-Independence emerging modern business sector were Ralph Gibson, who piloted the � rst take-over in Trinidad and

HISTORY

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: 50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE34

Knox’s larger-than-life personality drove this original, creative and adventurous individual, who shared in the modern entrepreneurial spirit that dominated the post-World War II period

Top: � e Neal & Massy Automotive Building, Morvant, in the 1960s

Bottom (le� -right): Charles Massy,

George Phillips and Ralph Gibson


35TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: 50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

HISTORY

� e growing conglomerates of post-Independence Trinidad and Tobago provided employment, improved working conditions and gave training and scholarships to their employees

Top le� : Sir Gerald WrightTop right: � omas Gatcli� eMiddle: Ken GordonBottom: Nazir Ahamad

Tobago when McEnearney’s took over Alstons Limited, as such creating the � rst conglomerate; � omas Gatcli� e, Chairman of Angostura and independent Senator; Nazir Ahamad, founder of Southern Sales; Ken Gordon, the Chairman of the Caribbean Communications Network; Geo� rey Ingle� eld, Chairman of NEM Finance; and George Phillips and Cyril Greenidge of Neal & Massy.

� eir businesses – and the growing conglomerates of post-Independence Trinidad and Tobago – provided employment, improved working conditions and gave training and scholarships to their employees. All this contributed in no small way to the retention of the county’s middle class, which served to keep the intellectual capital from migrating completely in the years a� er Independence and during the economic downturn of the 1980s.

Trinidad and Tobago’s vibrant new private sector, which to a considerable degree was created by Sidney Knox, also served to raise living standards in terms of perceptions of quality, competitiveness, productivity, value and service: All necessary in the free enterprise system. At the 50th anniversary of Independence, it is our pleasure to bow to this truly great man to whom many thousands of us owe so much. ■


A s our nation celebrates � ve decades of independence on 31st August 2012, one is sometimes led to

wonder what life would have been like had we never been blessed with the economic bounty of the petroleum industry. Indeed, a great deal of hardship may have been our lot as well as the absence of the many public privileges we sometimes take for granted, so that as we celebrate this pivotal milestone, the Ministry of Energy & Energy A� airs takes a re� ective look at the local oil industry in the period from its inception up until the moment of independence in 1962.

Independence of an economic nature may have been in the thoughts of Captain Walter P. Darwent when he drilled what was to become the � rst producing oil well in the island in 1866. Indeed, the presence of petroleum had been realised some time prior to this signi� cant occurrence since British geologists Messrs Wall and Sawkins were commissioned to compile a comprehensive geological survey of the island by the Secretary of State for the Colonies a decade earlier. While primarily concerned with the investigation of the

presence of mineral coal and manjack (a high-quality asphalt), the surveyors noted the presence of petroleum in the famous Pitch Lake, which even then was being commercially exploited, as well as in the tertiary shales of the south coast. Kerosene was already being distilled from the asphalt of the Guapo region and was commonly known as ‘pitch oil’.

� e possible existence of petroleum in the area attracted the attention of Captain Darwent, who at the time was resident in Port of Spain with his family. Darwent, a veteran of the Apache Wars in the USA, was convinced that the area around the Pitch Lake held commercially viable quantities of ‘black gold’. He travelled to New York in 1864 and through much perseverance attracted venture capital to incorporate the Paria Petroleum Company in 1865. A� er much trauma, the company was formed and equipment acquired. � is was done for an additional US$6,300 in local shares, purchased by some of the most powerful businessmen in the island. � e � rm had no board of directors, being managed by the shareholders themselves and the President, Captain Darwent. He was sure of the viability of the enterprise, and was not daunted by the detractors who sco� ed at the venture.

Darwent was so certain that the project would yield great returns he purchased thousands of wooden casks to hold the oil. � ese were stacked in an empty lot near San Fernando Hill. � is energetic man then moved his equipment by steamer to La Brea. Prospecting around the area, he discovered seepages of oil on Aripero Estate, a defunct sugar plantation. Darwent erected a steam engine, and a crude wooden rig. He struck a rich oil sand at only 200 feet, but the pressure of gas was so low he could not get the oil to the surface. He tried using dippers attached to a cable but this was abortive since the clayey soil o� en collapsed, � lling the bore. � e failure to produce oil in marketable

laying the foundations of the modern energy industry

HISTORY


A brief history of Trinidad’s oil sector up to 1962, by Angelo Bissessarsingh

� is was a time when monumental tasks were performed and wealth drawn from primeval forest

P36-39 Angelo Bissessarsingh HISTORY.indd 36 23/08/2012 10:38

amounts caused the Paria Petroleum Company to collapse. Darwent himself was disheartened. He contracted yellow fever and died at La Brea in 1868, just one year a� er striking oil. � e hunt for black gold died with him until nearly � ve decades later.

Major Randolph Rust was one of the luminaries of Trinidad’s history, being a man of many parts, and had come out to Trinidad in 1882. In the 1880s, a surveyor mapping the southeastern coast noticed seepages of oil in the Guayaguayare forest. He sent a sample to England, only for it to be returned with a terse note which said that the sample had to be fake since it was too pure. By 1893, Rust, who had been bitten by the oil bug, was in the same forest looking at the seepages. � e land was owned by a Chinese merchant named John Lee Lum who had a thriving provision business in Port of Spain. Rust was su� ciently convinced of the commercial possibilities of oil, and unlike Trinidad’s � rst driller, undertook to provide � nancing for his enterprise before drilling. Backed by Lee Lum, Rust entered into a partnership with the Walkerville Whisky Company of Canada to form the Canadian Oil

Exploration Syndicate in 1901. By 1902, Rust was ready to begin drilling. Since there was no road access to the area, manpower and equipment were sent to Guayaguayare by steamer and then ferried four miles up the Pilot River on ra� s and canoes where a site had been cleared and levelled by hand. Erecting a rickety wooden and iron drilling rig, powered by a steam engine, Rust and his men struck a rich oil sand at just 850 feet. � e recovery process was even cruder than the drilling apparatus. A large well was dug and a pulley system installed, on which drill pipe dippers were dipped in the pooling oil and then dumped into wooden barrels which were then loaded on canoes and taken to the mouth of the river. Some of the oil was drained o� to a metal holding tank, while still more was poured into an earthen sump or pit.

In the infancy of the local oil industry, as many as 300 small companies were registered before 1920 to prospect for oil, many of which never even got o� to a start for want of capital. Arthur Beeby � ompson, a geologist, was prospecting in the Guapo area in the period 1909-10 and came to the determination that

HISTORY

37

In the infancy of the local oil industry, as many as 300 small companies were registered before 1920 to prospect for oil, many of which never even got o� to a start for want of capital


Above: Walter Darwent’s Aripero well, drilled 1866, pictured 1890s


vast quantities of oil lay under the surface. � e successes of � ompson and the establishment of a re� nery by United British Oil� elds Trinidad (UBOT) at Point Fortin in 1912 made the lands from La Brea to Point Fortin exceedingly valuable. � ese lands were former sugar estates, founded by French settlers in the late 1780s. By 1850, most had been abandoned and the area returned to the woods, with the exception of small patches of peasant cultivation by the ex-slaves and their descendants of the estates. Particularly rich deposits existed at Perseverance Estate, a large cocoa plantation at Vance River, Guapo

� e frontier of jungle and disease confronted by the drillers was arduous. � is was a time when monumental tasks were performed and wealth drawn from primeval forest. Fyzabad was developing as an oil area almost simultaneously with Guapo and Point Fortin. Apex Oil� elds Ltd, led by the formidable Colonel Horace Hickling (who was to become one of the most powerful men in the island and a Member of the

Legislative Council) also began acquiring lands at Forest Reserve, Fyzabad, both from peasant cocoa proprietors and by lease from the Crown. Most of these lands had to be cleared for the erection of drill sites, housing camps, re� neries, roads, pipelines and the entire infrastructure necessary to make the extraction of oil feasible.

Roads in particular were vital to the industry, as the use of the motor car was imperative, not only for rapid ease of movement, but also for visiting Port of Spain and San Fernando. For example, Trinidad Leaseholds had � elds at Barrackpore near Penal, and also at Fyzabad, more than 20 miles away, as well as a re� nery at Point Fortin, another 18 miles from Fyzabad. Trinidad Leaseholds Ltd had also erected a re� nery at Pointe-a-Pierre on the remnants of three sugar estates it acquired in 1912-13. A good road network was vital. In the infant days of the industry, the bulldozer was still unknown and most of the work of clearing the forest and levelling trajectories for roads fell to an amazing class of labourer, now forgotten in history, called the tattoo gangs. Tattoo gangs consisted of both men and women, who lived as peasants near the area of development. � e men were powerful with an axe and hewed thousands of trees to make clearings in the forest. � e women would cull the underbrush with cutlasses before � ring the whole. Logs would be dragged by oxen (later crawler tractor) parallel to each other and smeared with a layer of gravel and clay to create corduroy roads.

A similar scene was occurring far to the north where Alex Duckham was establishing Trinidad Central Oil� elds in 1911 at Tabaquite, which was the only oil� eld which sold gasoline by the drum to motorcar owners, the drums being sent by train to Port of Spain via the railway. A sad incident occurred in 1928 when the Dome Oilwell No. 3, a privately owned concern, exploded killing the owner and � � een others. It was a sobering reminder of the dangers of the oil� elds. For the white

HISTORY


For the white expatriates, neat bungalows and clubhouses provided an idyllic life amid the forest of oil derricks, but the average labourer sweated for less than 50 cents a day

Drillers at an early wellhead


expatriates, neat bungalows and clubhouses provided an idyllic life amid the forest of oil derricks, but the average labourer sweated for less than 50 cents a day. It is this disparity in wages and living conditions which brought a � ery Grenadian oilman named Tubal Uriah “Buzz” Butler into a headlong confrontation with the powerful Colonel Hickling at Fyzabad. Viewed as a serious threat, many attempts were made to arrest Butler, culminating in an incident wherein the arresting o� cer, Corporal Carl King was hideously burnt to death by a mob, which sparked the ‘Butler Riots’ of 1937.

Butler was partially forgotten however, when the threat of World War II loomed large in 1939. World War I had caught Trinidad’s oil industry in its infancy, but now, our petroleum resources were a vital asset for the Allied forces in Europe which demanded every drop they could get for the stand against the Wehrmacht of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. � e Bases Agreement was signed by American President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill in 1941. It spelt an end to a way of life which had persisted for two generations. Faced with the onslaught of the Nazi war machine and the terrible threat of German U-Boats lurking in the Atlantic, the Allied forces consolidated their resources in a united front which saw England receiving 50 outdated destroyer vessels for the seriously weakened Royal Navy in return for permitting the United States military under a 99-year lease to erect bases in its Caribbean colonies. Trinidad was of immense strategic importance because of its petroleum � elds and re� neries which, at one time during the war, supplied the majority of the fuel needed for the Allied forces in Europe.

Fuel was rationed locally while the re� neries at Point Fortin and Pointe-a-Pierre worked non-stop. Convoys of tankers, escorted by armed vessels, le� Trinidad on an almost daily basis, yet in 1942 a U-Boat managed to sink

two cargo vessels in Port-of-Spain in spite of all precautions, including a vast submarine net stretched across the Bocas Drago. Pointe-a-Pierre especially was protected since it provided most of the aviation fuel for the Royal Air Force. When the war ended in 1945, the oil industry was faced with shrinking land resources. In 1955 a successful oil well was drilled o� shore near Soldado Rock by Texaco, which had acquired all the assets of Trinidad Leaseholds Ltd, amid much public furore at a ‘Yankee’ company’s ownership of the largest portion of domestic oil holdings. In that year, the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission opened a huge power plant at Syne Village, Penal, which was fuelled by natural gas supplied from an underground reservoir – a � rst for the nation. In 1962, the largest oil drilling platform in the world drilled as many as 36 wells in our waters, signalling a new era for the petroleum industry as well as for Trinidad and Tobago, which on 31st August that year, won its independence from Britain and was free to chart its own destiny. ■

HISTORY

39

In 1962, the largest oil drilling platform in the world drilled as many as 36 wells in our waters, signalling a new era for the petroleum industry


DeLong jack-up barge o� Trinidad’s West coast, 1960s


T rinidad and Tobago, during 50 years of independence, has been transformed from a rural tropical backwater

to an almost fully developed country, facilitated in great part by the oil and gas with which the country is amply endowed. � ere is great cause for satisfaction and for a look back at business life over the past 50 years.

To the businessman the oil boom of the 1970s, followed by the bust of the early 80s, returning to the boom years of 2001 to the present time, has been a roller coaster ride which has created economic giants in the private sector as well as erased those companies which were less adaptable to the changing economic conditions of the times.

Before Independence the businessmen of Trinidad and Tobago lived in the business environment of “British rule where the role of the state was minimal and limited to the provision of law and order, security, provision of basic infrastructure and the collection of taxes.” (Spackman) � is was a situation that changed dramatically in the early decades of independence.

� e politicians of the newly independent country of Trinidad and Tobago, newly charged

with the heavy responsibility of improving the lives of the population, looked to external development models to inform their choices of economic policies. � eir politically formative years had been in� uenced by the policies of the British Labour Party under Clement Atlee which was elected to government in Britain with a sweeping programme of Nationalisation during the years 1945-51.

As the Socialist Worker No. 1864 issue of August 16th 2003 records: “� e Atlee government inherited wartime policies of rigorously controlled prices and pro� ts...Planning commissions determined what could be produced. Movement of currency and capital was controlled. In o� ce, it set about nationalising the Bank of England, coal mines, electricity and gas, railways, British Airways and other sections of the economy.”

� is incursion of government into what had previously been the domain of the private sector was attractive to the government of the day and the claiming of “� e commanding heights of the economy” and the institution of “� e planned economy” together with “Redistribution” became watchwords for aspiring politicians as well as those in o� ce.

Any suggestion that the economy should best be le� to “� e Market” rather than the planning skills of economists was considered ludicrous and unworthy of debate. � e economic models which informed the successful development of the “Asian Tigers”, of which Hong Kong and Singapore were comparable to Trinidad and Tobago, was ignored as being not suitable to the culture and style of government of this country. Indeed, a suggestion from Lee Kuan Yew, the Prime Minister of Singapore made some years later, when the economic success of the Asian Tigers, as against the travails of the Caribbean independent states, was obvious, that Trinidadians should play less “Mas” and work harder was met with derision.

Having rejected the models of the newly emerging Asian countries, Trinidad and Tobago

from state control to the marketplace

HISTORY


A businessman remembers, by Everard Medina

Trinidad and Tobago eagerly accepted the model of development proposed by development economist Professor Arthur Lewis

A typical Trinidadian o� ce in the 1960s

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P40-42 Everard Medina HISTORY.indd 40 23/08/2012 10:36

eagerly accepted the model of development proposed by development economist Professor Arthur Lewis. � e strategies adopted by the government were: “� e introduction of careful licensing procedures to minimise the use of foreign exchange on essential imports and investment outside the CARIFTA/Caribbean area.

To elicit a greater export e� ort from manufacturers who enjoyed duty free concessions from raw materials. To adopt new procedures that would ensure that the country received and had available for use of all earnings from exports. In other words the state had become involved in all aspects of the economy.”

(Bissessar and Hosein: “� e role of the State in the economic development of Trinidad and Tobago with special reference to the petrochemical sector”).

� e implementation of those policies was to involve the businessmen of Trinidad and Tobago, from the humble shopkeeper to the managers of large enterprises, in what can only be described as white-water ra� ing on the rapids of Independence, learning to operate their businesses in a time of economic upheaval and social experimentation. But the Chinese symbol for crisis also means opportunity and

there was a lot of money to be made and a lot of money to be lost on that turbulent river.

Taxation. � e businesses of the day had to work in an environment of taxation almost to a con� scatory level, 50 per cent at the margin.

Price controls were instituted ostensibly to protect the consumer from what was described as greedy retailers. � is resulted in shortages and black markets. � ere were government forays into the importation of food, speci� cally onions and potatoes, in an attempt to reduce the price to the consumer by bypassing the much maligned as useless “middle man”. It was soon apparent that government was not up to that task as evidenced by tonnes of rotting onions and potatoes on the docks.

Import substitution. A popular strategy of the time which encouraged local industry to supply goods which would otherwise be imported; they were protected from competition from imports by negative lists. � e theory was that, given protection in their early formative years these industries would eventually grow up and become strong and able to compete

HISTORY

41

Ever so o� en, calls are made for a return to some of the failed policies of the 1960s. � ose who forget the past are doomed to repeat it


� e all-powerful Treasury


internationally. � ey never could and never did. In the end the policy created a manufacturing sector producing shoddy and sub-standard goods for the local market. None were able to face the competition of a world market.

Currency controls were introduced to save what was described by the newspapers as “our precious foreign exchange”. � is resulted in a thriving black market for foreign currency, and encouraged the proliferation of – at that time – illegal overseas foreign bank accounts, used to service purchases not approved by the government. � e lowest point of this initiative was the ECO, a document which allocated the total foreign exchange a business enterprise was allowed for imports annually. It attempted to ration foreign exchange between competing needs. � e importance of any need, relative to others, was adjudicated by a bureaucracy within the Ministry of Finance.

� ose businessmen who could take advantage of the many distortions of the market created by these regulations did well, usually at the expense of the consumer. Others were forced to the wall.

It is useful to record these failed policies and bring them into the memory of our so di� erent world. Memories of those times are fading, and as

a result, ever so o� en calls are made for a return to some of those failed policies of the past, price control, rent control, currency control, in the hope that they may cure some of our present ills. � ose who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.

At this peak period of State Capitalism, government owned substantial shareholdings in 48 companies, of which 37 were owned outright.

� e entire control structure collapsed in the early 1980s when both the quantity of oil drilled as well as its market price collapsed. � e resultant decline of government revenues led Trinidad and Tobago to the IMF. Government subsequently retreated from its maximalist position in the day-to-day business life of the economy, and this has continued into the present gas boom. Government has instead concentrated on creating a welfare state which has created elaborate entitlements unlikely to survive any serious downturn in the economy.

� ose adventures le� us with some strange things, a plethora of football and other sports stadiums, some not yet completed. Some feel that there are more stadia than we could ever usefully utilise, even accepting (former Prime Minister) Mr Manning’s assurance that Tarouba Stadium would serve as a potential disaster shelter should “Kick Em Jenny”, an underwater volcano situated 8km north of Grenada, erupt and generate a tsunami threatening the region.

We have reason to look forward with faith in ourselves and optimism in the future. � ose adventures of the past le� us with some good things. Between 1975 and 1985 the Point Lisas industrial Estate, funded by over three billion dollars of government funds, became the showpiece of heavy industry in the Caribbean. Point Lisas continues to be a � agship of Industrialisation. � is, together with a business community hardened by the ups and downs of the past should be well able to survive any future bust of what, because of our dependency on oil and gas, some economists claim is a boom and bust economy. ■

HISTORY


At the peak period of State Capitalism, the government owned substantial shareholdings in 48 companies of which 37 were owned outright

� irsty work: the Carib brewery

around the time of Independence


I f one peers closely into the past of the Chaguaramas peninsula, it soon becomes apparent that it is perhaps one of the most

historically important places in the whole of Trinidad and Tobago. Its lush green hills conceal the remnants of a long history which stretches back to the period before the island was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1498. At the time, it was settled by Amerindian tribes, with an ersatz capital of sorts at the village of Cu-Mucurapo. Even a� er the island had been permanently settled by the Spanish in the 16th century, the peninsula remained pristine and unspoilt until 1783 when an enterprising Frenchman named Roume de St Laurent hit upon a scheme for opening up the rich lands and at the same time provide a refuge for his countrymen who were facing the turmoil of civil unrest in Grenada and St Domingue (now Haiti).

In 1783 the Cedula of Population was proclaimed by Governor José María Chacón, allowing Catholic slave-owners and their chattels to settle in Trinidad on grants of land, some of which were in Chaguaramas. Among the names of the grantees were some like

Rochard, Duvivier, Dumas, Noel and Dert whose descendants still live in the island. Cotton was the staple crop of Chaguaramas with co� ee being cultivated on the slopes of its hills. In the well-watered La Cuesa valley, sugar cane was grown. In the 1780s, the con� icts between the superpowers of Europe saw a small battery being erected at Pointe Gourde of its hills. In 1796 Admiral Don Sebastián Ruiz de Apodaca anchored � ve armed ships under the shadow of its meagre protection, for it had been whispered that orders were afoot for a British invasion of Trinidad. Gossip became grim reality when on 16th February 1797, 19 British warships under the command of Admiral Sir Ralph Abercromby sailed through the Boca del Drago carrying seven thousand men. Hopelessly outnumbered, Apodaca chose the path of least resistance and decided to scuttle his � eet rather than even make a pretence of courage. � e Spanish and French burgesses of Port-of-Spain kept a � tful watch to the west all night. One of Trinidad’s early historians, L.M. Fraser wrote thus in 1891:

“At last, towards half-past one of the morning of the 17th February, the western sky was suddenly lighted up by the � ames of a con� agration, which indicated a disaster of some kind in the Bay of Chaguaramas. At every moment the light became more and more intense, throwing out in bold relief the dark outline of Punta Gorda and illuminating the sea for miles to the southward. Explosion a� er explosion shook the still morning air, but the anxious listeners were ignorant of the exact nature and extent of the catastrophe. At nine o’clock in the morning all doubts were set at rest by the arrival of the Admiral in Port-of-Spain. He hastened to the Governor and reported to him that the enemy had taken up position before Gaspar Grande, and that as the forts were without water, and the heights commanding the Bay of Chaguaramas were totally undefended, he had found himself unable to attempt to escape

chaguaramas: gateway to trinidad

HISTORY


Understanding our Northwest Peninsula, by Angelo Bissessarsingh

From bombs to beauty queens, the verdant hills of Chaguaramas have loomed high over a turbulent and momentous history which has charted the course of an entire region

Hart’s Cut: dug by convicts in 1855, it cut an hour’s rowing time o� the

journey to Port of Spain

P44-47 Angelo Bissessarsingh Chag HISTORY.indd 44 23/08/2012 15:34

from his critical position without encountering the almost certain risk of capture by the enemy. In this emergency he had assembled a Council of War of the captains of the vessels under his command, and they had unanimously agreed that the ships should be burned at their anchorage rather than that they should fall into the hands of the invaders. He had accordingly put this plan into execution a� er having � rst removed all the troops from Gaspar Grande and spiked the guns in the forts.”

With Trinidad ceded to England, a new century had barely commenced when in 1806, a planned slave rebellion along the lines of the Haitian Revolution of 1804 was discovered on an estate in the La Cuesa Valley. � e slaughter of planters and their families had been proposed when the plot was uncovered, with the ringleaders being severely punished and banished from the colony under the pain of death. British proprietors moved into Chaguaramas among the long-established French settlers and sugarcane cultivation spread. In 1831 a severe storm lashed the peninsula causing severe damage. In 1834, slaves in the British Empire were emancipated and this caused severe labour shortages on the estates in Trinidad. Small communities of farmer-� shermen had mushroomed

in the secluded coves at Staubles, Teteron and Scotland Bays. � ese were largely the ex-slaves of the struggling plantations of Monos, Chacachacare and Chaguaramas who found independence in their new way of life. In 1855, the dynamic Daniel Hart was Superintendent of Carrera

Island Prison, a few miles o� Pointe Gourde, which was a strain to the � shermen who had to row around the narrow isthmus. Hart employed convict labour to dig a channel 2,000 feet long by 15 feet wide by 4 feet deep across the narrowest portion. At high tide it allowed the small pirogues of the � shermen to go through the isthmus rather than around it which knocked about an hour of hard rowing o� their journeys to and from Port of Spain.

In the 1850s, William Sanger Tucker, an enterprising man, had propagated several cocoa estates, almost from scratch. A small village with its own shop and church grew out of Tucker Valley as the area was known in

HISTORY

45

On 16th February 1797, 19 British warships under the command of Admiral Sir Ralph Abercromby sailed through the Boca del Drago carrying seven thousand men


Above: 19th Century navigational map of the peninsula and bocas.Below: Boats moored at Staubles Bay, 1930s


later years. Tucker’s son-in-law was a visionary named Edgar Tripp. Tripp always believed the calm, deep waters of Chagville bay to be one of the � nest deep-water harbours in the world. In 1900, Tripp formed a company and established an innovative � oating dock at the entrance to Tucker Valley for the careening of vessels. It was constructed in England with backing from the wealthy Ellis Grell and hauled to Trinidad in 1907. � e dock itself could move under its own power provided by a powerful steam engine. � e drydock was a commercial failure, although during its existence, it was something of a sight for Trinidadians and excursions were frequently organised to take in this extraordinary piece of engineering. � e � oating dock was le� derelict and became a rusty hulk, half sunk and listing to the side. Finally, in 1931, a decision was taken to tow it beyond the Bocas and sink it in deep water.

Sir George F. Huggins, a millionaire businessman, pioneered the development of the tourism sector when he erected a massive holiday resort and hotel at Macqueripe Bay in 1936. � e hotel had 40 rooms, a billiards hall,

tennis courts and o� ered excellent swimming from purpose-built changing rooms and showers long before such facilities were even dreamed of, and Maracas Beach was an isolated little cove. Guests could go horseback riding on the 6,000 acre estate or � shing from a jetty from whence massive groupers weighing upwards of 300lbs could be caught. It was later con� scated by the Americans as an O� cers’ Mess during the second World War, and � nally demolished in 1987.

When World War II erupted in 1939, Great Britain was dragged into the con� ict, followed by the United States, and life would never be the same again for millions of people, including those in some isolated little villages in Trinidad’s Chaguaramas peninsula. � e crack of doom would soon be heard when the Bases Agreement was signed by American President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1941. It spelled an end to a way of life which had persisted for two generations. � ousands of American servicemen began pouring into Trinidad, upsetting the fabric of society and changing the landscape with hastily established prefabricated cities at selected points throughout the island. Despite the vehement protests of Sir Hubert Young, the island’s Governor, the Americans con� scated the entire Chaguaramas peninsula, inclusive of the island of Gaspar Grande, and strategic locations on Monos and Chacachacare. � e villagers of the peninsula were forcibly evicted by platoons of soldiers and relocated to the already squalid and overcrowded villages of Carenage and Point Cumana, the latter being immortalised when Lord Invader penned the famous ‘Rum and Coca-Cola’ song (later covered by the Andrews Sisters). He sang “Drink rum and Coca-Cola, go down Point Cumana, Both mother and daughter working for the Yankee dollar.”

When the War ended in 1945 the Americans continued to occupy the base at Chaguaramas. � e industry of the area took on a new dimension

HISTORY


� e villagers of the peninsula were forcibly evicted and relocated to the already squalid and overcrowded villages of Carenage and Pt Cumana, the latter being immortalised when Lord Invader penned the famous ‘Rum and Coca-Cola’ song

Bauxite trans-shipment facility,

Tembladora, 1950s


with the construction in the 1950s of two massive trans-shipment facilities at Pointe Gourde and Tembladora, for the aluminium giants, ALCAN and ALCOA respectively. � e latter was the largest of its kind in the world when constructed and was meant for the collection and forwarding of alumina powder manufactured in Guyana. Chaguaramas was catapulted into regional importance when it was proposed as the Federal Capital of the political union of the British West Indian colonies to form the West Indies Federation in 1958. Since the American military continued to occupy a signi� cant portion of the peninsula, the capital was eventually based in Port-of-Spain until the Federation collapsed in 1962, the same year Trinidad and Tobago gained independence. Moves to oust the Americans had begun. On April 22 1960, Dr Eric Williams (then Chief Minister) marched at the head of a mighty contingent of citizens to Chaguaramas to demand the return of the lands to Trinidadians. � is compelled the United States Government to renegotiate the Bases Agreement, � rst with the Colonial Government and then with Dr Williams as the Prime Minister of a newly-independent Trinidad and Tobago in 1962.

� e Americans fell back and on their facilities in Chaguaramas were installed the battalions of the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment and the Coast Guard at Teteron Bay. Even so, the last vestiges of the US Army only le� Chaguaramas in 1977. In 1970, the country was gripped by Black Power, inspired by the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. � ere was a mutiny at the army

base in Teteron Bay when Ra� que Shah and Rex Lasalle endeavoured to lead a rogue force into Port-of-Spain, being stopped when the Coast Guard shelled the Western Main Road, blocking their access. Although it never became the Federal Capital in the 1950s, Chaguaramas Convention Centre (a large building formerly

operated as the Marine Hotel) was the venue for the signing of the charter which formed the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on 4th July 1973. � is historic document was forever known as the Treaty of Chaguaramas. During the last two decades of the 20th century, Chaguaramas grew into a major hub with nightclubs and yachting facilities to rival the best in the region. In 1999, the area again received global attention as the venue for the 1999 Miss Universe pageant which was held in a reconditioned hangar, a relic of World War II. From bombs to beauty queens, the verdant hills of Chaguaramas have loomed high over a turbulent and momentous history which has charted the course of an entire region. ■

47

Although it never became the Federal Capital in the 1950s, Chaguaramas Convention Centre was the venue for the signing of the charter which formed the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)


Above: Edgar Tripp’s famous � oating dock at the entrance to Tucker Valley. Below: Sir George Huggins’ Macqueripe Hotel, con� scated by the Americans in WWII

HISTORY


O n the evening of � ursday 9th August 1962 in a radio broadcast to the nation, the Premier, Dr Eric Williams, announced the winner of

the competition to choose the National Anthem of Trinidad and Tobago.

� e National Anthem Committee had received entries that consisted of words only, music only, and words and music jointly. � ere were 834 word entries, 33 music entries, and 306 word and music entries. Out of such a vast � eld of competitors, Mr Patrick Castagne won the prize of $5,000.00 in Government Bonds and a gold medal inscribed with the Coat of Arms of Trinidad and Tobago that was at stake.

At the Cabinet meeting before the announcement of the winner by the Premier, the Minister of Education and Culture, Senator Donald Pierre, presented Dr Williams with a sealed envelope that contained Mr Castagne’s name in it. � e Cabinet approved the winner and con� rmed the new National Anthem.

Mr Castagne, a renowned West Indian songwriter, was employed at the Trinidad and Tobago Commission in London. � e anthem was itself an edited version of A Song for Federation that he had written for the Federation of the West Indies that had been dissolved by May 1962.

� e close resemblance between the National Anthem of Trinidad and Tobago and A Song For Federation can easily be discerned by a perusal of the latter which read as follows:

“FORGED BY THE LOVE OF UNITYIN THE FIRES OF HOPE AND PRAYERWITH BOUNDLESS FAITH IN OUR LIBERTYWEST INDIANS ALL DECLARESIDE BY SIDE WE STANDWITH OUR HEARTS JOINED ACROSS THE SEATHIS OUR NATIVE LANDWE PLEDGE OURSELVES FOR THEEHERE EVERY CREED AND RACE FIND AN EQUAL PLACEAND MAY GOD BLESS OUR NATION

HERE EVERY CREED AND RACE FIND AN EQUAL PLACEAND MAY GOD BLESS OUR NATION”

� e political demise of the Federation of the West Indies opened the door to independence for Jamaica (6th August 1962) and Trinidad and Tobago (31st August 1962). With it went the dreams and aspirations of ten island states (Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Lucia, St Vincent, St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla,

and, Trinidad and Tobago) who were on the verge of becoming a new nation state that was to be called “� e West Indies”.

� ere is no doubt that Castagne’s A Song For Federation provided the musical inspiration that could have matched the foundation of a strong federation had it survived.

Nevertheless, his alteration of A Song for Federation was deemed to be most suitable for a twin-island state that consisted of “islands of the blue Caribbean Sea” who would stand “side u

understanding our national anthem

HISTORY

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: 50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE 49

From Federation to National Independence, by Dr Hamid Ghany

Patrick Castagne’s personal copy of the National Anthem, signed and dated 31st August 1962

� e political demise of the Federation of the West Indies opened the door to independence for Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. With it went the dreams and aspirations of ten island states

AND RACE FIND AN EQUAL PLACEAND MAY GOD BLESS OUR NATION”

of the Federation of the West Indies opened the door to independence for Jamaica (6th August 1962) and Trinidad and Tobago (31st August 1962). With it went the dreams and aspirations of ten island states (Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Lucia, St Vincent, St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla,

P49-51 Hamid Ghany Anthem HISTORY.indd 1 24/08/2012 09:51

50

HISTORY

� ere is no doubt that Castagne’s “A Song for Federation” provided the musical inspiration that could have matched the foundation of a strong federation had it survived


Above right: Telegram of congratulations from

Prime Minister Dr Eric Williams.

Above le� : Letter from the Central Chancery of

the Orders of Knighthood to Patrick Castagne

regarding his investiture as an MBE.

Right: Patrick Castagne at Buckingham Palace with his wife Lucille, daughter

Dianne and son Glenn


t by side” in promoting the values of “every creed and race” � nding “an equal place” in the mutli-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural society of Trinidad and Tobago as it existed in 1962.

According to an excerpt from the editorial in the Sunday Guardian of 19th August, 1962:

“In its solemn declaration of brotherhood and unity, it very neatly includes Tobago with Trinidad without mentioning the name of either (“Side by side we stand, islands of the blue Caribbean Sea”); and as an added impulse to unity it goes on to describe them together as “our native land,” ending with the petition, “And may God bless our nation.”

In the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List on 1st January 1963, Patrick Castagne was awarded the MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. � e investiture took place at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday 5th February 1963 and he was accompanied by his wife, Lucille, his daughter Dianne, and one of his sons, Glenn.

A� er the announcement of his award on New

Year’s Day 1963, Pat Castagne received a letter from Sir Ellis Clarke, Trinidad and Tobago’s Ambassador to Washington dated 23rd January 1963. Clarke said, in part, to Castagne that he had “of course the deep satisfaction of knowing that your name will forever be linked with that of Trinidad and Tobago by its National Anthem.”

On Friday 31st August 1962, the National Anthem of Trinidad and Tobago was played right a� er the Clerk of the House of Representatives read the Proclamation at the o� cial opening of the First Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago attended by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal.

Fi� y years later our National Anthem lives on, our House of Representatives is still intact, and the legacy of Patrick Castagne is � rmly secured in our hearts and voices as we sing lustily that “here every creed and race � nd an equal place.” ■

HISTORY

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: 50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE 51

Above: � e National Anthem and A Song for Federation.Below: Above le� : Letter from Sir Ellis Clarke congratulating Mr Castagne on his award


T he identification of what is our national heritage is something of a challenge, whether as colonial

buildings, history or as folk traditions. This is the case because of the nature of Trinidad and Tobago’s historical experience, especially as expressed in the work of those who take upon themselves the Sisyphusian task of recording and interpreting this unfolding landscape. These thinkers have had to contend with not just the changing times, but also with competing narratives in a segmented society.

Tobago MermaidsYou see, as one would expect, these islands are not like other islands. In the case of Tobago, our elder sister, she was once a part of an older British Empire, some say the first one, along with Barbados and Antigua, St Kitts, Jamaica and the North American colonies. These are all places where historical traces, in terms of European residue, are still stumbled upon in bushy outcrops. I myself have stumped my toe on a bell almost buried in the red earth of Parlatuvier in Tobago that might have rung on a plantation when these islands served as depots for the mass transmigration of souls in transit from a suffering beyond belief to a place that one would hope would be the Paradise of the just.

That being the case, Tobago’s windmills stand today as silent reminders of that residue, which the “Tobago Wedding” as a folk festival parodies as it catches and contains, like a breath caught between laughing and crying, a moment in its cultural treasury.

Tobago has, and maintains, that quality. When I asked the old man at Black Rock about it, he answered, “Mermaids, I don’t know anything about that.” When pressed, persuaded and flattered, he said, “Mermaids, they look like Kings of old, or warriors of long ago.” “Mermaids! Kings? Warriors! How you mean?”

He couldn’t say, exactly. It took a while to work out, but it went something like this: in Tobago, like other places, the experience of slavery served to erase most memories of origin and identity, but could do little about intuition and belief in the higher powers that both mirror and shape our own experiences, destinies and so forth, so, although the memory of names like Yemanja and Oshun had faded, the certain knowledge that the Waters beneath the Earth and in the Sea were the vehicles of Divinity had endured. This notion remained strong amongst a people who had been taught to forget themselves. But, when seeing the contents of the cartouches of the world maps on the walls of the Great Houses that depicted the antics of a crowned Neptune with an Oceanus trident in hand surrounded by a court of denizens of the deep out on the rolling sea, the old folks of Tobago smiled and understood that they were always right in the understanding of the universality of the Divine, while not bothering too much with the vagaries of gender. The colonial experience demanded a twin-framed view of the world, where one’s visions were viewed through another’s lenses.

Becoming TrinidadianIn Trinidad we had something of a different experience. Trinidad is new, as Caribbean experiences go. Before 1783 and the Cedula of Population, which should be regarded, according to Professor Carl Campbell of the University of the West Indies, as our first constitution, Trinidad was a very sparsely populated place. There were just over a thousand people living here, that is counting the handful of those who thought that they were of European descent, those who actually were and the few blacks that hovered between bondage and idleness – you see, there was no real economy. As far as the First People were concerned, they lived “here” which meant, as far as the eye could see and the heart imagine. This included these islands and

mermaids, imps and goddesses: the folklore of trinidad and tobago

history

Trinidad & ToBago: 50 Years of independence52

The beliefs that informed our identity

Opposite: Duennes, the spirits of children who

died before they were baptised, roam the forests

of Trinidad playing tricks on living children.

Illustration by Stuart Hahn

gérard a. Besson HBM,Historian and Author,

Trinidad

P52-56 Gerard Besson HISTORY.indd 52 23/08/2012 10:45

the mountains of the Paria peninsula as seen, washed on a clear day, all the way to Venezuela.

Whereas most islands in the Caribbean Sea took hundreds of years to develop a comprehensive society, Spanish Trinidad acquired one, virtually fully structured, overnight. In the space of less than fi ft een years, 1783–1797, suddenly there were 1,500 Europeans, half of whom were French, and 18-20,000 Africans, who were enslaved. And some 11,000 “Free Blacks and People of Colour.” Almost all of these were French-speaking, Catholic, and, interestingly, one could say uniquely, that they were products of miscegenation. Th ey formed the vast majority of the free population.

It was around this demographic that our fi rst blush with identity-forming mechanisms took place. Th is was where our fi rst attempts to make sense of what we could barely comprehend in terms of self-realisation began. We started off as sojourners, Afro-French-Creoles, in a strange land. In someone else’s place. One’s identity must of necessity relate to something and as such has to be ‘invented’ at the appropriate historical moment. So this was the place to which this crowd brought their collective memories of past experiences. Th e born Creole.

Some had memories of a West African culture, already mature when they were sold to the ship, others had memories of suff ering and of triumphs on other islands, the most important being manumitted, naturally, while there were those who were transporting memories of a Europe that was just emerging from the enfi efdom of the Altar and the Th rone. In a manner of speaking all were marooned.

Th is then for Trinidadians was to be home, where we would create our fi rst attempt at forming a common imagination. 1783 and the Cedula was ground zero. It was to be from here that we would proceed to remember our past; this is our fi rst historical narrative. In

the beginning, there was the Cedula, and the Cedula was made Law.

Th e fi rst recasting of history to make a usable past began then. Th is was where we created our fi rst myths. Th e fi xed mental architecture that sought to explain the unexplainable, and to achieve this miracle we had to become experts in the art of what the scientists call Creole orality. Storytelling. Which may be thought of in the Patois of the French islands in which they were told: “Sé lè van ka vanté, moun ka wè lapo poul,” or, “it is when the wind is blowing that we see the skin of the fowl.”

All this suff ered something of a shock and a setback with the conquest of the island by the British in 1797. Th ey proceeded to teach us English, introduce the Anglican Church and attempted to cause us to forget our heroes like Phillip Roume, the coloniser, a French Creole who was instrumental in the promulgation of the Spanish Cedula of 1783, and Jean Baptiste Phillippe, an Afro Creole, the petitioner, who made certain in 1824 that the conditions of the Cedula were maintained by the conqueror. Th is may have been our fi rst identity crisis.

Becoming subversiveTh e Afro-French-Creole culture went underground so as to survive and as such became the principal method for our identity formation. In fact, the British suppression of the culture made it blossom. All folk forms by their nature are subversive. In its subversion we were able give to the world our music, our Carnival arts, which contained during its hey-day such characters as Dame Lorraine, a take off on

mermaids, imps and goddesses: the folklore of trinidad and tobago

history

53

Th e Afro-French-Creole culture went underground so as to survive and as such became the principal method for our identity formation. In fact, the British suppression of the culture made it blossom

Trinidad & ToBago: 50 Years of independence

who was instrumental in the promulgation of the Spanish Cedula of 1783, and Jean Baptiste Phillippe, an Afro Creole, the petitioner, who made certain in 1824 that the conditions of the Cedula were maintained by the conqueror. Th is may have been our fi rst identity crisis.

Becoming subversiveTh e Afro-French-Creole culture went underground so as to survive and as such became the principal method for our identity formation. In fact, the British suppression of the culture made it blossom. All folk forms by their nature are subversive. In its subversion we were able give to the world our music, our Carnival arts, which contained during its hey-day such characters as


the posturing of the pretend French aristocracy, Piss n’ lit, mostly about unmentionables, and the Diab’ Molasse, which is the worst thing that could happen on a cane plantation, a slave falls into a boiling vat of molasses: that ghost still haunts the carnival; and of course calypso, which at its best contains the subtle double entendre, perhaps the most subversive of all, and fi nally, as we entered modern times the steelband. It is fascinating to enter the imagination of Trinidad’s 19th century. “Folklore, folklore,” she said it like a foreign word. “What you mean?” “Tell me about La Diablesse,” I said, I was interviewing Miss Fairy – actually Miss Augustine Fournillier of Paramin. “La Diablesse, she is the spirit of the woman who has been wronged by man, you ever see La Diablesse interfere with woman? Is man who too dam bad.”

I had to meet another storyteller, Lumat, who lived even further up the hill, “in the clouds,” as Peter “Choco” Tardieu explained. Lumat cleared up the enigma saying, “Th e African people have a goddess of love, they knew her as Ezulie Freda. In ceremonies she was adored at the crossroads, the cosmic place where womankind comes face to face with her divine self.” I made myself comfortable. “In understanding what women had to go through in life, in order to send a warning, this creature of love and creativity had to be re-invented she become the rod of correction, to frighten little boys and to make them remember that they must pay for their sins.” She became the ghost

of the woman who had been wronged by men.“Ki mélé wòz nan paké bwa Jacques?” said

Angelique Romany, who had been listening to the conversation, “what business has a rose in Jacques’ bundle of wood?” He also explained that the Duenn did not haunt children, “No, not at all, the Duenn is haunt the parent.”

“How you mean?” “Well, she didn’t have time for the boy. She too

busy wid she business. Th en the night come, she ent see the boy, she gone outside, she calling calling, she standing up in the road under the street lamp, alone, everyone inside, she calling him, ‘Robie, Robie!’ She going mad with fear. Th e boy loose, he dead, the Duenn take him, somewhere. ‘Robie,’ she bawl, running inside, ‘Robie!’ She crying now, she can hardly breathe. ‘Robie! What you doing there? You eh hear me calling you, come here!’ She was so glad to see him that she cut his tail good.”

Becoming poetryAnd then: “Th is is the story of the ancient one who lived in the heights; who walking through the forest, never met his like... the world went by, he was the only dreamer on the scene, he was sharply etched against all horizons. He became all things. He would catch a glimpse of a form refl ected in the mountain pools, among the stones and leaves that lay on the bottom. Sometimes, in the sky, or mixed between trees, sky, a darting bird, a cloud, he would glimpse a passing shape. He was not afraid, he knew that

history


Papa Bois, the custodian of all fl ora and fauna, is the most widely known of all our folklore characters. He is the old man of the forest and is known by many names, including Mâitre Bois, the master of the woods, and Daddy Bouchon, the hairy man

LaDiablesse: the spirit of the woman who has been

wronged by man.llustration by

Alfred Codallo


all was I – endless refl ections of himself upon the earth and in the sky. He called many things by their names – Tucuche and Tacarib, so to be known forever aft er. Everywhere he went he made a name for himself.”

Papa Bois, the custodian of all fl ora and fauna, is the most widely known of all our folklore characters. He is the old man of the forest and is known by many names, including Mâitre Bois, the master of the woods, and Daddy Bouchon, the hairy man.

Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott remembers when he was a Mi Jean meeting Papa Bois somewhere in the misty mountain villages of Trois Pitons in his native Ste Lucie; it went something like this: “Bonjour Mi Jean, Mi Jean the philosopher,” said the old man. “Bonjour, Papa Bois. How come you know my name?” asked Mi Jean. “But everyone knows you very well, my friend. High and low, from the cloudy mountaintops to the villages among the smoke and rum, hasn’t everyone heard of Mi-Jean the jurist, the intellectual? Come, sit. Do not be modest. You are among equals.”

“I see you have a cow foot, ain’t that so?” said Mi Jean, pointing.

“Yes, yes. A cow foot – you have an eye for detail. Would you like some tobacco? What are you reading?” Enquired the old man politely.

“Everything! Th is book have everything in it you want to know about. Cow foot... wait... ah go fi nd it,” said Mi Jean, busy with the index. “Cow heel...”

If you should meet with Papa Bois be very polite. “Bon jour, vieux Papa,” or “Bon Matin

Mâitre,” should be your greeting. If he pauses to pass the time with you, stay cool, and do not look at his feet. Lumat laughed, and said, “Tan moun konnèt lòt nan gwanjou, nan nwit yo pa bizwen chandèl pou kléwè yo.”

Th at means, when a person has known another in the day-time, he does not need a candle to recognise him in the night.

Anita Tardieu, Choco’s great-grand aunt, said to me that the family had magic words: three, one

was a secret, the other two were for fi re and for locks. She said she saw her cousin “Pussy” use the word for fi re, which he uttered when he saw a bush fi re about to wipe out his chive, rosemary and thyme. Th en she had to intervene when a youngster, who had overheard the word for locks, locked his siblings in a motorcar, but did not know the word for unlock.

“Sé pou on dòmi an poulyési-poul pou sav si ka ronfl é,”

she said smiling. You must sleep with fowls to know if they snore.

‘Th ey’ say that the vampire tradition came to Trinidad with some old French families, the majority of whom became priests and nuns. Th ere was a commingling, a miscegenation with a similar African tradition. Of this an Englishman wrote: “A ball of fl ame along she came, fl ying without a wind.” Some say there is a school for Soucouyants up Saut d’Eau Road. A priest remembers walking along Las Cuevas beach one night seeing a ball of fi re coming

history

55

If you should meet with Papa Bois be very polite. “Bon jour, vieux Papa,” or “Bon Matin Mâitre,” should be your greeting. If he pauses to pass the time with you, stay cool, and do not look at his feet

Trinidad & ToBago: 50 Years of independence

Papa Bois: custodian of all fl ora and fauna.llustration by Alfred Codallo


along. As it went by he recognised a parishioner, an elderly woman, inside it. In the meanwhile Lord Executor sang: “At last the bugle call, I’m not sorry for man at all... sans humanité.”

Loup Garou, the science man, the shape changer, the Obeah man, the poisoner on the estate, the spectre haunts the plantation’s graveyard. He is phantom at the crossroad. His creature is the one who passes through the night, black and naked, a chain around his waist, dragging. The coffin balanced on his head, has tree candles burning. What a way to transport bush rum. The Obeah man is a businessman, you understand. As they say: “Léfan ka valé kalabas, pas li konnèt bonda-li.” Which is to say, an elephant can swallow a calabash because it knows the size of its asshole.

Becoming modernNow, to lift another corner of the handkerchief of history. The Afro-French-Creole culture entered its twilight in the period of between the world wars. French Patois was increasingly seen as a leftover from a long ago time, as modernity quickly overtook us. It stigmatised one as being real old fashioned.

By the 1960s this gradual loss of language, plus the politically inspired ending of the agricultural lifestyle, saw the demise of a variety of folk and oral traditions. Our 19th, early 20th century Afro-French Creole cultural memory became lost through emigration and immigration, as well as being eclipsed by other realities.

The ‘old gods,’ Papa Bois, Loup Garou, Soucouyant, La Diablesse, the Duenns, all started to fade away, as gods do when there is no one to believe in them anymore. More than two thousand years ago Plutarch wrote of the obsolescence of the oracles, which signalled the end of the classical age.

The politicising of Trinidad and Tobago by the newly emerged Independence movement brought along politicians who for the purpose of institutionalising a different mechanism for

identity formation, one of their own invention, found it necessary to erode not only the British colonial influences, but also to diminish the status of the century and a half old Afro-French-Creole cultural identity.

This was a tragic loss. In placing, through its political rhetoric, the local European-descended French Creoles and those Afro-Creoles who supported the original culture in terms of language, religion, an agricultural lifestyle and the freedom to have an independent denominational education, into political opprobrium, an ambivalence, a sense of loss, of mixed feelings about each other, a dissonance, a decrease of racial harmony, emerged within the society on the whole. It is yet to be reconciled.

This along with the quickly vanishing built heritage has engendered, collectively, a deep psychological division whose repercussions are yet to be recognised by those who record such things. The culture never recovered. Colonial suppression had made the culture go underground and thrive in its subversion, politicisation of the culture killed it dead. “Nom mò; zèb ka lévé douvan lapòt-li.” Which means: the man has died, grass grow before his door.

Presently to attempt to enter into the imagination of the now virtually disappeared Afro-French-Creole past, to become involved in its vast belief system, which includes magic, music, songs, verse, bush medicine, prayers, folktales, customs and superstitions, one has to listen well to the words of anthropologist Maya Deren who did some seminal work in Haiti in the 1950s and who wrote: “Myth is the twilight speech of an old man to a boy. The speech of an elder in the twilight of his life is not history, but a legacy; he speaks, not to describe matter, but to demonstrate meaning. He remembers that which has been, according to what could and or should be. From material circumstances of his experience he plots, in retrospect, the adventure of the mind which is the myth.” ■

history


By the 1960s a gradual loss of language, plus the politically inspired ending of the agricultural lifestyle, saw the demise of a variety of folk and oral traditions. Our 19th, early 20th century Afro-French Creole cultural memory became lost through emigration and immigration, as well as being eclipsed by other realities


At a public meeting on 19th July 1955 in Woodford Square, Port of Spain, Trinidad, before he had entered electoral politics, Dr Eric Williams

said: “The Colonial Office does not need to examine its second hand colonial constitutions. It has a constitution at hand which it can apply immediately to Trinidad and Tobago. That is the British Constitution. Ladies and Gentlemen, I suggest to you that the time has come when the British Constitution, suitably modified, can be applied to Trinidad and Tobago. After all, if the British Constitution is good enough for Great Britain, it should be good enough for Trinidad and Tobago.” (Eric Williams, Constitution Reform in Trinidad and Tobago, Public Affairs Pamphlet No. 2, Teachers’ Educational and Cultural Association, Trinidad, 1955, p30).

The views of Williams as expressed here openly contradict the intellectual line of argument that he developed in his famous work Capitalism and Slavery in which he challenged the very foundations upon which the philosophy of British trusteeship in the West Indies had been built. His central thesis was that the British

Government had not abolished slavery and the slave trade for humanitarian reasons, but rather for economic reasons because the sugar industry was no longer economically profitable in this region for them.

According to him: “…the issues were not only the inhumanity of West Indian slavery, but the unprofitableness of West Indian monopoly.” (Eric Williams, Capitalism and Slavery, London, Andre Deutsch, 1964, p188 – originally published by the University of North Carolina Press, 1944).

The humanitarian argument had provided a view that British imperial policy could have been swayed by moral and humanitarian appeals to put an end to inequality, injustice and exploitation that were the hallmarks of the colonial state. As a consequence, continued British oversight in the West Indies could therefore be trusted because of its genuine concern for the upliftment of the West Indian person.

Williams’ argument challenged all of that. However, his view of the British system of government can be seen as a contradiction of his views on British oversight and its end product which was fully responsible status, otherwise known as independence, with constitutional arrangements that reflected a “suitably modified” version of the British Constitution.

What we must understand here is that Williams’ advocacy of the British Constitution in a suitably modified format was his way of saying that the British constitutional formula was one that we could adopt as our own because we did not have an indigenous system of government.

Indeed, his entire stewardship as Chief Minister, Premier and Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago represented a defence of the British Constitution suitably modified and when the greatest opportunity of all presented itself for constitution reform in 1971 when his People’s National Movement (PNM) won all of the seats in the general election, he adopted the approach of engaging in a further suitable

UNDERSTANDING OUR CONSTITUTIONAL FOUNDATIONS

stability


in a society and region steeped in british traditions

dr hamid ghanySenior Lecturer

and Former Dean,

Faculty of Social Sciences,

UWI, St Augustine

Campus, Trinidad

Her Majesty The Queen

shakes hands with Prime

Minister Dr Eric Williams,

February, 1966

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modification of the existing constitution which was already a suitably modified version of the British Constitution.

Williams’ manner of thinking can be contrasted with his colleague Premier in Jamaica, Norman Manley, who had this to say in the Jamaican House of Representatives in January 1962: “Let us not make the mistake of describing as colonial, institutions which are part and parcel of the heritage of this country. If we have any confidence in our own individuality and our own personality we would absorb these things and incorporate them into our being and turn them to our own use as part of the heritage we are not ashamed of.” (Norman Manley, Proceedings of the Jamaican House of Representatives 1961-62, 24th January, 1962, p766).

Norman Manley was not speaking about importing the British constitution and converting it into local usage in the way that Williams had advocated, but rather he was urging that the existing institutions of the colonial era, that evolved as part of Jamaica’s development, should not be regarded as colonial, but rather as indigenous. These institutions were installed as part of the colonial evolution. Yet, Norman Manley was describing it as a “mistake” to regard these institutions as being “colonial”. He preferred to bless them as being part of the “heritage” of Jamaica.

The primary reason for the juxtaposition of these two views as expressed by two leaders who were part of the independence movement some 50 years ago will help us to understand the difficulties being experienced today with the prospect of constitutional reform.

Are we reforming constitutions that have been imported into our societies or constitutions that are indigenous to our societies? For Williams, the argument was that if it was good enough for Great Britain, it would be good enough for Trinidad and Tobago. For Manley, it was not colonial, but rather part of the heritage of Jamaica.

Is it that we are wedded to the Westminster-

Whitehall model of governance and any alteration may only get as far as the creation of a hybrid by importing features that are genuinely alien to our heritage of the British Constitution suitably modified or our evolved colonial institutions that are supposedly part of our heritage?

In a folio entry dated 2nd March 1962 for Mr J.A. Peck, Assistant Legal Adviser at the Colonial Office in the now-declassified Colonial Office file CO1031/3226 from Mr J.E. Whitelegg at the West Indian Department, the following is noted: “Mr Peck, Mr Ellis Clarke telephoned me that the sources of the draft Trinidad Constitution are as follows:-• Citizenship – Sierra Leone with the proviso to Article 1(1) omitted and an entirely new Article 2(1).• Human Rights – Sierra Leone except the Property Article.• Governor General – Sierra Leone.• Parliament – present Trinidad provisions modified.• Judicature – new form.• Appeals to HM in Council – new form.• Judicial and Legal Service Commission – based on Sierra Leone.• Finance – common form provisions with modifications.• Public Service Commission – new form.• Police Service Commission – largely new form but Nigeria provided the basis.• Pension and miscellaneous provisions – common form modified.”

At the time when this was written, Ellis Clarke was on a visit to London in his capacity as Constitutional Adviser to the Cabinet of Trinidad and Tobago. The draft constitution for public comment had just been published in Trinidad and Tobago on 19th February, 1962. What we get here are the sources that Ellis Clarke used in drafting the constitution for public comment. The only originality in the document appears to have arisen in the sections on the Judicature, Appeals to Her Majesty in Council and the Public Service Commission.

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61

are we reforming constitutions that have been imported into our societies or constitutions that are indigenous to our societies? for Williams, if it was good enough for great britain, it would be good enough for t&t. for manley, it was not colonial, but rather part of the heritage of Jamaica



In establishing the Judiciary for Trinidad and Tobago in the independence constitution, Ellis Clarke, expressed the following views in a declassified confidential explanatory memorandum to the Colonial Office: “Provision is made in section 8 of the draft Order in Council for the Supreme Court as constituted at present to continue under the name of the High Court. The Judges of the Supreme Court become the Judges of the High Court and suffer no loss of status, emoluments, allowances or else.

It will be noted that no provision is made for the holder of the post of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The reason for this is that there will be no exactly comparable post on independence. The new post of Chief Justice in the draft Constitution is a joint post of Chief Justice and President of the Court of Appeal. In his capacity as Chief Justice the holder of that post is responsible for the administration of all the courts in the territory from the lowest to the highest. As President of the Court of Appeal he presides over the final court in Trinidad and

Tobago.” (United Kingdom National Archives, CO 1031/3226, Explanatory Memorandum by the Constitutional Adviser to the Cabinet on the Draft Independence Constitution for Trinidad and Tobago, 16th April, 1962, p9.)

In providing the insight into the creation of the post of Chief Justice at independence, Ellis Clarke outlined the intent of the draftsman as follows: “It will be observed that in fact the position of the Chief Justice and President of the Court of Appeal is more analogous to that of the Lord Chancellor in England than to that of the Lord Chief Justice. The Lord Chancellor presides over the House of Lords, the highest court in England, the ultimate court of appeal. He is also responsible for all judicial appointments, for the conferment of silk, etc. The Chief Justice and President of the Court of Appeal will preside over the final Court of Appeal in Trinidad and Tobago and as Chairman of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission will be largely responsible for judicial and other legal appointments.” (United Kingdom National Archives, CO 1031/3226, Explanatory Memorandum by the Constitutional Adviser to the Cabinet on the Draft Independence Constitution for Trinidad and Tobago, 16th April, 1962, pp9-10.)

These provisions were barely modified in the 1976 republican Constitution, but the intent remains the same with the new office of Chief Justice that was created at independence being both that of a jurist and an administrator. These provisions have been the source of great debate within and without the Judiciary as regards the role, powers and duties of the Chief Justice.

In his explanatory memorandum on the draft independence constitution for Trinidad and Tobago dated 16th April, 1962, Ellis Clarke had this to say about the provisions created for the tenure of office of judges: “Perhaps the most important single feature which goes to ensure the independence of the Judiciary and the attraction to the Judiciary of the right type of Judge is the security of tenure afforded to

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these provisions were barely modified in the 1976 republican constitution, but the intent remains the same with the new office of chief Justice that was created at independence being both that of a jurist and an administrator

Eminent mathematician

and politician Rudranath

Capildeo, Founder and

Leader of the Democratic

Labour Party and Leader

of the Opposition in

Parliament from 1960-67.

Together with Eric Williams

he laid the foundations

for independence

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Trinidad & Tobago 50 Years of independence 63

Judges. For that reason no attempt has been made in the draft Constitution to be original. A formula, carefully devised by the Colonial Office after many years as being the most likely to be effective and acceptable and yet not to derogate from the principles of independence, has been adopted. It is word for word the formula that the Colonial Office was able to persuade Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Tanganyika to accept. There can be little doubt that it is what they would wish Trinidad and Tobago to accept.” (United Kingdom National Archives, CO 1031/3226, Explanatory Memorandum by the Constitutional Adviser to the Cabinet on the Draft Independence Constitution for Trinidad and Tobago, 16th April, 1962, p10.)

Ellis Clarke reveals that the provisions regarding the tenure of office of judges in the Trinidad and Tobago independence Constitution were virtually lifted word-for-word from the independence Constitutions of Nigeria (1960), Sierra Leone (1961) and the then state of Tanganyika (1961) which later became Tanzania. He, like Eric Williams before him, was confident that the population would accept what the Colonial Office, he presumed, would want us to accept.

These provisions were essentially retained in our republican constitution as the President has been substituted for the Governor-General. Their intent, as devised by the Colonial Office in the 1960s has never been changed.

The Washington ModelOur geographical location in this hemisphere means that we are exposed to the Washington model as an alternative to the Westminster-Whitehall model. However, there appears to be a collective fear of moving too far from our Westminster-Whitehall moorings, yet there is a deep-rooted desire to import certain aspects of the Washington model for the specific purpose of curbing the excesses of power enjoyed by those who hold office under the

Westminster-Whitehall model.There has been particular concern in the region

that our Prime Ministers are able to exercise tremendous power because the adaptations from the British system in which there is a House of Commons of more than 600 members and a political culture that can function on the basis of an unwritten constitution either were not comfortably transported across the ocean or have evolved differently in political systems where the size of the elected membership of Parliaments may vary from 63 in Jamaica to 11 in St Kitts and Nevis.

In Jamaica, in the last Parliament that was dissolved in December 2011, there was a bill that had been laid in the House of Representatives that sought to introduce term limits for the office of Prime Minister.

The long title of the Bill was: “An Act to amend the Constitution of Jamaica to preclude appointment to the office of Prime Minister of a person who has previously held that office for a specified period.”

There appears to be a collective fear of moving too far from our Westminster-Whitehall moorings, yet there is a deep-rooted desire to import certain aspects of the Washington model

Distinguished QC and

member of the first House

of Representatives after

Independence, Tajmool

Hosein. An unsung hero of

the Independence story, it

was his level-headedness

and astute intervention

during the Independence

conference at Marlborough

House that enabled

the talks to reach a

successful conclusion

Photograph courtesy of Faarees H

osein


The intention of the Bill was to amend section 70 of the Jamaican Constitution. The amendment proposed to insert a subsection (1A) and (1B) after subsection (1) that was to read as follows: “(1A) A person shall not be appointed to the office of Prime Minister if he has held that office for periods (whether consecutive or not) which when added together total more than nine years.

(1B) A person appointed to the office of Prime Minister shall not be required to vacate office by reason only that, while in office, the period of his holding office when added together with any previous periods of his holding office total more than nine years.”

The Memorandum of Objects and Reasons attached to the Bill indicated that the government “has taken a decision to amend the Constitution, in order to limit the period of time for which a person may hold office as Prime Minister to periods (whether consecutive or not) which when added together do not exceed nine years, however, an incumbent

Prime Minister shall not be required to vacate his office by reason only of the fact that after his appointment he exceeds the nine year limit.”

This would have constituted an adaptation of the Washington model concept of the two-term limit into a Westminster-Whitehall model constitution such as Jamaica.

Perhaps the source of the desire to curb such executive power lies in our own attitudes to power and authority.

The former Jamaican Prime Minister, Michael Manley, writing in his book The Politics of Change in 1974, had this to say about how the society perceived power and authority: “To the Jamaican’s historical distrust of authority must be added the fact that all the institutions through which the newly freed slave, and indeed the entire society, began to attain social coherence, were designed in the shadow of the Westminster model of democracy.” (Michael Manley, The Politics of Change, Andre Deutsch, London, 1974, p29).

As regards term limits and fixed dates for elections, that will obviously have to be a matter of wider debate in all of the countries of the region as none of them have adopted that. Jamaica is the only one that brought a Bill to Parliament and there has since been a change of government.

Guyana is the only country in the region that has introduced term limits by post-independence constitutional reform, while the quasi-ceremonial President of Dominica has been limited since independence to two five-year terms and not the Prime Minister of Dominica.

However, Guyana is a presidential system, which lends itself more easily to term limits as opposed to parliamentary systems.

The Westminster-Whitehall model is based on the philosophy of the rotation of power and not the principle of power-sharing. This means that political change happens largely by virtue of the will of the population.

In Trinidad and Tobago, an attempt was made at power-sharing in the 2010 general election by the

stability


these forays into the domain of restricting prime ministerial power represent responses that have echoes in the wider society

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trinidad & tobago 50 years of independence 65

People’s Partnership. At the time of writing, that was still a work in progress and further analysis will be required at the end of their term to determine whether the philosophy of consociationalism, which is based upon the accommodative behaviour of opposing political elites, can work in a Commonwealth Caribbean arena that is founded on the principles of majoritarian two-party government in which the winner takes all.

Is the consociational model the way forward for reforming Caribbean constitutions? Can there be agreement on the fundamental items of reform without disturbing the foundation, whether that foundation was an adapted import or part of the native soil ?

That is really a challenge for leaders on all sides of the political divide.

the relationship between trinidad and tobagoThe Trinidad and Tobago Act 1887 (United Kingdom Statutes 50 & 51 Vict., c44.) that provided the legal foundation for the union of the British colonies of Trinidad and of Tobago to create a single colony of Trinidad and Tobago opened the door of disadvantage for Tobago. The island was required to take a backward step by becoming ultimately a ward of Trinidad and Tobago by 1899.

The act of union of 1887 was followed by an Order in Council that was made in 1888 and came into effect in 1889. Further reform was to take place in 1898 that resulted in the ultimate downgrade for the island by 1899 when it became a ward. It is this act of historical disadvantage that has left a level of bitterness about the manner in which the island has been treated by officials based in Trinidad.

The final act of total unification took place during the period of the governorship of Sir Hubert Jerningham who became the Governor of Trinidad and Tobago in 1897. It was he who made the case to the Colonial Office for this final legislative act of union that would come into effect in 1899.

It should be noted, however, that Tobago’s Commissioner at the time, William Low, had his reservations before he yielded to Governor Jerningham’s view about closer union. Writing to Jerningham on 10th December, 1897, Low had this to say: “I must candidly confess that for the first 2 or 3 years of my residence here I was not an advocate for closer union with Trinidad; and even now the fact that an essentially English island, with such a brilliant page of history, will merge its identity on being amalgamated with an island largely permeated with Franco-Spanish ideas, although a mere matter of sentiment, causes a certain amount of regret.” (United Kingdom National Archives, CO 295/384.)

As far as political culture is concerned, there is still great relevance in what Commissioner Low had to say to Governor Jerningham in 1897. The issue of Tobago and its relationship with Trinidad was addressed on a legislative and policy basis in 1980 and 1996 whereby a measure of internal self-government was gradually granted.

This movement has continued and there have been constitutional consultations throughout the island over the last few years to discuss the issue of an enhanced degree of internal self-government. The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has issued a Green Paper on its proposals for the status of Tobago within the state of Trinidad and Tobago.

From a political culture standpoint, this will continue to be a growing area of demand given the historical hurts that have been suffered by the island.

As Trinidad and Tobago celebrate 50 years of independence in 2012, our unity remains intact both on a geographical and a social level. Our democracy has funtioned effectively to deliver five changes of government in 12 general elections. We continue to discuss constitutional reform in a civil manner when compared to the realities of other developing countries who also attained their independence 50 or less years ago. ■

as trinidad and tobago celebrate 50 years of independence in 2012, our unity remains intact both on a geographical and a social level. our democracy has funtioned effectively to deliver five changes of government in 12 general elections

Opposite: Princess Alice,

Countess of Athlone, reads

the Queen’s speech at the

opening of the first Parliament

on Independence Day, 31st

August 1962. On her left, Sir

Solomon Hochoy KCMG, on

her right Lady Thelma Hochoy


heads of state and government oftrinidad and tobago, 1962-2012

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Sir ElliS ClarkE TC,

holder of this country’s

highest award, the trinity

Cross, was the second

and last governor-general

and the first President

of trinidad and tobago,

succeeding sir solomon

hochoy as governor

general in 1972. sir ellis

Clarke was unanimously

elected as President when

trinidad and tobago

became a republic in 1976.

Noor HaSSaNali was the second President

of the republic of trinidad

and tobago between

1987-1997 (he served two

terms). he was a retired

high Court Judge, the first

indo-trinidadian to hold the

office of President and the

first muslim head of state

in the americas.

arTHur N. r. robiNSoN succeeded

noor hassanali as President

of the republic of trinidad

and tobago and served

in office from 1997-2003.

he was previously Prime

minister from 1986-1991,

during which time he was

a member of the national

alliance for reconstruction.

mr robinson was the

first active politician to be

elected to the Presidency.

Prof GEorGE MaxwEll riCHardS TC, CMT, PHd, this

country’s fourth President,

was sworn into office on

17th march 2003 for a five-

year term. he is also the

first head of state in the

anglophone Caribbean of

amerindian ancestry. he is

currently serving a second

term of Presidential office.

dr EriC williaMS

the first Prime minister of

trinidad and tobago served

in office as Chief minister

from 1956-1959; Premier

from 1959-1962 and Prime

minister from 31st august

1962 until his death on

29th march 1981. on 15th

January 1956 he inaugurated

his own political party, the

People’s national movement.

GEorGE CHaMbErS

was sworn in on 30th

march 1981. he also

served as minister of

finance, Public Utilities,

housing, national security,

education, Planning,

industry and Commerce

and agriculture. mr

Chambers passed away on

4th november 1997.

PaTriCk MaNNiNG

served as Prime minister

from 17th december 1991

to 5th november 1995

and 11th december 2001

to 26th may. he was the

Political Leader of the Pnm

from 1987 to 2010 and

is currently the longest-

serving member of the

house of representatives.

baSdEo PaNday

served as trinidad and

tobago’s Prime minister

from 1995 to 2001. he

is the Chairman and

former party leader of the

United national Congress

and the Parliamentary

representative for

Couva north.

kaMla PErSad-biSSESSar is currently

serving as the country’s

first female Prime minister,

having won the general

elections of 24th may

2010 and then leading

the Peoples’ Partnership

coalition into government.

she has served the country

before as attorney general

and minister of education.

sir solomon HocHoy tc, gcmg, gcvo, obe, the last british governor of

trinidad and tobago, the

first non-white governor,

the first governor-general

after independence and

the first british viceroy of

non-european descent.

he retired from the post

of governor-general in

1972 and died on 13th

november 1983.

P66-67 PMs & Cabinet.indd 66 24/08/2012 17:15

Jack Warner mpminister of national security

senator kevin ramnarineminister of energy & energy affairs

senator emmanuel georgeminister of Works and infrastructure

dr rupert griffitHminister of science & technology

prakasH ramadHar mpminister of Legal affairs

errol mc leod mpminister of Labour & small & micro enterprise development

dr lincoln douglas mpminister of the arts and multiculturalism

Winston dookeran mpminister of foreign affairs

dr glenn ramadHarsingH mpminister of the People and social development

cHandresH sHarma mpminister of transport

dr fuad kHan mpminister of health

senator vasant bHaratHminister of trade, industry & investment

dr tim gopeesingH mpminister of education

anil roberts mpminister of sport

senator fazal karimminister of tertiary education

ganga singHminister of the environment & Water resources

dr roodal moonilal mpminister of housing

senator dr bHoendradatt teWarieminister of Planning & sustainable development

stepHen cadiz mpminister of tourism

clifton de coteau minister of national diversity & social integration

marlene coudray minister of gender, Youth and Child development

nizam baksH mpminister of Public Utilities

Winston peters mpminister of Community development

Jamal moHammedminister of Communication

senator anand ramloganattorney general

Herbert volney mpminister of Justice

dr delmon baker mpminister of tobago development

larry HoWaiminister of finance & the economy (with responsibility for Caribbean airlines)

carolyn seepersad-bacHan mpminister of Public administration

dr suruJrattan rambacHan mpminister of Local government

senator devant maHaraJminister of food Production

Cabinet ministers of trinidad and tobago, aUgUst 2012


P66-67 PMs & Cabinet.indd 67 24/08/2012 17:15

For three decades after the independence of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) on 31st August 1962, the nation’s international relations can be characterised as

circumstances of limited complexity in a predictable world environment. The key elements in the relations were its historical links with the Commonwealth and Europe, its geopolitical relevance to the United States, its active membership in CARICOM and CARIFORUM, and the adoption of “principled” foreign policy stances in international forums such as the United Nations (UN), the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Commonwealth, and the Non-Aligned Movement. For both self interest and “cultural” ties, T&T was instrumental in efforts to promote a common regional foreign policy and has had substantial influence on the diplomacy and international relations for the CARICOM subset of countries. As a result of its identification with similar developing states, T&T has pressed the case of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), in the UN for special treatment of these countries on environmental, economic and social matters.

Mainstream theoretical perspectives on realism and pluralism, as well as the literature on decolonisation, democracy, socialism, non-alignment, anti-apartheid, fragmentation, multilateralism, unilateralism, bilateralism, and regionalism, served as mantras at various times over the three decades to partly explain the ideologies, practices, and customs associated with CARICOM and T&T international relations and foreign policy behaviour. Today the country still engages in proactive endorsement of principles such as respect for territorial integrity, non-intervention and the non-use of force for settling disputes. The dominant international relations perspective shared by T&T and other Caribbean countries is their vulnerability as small states in the international system.

The international relations of the past 20 years

have been more complicated for T&T and its Caribbean neighbours. At the end of the Cold War, the traditional paradigms and theoretical analyses of international relations from global and regional perspectives were brought into question. The continuously rapid and often unpredictable changes in the emerging international order created disturbing fluidity and uncertainty. The diplomatic agenda is now dominated by new actors and agendas including the building of regional security in the face of transnational criminal organisations and violent drug cartels, international terrorism, porous borders that threaten territorial sovereignty, energy security, food security, and responses to global environmental degradation, among many other scenarios.

State-State RelationsAlthough the international relations of T&T are not constrained to relations among states, Cuba and Venezuela stand out as countries with which T&T has had special relationships. T&T has enjoyed strong trade and cultural exchanges with Cuba since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1972. Geographical proximity and the geological resource connection to Venezuela also fostered firm social and family ties on both sides of the close maritime borders, though it has also spawned fishing and maritime delimitation disputes over energy resources. T&T has also developed Latin American economic and diplomatic interests, as well as an incipient Latin American identity. Consistent emigration to North America and Europe, the existence of vast T&T diasporas, as well as more recent immigration from, India, China and Africa, continue to influence the nation’s diplomacy and foreign policy orientation. Today there is strong interest by T&T toward the more proximate southern Caribbean countries, as well as toward Guyana and Suriname, with which Trinidad specifically shares a strong majority Indo-

trinidad and tobago’s Foreign relations since independence

Stability

tRinidad & tobago 50 yeaRS of independence68

undeRStanding ouR place in the woRld

pRofeSSoR anthony bRyan

senior associate,

centre for strategic and

international studies (csis),

Washington dc

and senior Fellow,

institute of international

relations, UWi,

st augustine campus,

trinidad

P68-69 Anthony Bryan.indd 68 22/08/2012 13:53

Caribbean identification and an interest in the energy potential of those countries.

energy diplomacyAlthough T&T has never declared a policy of energy diplomacy, it has practiced as much. It is a very small state, but a mature oil and natural gas economy. Its hydrocarbon-based energy resources have allowed it to play a leadership role in the Caribbean region and in international institutions. At times, T&T’s influence in the CARICOM region has been threatened by Venezuela’s own natural resource diplomacy and the relationship between both countries has been intense. In 1975 T&T’s Prime Minister, Dr Eric Williams, portrayed Venezuela as a neighbourhood giant attempting to “re-colonise the Caribbean” through “petrodollar politics.” This was the prelude to a much later controversy in 2005 over the PetroCaribe agreement between Venezuela and a number of Caribbean countries which created diplomatic tensions between T&T and those CARICOM neighbours that were recipients of PetroCaribe “largesse.” Today, the T&T-Venezuela relationship has progressed in positive ways including Memoranda of Understanding to facilitate the joint development of oil and gas fields which straddle the maritime boundaries of both countries. Energy cooperation, energy supply, and financial assistance through regional energy funds, are also vital components of T&T’s energy diplomacy with its CARICOM island neighbours.

the practice of diplomacyDuring the first 30 years of its nationhood, T&T was often complimented internationally for the formidable calibre of its diplomatic representatives abroad, and for its leadership (together with Barbados, Jamaica and Guyana) in pursuit of several diplomatic agendas of the era. Unfortunately, trends over the past decade

in the appointment of overseas representatives on the basis of political patronage, rather than professional training, suggest that a total overhaul of the Foreign Service and the criteria for overseas representation should be undertaken. The international relations of the 21st Century demand new proactive strategies and hard reciprocal bargaining not short term domestic political agendas. The pursuit of creative diplomacy is the job of well trained diplomats even now more so than in the past. ■

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69

although t&t has never declared a policy of energy diplomacy, it has practiced as much. it is a very small state, but a mature oil and natural gas economy

tRinidad & tobago 50 yeaRS of independence

photograph: a

lice besson

Knowsley: built by

businessman William

gordon at the turn of the

19th century, it presently

houses the Ministry of

Foreign affairs

P68-69 Anthony Bryan.indd 69 22/08/2012 13:53

In the month of August 1962 Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) became an independent nation at the height of the cold war and at the closest moment that the world ever came

to a nuclear war. The 1962 Cuban missile crisis demonstrated that the Caribbean theatre was just as active as Asia or Europe strategically in terms of rivalries between the US and USSR – a situation which existed until the end of the 90s with the fall of the Berlin wall. In this period T&T adopted a pro-Western foreign policy without sacrificing nationalistic margins of manoeuvre by developing and maintaining relations with communist countries, especially Cuba since 1972, and supporting nationalist movements struggling against apartheid and for decolonisation.

T&T anchored its independence in regional integration which it saw as the baseline for its development and negotiation with the wider world. Top priority was given to the formation of CARIFTA in 1968, the Caribbean Community in 1973 and later in 1994 the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). Over the years in spite of the ups and downs, regional integration has remained a fundamental plank of its external policy.

On Independence T&T considered certain multilateral organisations critical for building third world solidarity in the struggle to protect the independence of small states. Membership in the United Nations, its Specialised Agencies; as well as the Non-aligned Movement; the Group of ’77; the Commonwealth; the Organisation of American States; the African, Pacific and Caribbean Group of states (ACP); and World Trade Organisation (WTO), was considered important in this regard. Immediately in 1962 T&T joined the Commonwealth, whose democratic values it shared and technical assistance it mobilised to promote its development and advance its foreign policy objectives particularly concerning small and developing countries

Bilaterally, without sacrificing its key historic links to Europe and the US, T&T established diplomatic relations with a wide range of countries in Europe, North and South America, Africa and Asia.

The stability and pragmatism that governed T&T foreign policy as it navigated the difficult cold war period would have been responsible to some extent for T&T “staying below the radar” in its international profile. As the cold war ended, opening up new possibilities for a wider set of relationships, greater activism could be seen in initiatives to develop and strengthen new partnerships particularly in Latin America, Asia and Africa. This effort at diversification was largely driven by the imperatives of development and security to a lesser extent.

T&T relations with Latin AmericaThe Immediate Post-Colonial PeriodTwo major legacies of colonialism in the region were the inheritance by newly-independent states of ill-defined borders and the non-recognition by some Latin American neighbours of certain practices of former colonial powers. In the case of T&T, while borders were relatively well established, the law of the sea was now emerging and T&T felt insecure as a small state next to a larger Venezuela. The traditional practice in T&T of fishing in Venezuelan waters defined as common, as well as the uncertainty as to whether Venezuela would accept the UN new rules governing the law of the sea such as the 12 miles territorial sea and the 200 miles exclusive economic zone, led T&T to regard Venezuela, especially as it had a claim to two-thirds of Guyana, as a state with undefined borders that could threaten the territorial integrity of T&T. In a wider context, this problem had also to be linked to Venezuelan control of Aves Island with its implications for Dominica as well as claims by Guatemala and Argentina on Belize and the Falkland Islands respectively.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO AND LATIN AMERICA AFTER 50 YEARS

sTAbiLiTy

TrinidAd & TobAgo 50 yeArs of independence70

reLATions wiTh our neighbours

dr AnThony peTer gonzALes

Former Director

of the Institute of

International Relations,


Trinidad

P70,71,73 Anthony Gonzales.indd 70 17/08/2012 18:33

Special metropolitan trading preferences in the UK that were later extended to the European Union and excluded Latin American countries were also a part of a colonial legacy which tended to divide the newly independent Caribbean states from Latin America. Special border charges such as the 30 per cent Venezuelan surtax on goods imported from T&T were also sources of friction.

The first initiative by T&T to deal with these issues was to set about defining the Caribbean as a specific geopolitical sphere with its own strategic interests separate from Latin America. A definition of the Caribbean was advanced that included all the Caribbean islands along with the newly independent non-Latin states as Belize, Suriname and Guyana. The major result of this initiative was to achieve within the UN system a new recognition of the Caribbean as distinct from Latin America where it was previously located. One concrete achievement of this approach was the creation of the UN ECLAC sub-regional office and the Caribbean Development and

Cooperation Committee within ECLAC.T&T also sought to build alliances mainly

with Cuba, Colombia, Mexico and Brazil as counterweights to Venezuela. In the Caribbean, Cuba was particularly viewed as a potential ally in this new Caribbean strategy which included the recognition of the Caribbean Sea as an Archipelagic Sea – a concept which proved difficult to sell to many Caribbean islands and the metropolitan powers with overseas dependencies in the region.

Relations with Brazil, Colombia and Mexico also flourished as new trade and cooperation agreements were signed with these countries. Relations with Brazil were particularly noteworthy in terms of trade, investment and technical cooperation.

The above in no way suggests that T&T did not seek to develop its relations with Venezuela. Diplomatic relations were established with Venezuela at the time of Independence and Venezuela was the first developing country to offer T&T and CARICOM a non-reciprocal trading u

sTAbiLiTy

71

relations with brazil, colombia and Mexico flourished as new trade and cooperation agreements were signed with these countries. relations with brazil were particularly noteworthy in terms of trade, investment and technical cooperation

TrinidAd & TobAgo 50 yeArs of independence

Trinidad and Tobago was

the first Commonwealth

Caribbean country to join

the OAS, in 1967, and

hosted the Fifth Summit

of the Americas in 2009


STABILITY

TrInIdAd & ToBAgo 50 YeArS of Independence 73

t agreement that was subsequently superseded in the case of T&T by a Partial Scope Agreement. In many areas such as maritime delimitation, fisheries conservation, trade, security and energy, cooperation was actively pursued.

era of Liberalisation and globalisation The post-colonial period was followed by an era of liberalisation and South-South cooperation. Given its energy and manufacturing base along with an export-oriented strategy, T&T has always seen Latin America as its “natural market” in its efforts to diversify its links away from its traditional metropolitan partners. T&T has a sizeable amount of trading with Latin America unlike most, if not all, other Caribbean countries, and the expansion of this trade is dependent on greater access to Latin American markets. T&T has always rooted for more market opening between the Caribbean and Latin America and in this regard was instrumental in promoting the CARICOM Free Trade Agreement with Costa Rica.

Consistently promoting itself as the gateway to Latin America, T&T welcomed the idea of the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas and has been seeking to open markets in Latin America. The focus of the latter initiative has been on Central America from 1998 with a Partial Scope Agreement being recently signed with Panama and negotiations underway with Guatemala and El Salvador. T&T has also taken new initiatives towards Brazil over the last two years in an effort to expand trade and investment and in recognition of the growing strategic importance of Brazil in the hemisphere.

At the level of the Caribbean Community, T&T has also been part of the movement to strengthen relations with Latin America. CARICOM has been meeting with SICA and Brazil and Mexico are now meeting CARICOM at the Summit level.

At the multilateral level, T&T has also showed some dynamism. In March 1967, Trinidad

and Tobago became the first Commonwealth Caribbean member of the OAS and by extension the IDB. This participation has led to T&T being active in the Summit of the Americas process and by even hosting this Summit in 2009. T&T also joined the Andean Development Corporation, the Latin American Economic System (SELA) in 1975 and participated in the Rio Group and the Latin America and Caribbean Integration and Development (CALC) process which recently have now been succeeded by the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) whose aim is to promote cooperation and development.

progress and challengesSince Independence T&T has made significant strides in its relations with Latin America. Noteworthy achievements were the settlement of the fishing dispute with Venezuela, the removal of the Antillean Surtax by Venezuela, the delimitation of maritime boundaries with Venezuela, agreement on the cross-border unitisation of gas reserves with Venezuela, entry for all CARICOM countries into the OAS even the ones with border issues, increased bilateral trade with Latin America partly resulting from greater negotiated market openings, and enhanced technical and political cooperation especially with Mexico and Brazil.

While the environment today is fundamentally more conducive to expanding South-South cooperation with Latin America, certain challenges remain. In spite of the successes noted above, T&T’s relations with Venezuela fall far below its potential in terms of trade and security cooperation. Trinidad and Tobago is also yet to fully exploit the scope for increasing trade, investment and political cooperation with Latin America as a whole. At the private sector level for instance, a lot still has to be done as the removal of lingering barriers is pursued. Finally, greater cooperative efforts are needed to deal with transnational crime and especially the drug trade. ■

The post-colonial period was followed by an era of liberalisation and south-south cooperation. given its energy and manufacturing base, T&T has always seen Latin America as its “natural market” in its efforts to diversify its links away from its traditional metropolitan partners


Most former colonies have set up their own national awards to replace those of Britain and her empire. In 1969, seven years a� er

Trinidad and Tobago became independent, a system of national honours was established by Letters Patent to the constitution. � e ‘Order’ to which all awardees would belong was the ‘Order of the Trinity’ and the highest award was the ‘Trinity Cross’ (followed by the Chaconia and Hummingbird Medals, and the Public Service Medal of Merit). � e medal for the Trinity Cross was cruciform in shape.

� e person responsible for the name and design of the Trinity Cross in 1969 stated in a 2006 interview that she did not intend to produce a speci� cally Christian medal, and that “religion or Christianity never entered [her] mind”. Nevertheless, doubts about the suitability of this award for a multi-religious nation were expressed from the outset. In 1977 a prominent Muslim, Wahid Ali, overcame his initial reluctance to accept the award only when he was assured by Prime Minister Eric Williams that the issue would be soon reviewed; Williams in fact did nothing. In 1995, a Hindu religious leader, Krishna Maharaj, refused to accept the Trinity Cross, and this (unlike Ali’s reservations) became public knowledge. A committee chaired by the Chief Justice in 1997 considered the issue and made a

majority recommendation to change the name of the highest award to ‘� e Order of Trinidad and Tobago’. In 1997 the party in power was based mainly on Indo-Trinidadian support and was led by a Hindu Prime Minister (Basdeo Panday), who decided, perhaps understandably, not to implement that recommendation.

Eventually the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, representing orthodox Hindus, and a

smaller Islamic body, brought an action challenging the constitutionality of the Trinity Cross. In a

landmark judgement delivered in May 2006, a judge of the High

Court ruled that in his view “the creation and continued existence

of the Trinity Cross, given the historical, religious and

sociological context of Trinidad and Tobago,

combined with the experiences, as well as the religious beliefs of Hindus and Muslims, amount to indirect adverse

... discrimination against Hindus and

Muslims.” Since, however, the Trinity

Cross was entrenched in the constitution, the judge

ruled that he could not order the government to replace it with a non-

discriminatory award.Soon a� er the ruling, Prime Minister

Patrick Manning (an Afro-Trinidadian Christian) made a statement to Parliament: His government accepted that it was morally obliged to “comply with this ruling and remove this anomaly from our national life. We shall

PUTTING DOWN THE CROSS: INDEPENDENCE AND NATIONAL HONOURS

STABILITY

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE74

RESOLVING THE SEARCH FOR UNITY

PROFESSOR BRIDGET BRERETON

Emerita Professor of History,


Trinidad

an action challenging the constitutionality of the Trinity Cross. In a





combined with the experiences,

when he was assured by Prime Minister

as well as the

... discrimination against Hindus and



ruled that he could not order the government to replace it with a non-

award was the ‘Trinity Cross’ (followed by the Chaconia and Hummingbird Medals, and the Public Service Medal of Merit). � e medal for the Trinity Cross was cruciform

� e person responsible for the name and design of the Trinity Cross in 1969 stated in a 2006 interview that she did not intend to

were expressed from the outset. In 1977 a prominent Muslim, Wahid Ali, overcame his initial reluctance to accept the award only

smaller Islamic body, brought an action challenging (followed by the Chaconia

and Hummingbird Medals, and the Public Service Medal of Merit). � e medal for the Trinity Cross was cruciform

� e person responsible for the name and design of the Trinity Cross in 1969 stated in a 2006 interview that she did not intend to

the outset. In 1977 a prominent Muslim, Wahid Ali, overcame his initial reluctance to accept the award only

an action challenging the constitutionality of the Trinity Cross. In a







ruled that he could not order the Opposite and above:

Obverse and reverse

views of the Order of

the Republic of Trinidad

and Tobago (of the

Society of Distinguished

Citizens and Other

Distinguished Persons)

P74-75 Bridget Brereton.indd 74 17/08/2012 18:06

do it.” He grounded this determination in the explicit statement that “Trinidad and Tobago is a secular democracy”. To this end, he announced the creation of a committee (chaired by the author) whose � rst remit was to review all aspects of the nation’s highest award and make recommendations.

� e committee recommended that the Trinity Cross should be replaced by ‘� e Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (ORTT)’, that its design should be circular in shape and feature various secular symbols of the nation, and that the Order of the Trinity should be replaced by ‘� e Distinguished Society of Trinidad and Tobago’. In 2008, amendments to the Letters Patent were made to allow for the recommended change of the name and design of the highest award, and of the Order of the Trinity. � e � rst awards of the ORTT were made on August 31, 2008. (Interestingly, in 2010 the ORTT was awarded posthumously to Krishna Maharaj, who had refused the Trinity Cross in 1995.)

In carrying out its mandate, the committee received written submissions from the public, and also followed carefully the lively debate on the issue in the press in 2006-08. Some persuaded themselves that the Cross and the Trinity were not really Christian symbols but were rather universal in nature, so that

the Trinity Cross could not be considered discriminatory against non-Christians. Others accepted that both Cross and Trinity were preeminent symbols of the Christian faith worldwide, but felt that the Trinity Cross should be retained precisely because it re� ected the nation’s history as a colony of Spain and Britain and as a Christian community. To abolish it was somehow to attack the faith and

the nation’s historical heritage. � e suggestion was made by a few that we should have parallel highest awards – the

Trinity Cross for Christians, and a secular or ‘neutral’ award for

everyone else.Many people rejected this last

idea as divisive and tending to fragmentation of the

national community. � ey recognised (as did

the committee) that only a single award with a secular name and design could serve the purpose of national unity. A few also pointed out that while the name

‘Trinity’ had some resonance for Trinidad

(named by Columbus a� er the Holy Trinity), it

had none for Tobago, clearly an issue for the highest award in a

twin-island state.� ough objections to the abolition of the

Trinity Cross, and to the new secular ORTT, still occasionally surface in the national media, most re� ective citizens probably accept that the decision to “put down the Cross” was a necessary step for a mature nation-state with a diverse population ■

STABILITY

75

Though objections to the abolition of the Trinity Cross, and to the new secular ORTT, still occasionally surface in the national media, most reflective citizens probably accept that the decision was a necessary step for a mature nation-state with a diverse population

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

� e suggestion was made by a few that we should have parallel highest awards – the


Many people rejected this last idea as divisive and tending

to fragmentation of the national community.

� ey recognised (as did the committee) that only a single award with a secular name and design could serve the purpose of national unity. A few also pointed out that while the name

‘Trinity’ had some resonance for Trinidad

(named by Columbus a� er the Holy Trinity), it

had none for Tobago, clearly an issue for the highest award in a

Tobago (ORTT)’, that its design should be circular in shape and feature various secular symbols of the nation, and that the Order of the Trinity should be replaced by ‘� e Distinguished Society of Trinidad and Tobago’. In 2008, amendments to the Letters Patent were made to allow for the recommended

ORTT were made on August 31, 2008. (Interestingly, in 2010 the ORTT was awarded posthumously to Krishna Maharaj, who had refused the

� e suggestion was made by

an issue for the highest award in a twin-island state.

Tobago (ORTT)’, that its design should be circular in shape and feature various secular symbols of the nation, and that the Order of the Trinity should be replaced by ‘� e Distinguished Society of Trinidad and Tobago’. In 2008, amendments to the Letters Patent were made to allow for

(Interestingly, in 2010 the ORTT was awarded posthumously to Krishna Maharaj, who had refused the

� e suggestion was made by a few that we should have parallel highest awards – the


everyone else.Many people rejected this last

idea as divisive and tending to fragmentation of the

national community. � ey recognised (as did

the committee) that

resonance for Trinidad (named by Columbus

a� er the Holy Trinity), it had none for Tobago, clearly

an issue for the highest award in a

P74-75 Bridget Brereton.indd 75 17/08/2012 18:06

The Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago is the highest judge of the state and presides in his Supreme Court of Judicature. He is appointed by a common decision of the

President on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. The independence of the Judiciary and the Office of Chief Justice is enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago was established in 2010 with the mandate to re-engineer the Criminal Justice System through consultation with all stakeholders to ensure swift justice from the point of arrest to the final determination.

Leading the charge since the Ministry’s establishment is the Honourable Herbert Philip Volney. As a former distinguished Judge of the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago, Minister Volney recognises the important role and function of the Office of the Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago to nation building. Therefore, as we celebrate our 50th anniversary, the Ministry

wishes to highlight the Chief Justices that have served Trinidad and Tobago since the dawn of our nationhood in 1962.

The Right Honourable Sir Hugh Wooding TC, KB, Chief Justice 1962-1968Sir Hugh Olliviere Beresford Wooding was born on the 14th January 1904 in Trinidad of Barbadian

parentage. His academic brilliance was evidenced early in his life with the award of an exhibition to Queen’s Royal College in 1914. Wooding won the Jerningham Gold Medal in 1923, and an Island Scholarship to study Law at Middle Temple.

He has the honour of being the first Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago to come directly from the private Bar, on 29th August 1962. However, his contribution was not only to the law: he also became involved in city politics from 1941 and was elected Mayor of Port of Spain in 1943. He retired as Chief Justice on 31st December 1968 and he died on July 26th 1974.

The Honourable Sir Arthur McShine TC, KB, Chief Justice 1969-1970Sir Arthur Hugh McShine was educated at Tranquility Boys Intermediate School and Queen’s Royal College in

Port of Spain. He was called to the Bar at Middle Temple in London in 1941.

Sir Arthur was a Director of the Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, President of the Trinidad Chess Association, a Member of the Trinidad Turf Club, Union Park Turf Club, Trinidad Yacht Club and the Queen’s Park Cricket Club. He also enjoyed music and took part in several Music Festivals as a flautist. He was a recipient of the Trinity Cross in 1971 and passed away on the 10th July 1983.

THE POST-INDEPENDENCE CHIEF JUSTICES OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

STABiliTy

TRinidAd & ToBAgo 50 yeARS of independenCe76

ReCogniSing 50 yeARS of HonoURABle SeRViCe in THe field of JUSTiCe To A deMoCRATiC nATion

THe HonoURABle HeRBeRT Volney Mp

Minister of Justice,

Trinidad and Tobago

Justices Noor Hassanali,

Clement Phillips,

Arthur McShine and

P.T. Georges in 1971

P76-78 Min Justice article2.indd 76 24/08/2012 11:20

The Honourable Clement phillips, TC, Chief Justice 1970-1971 (Acting)Mr Justice Clement Ewart Gladstone Phillips was born on 11th September 1914

and entered St Mary’s College on a Government Exhibition. At St Mary’s, he distinguished himself academically and won the Jerningham Silver Medal in 1929, the Jerningham Book Prize in 1930), and the Jerningham Gold Medal and Open Island Scholarship in 1934.

He then proceeded to England and was enrolled at University College, London, where he read Law. After taking his degree, he was duly called to the Bar in 1939.

He became a member of the country’s first post-Independence Court of Appeal, headed by Chief Justice Sir Hugh Wooding TC. His legacy is in his many Judgments, and it is widely acknowledged that he has made a most valuable contribution to jurisprudence, not only in Trinidad and Tobago but throughout the Commonwealth. He was awarded the Trinity Cross in 1979 and died in 1980.

The Honourable Sir isaac Hyatali TC, KB, Chief Justice 1972-1983Sir Isaac Emanuel Hyatali attended Naparima College. He was admitted to practice Law at the Court

of Gray’s Inn in London in 1947. His Judicial Appointments include Judge of the High Court on 18th March 1939. He became Judge of the Court of Appeal in 1962, was knighted by Her Majesty The Queen in 1973 and received the Trinity Cross in 1974.

He was the First President of the Industrial Court under the Industrial Stabilisation Act, 1965, until 1972 when he became Chief Justice. He also served as Chairman of the Constitution

Commission in 1987 and Chairman of the Elections and Boundaries Commission until his death on 2nd December 2000.

The Honourable Mr Justice Cecil Kelsick TC Chief Justice 1983-1985Mr Justice Cecil Arthur Kelsick was born in Dominica. He was educated in Montserrat at the Montserrat Grammar

School. In 1938 he was awarded the Leeward Islands scholarship to study Law at King’s College, University of London. In Trinidad he served as a legal draughman and Solicitor-General from 1957-66. He was appointed to the High Court as a Judge on 1st February 1961.

The Honourable Justice Cecil Kelsick was also honoured as Father of the Year in 1979 and served as Vice President of the Scout Association, President of Harvard Sports Club and a Member of the Board of Management of Holy Name Convent. Chief Justice Kelsick received the Trinity Cross in 1985.

STABiliTy

77

The independence of the Judiciary and the office of Chief Justice is enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

TRinidAd & ToBAgo 50 yeARS of independenCe

Chief Justice Clinton Bernard

congratulates Mr A.N.R.

Robinson after being sworn

in as Prime Minister by

President Ellis Clarke in

December 1986


The Honourable Mr Justice Clinton Bernard TC Chief Justice 1985-1995Mr Justice Clinton Bernard was born in Belmont, Port of Spain. He attended Osmond High School. During his legal

career he served at the Ministry of Legal Affairs and was also appointed Solicitor-General. Clinton Bernard was appointed a High Court Judge in 1977. He was awarded the Trinity Cross in 1987 and accepted Silk to become a Senior Counsel in 1988.

The Right Honourable Mr Justice Michael de la Bastide TC Chief Justice 1995-2002Mr Justice Michael de la Bastide TC, was born in Port of Spain. He attended

St Mary’s College, Port of Spain, where he won the Trinidad and Tobago Open Scholarship (Languages) in 1954. Between November 1961 and April 1963, he served as Crown Counsel in the office of the Attorney-General of Trinidad and Tobago; thereafter, he entered private practice.

He represented Trinidad and Tobago at hockey at the Pan American Games in Cali, Colombia in 1971, and at bridge in several international tournaments between 1980 and I995. He was awarded the Trinity Cross in 1996. He has also served as a member of the Board of Management of St Dominic’s Home from 1968 to 1988, a member of the Management Committee of Queen’s Park Cricket Club from 1969 to 1992, and Vice-President of the Club from 1982 to 1992.

The Honourable Mr Justice Satnarine Sharma TC, CMT Chief Justice 2002 -2008Justice Satnarine Sharma was born in Curepe, Trinidad. He

attended the Curepe Canadian Mission School and Hillview College. He went to England in 1963 to read Law and was called to the Bar of Inner Temple in London in 1966, and the following year was admitted to the Bar of Trinidad and Tobago.

In 1968, he returned to Trinidad and practised extensively in the Magistrate’s Courts and Assizes. He was appointed a Judge of the High Court on 20th December 1983 and was elevated to the appellate bench in March of 1987. For his substantial and pioneering contribution to the development of legal jurisprudence in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, he was awarded the Chaconia Medal (Gold) in 1998.

The Honourable Mr Justice ivor Archie Chief Justice 2008-presentMr Justice Ivor Archie was born on 18th August 1960 on the island of

Tobago. He attended the Scarborough Anglican Boys’ School, the Bishop’s High School in Scarborough, and St Mary’s College in Port of Spain, Trinidad. He studied Law at the University of Southampton in the UK.

He was admitted to the Bar of Trinidad and Tobago, and began his legal career in private practice with the reputable firm, Clarke and Company, and then in service to the Governments of Trinidad and Tobago, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cayman Islands as State Counsel and Senior Crown Counsel. He also served as Solicitor General of the Cayman Islands, and acted as Attorney General on a number of occasions.

Mr Justice Ivor Archie is the youngest person to assume the duty of Chief Justice in Trinidad and Tobago. Beside the Law, the Honourable the Chief Justice has interests which range from theology to music. In fact, he is a member of one of Trinidad and Tobago’s best known and celebrated choir, the Lydians. ■

STABiliTy

TRinidAd & ToBAgo 50 yeARS of independenCe78

The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago was established in 2010 with the mandate to re-engineer the Criminal Justice System through consultation with all stakeholders


Nothing unites people, from a couple on a dance fl oor to an entire generation of youth, like music. Th e counter-culture 60s generation gelled around Bob Dylan

and Th e Beatles, while a decade later the conscience of the world was shaped by reggae. And in the case of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), it was pan, the music, the instrument and the movement, that took a colony divided into splinters and brought it together around a single purpose.

Th at was a startling about-face. In 1945 the Legislative Council prohibited the public playing of “noisy instruments”, for example steelpans. “Fancy you having a musical evening and inviting these gentlemen of the steel band to provide the music for you!” Sir Courtney Hannays, KC, postulated at the Council. “Fancy at any exhibition of the fi ne arts Trinidad represented by people who beat the steel drums!”

Yet, within a few years Sir Courtney’s idea moved from being preposterous to a historical necessity, even as the steelband warfare

precipitated widespread social panic. So, by 1949 the pan movement was drawing a broader and broader cross-section of the community into its fold, and a group of Portuguese and Chinese CIC students, led by Ernest Ferreira, formed a steelband in Sackville Street.

In 1950 this middle-class band of white, brown and Chinese teenagers hit the road as Dixieland Steel Orchestra. One member from Sackville Street, Rolf Moyou, whose sister Suilan worked at the Caribbean Commission, where she became romantically involved with the researcher, Dr Eric Williams, was fascinated by the mixed racial composition of the band. “When he looked at the band he was more interested in who he was seeing,” says Moyou.

At the time middle class masqueraders cavorted on the back of trucks, segregated from the hoi polloi of Carnival. With the arrival of Dixieland, however, they came off their high trucks and joined mas on the road.

Dixieland, now followed by hundreds of middle-class teenagers, was in front the Red House when up comes Casablanca, the most feared steelband in the country. According to one story Curtis Pierre carrayed in front of the Gonzales band and declared, “Nobody cyar pass!”

Such was their shock that the Casablanca “badjohns” put down their pans and hugged this white boy who was obviously drunk on music. Th e breakthrough unity was made by a diff erent band, however, in 1951, when the Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra was formed to represent the colony at the Festival of Britain.

Yet the inspiration for TASPO probably came from

PAN: THE INSTRUMENT THAT BUILT A NATION

creativity

triNidad & tOBaGO 50 yearS Of iNdePeNdeNce82

a SOciOLOGicaL JOUrNey tHrOUGH SOUNd

dr KiM JOHNSONWriter, Journalist and

Steelband Scholar

Imag

es c

ourt

esy

of P

aria

Arc

hive

P82-84 Kim Johnson.indd 82 23/08/2012 12:05

Antigua. On 21st January 1951, before the thought struck anyone here, the Trinidad Guardian reported that: “Hell’s Gate Steel Band of Antigua is likely to represent the West Indian steel bands at the Festival of Britain which will be opened in London on 3rd May.”

A month later, president of the T&T Steel Bands Association Sydney Gollop was heading for solicitor Lennox Pierre’s office, where the Association met, when he was hailed by politician and cultural activist Albert Gomes.

“I want you to act now!” Gomes urged. “Go and set up a committee or something to get Operation Britain.” And so by March the Association had decided to send a representative steelband to the Festival and a team of the most gifted panmen was chosen:

Theo “Black James” Stephens, 17, from Free French; Orman “Patsy” Haynes, 21, from Casablanca; Winston “Spree” Simon, 24, from Fascinators; Ellie Mannette, 22, from Invaders; Belgrave Bonaparte, 19, from Southern

Symphony; Philmore “Boots” Davidson, 22, from City Syncopaters; Sterling Betancourt, 21, from Crossfire; Andrew “Pan” de la Bastide, 23, from Hill 60; Dudley Smith, 24, from Rising Sun; Anthony “Muffman” Williams, 20, from North Stars; and Granville Sealey, 24, from Tripoli.

Sealey dropped out. He claims that he was snubbed by the other players, but popular belief has it that he was recently married and had asked for and was refused wages to support his wife. Either way he was replaced by Carlton “Sonny” Roach from Sun Valley. Government refused their request for $6,000, however, so the Association decided to raise the money,

This was at the height of the riot years, when respectable society recoiled from the steelband movement in fear and loathing. “You think they would ever send a steelband to England with them set of hooligans in it?” sceptics told Tony Williams. “Boy, you’re only wasting your time.”

But committees were established. Fundraising began. And the steelband movement, riven by

creativity

83

Lt Nathaniel Joseph Griffith, the steelband movement’s greatest unsung hero, left Barbados in 1932 to play with an american jazz band, but was soon in Martinique arranging for the Municipal Orchestra. in 1935 he founded the St vincent Philharmonic Orchestra

triNidad & tOBaGO 50 yearS Of iNdePeNdeNce

Far left: A post card from the

mid 1940s showing a very

early steel band using paint

pans and biscuit drums as

musical instruments.

Left: The Trinidad All Steel

Percussion Orchestra

performing at the 1951

Festival of Britain


warfare between bands, closed ranks. Bands held benefit performances all over the island: Fantasia and Mutineers in Princes Town, La Lune in Moruga, for instance.

The musical director of the band was Lt Nathaniel Joseph Griffith, the steelband movement’s greatest unsung hero. Born 1906 in Barbados, he joined the police band at 14. He left Barbados in 1932 to play clarinet and sax with an American jazz band, but was soon in Martinique arranging for the Municipal Orchestra. In 1935 he took over the St Vincent Government Band and founded the St Vincent Philharmonic Orchestra.

Then he led the Grenada Harmony Kings, before joining the Trinidad Police Band in 1938. He taught at the Tacarigua Orphanage and led its band, and conducted the Royal Victoria Institute’s orchestra. In 1947 he was appointed bandmaster of the St Lucia Police Band, and there he was when he was asked to lead TASPO. “If I going to England with you, you can’t play any sort of wrong thing,” he warned the panmen. “You have to play real music.”

And he set about teaching them. He put numbers on the notes and wrote scores. Spree queried one note on a Negro spiritual. “I said to roll that note! You want me to roll your balls?” snapped Griffith.

Thus he taught them a repertoire that included a waltz, a rhumba, a samba, light classics, a foxtrot, a bolero, calypsos, mambos. He made them tune (invent) an alto (second) pan with 14 notes. He also insisted the bass have at least 14 notes. When the tuners protested that so many notes couldn’t fit on one drum, he replied to everyone’s surprise, then use more than one.

Griffith’s knowledge leavened the genius of men like Williams and Mannette, and they produced better pans than they ever did before. Williams replaced the biscuit drum “tune boom” with an oil drum 2-cello, and discovered the technique of tuning two tones in one note.

“Come down an afternoon when we practising,” Mannette told Maifan Drayton, then in Invaders, who recalled: “When we went we were shocked to see one man playing two pans. Boots was on bass, Sterling Betancourt was on guitar and Tony Williams on cello. We were mystified.”

The public was even more dazzled. After a concert at Globe the audience emptied its pockets into the pans.

Now that Trinidad realised what a steelband could accomplish, even the elite supported them. Bermudez donated drums, Fitz Blackman offered uniforms, the Himalaya Club, the Little Carib, and the Jaycees held fundraising dances.

The Tourist Board and Sir Gerald Wight each offered $500. Governor Sir Hubert Rance’s aide de camp organised an auction: Winfield Scott bought a case of whiskey and returned it to the auctioneer, who promptly sold it again. Edwin Lee Lum, a non-smoker, bought 2,000 cigarettes.

The band left on 5th July and spent a week in Martinique, where almost all the players picked up new girls and old diseases. Sonny Roach got a sore throat and returned home, but the rest went on to Bordeaux, Paris and then London.

TASPO’s first engagement was at the BBC, after which they performed at the Colonial office, and at the Festival. “A revolution in music reached London today, and experts predict it will sweep the country in a new craze,” reported an English paper: “Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra sat outside the Festival Concert Hall and tapped sweet, swingy music out of rusty pans still with steamer labels stuck to them after their trans-Atlantic voyage.”

The real revolution, however, had already taken place months before, when TASPO, and by extension the steelband movement, forged the alliance of people from different social classes and races, which seeded the nationalist movement that 11 years later won independence for Trinidad and Tobago. ■

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triNidad & tOBaGO 50 yearS Of iNdePeNdeNce84

the steelband movement forged an alliance of people from different social classes and races which seeded the nationalist movement that 11 years later won independence for trinidad and tobago



During the past 15 years of composing music for the national and international pan community, I have benefited from interaction with many and diverse

contributors to our pan culture, including musicians, studio producers, performing artistes, local and foreign steelbands, arrangers, universities, schools, students, parents, teachers, scorers, transcribers, conventional orchestras, communities and indeed icons, such as the late Dr Pat Bishop and Jit Samaroo and others of like stature. Together with Dr Pat Bishop, I conceptualised and founded the Music Literacy Trust in 2004 to help preserve the indigenous pan music of our land and to provide financial assistance to talented pannists who wanted to pursue music education. The Trust has since assisted many scholars including Amrit Samaroo, Seion Gomez, Attiba Williams, Sophia Subero, and rolled out workshops, vacation and after-school programmes teaching the performance of musical instruments and music theory to children in southeast Port of Spain: the City Angels Programme. Feedback from teachers, students, principals, parents and the community has been very encouraging and extremely positive.

What I continue to see are opportunities for Trinidad and Tobago to strive towards sustainability in its approach to its own culture, certainly from a preservation and educational perspective. In countries that take pride in preserving their cultural history and identity, there are museums and initiatives to chronicle and record every facet of life and lifestyle, with culture taking centre stage. Unfortunately, with each year passing, some of our very own masters are lost, and with them their valuable knowledge and experience, so important to informing our culture and keeping it alive.

In Trinidad and Tobago there is little respect for local music and we witness airwaves neglecting pan songs and local music edged out

to foreign music, except at Carnival time. At the moment there are no true museums fitting enough to showcase our cultural history, and there is no systematic interaction between our pool of talent and our students in the education system. Our master tuners are also dwindling, and chroming pans remains a constraint at home, so it begs the question, where will we be in the future, and how can Trinidad and Tobago achieve sustainability in our pan culture? One of the great shapers of our national instrument, Ellie Mannette, is working in Virginia, and the likes of Liam Teague and Cliff Alexis in Northern Illinois University. Why cannot such resources be utilised to support the development of this relatively young instrument and the pan industry as a whole?

The proliferation of steelbands across the globe confirms that the world has seen and heard what Trinidad and Tobago has created and envisioned, and has openly embraced the

achieving SuStainability in our MuSic for the SteelbanDSecuring our Steelband traditionS

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Mark loquancomposer and honorary

founding Director,

Music literacy trust

Photograph: investt

P85-87 Mark Loquan.indd 85 17/08/2012 18:23

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trinidad & tobago 50 yearS of independence86

national instrument. Trinidad and Tobago is the mecca of pan, but the truth is from year to year great pan arrangements are lost, symptomatic of a culture unconcerned about preserving for the future. From my own perspective, while working outside of Trinidad for some years, I recognised that being a Trini is not about the academic education I received but being able to portray more of my cultural background.

This lack of focus on the future and recording for posterity is exacerbated by social changes and a pan community which no longer comprises loyal players staying with one band through thick and thin, though there are some exceptions, but a more mobile and disparate group of players. Thus it is easier to have a great piece of music fall by the wayside, because: a) the arrangement was not captured in score; b) players are no longer around or have forgotten how to play a part; c) the focus on capturing our own music for use in the education system; d)

music literacy is at a relatively early but growing stage in the psyche of the steelbands.

I have personally participated in the unproductivity of waiting many hours to learn a single piece of music for Panorama only to realise that it is forgotten and cannot be performed mere weeks afterwards. Contrast this to the many overseas steelbands in the schools and universities abroad, who show up to rehearse with their music, learning many songs in a very limited timeframe.

In 2003, Yara Trinidad Ltd (then Hydro Agri Trinidad) the company for which I worked, supported the documentation of music composed by our steelband icons, starting with:

-Dr Jit Samaroo (2003) with 6 of his test pieces, in a CD called Original Notes and continuing with:

-Ray Holman, documenting 6 of his pieces on a double CD, called Changing Time with the University of the West Indies (UWI) in 2006;

-Yara Trinidad Ltd/Music Literacy Trust/UWI with Edwin and Junior Pouchet in 2008 at Silver Stars 60th Anniversary.

The Music Literacy Trust donated pieces to several educational institutions of arrangements by Bobby Mohammed and Ken “Professor” Philmore in 2010. What all these various activities have in common is preservation, with a return of that music to the education system.

One positive trend is that there is an upsurge in recognising the importance of music literacy, promoted by various programmes such as the Republic Bank Pan Minors, Birdsong Academy and a host of others. The government has also recently launched a Music School in the Panyard initiative in 2012. There are several laudable initiatives at work in addition to the staple events such as the Music Festival and Junior Panorama. Yet despite all the initiatives, we are not documenting our music for preservation and utilising it in our education to learn and evolve.

I respectfully suggest if we truly wish to have

one positive trend is that there is an upsurge in recognising the importance of music literacy, promoted by various programmes such as the birdsong academy and the government’s Music School in the panyard initiative

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some level of sustainability of our national instrument and our music, we should implement some of the following elements starting with our education of our youth, in the schools and in the panyard communities:

-Document the history and contributions of our icons and systematically teach the material in schools and universities.

-Utilise the many talented performers, artistes, arrangers, scorers, transcribers, teachers, locally and abroad, in a systematic way to impart knowledge to the younger generation.

-Update our cultural and pan history via an interactive encyclopaedia (started by the late Dr Pat Bishop) updated continuously via a website, or by a virtual museum. A lot of knowledge has already been lost.

-Preserve all the repertoires of the various steelbands and any new music performed in the Panorama, Pan Festivals, or any steelband event.

-Utilise ICT in the schools and panyards, such as computer applications. Finale and Sibelius, to capture our music at various events and utilise them in the education system and CXC exams, among others. This allows pieces to be slowed down to whatever speed, individual parts to be isolated, and gives the ability to see how the arranger has structured the piece (learning from our masters).

-Appreciate the value of preserving what it is that makes us uniquely Trinbagonian, and demonstrating it tangibly in how we treat our icons, buildings, art, culture and what we impart in schools.

-Examine what programmes exist in the country and build on them without reinventing the wheel and finding the synergies involved, including resources such as teachers, instruments, among others.

-Encourage new music to be composed specifically for the national instrument through the music festival and various school and national events. The Music Literacy Trust has

started a new category for such.-Focus and highlight the up and coming youth,

by making the Junior Panorama an event that signals to the world how we value the youth. At the moment, there is very little coverage to showcase the culmination of many children and teachers at work to showcase talent for the future and for the world.

-Integrate the Pan in the Classroom with pan in the community steelbands, with synergies in the communities. Use the teaching capability coming out from the Valsayn Teachers College, to enhance the knowledge of teachers of music programmes which should be reviewed and the talent used wherever they may be found locally and abroad.

-Develop a science of music programme at the University of Trinidad and Tobago, with focus on the science of acoustics, material science, sounds of various instruments and tuning among others which would open another avenue of possibilities for the pan community, but this is another subject. ■

We need to appreciate the value of preserving what it is that makes us uniquely trinbagonian, and demonstrate it tangibly in how we treat our icons, buildings, art & culture

Photograph: S

tephen broadbridge


V S. Naipaul immortalised his father Seepersad Naipaul in A House for Mr Biswas and he gave iconic stature to the Lion House in Chaguanas (pictured

below) which he named in that novel, Hanuman House. He gave significance to the house on Ethel Street, St James which his father built by having Mr Biswas view it in his dying days at the end of this remarkable work of fiction as an act of creation, as a manifestation of independent identity, as an act of family love, as an assertion of will and as a symbol of national aspiration, human ambition and universal yearning.

The book was published in 1961, a year before Independence and it was immediately hailed by critics – because of its originality, its authenticity, the newness of the material for an international audience, the complexity of themes, the clash of cultures, the grandness of conception, the majestically realistic portrayal of a world never before that time created in fiction, the deft use

of varieties of the English Language, the sheer brilliance of the writing and the precision crafting of an epic West Indian novel about Trinidad with a focus on the individual struggle to be, as well as the striving of a community to become. A House for Mr Biswas would, before the end of the 20th century, come to be regarded as a masterpiece of fiction.

A House for Mr Biswas, the novel, achieved 50 years as a publication one year ago. Trinidad and Tobago is celebrating 50 years of nationhood this year 2012. What is the connection? Well, we gave birth and context to a Nobel prize-winning writer 30 years before the achievement of independence. Secondly, V.S. Naipaul’s memory and knowledge of life in Trinidad and Tobago between 1932 and 1950 when he left for Oxford, became the source material of four novels – Miguel Street, The Mystic Masseur, The Suffrage of Elvira and A House for Mr Biswas. Pre-independence, colonial Trinidad was the rich source of stimulus for his fertile imagination. And V.S. Naipaul has acknowledged that those formative years in Trinidad became his point of reference for his way of seeing the world and how he related to the rest of the world, to write about other places and people in other lands and to write fiction located in other destinations. So when Naipaul looks at India, the eyes that are looking and discerning have been informed by his early Trinidad experience. And so it is too with Africa, Latin America, the Islamic countries and England.

Naipaul’s contribution to humour in fiction is immense; his contribution to contemporary thought and ideas is significant; his contribution to the discourse on the colonial encounter both pre-independence and post-independence is without comparison; his penetrating insight into alarming tendencies in contemporary society in the age of globalisation is without parallel. His experimentation with the novel as a literary form; his commentary on the future of the novel

V.S. Naipaul: NOT JuST ONE OuT OF MaNY

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Locating our foremost writer in our nationaL psyche

dr bhoendradatt tewarie

Minister of planning and

Sustainable Development

and former principal

uWi, St augustine

Campus, Trinidad

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and his experimentation with various forms of writing has been signifi cantly underestimated.

It is true that Naipaul is sometimes harsh on West Indian society and other societies in the developing world. Writers of fi ction oft en rebel against their society and the world as it is. Th ink of James Joyce and William Faulkner or John Steinbeck or even Jean-Paul Sartre or Mario Vargas Llosa or Saul Bellow. V.S. Naipaul is no diff erent – except that as a satirical novelist and essayist who explores the same or similar themes through both forms he can be especially biting. Mature societies do not take such criticism negatively; they seek to understand, to learn and to grow. As a society therefore, it is our responsibility to seek to attain the maturity that will allow us to rise to the challenge of locating Naipaul in context and examining him in perspective.

We may not like what Naipaul says or how he says it; we may not agree with his point of view at all. But it is important to view him as both a novelist and critical thinker even if one needs to acknowledge that even a critical thinker and creative writer can be wrong on some things. Most important of all though, as readers we need to understand and appreciate what Naipaul is thinking and the meaning of his writing before we ourselves accept his perspective, challenge it, dismiss it altogether or present an alternative point of view.

If Trinidad and Tobago can create a world writer and Nobel Prize winner in literature whose experience of Trinidad and Tobago was limited to the pre-independence experience, what more can we create and share with the world today? It is an issue worth thinking about and discussing. To turn a Naipaul statement upside down: history is built on achievement and creation,

and there is much more that we can create and achieve in Trinidad and Tobago.

We have given the world calypso, chutney and soca; we have given the world the steelpan and steel orchestras and great athletes; but we have also given the world great writers, thinkers and creative artists. V.S. Naipaul is one of them. He has done us proud and the world has taken notice and many writers at home have been inspired by what he has achieved.

Trinidad and Tobago had writers before Naipaul. And we have had many of world stature who were contemporaries of Naipaul and many more since. But V.S. Naipaul remains our outstanding example of high achievement in the world of literature. ■

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if we can create a world writer and nobel prize winner whose experience of trinidad and tobago was limited to the pre-independence experience, what more can we create and share with the world today?


to attain the maturity that will allow us to rise to the challenge of locating Naipaul in context and

We may not like what Naipaul says or how he says it; we may not agree with his point of view at all. But it is important to view him as both a novelist and critical thinker even if one needs to acknowledge that even a critical thinker and creative writer can be wrong on some things. Most important of all though, as readers we need to understand and appreciate what Naipaul is thinking and the meaning of his writing before we ourselves accept his perspective, challenge it, dismiss it altogether or present an alternative point

If Trinidad and Tobago can create a world writer and Nobel Prize winner

in the world of literature. ■

Opposite: The lion

House, Chaguanas.

left: Sir Vidiadhar

Surajprasad Naipaul

P88-89 Bhoe Tewarie.indd 89 23/08/2012 12:10

Since the emancipation of Africans in the Caribbean in 1838, the calypso has undoubtedly become the music of the chain of islands in the Caribbean with

political ties to Britain, as well as the US Virgin Islands,1 although other forms of music exist throughout. As a music that dates back to the enslaved Africans protesting their enslavement in song, Trinidad and Tobago has become known as the land of the calypso, principally because the main changes to the musical structure over the years were all started by and among Trinidadians and spread to the other Caribbean islands and people of the African diaspora.

History has played a decisive role in shaping and changing the calypsonian’s outlook, oratory, music and themes. From an enslaved African to a post-emancipation chantuelle to a 20th century calypsonian; from basic African rhythms to a present-day soca style; from sugar and cocoa

estates to kalenda2 and Dame Lorraine3 yards in the 19th century; from calypso tents in the 1920s to neon-lit forums in the 1960s; and from protestors to entertainers, calypsonians have today become skilled craftsmen and professional artistes singing a genre of world music. By 1962 when Trinidad and Tobago gained its independence, the calypso had weathered the storm of censorship imposed on it by Colonials in the 1940s and 50s, and had become, as Calypsonian Valentino sang in the 1970s, “the only true opposition”i to upper class groups and the neo-colonial governments. Truly, it had set the stage, song-wise, for a political overthrow of the British Colonial system of government. Whereas before the 1960 era there were few calypsonians, by 1962, hundreds of singing youths throughout the Caribbean were laying claim to the esteemed title of calypsonian and commenting in song on enslavement and colonialism.

With more and more singers doing recordings in the 1950-1960 era, with the advent of Sparrow and Eric Williams in 1956 – Sparrow revolutionising our musical world with his unique and historical Jean and Dinah composition and Dr Eric Williams winning with his PNM4 party at the polls and going on to change the political landscape to usher in party rule, internal self-government and a Cabinet system – by 1962, the stage was set for an overflowing of joy and patriotism in the future of Trinidad and Tobago. The joy was so overwhelming that despite the setback of the breakup of the West Indian Federation in 1962, independence for Trinidad and Tobago was the natural result of the peoples’ joyful dance and song in that historical year.

In 1962, therefore, the first Independence Calypso Competition took place at the then Town Hall5 on August 15th to mark the Independence of Trinidad and Tobago, set to occur on the 31st of August. The stage was set, then, for a rather unique competition, since it was the first of its kind outside of the

CalypSo: Speaking truth to power, 1962-2012

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understanding a society in transition

professor Hollis liverpool

(aKa tHe migHty cHalKdust)

Calypsonian and educator,

university of

trinidad and tobago

undisputed Calypso

king of the world,

the Mighty Sparrow

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normal Calypso King6 contests that took place on Carnival Sunday night.7 Moreover, there was such commitment and fervour among the singers that whereas in the calypso king contests six singers were always chosen to participate in the Finals, 12 contestants had to be selected for this historical-singing-experience. The contest was won by Lord Brynner8 who, using his shaved head as a metaphor to depict both the African and the Indian, prevailed on the crowd the need for racial unity. Sparrow placed second; Nap Hepburn was third and Lord Pretender fourth. Most calypso lovers believe, however, that on the basis of the lyrics espoused by Sparrow demonstrating that a model nation had at last been established, Sparrow had won, indeed. In fact, all the other singers that night were, as it were, in tune with Sparrow’s dictum: a model nation of unity among diverse and disparate groups had at last been formed. The upper and lower classes in Trinidad and Tobago then had a reason to accept the calypso as one of the cultural artifacts that served as a rallying call for all ethnic and racial groups to unite and see themselves as Trinidadians first. As a further testimony to the call for unity there were several calypsoes. Chief among them was the call of the Mighty Sniper in his winning calypso of 1965 for unity of the races since we were all living in “King Solomon’s mine,”ii and Baker in 1967 noted that “here the Indian, the African and the Syrian jump together in a band” and their children “play together in the sand.”iii By 1969 too, the calypsonian was reminding the upper classes that, in keeping with Eric Williams’ saying, “Massa Day must done,”iv class domination must end. Thus, it must be seen, that the calypso, like the steelband, supported Eric Williams’ call for unity of the races, and above all, for nationalism. While Williams used the steelband as a tool in the promotion of nationalism in the 1960s (see Steve Steumpfle’s dissertation),9 calypsonians sang the messages that oozed out of his many

speeches: colonialism, divisiveness, and rule by the upper classes must all end.

Before the 1960 era, the calypso as an art form was not accepted in many upper-class areas or by many upper-class people. According to sociologist Pete Simon, it was yet a degraded art form (Simon 1969, 32-36).v It was not sung in churches. More so, school children in most Christian schools were made to do penance during the holy season of Lent, to atone for the many sins that were committed “during the season of license and festivities…every calypso was another wound in Christ’s side and in the sacred heart of his mother” (Rohlehr 1972, 8).vi As late as 1968, calypsonian Chalkdust was dismissed from his teaching job for singing calypsos for financial gain while employed as a teacher. Of course the real problem was the fact that Chalkdust’s singing was seen as one that was inimical to the job of teaching in that the singing of calypsoes was undermining the noble profession of teaching. So deep was the bias against calypso that calypsonian Kitchener in 1964 was calling for calypsoes to be played during the season of Lent by the radio stations.vii Thus it was associated in many circles with “the devil’s work.”10

After being reinstated in his job, Chalkdust’s pioneering victory set the stage for a number of public servants who were singing calypsoes undercover to come out of the musical closet. In this respect, calypsonians Supreme Happiness and Danny Boy who were employed by the Police and Fire Services respectively were thereby given permission by the relevant Service Commissions11 to sing. By 1969, calypsonian Composer noted that a change had taken place; calypso and steelband, as art-forms, were now being accepted by all. In fact, according to calypsonian Mighty Composer: “even magistrate and police (were) beating dey pan and jumping in peace” (Composer, 1969).viii Primary schools like Nelson Street Boys’ RC with Eric Anatol,

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after being reinstated in his teaching job, chalkdust’s pioneering victory set the stage for a number of public servants who were singing calypsoes undercover to come out of the musical closet



and secondary ones like St Augustine Girls led by Anna Mahase were now holding calypso contests in schools. By 1970, most of the churches, professional bodies and upper classes identified with calypso; schools, corporate bodies and elite social organisations and state boards annually held calypso competitions while the professional calypsonians enjoyed a much higher standard of living, a great change from the earlier 1960s when they were described as “social libertines given to wine, women and song” (Pete Simon 1969, 33).ix A new and further dawn in the acceptance of the art form arose. That new dawn led to the acceptance and hug of the “soca.”

Influenced mostly by musician Ed Watson who on returning from Nigeria gave him a Nigerian recording, and to a lesser extent by the Indian culture that surrounded him at Lengua Village in South Trinidad where he grew up, calypsonian Shorty between the years 1974 to 1977 applied the “soca” rhythm to his calypsoes and thereby brought about a significant change in the music’s structure. The change was basically one relative to the bass. Instead of the bass making the normal two beats to a bar of music, one on each 2/2 beat, the two beats were now concentrated on the second half of the bar with a rest on the first. The Nigerian and Indian rhythm structure had, in Shorty’s view, complemented the 2/2 or cut time rhythm of calypso. Shorty had grown up in the era of American Soul music of the 1960s and he, conscious of the need to internationalise the calypso, felt that it needed more soul. In his view the combination of the “Nigerian and Indian rhythms could make the thing more danceable” and bring about the spirit or soul needed. Thus he called the change “Soul Calypso or Soca.”x The change caused a ripple effect in that ever since its introduction, singers began to experiment with Spanish, French and Cadance-like rhythms in their recordings in an effort to further internationalise the calypso and sell more

recordings. This drawing down of rhythms from all over the world in keeping with the advance of technology has continued ever since, so that today even though the calypso is yet written with a 2/2 tempo, one hears all types of bass runs and derivatives of the traditional calypso within.

The soca change, the increase in the number of calypsonians, calypso tents and prize money all added up to making the period 1970 to 1990 the golden era of calypso. Where before the 1960s the number of calypsonians could be counted on one’s fingers, as many as seventy were facing the judges in the mid-1970s and over two hundred in the 1980s, for the Calypso King contest. Where before few women participated in the art form, there were so many females in the 1970s that a Calypso Queen contest started and the Calypso King contest had to be renamed the Calypso Monarch in 1977. Where before the 1960s, calypsonians had to wring the hands of the CDC,12 in song, to get more than the “brass crown on dey head,”xi by the 1970s the prize money rose to a thousand dollars ($1,000) and to five thousand ($5,000) by the 1980s. In fact, in 1993, the prize for the top singer was $20,000. While a special prize of $2 million was granted to the champion singer in year 2011, the prize has reverted today to that of $.5 million, yet a far cry from Sparrow’s calypso of 1957 bemoaning the poor prizes given to calypsonians then. Where before the 1960s, there was only one main competition open for calypsonians, by the golden era, calypso promoters such as the National Joint Action Committee (NJAC), William Munroe and Claude Martineau13 introduced several competitions that brought to the fore youngsters such as Bally and DeFosto who today are shining lights in the art form. Where before the 1960s too, few singers made recordings, urged on by the available technology of the 1980s, most singers were able to make recordings in the United States (USA) to the effect that Sparrow and Kitchener no longer held any monopoly

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the advent of eric Williams to the throne of trinidad’s politics, the attempts to silence calypsonian chalkdust, the 1970 black power confrontation, the army revolt led by young lieutenants in 1970 and the national elections of 1986 and 1991 were all events that led to a spate of political calypsoes



on the Monarch and Road March14 contests. Recordings in the USA were so commonplace that Lord Relator was forced to sing in the 1980s that “it is a sad blow…we now importing we own calypso.”xii Where before the 1960s, few singers travelled abroad, by the 1980s singers from Trinidad and Tobago ruled the roost in the US Virgin Islands, the British Caribbean, New York, Toronto, Miami, Montreal and London. Not only did the calypso spread, but the political calypso made a great impact on listeners throughout the Caribbean diaspora.

The advent of Eric Williams to the throne of Trinidad’s politics, the attempts to silence calypsonian Chalkdust, the 1970 Black Power confrontation, the army revolt led by young lieutenants in 1970 and the national elections of 1986 and 1991 were all events that led to a spate of political calypsoes in the 1970 to 2000 era. There have always been political songs throughout

the history of the calypso but the era of 1970 to 2000 was one where, seemingly, the singers rose to claim their freedoms and to state openly to the politicians that theirs was a responsibility to speak on behalf of the underdogs of society. The more the politician spoke or ranted and raved, the more the calypsonian not only sang but demanded his space to do so. For example, there were over (150) songs alone dealing with Eric Williams and his policies as Prime Minister and perhaps another one hundred that criticised his regimes. Singers such as Valentino, Black Stalin, Chalkdust, Duke and Relator in the ’70s and ’80s; Delamo, Pink Panther, Watchman, Sugar Aloes, Cro Cro, Luta and Penguin in the ’90s, demonstrated, by their compositions, that they were not compromising their freedoms and that the calypso would forever be a barrier to anyone or to anything that served to degenerate the Trinidadian and Tobagonian citizen. Standing out

the political calypso, though frowned upon by many, especially those who have been attacked or are the object of the singers’ ire, remains yet a weapon to ensure that the highest standards of freedom and democracy are maintained

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a class act:

professor liverpool

tells it like it is


like a high rock in the political ocean was Gypsy’s The Ship Sinking. It was thought by many that that song was, to a large extent, responsible for the downfall of the PNM in 1986.xiii Throughout the period since Independence and especially in the 1990s and the decade after the turn of the century, calypsonians have maintained their scrutiny of politicians, social services, crime, budgets, and notably areas of corruption. The political calypso, though frowned upon by many especially those who have been attacked or are the object of the singers’ ire, remains yet a weapon to ensure that the highest standards of freedom and democracy are maintained. Calypsoes such as Chalkdust’s Somebody Mad (1972), Relator’s Deaf Panmen (1974), Explainer’s In Parliament they Kicksin’ (1979), Sparrow’s Steel Beam (1984), Stalin’s Wait Dorothy Wait (1985), Watchman’s How Low (1994), Aloes’ Ah Ready to Go (1998),

Penguin’s Criminals (1997), and Luta’s Pack Yuh Bags (1998), are all examples of calypso gems that served to pull feathers off the wings of the elites and politicians and ensure that they fly an ordinary pitch. Yet it must be observed that while many basked in the political songs, particularly those that were used on the platforms during the pre-national election campaigns of 1986, 1991, 2000, 2001 and 2002, there were others, though in the minority, who were using newer forms of soca to state non-political issues.

The late 1980s and 1990s dawned with a number of non-calypsonian composers who saw the need to compose songs for the upsurge of new singers aiming to gain laurels for themselves without having the ability to compose. Non-calypsonian composers brought into the limelight many young singers such as Machel Montano, Devon Seales, Tigress, Singing Sonia, Rikki Jai, Kizzy Ruiz and Karen Eccles, to mention a few. They all went on to make a name for themselves in the calypso world. Composing for others was nothing new; as far back as the 1960s, one or two non-calypsonians assisted a few bards with their compositions.15 In the 1990s, however, the assistance given to non-composers grew into a thriving industry. As more and more school children participated, so too more of their teachers, eager to come into the calypso limelight, became overnight composers. Some fell by the wayside but others have weathered the test and are now assailed yearly for compositions in all the varied genres of calypso. The industry, whereby songs are purchased as products, has, however, given to the calypso world many important and outstanding compositions, as well as monarchs such as Singing Sandra (1999 & 2003), Karen Asche (2011) and Duane O’Connor (2012).

Hand in hand with the non-calypsonians as composers, the late 1980s and 1990s saw the rise of a number of calypso hybrids such as Ragga soca, Rapso, Pitchakaree, Soca Parang, Chutney and Soca Chutney to colour the musical

creativity


the late 1980s and 1990s dawned with a number of non-calypsonian composers who saw the need to compose songs for the upsurge of new singers aiming to gain laurels for themselves without having the ability to compose

Soca originator,

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landscape of the nation and spread their hue overseas throughout the Caribbean diaspora. For many, the new hybrids of calypso as well as the non-calypsonian composers led to a fall in the standards of the compositions.16 Out of the loud musical noises of chutney and soca, however, came Machel Montano in the 1990s to revolutionise the soca calypso with international recording contracts and mega-concerts that have shown that the calypso has great potential for innovation and business enterprises.

As business entrepreneurs, calypsonians Machel Montano and Iwer George have scaled the ladder. They have used their foresight, knowledge and family connections to establish and manage companies proving that there are many business opportunities in the realm of culture. This, too, is a far cry from the pre-1962 era, when so many persons refused to sing calypso since calypsonians lived then on the fringes of the poverty line. History has shown too, that up to the 1990s, most of the singers died penniless and their families depended on state handouts for burials. In addition to Machel and Iwer George, there exist today many more who, through recordings, other technological developments, concerts and travels throughout the Caribbean diaspora earn for themselves wages for which many learned men yearn and dream to possess.

While many have progressed monetary-wise and while many have risen to the cream of the crop of the calypso world, the era witnessed the deaths of many bards that served to leave the art form weaker, owing to a notable fall in standards. During the period under review calypsonians who could be described as the spine of the calypso structure passed on to the great beyond. The calypso world lost Kitchener, Nap Hepburn, Striker, Beginner, Iere, Ras Shorty I, the Mighty Duke, Cypher, Pretender, Spitfire, Terror, Tiny Terror, the Roaring Lion, Gibraltar, the Hawk, Christo, Melody, Dougla and Young Killer, to name the more important and skilled ones.

The era 1962 to 2012 was truly a watershed in the history of the calypso. It was a time when the calypso rose to great heights and at times dropped low owing to the death of bards and a consequent fall in standards, as well as the mixing of the calypso brandy with water by those whose main aim was financial gain. ■1. St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John form the U.S Virgin Islands.2. The stickfight ritual that began on the estates of the Enslaved.3. French for “fashionable lady,” it was an important masquerade ritual of the 19th and early 20th centuries.4. People’s National Movement5. Now known as “City Hall.” 6. The annual contest to select the champion calypso singer.7. The night preceding the two days of carnival.8. Kade Simon, Lord Brynner, shaved his head in keeping with the image of the American film star, Yul Brynner.9. Steumpfle, Steve. “The Steelband Movement in Trinidad and Tobago: Music, Politics and National Identity in a New World Society.” Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1990.10. A term used by many teachers during my secondary school days at St. Mary’s College in POS., Trinidad.11. The Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago calls for Service Commissions to regulate and manage teachers, public servants and police officers.12. Carnival Development Committee—the body responsible for the management of Carnival then. Today, it has become, via legislation, the National Carnival Commission.13. NJAC was responsible for many contests such as the National Calypso Queen, the Young King and the Calypso Pioneers contests; Mr. William Munroe ran the famous “Bucks” contest that paid a larger sum to the winner than that paid to the Calypso Monarch; Mr Martineau promoted the art form through shows held throughout the year.14. The calypso played most on the road during the two days of Carnival.15. Outstanding non-calypsonian composers of that era were Pete Simon and Winston DeVignes.16. Lord Kitchener, among many, complained about the fall in the standards of the compositions owing to the many new hybrids.i. Phillip, Emrold. “The Only Opposition.” The Author’s Calypso Collection, 1970s. ii. Ward, Len (Penman). “Portrait of Trinidad.” Sung by Mervyn Hodge (Sniper), Calypso King Competition, Queen’s Park Savannah, POS. 1965.iii. King, Kent (Baker). “God Bless our Nation.” Calypso King Competition, Queen’s Park Savannah, POS., 1967.iv. Liverpool, Hollis (Chalkdust). “Massa Day Must Done.” Calypso King Competition, Queen’s Park Savannah, POS. 1970.v. Simon, Pete. “Calypso.” Art and Man. Act 2, Sc. 1 (February): 32-38, 1969.vi. Rohlehr, Gordon. “The Development of Calypso, 1900-1940.” St. Augustine, Trinidad: University of the West Indies, 1972.vii. Roberts, Aldwyn (Kitchener). “Ah Go Dance In The Lent.” The Author’s Calypso Collection, 1964.viii. Mitchell, Fred (Composer). “Steelband Progress.” The Author’s Calypso Collection, 1969.ix. Simon, Pete. “Calypso.” Art and Man. Op.cit. 1969.x. Liverpool, Hollis. See “Garfield Blackman, (Ras Shorty I).” in From the Horse’s Mouth. POS, Trinidad: Juba Publications, 2003, pp. 195-217. xi. Liverpool, Hollis. “Andrew Marcano, Lord Superior.” In From the Horse’s Mouth. Op. cit. 152-175.xii. Harris, Willard (Relator). “Importation of Calypso.” Nostalgia. Rape 0003-Stereo, 1983.xiii. Peters, Winston (Gypsy). “The Ship Sinking.” Calypso Monarch Competition, Queen’s Park Savannah, POS. 1986.

as business entrepreneurs, calypsonians machel montano and iwer george have scaled the ladder. they have used their foresight, knowledge and family connections to establish and manage companies proving that there are many business opportunities in the realm of culture


Trinidad and Tobago is a small nation – one that could be easily mistaken for a speck of dust on a map – but the potential of our citizens is infinite. Trinidad’s very own

Brian MacFarlane, master designer, event planner and mas’ man extraordinaire, is a prime example of the potential of the country and its people.

It could be said that you have single-handedly done more for an independent Trinidad and Tobago in terms of its image abroad and self-image of its inhabitants than any other person in the last two decades. What are your personal views about that? What I have done was very much on a personal level. I never saw when I was getting involved in doing it as a nationalistic thing because it’s born out of art – born out of creativity. It started off very innocently for me and became a very big thing all of a sudden. I’m very proud to have played a role in it.

Does love of country motivate you in your work? Most definitely; I pay attention to all details and all the aspects of the cultures that we have. The Indian; the African, the Syrian-Lebanese, Chinese… all of them have a very important role in making us who we are and who we’ve become.

MacFarlane was born in 1957, on the eve of Trinidad’s independence, and raised in a lower-middle class household in Petit Valley, Diego Martin. The fourth of five children, he was a sickly child and, to add to his difficulties, his dyslexia kept him from academic success.

Tell us about your struggle with dyslexia as a child.I left school at 15. I just couldn’t keep up. And I was ridiculed at the same time. In class, [my teacher] would ridicule me and say, “you fool” and all the kids would pick up on that in break time. It was really horrible. There were many

times when I’d just walk out of the school and go over to my grandmother’s house and beg not to have to go back.

But MacFarlane was never an average teenager; he didn’t simply give up. The day after his decision not to return to St Anthony’s College, he took his future into his own hands by walking into well-known mas man and costume designer Raoul Garib’s mas camp looking for a job.

You started your career at the age of 15 as an apprentice to Raoul Garib. What was it like working with him?Garib’s band was a great band. It was a very family-oriented band where parents would play with their children and whatnot. Just working with them was great. Going to Garib initially, I worked in the backrooms in the general sections. Chris Santos was the designer at the time. Brenda, Raoul and Chris called me in one day and asked, “Where did you learn about dealing with colours and mixing colours?” They were quite impressed with what I was doing and had me moved to Woodford Street to work on the King and Queen costumes. I had a knack for mixing colours and textures and so on, and they picked it up right away. That just catapulted me forward.

You not only became a brilliant designer, but an excellent businessman too – even though your school education was rudimentary at best. How did you handle that aspect of your career?I never thought in 2009 that I would be sitting in meetings with the Prime Minister and speaking about doing something like CHOGM (The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting). I can duly say that I think the talent I have is God-given. I am very spiritually-connected in everything that I do. A religious person is committed to a way of being taught and keeping everything that way, but a

Brian Macfarlane: Mas’ Man supreMe

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TRInIDaD & TobaGo 50 YeaRs of InDepenDence96

an InTeRvIeW WITH T&T’s ‘kInG of caRnIval’

bRIan macfaRlaneartist and entrepreneur,

Trinidad

interview by

Gérard a. besson and kelsea mahabir

paria publishing company,

Trinidad

P96-99 Brian MacFarlane.indd 96 23/08/2012 12:18

spiritual person is just that inner being – that soul connection, which is not taught. It’s just something very natural.

How has your family influenced you? I grew up in a tight-knit, very close family. There were nights when I’d be home baking cakes and working through the night icing cakes. It started to become a big business, so at one point I did 4 or 5 weddings a weekend. And many a night, my father or mother would stay up and just keep me company. There was that great support that helped to shape my career.

Does the commercial side of your work sometimes compromise the artistic side?It does. I’ll often be doing projects and thinking we need more of this or that here and [my brother] comes with a stick saying, “We can’t spend any more. We need to stop!” We have these fights between us all the time but it’s good because it’s what makes us very successful.

For the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, MacFarlane was called upon by Imagineer, a theatrical production house in Coventry, to tender with them on a cultural presentation. He competed with over 260 designers around the world and was awarded the job. A tremendous opportunity for the artist, he was involved in the parade of Lady Godiva, costuming a procession of 2,500 people. [This interview was done before the 2012 London Olympics.]

Tell us about the 2,500 costumes that you have done for the lady Godiva itinerary from coventry to london, and about the opening ceremony for the games at coventry. London is divided into 12 regions for

the Olympics. Their approach is to make the games a very cultural experience, seeing that London is such a melting pot with so many cosmopolitan nationalities. Not only is the opening ceremony supposed to reflect that but the entire games and everything that surrounds the games.

The concept is really Imagineer’s in terms of the storyline being of Lady Godiva, a story of that region. Our parade starts on the night of the 28th of July in the ruins of the Cathedral and on the 29th it leaves for London. It’s a 7-day journey of Lady Godiva. The statue is 35 ft. tall and made up of 50 bicycles that move up in the air; she comes down as she bows and then rises up again, and there’s a procession of 2,500 people in costumes behind her. Everything is built over there. The cape that goes onto her is embedded with chips so that when she’s moving through the city or moving anywhere on the

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for the 2012 olympics macfarlane was called upon by Imagineer to tender with them on a cultural presentation. He competed with over 260 designers around the world and won the job

TRInIDaD & TobaGo 50 YeaRs of InDepenDence

sachicago: Opening of

the 5th summit of The

americas, 2009


route, you use your phone and just scan it to her and you can get information about myself, about Trinidad and Tobago itself, the ribbon industry, the auto industry... The technology is fabulous. My contribution is the costumes.

are the costumes purely in the european historical vernacular or is there a little “Trini flair” to them?The costumes that I have done do not carry our national symbols, but the architecture of the costumes is very much Trinidad and Tobago’s style of costuming. A lot of the elements came out of some of the better pieces I’ve done over the past 8 years in my bands. How it is coloured might be different because I did have a colour scheme to work with, but I think people could look at it and say, “This is MacFarlane’s mas.”

besides your fantastic carnival bands, you have done a number of cultural pageants in Trinidad and Tobago, the fifth best known of which was the opening of the fifth summit of the

americas, which was widely televised. can you tell us a bit about these cultural presentations? When we did the Summit, it was 735 performers and 200 technical crew, and I moved to CHOGM four months after with 945 performers and another 200-something technical crew, and at the same time still dealing with the Ministers and Prime Ministers. When I get called to any project, I need to get into their mind first before I get into my own mind; trying to figure out what is the reason for this event, what it is supposed to project, what are they hoping to achieve.

When I was asked to do the Summit, I immediately thought, “Summit; there are world leaders coming to us and I think we need to show them where we came from, where we are as they see us now, and what to expect in the future.” That was my first thought and from there it started to go to designs.

What is it that shapes your creative impulse?A lot of different things appeal to my senses. One of the main ones would be Cirque du Soleil.

I love all the different sectors of the show and I’ve really learnt from that; having all these aspects on different stages that play with the senses. That’s the part I think is important – being able to captivate the people.

on a more personal note, who is the private brian mcfarlane?I am a very shy, bashful person, which a lot of people don’t realise at all. I wish I could just be more in the background and do what I love doing, but nobody else can talk about my product for me. I also consider myself to be a very caring person. I get moved easily, when I see people not being treated the right way, when I see culture and race not being respected… It could do so much more for us as a country and it could solve so

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I am a very shy person, which a lot of people don’t realise. I wish I could just be more in the background and do what I love doing, but nobody else can talk about my product for me


TRInIDaD & TobaGo 50 YeaRs of InDepenDence 99

many of our crime and social issues if we would just take that more seriously.

You seem to be very generous and active in charitable work. Why is that?A big part of my work is constantly giving back. In 2005 when my mother passed away, I made a mental commitment to do over the Living Water Hospice. I treat it like any job. There have to be porcelain tiles, all the linens have to match; I make sure it’s done perfectly. I believe strongly – and I don’t do it for this reason – that as I continue to do this, I will always be successful. As I continue to give, I will always have work.

And MacFarlane, indeed, remains prosperous in the work that he does. Today, his costume design continues to stand out amongst others. It is not merely beads, feathers, and bikinis as mas today has become, but costumes in unison with one another, reflecting our society and the way we develop with each passing year.

How do you deal with the ephemeral aspect of your work, in regard to carnival today?I think in a way, it still has a very important role to play in the sense that it has always been, from its inception, the expression of a society. And whether we like it or not, the society is still expressing itself through what we have now. As lost as it may be and as little art form as it may have left, it is still an expression of who we are.

How do you view the independence experience in terms of the arts and of design in T&T?I think we have one of the strongest and most diverse cultures of the world. And I think we could be doing so much more with it. Because we are now of age – being 50 years and going forward – that makes us more mature, more anchored as a nation, than anything else now, to me, seems it must be easier to move forward; our technology, our industries, our art, our

culture. I think it is of great importance to play that onto who we are as a people and what we have as a nation to offer to the entire world.

Do you think our art and our creativity is a good platform to move forward into the next generation of nation-building?I think that [our culture] is what will take us there. I remember Hilary Clinton’s interview when she came to the Summit. The first thing she said was, “My God! What an experience I just had. It just makes me want to come back for Carnival. I want to see more! I want to get more.” That’s what [our culture] does; it excites people and wants to bring people here. I think it’s a tool that we need to be more serious about.

closing comments?I’m blessed to have been born in Trinidad. What I think we have as an independent nation is so unique to the rest of the world, to have these twin islands which we should be so proud of. While I can respect that Tobago would like to have some more self-governance, I would never like to see Tobago as its own independent state, because together, we have so much more strength and we offer so much more value to the rest of the world. The industrialisation and technology of Trinidad; the beaches, the relaxation, the tourism, the folklore and the stories of Tobago – they both offer two unique aspects which are hard to find in any other part of the world.

MacFarlane’s life’s accomplishments, produced out of a love for the arts and a love for his country, portray the limitless potential that lives within Trinidad and Tobago’s citizens. Raised alongside the maturing identity of Trinidad and Tobago as an independent nation, he has contributed to the shaping of our culture as we’ve progressively grown in our confidence and in our character. And Trinidad and Tobago still has a lot more to offer the world over the next 50 years to come. ■

I remember Hilary clinton’s interview when she came to the summit. The first thing she said was, “my God! What an experience I just had. It just makes me want to come back for carnival!

Opposite: Macfarlane’s

2012 King and Queen of

carnival entry, Malaka

Yahweh -The praying Mantis


The year 2012, marks a milestone in the history of independent Trinidad and Tobago (T&T). The twin-island state celebrates its 50th anniversary as an

independent nation, a young Republic. The people of T&T belong to separate and distinct ancestries; they come from distinctly different geopolitical and historical areas, both in the old and the new world – from South America, North America, Europe, the ancient civilisations of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and China. The convergence of all these cultures and peoples thus reflects a mosaic of races and ethnicities, colours and hues, each with their distinct and separate cultural practices, customs, rituals and festivals. The T&T society is young and fragile, emerging from a colonial construct, created by African slaves whose cultural values were more or less beaten and psychologically wrenched out of them; by indentured labourers from Portuguese territories, from India and China who basically had faint memories of their antecedents and whose mother countries were themselves being socially and psychologically refashioned and reformed. In India, the reformation was engineered by wave after wave of colonialism and physical bifurcation. The Portuguese and Chinese progeny on the islands, just like their Indian counterparts, had forgotten the culture of their homelands. In addition to this, entrepreneurs and cavaliers from Europe, Scotland, Ireland and North America came into the mix. The native sons and daughters of the country, the indigenous tribes, provided no major backbone or contribution to the development of an indigenous culture. They had long been slaughtered and decimated by the first known ‘discoverers’. The country displayed streams of socio-cultural dualism: Saxon, African and Indian parallel streams existed side by side.

This colonial construct also provided a bureaucracy with its attendant hierarchy of laws, rules, practices and attitudes designed to keep the

colonial rulers at the helm of governance. British colonialism, especially in the socio-economic, educational and cultural fields, was profoundly manifested in every aspect of daily life – in value systems, norms, behavioural patterns and attitudes to arts and culture, that is, European culture. Notwithstanding the colonial value system, the various cultural streams manifested themselves in various ways.

By the middle of the 19th Century, the country displayed a significant assortment of art forms including music and dance forms derived from these various cultures that had been ‘brought’ or ‘arrived’ as part of human baggage and established over generations, and were effectively being practised. With this compendium of experiences derived from the plantation economy, slavery, bonded labour, foreign dominance and some entrepreneurship, the young society was energised into seeking – but it did not even know what it was seeking out, save for the fact that it was overawed with the concept and prospect of self governance; it was searching for a new way, a new deal for its self governance, for charting a new course and looking for new directions.

On the eve of our Independence, the country possessed a significant array of the creative and performing traditions, vocal and instrumental music and dance forms inherited from our various legacies.1 Folk music, dance and village theatre had survived colonialism and was an integral part of everyday life. These art forms had helped to transcend socio-political and economic boundaries of the (basically) plantation economy, serving as diffusers of whatever divisions presented themselves in the structure of the community. They were woven into the very fabric of the society.

The Spanish legacy included the musical genre of the Parang “the colloquial term for Parran, the abbreviation for Parranda, the Spanish word which means a spree, or carousel, or a group of more than four people (paranderos) who go

Redefining TRinidad and Tobago’s CulTuRal boundaRies

creativity


through its performing arts of music & dance: 1962-2012

dr satnarine balkaransingh

scholar and specialist in

indian dance and Culture,

Trinidad

P100-105 Satnarine Balkaransingh.indd 100 23/08/2012 12:20

out at night singing to the accompaniment of musical instruments.”2 They performed a full repertoire of songs appropriate for the occasion. Accompanying the music were dance forms such as Joropo, Castilian, Manzanares and the Pasillo. The Sebucan also referred to as the Maypole had its own musical accompaniment. While the Parang and its accompanying dances were popular during the Christmas festivities, the Sebucan was performed both for Carnival as well as during the fiestas and fairs in the month of May.

The French legacy, which dates back to the 18th Century following the signing of the Cedula de Población (1783), included the introduction of the courtly dance of the European Minuet, which in a folk setting became the Bele, or Bel Air and later developed variations of its original presentation. The country inherited the Pique, the Chiffone and the ritual festivity of Carnival from the French planters. Carnival, which was initially celebrated locally as exclusive masked balls of the elite had, by 1962, undergone several incarnations; from parading through the streets in open vehicles, to moving on foot, chipping down the streets of the towns and cities in the masquerade bands behind locomoted steel bands and brass bands with a two-step shuffle and swaying hips to the music of the calypso, a social commentary on the times. Other masked characters, introduced at varying periods into the Carnival pot pourri included sailors (king sailor, drunken sailor, stoker and fireman), Jab Jabs, Jab Molasi and Moko Jumbies, dragons, bats and imps, Bookmen, Minstrels, Tobago Speech Bands, Burroquite and Burokit (Sumerie or Kat Ghora [wooden horse]), warriors (Africans, Warahouns and Red Indians), Midnight Robbers, Baby Dolls, Dame Lorraines and Police and Thief. Most of these characters displayed unique forms of both verbal and physical presentations in their stylised portrayals of the respective characters. In the Pretty Mas category, the costume designs and fabrics were elaborate and rich, varying from

historic and contemporary to futuristic themes. The African performative traditions in T&T,

travelling through time from the African continent, came to our shores as ritual music and dances from its various tribes: the Yoruba tribe from Nigeria, Rada from Dahomey (Benin), Mandingoes from Senegal, the Congolese from Zaire and Angola, Sierra Leone, the Guinea Coast and Ghana. They practised the Bongo, Nation Dances such as the Saraka from Yoruba land in Nigeria, the Ibo and Nago of Nigeria, the Manding from Senegal, Temne of Sierra Leone, Rada of Benin (formerly Dahomey), Koromantees from Guinea, the Kalinda a martial art of stick fighting and the Limbo. Each of these performing traditions carried their unique presentational forms of dancing, drumming and chanting.

Commencing from 1845 onwards to 1917, waves of Portuguese, Chinese and Indian indentured labourers arrived on these shores. They, the East Indians more so, brought their folk traditions so that by 1962 there was a vibrant array of Chinese and Indian folk music and dance forms. Most popular were the Dragon and Fan dances of the Chinese. The East Indians performed the Jharoo

creativity

101

on the eve of our independence, the country possessed a significant array of the creative and performing traditions inherited from our various legacies


all photographs by s

tephen broadbridge

indian dancer at the

diwali celebrations


(broom), Rumal (scarves), the Banjara (gypsy), Ras Leela, Dandia or Kollatam (stick dances) and the Nagara or Ahirwa. The folk melodies of each dance form were different. The Biraha, an extempore folk music, accompanied the Nagara dance. There were pure and interpretative dances for the various festivals such as Phagwa and Diwali, for the festive occasions of jagnas or bhatwan (the night before an Indian wedding) nights; Chatti and Barahi (the sixth and twelfth day after the birth of babies). The observance of the commemorative ritual of Muharram or Hosay had its own unique art forms – ritual music and dance, including the Gatka a martial arts form, Banaithe (twirling of fire staves around the body), the ‘firepass’ and the moon ‘dancers’. The Indians also performed an array of dance dramas: Indar Sabha, Harishchandra, Sarwaneer (Sarwan Kumar), Ramleela, Krishna Leela, Gopiechand and Bhakta Prahalad. Each of these village theatrical productions carried their own unique musical accompaniment.

By the 1960s, dozens of Indian orchestras and many filmi dancers had established themselves. Mastana Bahar (enjoyment galore), the competitive local television programme established after Independence derived the majority of its participants from the performers of filmi music and dance.

Simultaneously with this Bollywood trend was the performance of the very popular folk music genre referred to as local Indian Classical music. With no memory of its original structure, rules of grammar, syntax, and no properly trained bards, either in the music or the language of its rendition, it did not conform to the rules of the classical music from the mother (and now grand- and great-grandmother) country. Still it was referred to as local Indian Classical music.

But the euphoria of the celebrations of attainment of independent status from colonialism soon passed. The country was still managed as if it was being ‘overseered’ for the external master, engaging

in planning but psychologically unable to take the appropriate decisions for self development. Such had been the level of indoctrination through this acculturalisation process. The development in the cultural field continued to be lopsided. Notwithstanding the official policy, the arts and artistic expressions, being a people-centred institution, continued to grow, not because of, but in spite of State intervention. Shortly after Independence, the National Council for Indian Music and Drama, was founded – 1964 and later underwent a name change to the National Council for Indian Culture (Council for Indian Culture Ltd). The National Cultural Council was also established under the directorship of musician, Marjorie Padmore.

The inherited performing arts and the performative traditions within our rituals and festivals were the platforms on which our current performing art forms were being propagated and on which many new musical genres and movements germinated. By the 1970s several genres of music were either being developed or sharpened: Calypso, Rock Steady, Rhythm and Blues, Jazz, Kaiso-Jazz, Indian folk, Chutney, film music and the local Indian Classical music. The steel bands, that powerful magnetic force, invented and innovated upon by many artistes including the Manette brothers, Bertie Marshall, Rudolph Charles, Anthony Williams and Pete Simon, attracted large numbers throughout the country and whole communities formed themselves under the Steelband Association and later under Pan Trinbago. This movement developed as a formidable musical force with significant negotiating capability. The bands played the western classics, Calypso and popular contemporary music with sprinkling of Indian tunes. The Indian orchestras performed Indian filmi music coming out of the Bollywood film industry. Authentic Indian classical music, introduced in the 1960s by Professor H.S. Adesh, was being taught on a regular basis.

creativity


from 1845 onwards to 1917, waves of portuguese, chinese and indian indentured labourers arrived on these shores, so that by 1962 there was a vibrant array of chinese and indian folk music and dance forms



Within the folk theatre fraternity the government had introduced the Prime Minister’s Best Village programme. Television programmes such as Mastana Bahar and its counterpart Scouting for Talent became popular with local audiences. Choirs were formed and attracted large memberships and audiences. The light Operatic Society and other theatrical and drama companies including the San Fernando Theatre Guild, Freddy Kissoon and the Strolling Players, the Yard Theatre and the Trinidad Theatre Workshop founded by poet and playwright Derek Walcott were developing actors and the theatre audiences. The National Drama and Dance Associations were duly formed.

current situation: the influence of music and dances on the rituals and festivals – carnival dances, weddings, births and other ceremonies of our peoplesBeing a new plural society – for 50 years is new in the history of civilisation – Trinidad and Tobago continues to forge its own identity, character and hence destiny while influencing other identities. Today it is very difficult to explain to a foreign visitor to Trinidad who comes to enjoy our cricket why we use drums, blow conch shells and dance while enjoying this seemingly normal, sporting activity, how we ‘dance’ down the pitch to wallop the ball, and in these actions we have distorted, denigrated and converted the experience into a new phenomenon, the formerly sober, prim and proper, British-invented game of cricket, now has our image and identity on this reincarnated sport.

Similar to the innovative experience that we bring to the game of cricket, other new innovations of the post-independence era within the performing arts have taken root and continue to develop into distinct genres and styles of performances. Within 50 years these familiar sights of masqueraders chipping to the calypso beats have been replaced by Disc Jockeys (DJs) mounted on huge transport lorries,

blasting sounds at decibels capable of damaging the ear drums. The DJs now play an assortment of musical genres. The uncomplicated, two-step shuffle of the clothed masqueraders have been replaced with the skimpy-wear of thousands of masqueraders, who seize every opportunity for engaging in movements of pelvic thrusts, bumping, grinding, wining and gyrating.

The Bele or Bel Air dance has developed variations (Grand Bele and Congo Bele) to its presentation. Many of the folk dances have also undergone technique and presentational changes. Some of these changes have not been in conformity with the original intent and purposes of the original forms.

Trinidad has become the Mecca of pan music, with pan musicians making the annual trek from across the globe to seize the opportunity to perform with steel bands in the annual Panorama festival for Carnival.

The ‘High Life’ music found in the west coast of Africa, especially Nigeria and Ghana, is said to be influenced by the Trinidad calypso, and was introduced by West Indian sailors who comprised largely sailors from Trinidad and Tobago.

being a new plural society – for 50 years is new in the history of civilisation – trinidad and tobago continues to forge its own identity, character and hence destiny while influencing other identities

Carnival Queen costume


The Rocksteady beat that emerged out of Jamaica was a creation of Trinidadian Nearlin Taitt. Researcher Kim Johnson records that Taitt, a pannist from the steel band Seabees of San Fernando, slowed down Ska music to arrive at the Rocksteady which later “paved the way for reggae.”3

The Soca beat, according to its creator Ras Shorty I, is a crossover of Indian and African rhythms, the result of Shorty’s neighbourhood influences in Indo-Trinidadian Barrackpore. It spawned Bollywood’s famous Om Shanti Om, originally introduced there by playback singer Kishore Kumar, after his visit to Trinidad and his meeting with Ras Shorty I.4 People of the Trinidadian and West Indian Diaspora are enjoying Chutney music and dance in their new environments, never mind the quality of its offerings.

On the other hand the performing arts of vocal and instrumental music, dance and folk theatre, inherited at the dawn of Independence have lost many of their uniqueness, becoming more or less at present, functioning as merely religious manifestations, pastimes or professions of entertainers, sanitised and devoid of their initial charm. Our current, formal institutions of learning more or less have been substituted for and conform to the models and the structures put in place by the metropolis that used to govern the colonial system. Thus, a fair amount of the arts in T&T, having moved from their original places of performance – the village setting – and away from their old custodians, unto the proscenium stages, have lost their intent and purposes and hence their uniqueness, their very souls, in the evolutionary processes and indeed in the current anthological study of the different styles of dance and genres of music. Because of our history of colonisation moving into neo-colonisation, neo-liberalism and an increasingly globalised economy, the reality of the global village and its effect on our social and cultural values continue to render

our performing arts very fragile, even distorting them. Many art forms are rapidly dying, the result of neglect and lopsided development, placing their development in the wrong hands, with insensitive bureaucrats plus uneducated, uninitiated practitioners who do not fully comprehend their initial intent and purposes and hence their values and roles in national development. This needs to be redressed.

the dimming of lines of ‘pure’ introduced cultures and their respective rituals and festivals into new idioms in our performative traditions: redefining the new idiomsNotwithstanding the above developments, there are a number of positives aspects to our current situation. Cultural syncretism today is a fact of our existence. The Orisha and Baptist faiths use the same implements of worship, the tharia and lota (brass plate and cup), as the Hindus. The bells are rung in the worship of the Hindus, the Baptists and the Orishas. Incense is a common feature of the worship in all the religions in T&T – Christianity, Hinduism, African-inspired religions, Islam, and Buddhism. Orisha and Voudoun gods are equated with the saints of the Christian faith and the gods of the Hindu pantheon. Siparia’s La Divina Pastora of the Roman Catholics or Soparee Mai of the Hindus is the same divinity that manifests to the Orishas. Orishas and Baptists plant specially consecrated prayer flags or Jhandis; pennants on long bamboo poles, just as the Hindus, or the Kali/Mariayama worshippers of south Indian ancestry.

issues and perspectives for the 21st centuryT&T continues to remain a very unique area where music, dance and folk theatrical traditions still exist. People are still connected to it through its rhythm and spirituality. It runs in our genetic structure, so to speak. It is part of our ancestry and tradition and as such, if properly handled it can help in stemming the tide of violence,

creativity


Within the folk theatre fraternity the government introduced the prime minister’s best village programme. television programmes such as mastana bahar and its counterpart scouting for talent became popular with local audiences



dependence on illicit drugs and purposelessness to which our youths seem addicted at the moment and hence the proliferation of criminal activity. In this regard, the arts can be a vehicle to retrain the youth into developing discipline, focus, purpose and a holistic (left brain, right brain development) education with a new way of looking at life – change the way we look at things and the very things we look at will change.

Music has a significant impact on the mind. The powerful magnetism of the steelband music, the Indian orchestras, the choirs, music ensembles and dance schools and other performing companies to which people have gravitated must be harnessed, individually and collectively, for redirecting energies of anger, frustration, hopelessness and community helplessness into positive and sobering thoughts and actions. Its growth and development can be planned effectively and with sensitivity to improve the socio-economic returns to the country by its contribution through the entertainment sector, our tourism offerings and invisible trade.

The role and functions of our rituals and festivals need to be re-examined for their further propagation and development and their showcasing in their natural environments, the communities. In this regard the cultural icons and living mentors in these fields must be sought out for their respective expertise and experiences and engaged, in a respectful way, to assist in the further development of this sector. The benefits to this approach are many: The perpetuation of our cultural uniqueness; the people will have a stake in its survival, improvement and development; T&T will be a heaven for research scholars in socio-cultural anthropology, cultural studies, and investigating the concepts of cultural persistence and the emergence of unique societies; and it would attract and encourage further development in the film and documentary production, research and artistic publications. This of

course will require serious, systematic and sustained planning and implementation with the collaboration of the State machinery, the artistes and cultural practitioners.

The country has so far not yet begun to understand the proactive role that our arts can play in the geopolitical diplomacy of other nations. This country needs to explore the latent strength of this sector in consolidating, expanding and strengthening our diplomatic relations internationally.

What is critically required at the moment is a proper, transparent mechanism – planning, administrative and funding mechanism such as a National Commission on Culture – to be established, implemented, monitored and constantly evaluated so that our performing arts, and indeed all of our art forms continue to flourish or they will flounder in the current quagmire of missteps and dead habit. ■1. Molly Ahye, Golden Heritage, The Dance in Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad 1978. Also see M.P. Alladin. Folk Dances of Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad: N.P., 1970 and The Monstrous Angel –Forty Poems. Trinidad: N.P, 1969.2. Daphne Pawan - Taylor, Parang of Trinidad (Trinidad: National Cultural Council, 1977)83. Kim Johnson, The Illustrated Story of Pan. Trinidad : UTT 2011. p914. Debbie Jacob, “Vulgarity is killing the Music- Interview with Ras Shorty I,” Trinidad Express, 26 Feb. 1996: 15

the soca beat, according to its creator ras shorty i, is a crossover of indian and african rhythms, the result of shorty’s neighbourhood influences in indo-trinidadian barrackpore

Panorama steel drum

competition finals


When calypsonian Funny sang “25 years have gone, how yuh feel?” in 1987, few could envisage where we would be 25 years down the

road. My pick for that 25th anniversary of Independence calypso monarch title, Funny was edged out by the dimunitive Cro Cro, but Funny’s question lingers – after 50 years of statehood, where are we culturally as a nation and people?

For the 1962 Independence Calypso Monarch competition bald-pated Kade Simon (Lord Brynner) took the crown from the much touted Mighty Sparrow. Back then, calypso, pan and the indigenous culture of newborn Trinidad and Tobago had a much less vibrant form than it acquired over the past 50 years.

Our indigenous art forms were still kept under a bushel as we remained imbued by the cultural mores of North America, Europe and India. Fortunately though, in the relatively short span of half century our culture has progressed by leaps and bounds, so much so various genres of indigenous culture now have their own unique branding and have spawned several icons and world renowned luminaries

Coming immediately to mind is the Mighty Sparrow (Slinger Francisco), the undisputed Calypso King of the World, and Calypso King of 1962, the year of Independence. No calypso bard has recorded more calypsoes, won more crowns or performed in as many countries as Sparrow. If there is a living symbol of calypso and the growth and international acceptance of the art form it is the Mighty Sparrow.

The past 50 years also fed the calypso art form with stalwart calypsonians, composers, musicians and administrators, men and women who either created new vistas for the art form, or won individual fame and recognition. Among them are calypsonians like Lord Kitchener, Mighty Bomber, Mighty Duke, Chalkdust, Calypso Rose, Black Stalin, Bro Valentino, Cro Cro, Zandolee, Blakie, Brigo, Lord Shorty (aka Ras Shorty I),

Shadow, Blue Boy (aka SuperBlue), Crazy, David Rudder, Machel Montano; musicians like Frankie Francis, Art de Coteau, Ed Watson, Earl Rodney, Roy Cape, Pelham Goddard, Carl “Beaver” Henderson and Leston Paul; and, administrators like Carl “Jazzy” Pantin, Sonny Woodley, Claude and Frank Martineau, William Munro.

If the 60s marked an ascendancy in calypso, the decades of the 70s and 80s can be epoched as a jet-propelled age for the art form. Significant milestones of the period include the Mighty Duke attaining the only calypo king beaver trick of victories; the birth of soca; and, Calypso Rose becoming the first woman to win the national calypso king title, and Road March title.

The late Ras Shorty I is credited with creating the then revolutionary genre of soca music, out of which subsequently emerged other hybrids, inclusive of Rapso, Ragga Soca, Parang Soca and Chutney Soca.

Other Soca contributors include Goddard, Paul, Watson, Henderson, Maestro, Merchant, Blue Boy, Machel, Iwer George, Ronnie Mc Intosh and Destra.

Crazy, Scrunter and Marcia Miranda are considered the main exponents of Parang Soca, while among the stars of Chutney Soca have been Sundar Popo, Drupatee Ramgoonai and Rikki Jai, and more recently Raymond Ramnarine and his Dil-e-Nadan aggregation, Ravi B and Karma, and Veerendra Persad and JMC 3Veni.

Rapso was born in East Dry River, primarily propagated by the Network Riddim Band, inspired by the late Lancelot Kebu Layne, and vigorously nurtured by the likes of Brother Resistance, Karega Mandela and 3 Canal.

Outside of the forementioned genres and artistes, indigenous music also has a place of favour through other forms, produced by artistes like Andre Tanker, Clive Zanda, Michael Boothman, Fitzroy Coleman, Richard “Nappy” Mayers and Ella Andall.

Another indigenous art form to flourish these

50 YEARS OF TRINIDAD & TOBAGO CULTURE

creativity


Weaving through a rich mosaic

peter ray bloodJournalist and

Entertainment Editor,

Trinidad & Tobago Guardian

Opposite: 50th Anniversary

of Independence

Chutney Soca Monarch

winner, Rikki Jai

P106-108 Peter Ray Blood.indd 106 23/08/2012 12:24

past 50 years has been the steelband. At the 1962 Steelband Music Festival, 31-year-old Anthony Williams led Pan Am North Stars to victory. However, the following year saw the staging of the first Independence Steelband Music Festival, won by Crossfire, playing Lionel Belasco’s Juliana Castillana. The Ping-pong category was won by Ralph Ryce of Sundowners, playing Umilta Mc Shine’s People of The Islands.

The first official National Panorama competition was staged by the National Association of T&T Steelbandsmen (NATTS) in 1963, with 21 steel orchestras competing. Playing Sparrow’s Dan is the Man, North Stars emerged champions, four points ahead of Sundowners, and five points ahead of third-placed Desperadoes.

In 50 years of Panorama competition, there have been a mere dozen national champions – North Stars, Cavaliers, Desperadoes, Harmonites, Starlift, Trinidad All Stars, Hatters, Renegades, Phase II Pan Groove, Exodus, Nu Tones and Silver Stars.

The much coveted title of supreme steel orchestra has been a fiercely debated topic for the past 50 years but, because of winning the most titles at national level, Witco Desperadoes is the premier steel orchestra on the planet, rivalled most stringently by Trinidad All Stars.

Stalwart pan icons are Anthony Williams, Neville Jules, Ellie and Vernon “Birdie” Mannette, Anthony Prospect, Rudolph Charles, Curtis Pierre, Lennox “Bobbie” Mohammed, Bertie Marshall, Jit Samaroo, Sterling Betancourt, Othello Mollineaux, Leo Coker, Kelvin “Zuzie” St Rose, Bertram Kellman, Herman Guppy Brown, Lincoln Noel, Rudy “Two Leff ” Smith, Oscar Pile,

Ray Holman, Len “Boogsie” Sharpe, Pelham Goddard, Liam Teague, Ken “Professor” Philmore, and Earl Brooks.

Fifty years have also been served by some dedicated pan administrators like George Goddard, Roy Augustus, Arnim Smith, Owen Serrette and Patrick Arnold.

The J’Ouvert morning Bomb competition was another post-indepenence steelband innovation and was started in 1963 by Neville Jules and Trinidad All Stars along Park Street, and sponsored by Penguin Monte Carlo Club. Six years later, in the south, businessman John Hoyte sponsored a similar competition in San Fernando.

Though being a platform for foreign classical music, the steelband music festival also contributed greatly to the progress of steel orchestras and the musicianship of pannists. The first one of these festivals organised by Pan

creativity

107

if the 60s marked an ascendancy in calypso, the decades of the 70s and 80s can be epoched as a jet-propelled age for the art form


Photograph: A

nthony How

ell


Trinbago, the child of NATTS, was in 1973, 11 years after the attainment of Independence; the final held on Friday 7th December. The championship was won by Nu Tones of Arima, followed by Samaroo Jets and Trinidad All Stars.

The first time Pan Trinbago single-handedly produced a Panorama competition was in 1976. That year also saw the introduction of zonal competition, with four zones competing, with each zone crowning its individual champion.

For the first time ever that a Pan Parang competition was held was in 1990, staged by Pan Trinbago, in conjunction with Arima Angel Harps Steel Orchestra. The winners were Laventille Sound Specialists (conventional) and Voices (traditional). With the blessings of Pan Trinbago,

Exodus Steel Orchestra held the first edition of another steelband innovation – the Pan Ramajay competition – in 1989. Fernandes Vat 19 Fonclaire and Samaroo Jets were the joint champions.

The years of Independence have also seen the culture of art, theatre, dance and folk enriched by several very creative people, including Boscoe Holder, Aubrey Adams, Astor Johnson, Pat Bishop, Julia Edwards, Andre Ettienne, Carlton Francis, Beryl Mc Burnie, Joyce Kirton, Carlisle Chang, Peter Minshall, Wayne Berkeley, Thora Dumbell, Sat Balkaransingh, Carol La Chapelle, Noble Douglas, LeRoy Clarke, Wilbert Holder, Ian Ali, Hazel Ward-Redman, Sam Ghany, Bob Gittens, Pat Mathura, Sham Mohammed, Horace James, Holly Betaudier, Errol Sitahal,

Ralph Maraj, Paul Keens Douglas and Willi Chen.

One significant folk innovation during the past 50 years was the birth of the Prime Minister’s Best Village Trophy Competition, initiated by late prime minister Dr Eric Williams and administered by Joyce Wong Sang.

This novel community programme embraced all aspects of culture, including music, dance, culinary skills and sport. It has survived the test of time, primarily through the unstinting input of coordinators like Lester Efebo Wilkinson, Norvan Fullerton, Torrance Mohammed and Eric Butler. The annual Best Village competitions have unearthed a plethora of talent which would not have been otherwise discovered.

As Trinidad and Tobago embarks on a further 50 years of Independence, indigenous culture is well poised, on the threshold of not just achieving even greater accomplishments but to make an indelible mark on the global stage of arts and entertainment. ■

creativity


the late ras shorty i is credited with creating the then revolutionary genre of soca music, out of which subsequently emerged other hybrids

Brother Resistance: at

the forefront of Rapso

Pho

togr

aph:

STe

phen

Bro

adbr

idge


MASTANA BAHAR ANd THe MoHAMMedS

creativity


Sham Mohammed established the television show Mastana Bahar on Trinidad and Tobago’s only television station TTT in 1970. The show quickly

became the most potent vehicle for the promotion and propagation of local East Indian talent and culture. This was done only eight years after the arrival of television in Trinidad and Tobago. Whilst Sham’s elder brother Kamaluddin Mohammed was the pioneer of East Indian radio, Sham was the pioneer to television.

Sham initiated what is the longest running locally produced talent competition on television as the show is still broadcast every Saturday on the Government Information Channel. Mastana Bahar’s major aim has always been to bring to the fore the tremendous wealth of talent that exists in our country up to today. By so doing, the best talent in the various art forms of singing, dancing and music are promoted and broadcast. Indian religious and traditional practices are inextricably bound to our cultural upbringing like Biraha and Qaseeda singing. Mastana Bahar has also provided an excellent vehicle for the exposure of these forms of culture.

The show features a very transparent entry requirement where prospective contestants are required to attend auditions that are held throughout the country from where the finalists for the taping of the prelimanary rounds will be selected. The first four placed winners will then move on to the semi-final rounds. The winner of each of the semi-finals will then be selected to appear in the grand finals. All second place winners are also pooled together to give another opportunity for one of them to be added to the final round. The show lasts for usually 39 weeks each year. It must also be noted that because of the popularity of the show, a specific show called Children of Mastana Bahar catering for children 16 years and under, was created by Sham’s son Jamal who was appointed Minister

of Communications in June 2012.A most popular feature of the weekly show

is the pick-a-pan contest during which an audience member is asked to answer a question. If answered correctly they will be asked to pick one of three pans – one will have a booby prize of no value, another a small cash prize and the other pan a more substantial prize called the jackpot. If the jackpot is not won the amount is carried forward to the next week.

Over the years many current big-name artistes have emerged through Mastana Bahar like Sundar Popo, Raymond Ramnarine and Michael Salickram.

Mastana Bahar continues to provide a national stage for our local singers, dancers and musicians. The show is currently produced by Sham’s eldest son, Khayal Mohamed. ■

east indian talent unearthed, by rafi mohammed

over the years many current big-name artistes have emerged through mastana bahar like sundar popo, raymond ramnarine and michael salickram

Photograph by S

tephen Broadbridge

P109 Rafi Mohammed.indd 1 23/08/2012 10:27

The imaginative world of the silver screen remains a relatively untapped resource for creative and entrepreneurial minds in the 21st century. The virtual possibilities of

this luminous world entered Trinidad and Tobago first in 1911 with the opening of The London Electric Cinema in Port of Spain. By 1959 there were 40 cinemas, many springing up as a result of the presence of the US armed forces situated in the country during the Second World War and ushering in a new era of North American influence on top of the colonial European one. By the 1970s there were 74 cinemas located throughout the twin islands. The films were foreign-made and premised these islands as receivers rather than producers of film. The passage into self-government and nationhood, and, by the last decades of the 20th century, changing technologies of film making, made it possible to claim a greater sense of ownership of the images of ethnic and national identity, transforming the potential for film and filmmakers during the first 50 years of independence.

The early diet of films consumed in Trinidad and Tobago presented a western as well as eastern cultural variation. Although Hollywood and Pinewood were the major early distributors, the 1935 screening of the Bollywood film Bala Jobhan, followed by many others, was valuable entertainment for the second largest ethnic group in the islands connecting them with a fantasy image of India. Films were reality spiced with adventure, excitement and romance and transported the imagination of islanders, identifying global icons on whom they would draw. By the 1960s we see names of literary characters such as Bogart in V.S. Naipaul’s Miguel Street, and steelbands such as Desperadoes and Casablanca, all influenced by larger than life characters or places in film. Similarly, the exotic lure of the tropics pulled foreign filmmakers and screenwriters to set their films on these shores. By the 1950s Trinidad and Tobago attained recognition as a film location

for successful Hollywood box office hits. Island flora and topography – palm trees, sand, beaches – or the architectural vernacular, together with generous helpings of sunlight, attracted both filmmakers and foreign audiences, by now accustomed to vicarious travel through motion pictures. Between 1952 and 1960 four popular films were set or filmed either in Trinidad or Tobago. Among these were The Affair in Trinidad (1952) starring Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth, Heaven knows Mr Allison (1957) directed by John Huston with Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum, Fire Down Below (1957) with Rita Hayworth, Robert Mitchum and Jack Lemmon and the first classic representation of the children’s adventure novel The Swiss Family Robinson (1960) starring John Mills and James McArthur.

These films were, however, those of a world outside of the everyday life of the islands. Very rarely were local actors seen or local voices heard. If the Caribbean and Trinidad and Tobago in particular was being sold to itself and to others, it was a highly mythologised version. Thus it was natural that Trinidad and Tobago would make its own debut as producers in the film industry. The first local film to emerge was The Right and the Wrong (1970) directed by Harbance Kumar, an Indian national resident in Trinidad, who followed this up with Bim (1979), a story based on the life of a local criminal with screenplay by Raoul Pantin and featuring local actor Ralph Maraj in the lead role. There continued to be a sporadic local film industry with a third film by Harbance Kumar entitled Girl from India (1982) and Obeah (1987) by Hugh A. Robertson. For the first time, film, like the West Indian literature which had also evolved during this period, began to feature local themes – such as the troubled romances between couples from different ethnic groups and exploring the body of local mystical knowledge and wisdom, set in familiar context of towns and villages.

As foreign filmmakers continued to depict

An UnTApped TreAsUre: The TrinidAd And TobAgo film indUsTry

creativity


seeing ourselves through the camera’s eye

professor patricia mohammed

professor of gender

and Cultural studies,

UWi, st Augustine Campus,

Trinidad

opposite: poster for the film

Coolie pink and green, 2009

P110-111 Patricia Mohammed.indd 110 23/08/2012 12:26

an imagined region in fi lms like Pirates of the Caribbean (2003), the accelerated desire of claiming authenticity on the screen, along with the expanding possibilities for entertainment, for occupations in fi lm and television production in the post-independence era led to an increase in skilled personnel, training possibilities and incentives. Th us, by the second decade of the 21st century Trinidad and Tobago are poised not just as a location that is welcoming to foreign fi lmmakers but as a rich source of inspiration for those locally born and bred who want to tell their own stories through fi lm. In this desire local fi lmmakers of the present and future are aided by two institutions. First, evolving out of earlier government initiatives, a national agency Th e Trinidad & Tobago Film Company Limited (TTFC) was formed in 2006 to facilitate the development of the fi lm industry. Th is company provides logistical support and core services such as location scouting, research and acts as a liaison with industry partners, the community, production houses and government agencies. Th ey have also introduced a competitive Production Expenditure Rebate Programme of cash up to 35 per cent to continue attracting International producers to Trinidad and Tobago. Alongside there is the annual Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival and other fi lm festivals who each year reward both quality and content.

In the space of just over two decades we have seen major short and feature-length narrative and documentary fi lms directed by local fi lmmakers, many made by local crew and cast, ranging from narratives of migration and disruption as in What My Mother Told Me (1995) and Joebell and America (2004), the experimental and visionary fi lm Sista God (2006), stories and documentaries that capture the heart and soul of Trinidad and Tobago’s musical traditions like Th e Panman (1997) Calypso Dreams (2002) and Th e Audacity of the Creole Imagination (2010), fi lms that continue to maintain the necessary foreign

connections like Th e Mystic Masseur (2002), a Merchant Ivory production, the Hollywood Contract Killers (2007) and the Bollywood Dulha Mil Gaya (2010), short fi lms that exhume island ghosts like Minutes to Midnite (2009) and Dark Tales From Paradise (2011), fi lms that confront religious and ethnic diff erence and gender relations such as Coolie Pink and Green (2009), fi lms that enshrine the local cuisine and idiom, such as Doubles with Slight (2011), others that celebrate the music and art of the nation such as Th e Solitary Alchemist (2010) and Seventeen Colours and a Sitar (2010) and in joint production between France and Trinidad, Calypso Rose the Lioness of the Jungle (2011). Still others relate the lives of those who made these islands what they are in dance as in Julia and Joyce (2011) and Inward Hunger (2011), the last a biography of Eric Williams, the man who brought the nation to independence in 1962.

Th e infrastructure for fi lm has come of age, it has become professionalised, with some 30 diff erent production companies now in operation and a large number of local fi lms that are winning awards not only in the local festivals but are also being screened internationally. In reaching inward and stretching outwards fi lm is achieving what the nation has set out to do, to claim its history and tell it to the widest audience, and to preserve our creative legacies and histories on fi lm for generations to come. But, there are many stories still left to be told in the coming 50 years. ■References:History of Cinema in Trinidad http://www.filmbirth.com/trinidad.htmlTrinidad and Tobago Film Company official website http://www.trinidadandtobagofilm.com/Bruce Paddington, Caribbean Cinema: Cultural Articulations, Historical Formation and Film Practices. PhD Dissertation, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago 2005.

creativity

111trinidad & tobago 50 years of independence

the infrastructure for film has come of age, with some 30 different production companies now in operation, and a large number of local films winning awards and being screened internationally

P110-111 Patricia Mohammed.indd 111 23/08/2012 12:26

This essay, OBEAH INTRO, became a signifying one, shifting a little the gravity of negativity it has hitherto attracted. Eye dare say that there has

been a revival in the interest of OBEAH in our “FIFTY YEARS”... My Art and my Writing are vested in that concept.

Psychological phenomena are experienced directly and, having enormous potential force, pass into physical phenomena and into manifestation of life. We know that at the basis of our procreative force lies desire i.e. a psychological state or a phenomenon of consciousness. Desire has a tremendous potential force. A whole people may be produced by the combined desire of a man and a woman. At the basis of the active, constructive, creative force of man, capable of altering the course of rivers, joining oceans, carving mountains, lies desire, i.e. again psychological phenomena possess a still greater combining power in relation to physical phenomena than do the phenomena of life. (P.D. Ouspensky)

If only for the trees that crowned the hills, Gonzales was Paradise to me as a boy. Off from where Eye stood on the verandah of the house where Eye lived, the green, caught in a current of wind, rendered the fullness of a dreaming heart. Palmiste palms reached endlessly upwards – columns that made heaven visible and real, if only Eye could climb that high! And under it, made voluminous by an undulating light, the pulsing promise, breasting mango trees! But, amongst them all, the mythical Silk Cotton tree with a grandness that was both mystical and majestic.

A track, as if specifically etched into the hillside, burnished by faithful feet in a dance of backward-forward moments that held the foreboding of an intermingling of life and death, appeared suspended in that raw vegetable air. The atmosphere was alchemical. Its reputation spelled-out in whispers: candles, ribbons,

cloths, staffs, tools; rum, honey, rice, sugar, salt, beads, each in a correspondence of colour to fit a handshake with any ancestor or god!

On entering, one’s senses are always thrown into a quandary, strangely confounded by a sublimity of happenings for which our learned compass has no answer. At any hour, day or night, the air is the embrace of a supernatural force. A silk woven vapour elevates the mind to communicate in moods that become intercessory among the sentient ferment of dream worlds!

And, we who are touched deeply enough have caught the “Power!” We ride or are ridden by “Ours” across a bridge of transparencies. In that manner, as is often with the circumstances of making Art, “De Seers and De Knowers” are made. Made, visible tangents to our “Yes an’ No!”

The Silk Cotton tree was centre-posted, reaching into the skies of “Nations’ Flags.” The plum-mitan that plumbed centuries! One was easily imagining its roots – an imperative of sound intuitive power, reified and wholesome, reaching deep but, deeper into the centre of the earth! And, it is to this altar founded in the fossil of memory; to this gateway, to which we must return and, with unrelenting effort plod towards self-discovery.

In the mid-seventies while Eye was revisiting the conceptual space of our folklore that Eye began to engage the question of Obeah. Gonzales, East Dry River, Port of Spain, where Eye was born was notorious for Obeah. Really, for the bias that revelled in the stigma of that side where the potential to practice is evil doing! Virtually forgotten is the other aspect of it that is in complete opposition, absolutely pronounced in the goodwill of humanity: peace, justice, good fortune, health, freedom of the imagination!

Generally, we would know aught else, unless we had the strength to take the history that was loaded into our heads to task, and, with severe analysis that will re-outline the intention of

obeah in our fifTy years

creativity


the eye from gonzales, east dry river

leroy clarkePoet, artist and author

extraordinaire

opposite:

Leroy Clarke,

“The brotherhood”

P112-116 LeRoy Clarke.indd 112 17/08/2012 18:21

those who use every tool to suppress and to eliminate the positive side of Obeah from the psyche of African people, invest anew, emboldened to re-chart the ruin of our humanity and to recreate the means, vital to its communication and its communion.

With my one Eye lasered to pry at the very nature of Being, Eye am often touched by meaningful moments that never seem to occur ordinarily, nor do they leave much by which their presence could be described. Yet, with meditation, Eye can imagine a marriage of faith with faith and, be caught as if Eye were the very element of their pure embrace! Christopher Okigbo, in his vertiginous poem Distances says:

From flesh into phantom on the horizontal stoneI was the sole witness to my homecoming.

When I was just a boy, Eye found a row of glowing copper pennies in the bushes at the far end of our own yard. Eye salted my hands and gathered that treasure along with my expectations – all those sweets and cakes it could buy! Where did the information come from, that took me through a ritual of cleansing my find? Fire, salt, soap, and water and my head, lifted to God in prayer prepared me before Eye parceled it in brown paper knotted with coarse twine and hid it way under the house, in a dark corner where fowls went to lay their eggs and hatched their brood! And, it would remain, how many days – nine, before Eye began spending my prize!

Those gestures, intertwined, may make that moment appear insignificant to the casual eye but, it may lead the discerning one to

be launched in a light where novel engagements are spawned by concrete intentions that constitute experience, and which may elicit forms of the given, drawn forth from a unification of faiths.

Those moments, Eye have come to believe, because of their vividness, charged me with the Husserlian view that “Every concrete lived experience is a unity of becoming and is constituted as an object in internal consciousness in the form of the temporality.” (Experience and Judgement)

Jokes played on Obeah, tragic as they may be, prove futile, for we are talking about the immanence of African psyche that, among a constellation of others, is, like all others, individually distinguished and charged. Alike but apart, it is an essential human, spiritual organism, a power that houses cosmic principles that are peculiar to its authentic space or logos.

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113

With my one eye lasered to pry at the very nature of being, eye am often touched by meaningful moments that never seem to occur ordinarily



Its identity is indestructible despite distorted appearances in substance and in the spirit brought forward by a suppressive system of peripheral anancies or imperial agency bent to historicise things in its own image and likeness.

Coming from the narrowest perspectives they would deign see nor admit Obeah as a relative term in any discourse on “Quantum Theory”, on the “Tantra” or on “Tao Physics”, on “Christianity” that invite us to the open utterance of associations that are fundamental to universal thought. Nevertheless, it is an egoism that has its groundation in the “primordial law of things” that constantly manifests itself as if it were the scrutiny in the reality of its own meaning and justness as all others are!

Eye see Obeah as a chorus of faith, the art and apotheosis of one’s “yes”, one’s “no”! – A fatalism that is rooted deeply in a people’s psyche and that which promised them the wherewith to their wellbeing. In that manner, Obeah is authentic technique, a human technology, but more at a humanism that, when properly invested, allows access to phenomena that can

cause will to confront itself and, at least “posit conditions for power-preservation and power-enhancement” of its people’s affirmation in the myriad conceptualisations that surround them.

Obeah is no simple thing when we consider its phenomenal scope within psychological states. It is, as it were, the single wellspring of humanity – an indistinguishable source of power – from which the particular principle of the one, as well as that of the other is immanently rooted. We may admit to the idea or not, but Obeah is with us and proves a vital function in the enhancement of the way we adopt for ourselves. Obeah is universal. It takes on many forms of expressions suitable to the ways of individuals, communities and their traditions.

Obeah is Power. Power is central to any concept. Fundamentally, there are two quite distinct images by which it can be made manifest in order to be grasped or understood.

This good on the one hand; that evil on the other. Though mysteriously combined to form one personality, both are thoroughly extreme in their discipline and, without the surveillance of the one on the other, either unchecked, will lead to chaos. It is with that surveillance that equilibrium arrives - the mover of harmonies!

Obeah of African being, not unlike that of others, is naturally endowed with its own, essential individuation of sensibilities which has its rootedness in the one, all-encompassing matrix of world-will that provides everyone with a specific entitlement to the wherewithal of their space and time. If we see the light, Obeah is the power of humanism, that one that in essence is common to all peoples in its natural intent to harmonise itself in the first with its potent and secondly to answer the question posed by the shared aim to cohabit in a world of terrifyingly disparate and diverse trajectories of philosophies.

Again, everyone, every people has his natural space, his logos, his word and his spirit where all

creativity


obeah is power. power is central to any concept. fundamentally, there are two quite distinct images by which it can be made manifest in order to be grasped or understood

Leroy Clarke,

“De Meeting”



concerning him are not only founded but, where there is self-perpetuity or the unfathomable spell of creation giving renewed form to itself. This amalgam of energies works as a spirit-organic medium for power-preservation and power-enhancement, first for itself, subsequently for all humanity. It is a force that, in its own being, pursues itself!

It is in that inscrutable “momenting” or fomenting, which is common to all existence, a shared equilibrium is possible that can supersede all chaos. It is there, in shared immanence we can all be made capable of the in-dwelling of a single human goal and global unity, while being rooted in our specific activity of generating individual essence and nature, poised in the humility and grace of reciprocal conduct.

And, each one in his striving to maintain his own integrity or conservation of his deepest and most intimate powers must go up constantly against the natures of both his other and “the others” in order to give his utterance its peculiar brand, evoking rhythm where that pendulumic swing through Past-Present-Future becomes, at once, a framed and a boundless moment of art in which his being is held secured and ever present.

From here his single work or Obeah is to relate him to himself firstly, then himself to his other and to others! One to one, embodied, he arises from the furious fecundity of a universal drama played out by constellations of “Obeahs” in the style that planets hold to their own axes; their orbits creating a single universe in the artistic hand of cosmos.

The relentless assaults on African psyche have had ongoing tragic consequences on the quality of African life and its world. Deeper wounds are now made on it by re-invented Africans themselves – our black men and black women – who, as painters, musicians, intellectuals et al, ascribe to the propaganda that nothing is pure or can be pure anymore, particularly in their own race.

What rubbish it is to invest trust in such

aborted-sightedness that can only relish gossip, mischief and superstition, bringing increased woe down on our heads, while making it impossible to house the phenomenal experiment that in itself, is life, – our life; there, where nothing becomes extinct but rather returns to the whereabouts of a vertiginous turning that conceals as much as it reveals in the constant that renews!

And, who may navigate that compass-less cape of beginnings! We may learn to read its incipient imageries backwards, with our eyes turned inward. Where we are deaf to the sound of the waves that deign to reshape our ear; we become open to our own invitation to self-empowerment! Indeed, Obeah is a distinct Performance in the Faith of signifying Being in unfolding Becoming.

In the attempt to make of the African idea a relic that possesses no real meaning of its own; it seems for the while, an advantage to those who beleaguer it by surreptitiously attaching evil to the Practice of Obeah in every form.

No other people in the history of mankind

pernicious views are legendary, rock-like formulations; myopic in a deed designed to continue at all cost the corruption of the imagination and creativity

Leroy Clarke,

“Weavers of De Dust”


has had to endure such an exclusive, imperial system – geared to vanquish all elements of their nature – that long, to survive as Africans do today, even when they themselves bring down the mimicry of their oppressors on the heads of their own.

Pernicious views are legendary, rock-like formulations; myopic in a deed designed to continue at all cost the corruption of the imagination and creativity, through the distortion of ideas on religion and on the sciences of peoples who are the authors that inform the Being of a whole continent – Africa. It is because of that understanding of the deviousness and divisiveness of “official history” that Eye prefer to course the tangential, quartz-lit path to Dreams.

The real task for us is the where and how we begin. Perhaps to the far, where our courage can, behind the zero of mere existence! While it may have served some incomprehensible thing to enter a respite as long as we have, this must end now! And, the way to this end must be attended with alertness to the open field that is Obeah. Africa in us must awake to that single idea we must take if we are to “re-invent” our compass, so to speak.

With new tools of imagination and assessment, delve where self is revealed as a conscious work of art created, brought to full centre, accordingly justified as the voice in one’s own stories. Which, as self, is centred; not, as with marginalised objects in subordination but, as authors; Pointers, who grasp the structures of Obeah, its parable as a signification or as a signifier whose textual authority undergoes continuous shifts in self-determined imperatives.

Some moments can be quite apocalyptic, bringing with them vistas of foreboding that demand of us new composure in order to gather energies from our finest specimens and stimuli of grandest feelings to emerge from wholesomeness, imbued with tolerance – our Obeah!

Eye tell you: Earth’s memory jealously holds our

Obeah to her breasts intact, at the end of centuries’ genuine effort. Charged by a flawless instinct and boundless intuition, our indefatigable hearts open, we shall offer up a New World!

Being mindful that nothing increases forever and unbroken, yet some phenomena in the mysteries of their eternality prove the contradiction by their undaunted untransferability. A people’s or a race’s Obeah can be viewed as that which is the core-essential, resilient factor of organising and enhancing their way of life.

African people world over, need be confident that their Obeah is set, fixed, no matter the onslaught of external pressures from peripheral anancies that for centuries have attempted to lay waste our original style – it has only been tampered with!

The practice of obeah at this time for Africans must therefore be taken seriously, to the altars of their beginnings – a difficulty in itself of tremendous proportions which would not feign demand not only utmost gifts for discipline and alertness for the magical appearances of faith but, for that solidarity base which denominates creation itself – patience and its solitude!

This type of recharting of ruins is no mere regurgitation of lengths of tradition, no, it is of the gruelling tests, trials brought to bear on those forms by way of meditation and critical analysis in order to extract from them the pure, original, gemlike moments that would have constituted the unique glory of our past; ready to re- launch into future.

Should we barely understand the phenomenon that is Obeah, its patience, its positive and mysterious way in the “arting” or the all inclusive Performance of self, we could not ignore it! And, how steadfast would we become to the self-ennobling process that should prove us in the world-arena of globalisation! How “wholly absorbed in the enigma of our existence” we would become! ■

creativity


some moments can be quite apocalyptic, bringing with them vistas of foreboding that demand of us new composure in order to gather energies from our finest specimens and stimuli of grandest feelings to emerge from wholesome-ness, imbued with tolerance – our obeah!


At independence in 1962, Trinidad and Tobago’s (T&T) oil industry was already 54 years old and had produced billions of barrels of crude but was

poised for a new take-off that few at the time could have predicted.

The year before (1961), Pan American Trinidad Oil Company (later to become Amoco Trinidad Oil Company and then, today’s bpTT), in alliance with two other US firms, Sun Oil and Pure Oil, had been granted an exploration and production (E&P) licence for a large swath of acreage (1.2 million or 1,875 sq miles) off the east coast of Trinidad.

After the first well, Offshore Point Radix 1

(OPR 1) proved dry, both partners dropped out, leaving Amoco to soldier on alone.

It eventually hit paydirt in 1968 but with the discovery of gas, not what it was really looking for, since gas, at that time, was considered only flareable or as a lifting mechanism for the real thing – crude oil.

This eventually happened in 1969 after Amoco returned to the Offshore Point Radix area and sunk the OPR 2 well which was both an oil and gas producer, and subsequently became the Teak field. The Samaan discovery followed in 1971 and Poui in 1972.

Teak and Samaan began producing in 1972 and Poui in 1975, so, with 10 years of independence

under its belt, the country was experiencing a resurgence in the production of what was then its most important commodity, yielding the then People’s National Movement (PNM) government, led by Prime Minister Dr Eric Williams, the first post-independence head of government, a much welcome fiscal gift.

By 1978, thanks to Amoco, since output had already peaked in the historic land province (1976) and in the nearshore Gulf of Paria separating Trinidad from Venezuela to the west (1968), oil production had reached the highest level ever in the country’s history – an average of 229,589 b/d.

With the two oil price shocks of the 1970s, which sent the income obtained from oil trading to what were then historic highs, the government gained a windfall from taxation by tweaking the system to make collections more favourable to itself. The industry was also becoming better regulated, with the establishment of the first government department to oversee the sector – the Ministry of Petroleum and Mines.

In 1973, the Mostofi Commission of

Oil, NAturAl GAs ANd diversificAtiON

opportunity


assessing the last fifty years

david renwick caribbean energy

correspondent, trinidad

Now and then: A trinidad

oil rig in the late 1950s

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P120-124 David Renwick.indd 120 23/08/2012 16:38

Enquiry, headed by Dr Baghair Mostofi of Iran, was also set-up to provide recommendations for the government on where a newly-reenergised petroleum industry should be heading, one of them being “greater control by the ministry of oil companies’ activities.”

Remarkable as it may seem today, the seven oil-producing companies at the time, were all foreign-owned, as were the then two refineries at Pointe-a-Pierre and Point Fortin in south-central and south-west Trinidad, respectively and all petroleum product distribution and marketing. That no longer obtains today, with the state-owned Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago (Petrotrin) being by far the biggest crude producer (34,357 b/d) and the only refiner. Gas production, however, is in the hands of international companies like BP and BG/Chevron.

The Mostofi Commission offered a number of suggestions on the need for more exploration and the use of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods for extracting more known oil, but its most prescient was undoubtedly that relating to natural gas.

It noted that: “The important development of a petrochemical industry in Trinidad requires the assurance of reserves in years to come. The commission is satisfied that the existing gas reserves should take care of the requirements of this industry and its expansion programme as it is known today. The use of gas for the production of electricity and other domestic requirements should be encouraged as much as possible.”

Amoco duly offered that “assurance” in 1973 when it identified the Cassia gas field, which contained several trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas-well gas and provided the country with the essential foundation for a gas-based heavy industrialisation programme going forward.

Gas urgently needed to take up the slack, with crude production in free-fall after 1978, (in 2012, it is now down to around 69,400 b/d, from the 229,589 b/d reached in that year, though condensate capture takes the overall liquids figure up to about 82,400 b/d).

It has done so magnificently but in a different way from oil. Gas sales did not yield anything like the amount of public sector revenue obtainable from crude and made a much smaller contribution to gross domestic product (GDP), but it did open the way to a plethora of industries mounted on the availability of gas reserves.

These were centred on petrochemicals, as mentioned by the Mostofi Commission, as

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121

because private sector investors were hesitant, the government had to take the lead in building the first generation of gas-using steel and petrochemicals plant


A helicopter takes off from

Bayfield energy’s rowan

Gorilla rig off trinidad’s

east coast, 2012

Photograph courtesy of B

ayfield energy


well as steel. (Though T&T had the oil which could have been the foundation of an oil-based petrochemicals industry, as has happened in most industrialised economies, this had never been seriously considered by the owners of the domestic refineries, who preferred to remain basically as processors of transportation fuels. All of Amoco’s crude, in any case, was exported by agreement with the government).

Gas was a different kettle of fish because Amoco, which remained the only gas-well gas producer for 16 years, badly needed commercial outlets for its trillions of cubic feet of reserves and only the government could initially provide that.

The state-owned National Gas Company (NGC) was set-up in 1975, precisely to be the conduit through which gas could be commercialised: NGC would do the purchase deals with Amoco and the others which came after, such as Trintomar (1990) and BG/Texaco (1996) and would sell on the gas to industries needing it, which were sited at a purpose-built estate on the west coast, called Point Lisas.

Because private sector investors were hesitant, however, the government also had to take the lead in building the first generation of gas-using steel and petrochemicals plant.

Between 1977, when the government persuaded the US’s W.R. Grace, which had already

been operating an ammonia plant near the Point Lisas estate since 1959, to join in as minority partner in the Tringen ammonia facility, and 1993, when the first privately-funded Point Lisas industry, the Caribbean Methanol Company, owned by what eventually became today’s Methanol Holdings Trinidad Ltd, (MHTL), was established, the government of T&T built one steel plant, one methanol plant, one urea plant and another ammonia plant (though Amoco did, reluctantly, also agree to come in as a 49 per cent partner in this).

In effect, the T&T government became the biggest risk-taker, probably in the entire western hemisphere, during this period, using a mixture of surplus tax funds and loans. This visionary initiative has never been fully appreciated by commentators: without it, there might have been no gas-based industrial sector, still the only one of its kind in the whole of the Caribbean and Central America, or it would have taken much longer to come about. Having led the way, the government eventually decided to sell off its holdings to private investors, including MHTL and the predecessors of today’s PCS Nitrogen of Canada.

Methanex of Canada is also in the gas-based industrialisation picture today owning the Titan methanol plant at Point Lisas outright and 63.1 per cent of the Atlas methanol plant.

opportunity


in effect, the trinidad and tobago government became the biggest risk-taker, probably in the entire western hemisphere, using a mixture of surplus tax funds and loans

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Between them, they produced 206,430 tonnes of methanol in April, 2012, (the latest figures available to this publication at the time of writing), which was actually well below normal output, the reason being a shortage of gas supply from offshore producers, specifically bpTT, which has been heavily engaged in “platform and well integrity” exercises, following its Gulf of Mexico well blowout disaster in 2010.

NGC, as the gas aggregator, can do nothing about this because it has no gas of its own but its new president, Indar Maharaj, promises to try his best to alleviate the situation on a permanent basis. Charles Percy, Methanex’s managing director and CEO, fervently hopes this is so, because uncertainty over gas could jeopardise any long-term plans the Canadian methanol giant could have for expansion in T&T.

In face of the attraction of low-cost shale gas for petrochemical companies in North America, T&T as a location for gas-related industry, could become less competitive were gas availability,

not to mention pricing, called into question. Mr Percy points out that Methanex has no expansion activities planned for Trinidad in the short term. “In the face of concerns around renewal of natural gas contracts and availability of long-term supply, it is necessary to be prudent at this time,” he says.

The Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs (MEEA) insists, however, that the problem is essentially a short-term one and has every confidence that it will be rectified in the medium term.

Mr Percy may have less to worry about in light of the reported settlement of a new contract with MHTL for NGC to provide it with near 100 million cubic feet a day (mmcfd) of gas for 20 years for its new

US1.9 billion AUM 2 complex, which will produce ammonia, urea, melamine, ammonium sulphate and melamine urea formaldehyde resin (MUF) in a nine-plant cluster at Point Lisas. It follows the earlier AUM 1 plant that also goes downstream to melamine, which the government sees as a major input into a variety of new light manufacturing industries in dinnerware, adhesives, coatings, laminates, plasticisers and so on.

The People’s Partnership (PP) government, now in office calls this a “backward linkage” approach, which involves deciding what products can be produced by local manufacturers and then traces that back upstream to determine what the original inputs should be. So while the petrochemical and steel industries have served the country well in export earnings – joined in 1999 by the first exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by the Atlantic company at Point Fortin, which now produces 15.2 million tonnes a year, making it the seventh-largest LNG trader in the world – the accent now is on using gas to go

the accent now is on using gas to go downstream into a wider range of light industries that expands the reach of local manufacturers

Opposite: Panorama of

Methanex’s plant at Point

lisas. Above: bptt’s

cassia B platform

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downstream into a wider range of light industries that expands the reach of local manufacturers.

“Local value added” is now among the prime goals for natural gas, with gas only being sanctioned for primary petrochemical or steel production that goes downstream to materials that can be used locally. This is not to say that LNG, for example, is being abandoned – far from it. In fact, plans are afoot to capture the market for LNG in small and medium-sized parcels that is expected to emerge in the Caribbean archipelago.

The backward linkage approach is one aspect of the move to diversify to a greater extent away from the petroleum sector, though industries like melamine are still dependent on natural gas as an input.

The Ministry of Planning and Sustainable Development, under former University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine, principal, Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie (universally known as “Bhoe”), has a key responsibility in this regard and a number of initiatives are in train.

Under the overall Medium Term Policy Framework, 2011-2014, the ministry is committed to, in Dr Tewarie’s words, “creating a new growth dynamic, supporting diversification.” This will involve “widening and deepening the production base and building new production clusters, developing culture and supporting the development of creative industries, developing green industry and alternative energy sources, developing information and communications technology and related knowledge and service industries.”

All analysts acknowledge that the energy sector’s contribution to GDP is substantial, though with the loss of crude oil output its now less substantial than it used to be, as the figures in the table below show.

Dr Tewarie’s ministry is determined to build up other productive sectors, such as those mentioned above, so that the energy component in GDP progressively falls, though, as he admits: “It will take a lot of effort and business creation and investment in manufacturing and services to match even a small percentage of the contribution of the energy sector to GDP.”

Increasing productivity in existing non-energy industries is a short-term way of doing this. The Minister of Planning concedes “the level of productivity in the country is lower than it should be and needs to be addressed at the firm level, the institutional level and across the country as a whole. Productivity is at the heart of building competitive capacity.”

So, as T&T reaches its 50th year of independence and pushes on into the next 50 years, both oil and gas face reserves and production challenges, though the betting is that both will be overcome to some extent, while the major job of diversification into other economic activities proceeds. Will the latter be successful eventually?

Dr Tewarie, for one, is putting a positive spin on it. “The government of T&T will work with sectors of the society as a willing partner to achieve prosperity for all, through purposeful activity that is creative, collaborative and innovative,” he pledges. ■

opportunity


as trinidad and tobago reaches its 50th year of independence and pushes on into the next 50, both oil and gas face reserves and production challenges, though the betting is that both will be overcome

year 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

percentage 45% 50.8% 37.1% 43.9% 45.3%

Energy’s share of Trinidad and Tobago’s GDP


The Challenge: Changing DirectionAs the country celebrates its 50th anniversary of Independence against a backdrop of the Great Global Recession,

Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) must chart its path to future sustainable growth through equitable and inclusive development. Such growth and development cannot be imported. It must be driven by T&T’s inward economic strength, by unearthing entrepreneurship and talent and by creating new economic spaces for development not only inside but also outside of the country.1. Trinidad and Tobago’s government, in partnership with key stakeholders of society, has taken steps to build a competitive entrepreneurial economy by nurturing its investment climate, making it attractive to foreign investors. 2. T&T is on a sound economic footing and has structured an attractive base for investment, through prudent recent fiscal management.3. Trinidad and Tobago’s development demands economic growth that can only be achieved and sustained by integrating political and economic decisions, by a stable government, committed to all the attributes of good governance.

The rest of this brief article expands on these on-going strategic growth decisions.

Partnering: Turning the Economy AroundIn 2010, Finance Minister Winston Dookeran and the People’s Partnership assumed office at the depths of the global recession and the regional financial crisis which threatened to profoundly derail growth. Minister Dookeran moved swiftly to arrest the crisis. The legacy from the previous regime weighed heavily, and the first priority of the 2011 national budget was to quell the increasing uncertainty and rescue the country from plunging into a recession; having experienced average growth of around 8 per cent between 2000-2007 and been branded “a Caribbean tiger” by The Economist. • This first budget “Facing the Issues” focussed

on restoring stability and preventing collapse. The bailout of one of the region’s largest insurers

and investment firms, CLICO was handled in such a way that the structural integrity of the financial system was preserved. Meanwhile, the moral hazard inherent in such a bailout was mitigated by an approach which protected both taxpayers and small investors. The state assumed full control of assets, fully compensated more than 40 per cent of investors, including trade unions and credit unions, and issued 20 year bonds to the remaining short-term investors. The government also rescued the smaller Hindu Credit Union, safeguarding the assets of some 160,000 small depositors in the interest of equity. • Furthermore the budget created an Independent Risk Committee to monitor and identify future systemic risk. Through these policies, and through the scrapping of several costly and even harmful “white elephant” projects such as Alutrint and Rapid Rail, the new government signalled a break with the old order. • Since 2009, Trinidad and Tobago has risen by 22 places in the World in Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking. This has reflected the resolution of outstanding payments to many contractors and of VAT refunds, and the honouring of letters of comfort to banks; along with civil service reforms and attempts to reduce red tape. These measures, and the settlement of negotiations for civil service salaries, largely had the desired effect: greater confidence and stability at a time when the wider world was dashing for the lifeboats. • Public sector restraint led to Trinidad and Tobago being awarded a rating of A- with a stable outlook in 2011 by Moody’s, a rating agency. These first steps have prevented the country from an experience akin to previous deep recessions by putting the financial “house in order”. • Multi-lateral financial institutions have been, as a result, very willing to lend for growth. For instance, with the Inter-American

New ecoNomic SpaceSFor The DevelopmeNT oF TriNiDaD aND Tobago

oPPorTuniTy

TriniDAD & TobAgo 50 yEArs of inDEPEnDEnCE126

Why shoulD invEsTors ChoosE TriniDAD AnD TobAgo?

Dr MAnfrED JAnTzEnFormer Senior advisor to

minister winston Dookeran

and business Studies Scholar,

Trinidad and Tobago

P126-130 Manfred Jantzen.indd 126 23/08/2012 15:33

Development Bank a new Country Strategy was agreed covering the period 2010-2015. This new Country Strategy reflects a major re-engagement with Trinidad and Tobago and its scope according to the IDB is appropriate given the confidence in the management of the economy by the Minister of Finance and the scope of the reform process. The agreed approval level for the strategy period is US$1.3 billion, with average annual disbursement of US$170 million, which would cover around 47 per cent of the projected gross financing needs of the country during the strategy period. • The priority areas include: (i) financial sector regulation and supervision; (ii) public sector management; (iii) education; (iv) social protection; (v) climate change; (vi) energy; (vii) water and sanitation; and (viii) transport. Tobago’s development challenges will be addressed in a cross cutting manner, with a special focus being given to the priority areas of energy, business development, climate change, and water and sanitation.• Public Sector management: The former Minister’s reform agenda in the public sector management area was aimed at improving transparency, efficiency and effectiveness of public expenditure, including SOEs. The interventions, which started in 2010 were focused on: (i) strengthening the policy-making processes, as well as coordination, planning and monitoring of public expenditure, with a special focus on the PSIP; (ii) enhancing project cycle management; including planning, and pre-investment activities, procurement practices and monitoring and evaluation capacity; and (iii) improving information flows for decision making; by improving the data quality and availability.

Economic Transformation: government as CatalystMajor reform activities were initiated in 2010 and continued in 2012 in the financial, social

protection, climate change and the energy sectors. • Financial sector: Following the CLICO issues, the Ministry of Finance immediately embarked on reform activities to reduce the vulnerabilities of the financial sector and reduce the probability of systemic crisis. The associated interventions were focused on: (i) reforming the regulatory and supervisory framework for the financial sector; and (ii) strengthening the institutional capacity of the Government in the area of risk identification and management.• Social protection: In an attempt to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of spending in the social area, the Ministry of Finance initiated the following activities in 2010 – (i) Consolidation of four main cash transfer programs and improvements in targeting outcomes; (ii) Institutional strengthening of MOPSD, which includes monitoring, learning and evaluation capacity; and (iii) Improving the supervision of the CSOs that receive public funds to provide social services. • Climate change: The Ministry of Finance saw the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation and carbon reduction into the country’s development programme as a key priority. Interventions were, therefore, supported in the following areas: (i) integration of climate change mitigation and adaptation concepts for key sector policies ; and (ii) formulation of a stand-alone carbon reduction strategy and policy.• The energy sector: The Ministry of Finance placed an emphasis on the development of a more efficient, sustainable and cleaner energy matrix. The interventions initiated in 2011 were focused on: (i) strengthening the regulatory and legal framework to contribute to a more sustainable energy sector; and (ii) promotion of an efficient and rational production and use of fossil fuels.

The second, catalytic, budget for 2012 included tax incentives for Small and Medium sized Enterprises to list on the stock exchange, an expansion of deposit insurance and greater

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following the CliCo issues, the Ministry of finance immediately embarked on reform activities to reduce the vulnerabilities of the financial sector and reduce the probability of systemic crisis

TriniDAD & TobAgo 50 yEArs of inDEPEnDEnCE


emergency powers for the Central Bank, in order to strengthen the financial sector and develop capital markets. Stricter punishments were introduced for those caught abusing fuel subsidies, as well as a wide range of significant tax incentives for alternative energy investment and adoption, with an emphasis on liquefied natural gas. Tax reform and modernisation continue in earnest.• In 2012, the government intends on playing a catalytic role in investing some US$2.5 billion in two major downstream energy plants to produce melamine, calcium chloride and caustic soda and related products. • In the medium to long term, the government is promoting greater high-value industry, encouraging and entering negotiations with private sector and foreign investors to inject

up to US$5 billion in a series of downstream energy plants. • This is happening concurrent to a large upgrade of infrastructure and new highway additions.

Creation of New Economic Spaces for development has been a major priority for the Ministry of Finance between 2010-2012. The combination of developing capital markets whilst providing the framework and initial investment push for Trinidad and Tobago’s industrial estates amounts to the creation of new economic spaces for development. • The role of the state is shifting from ownership and direct control to partnership and catalyst.

The state must foster an economic space that a generally risk-averse private sector can begin to participate in, and that foreign investors

oPPorTuniTy


The role of the state is shifting from ownership and direct control to partnership and catalyst

commanding heights:

government buildings

still dominate the skyline

of port of Spain

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TriniDAD & TobAgo 50 yEArs of inDEPEnDEnCE 129

may feel more comfortable in aggressively building a dynamic industrial sector. The key is cooperation between public and private spheres to build a partnership that boosts competitiveness. Already, foreign investors have committed more than US$1.4 billion for 2012, with negotiations for another US$5 billion worth of projects in the pipeline.

A two-pronged approach has been initiated by the Ministry of Finance under the leadership of former Minister Dookeran to promote private sector development:• Competitiveness improvements through business climate reforms were initiated. T&T needs a strong business climate that facilitates innovation, entrepreneurship and business development in productive sectors.• Bringing selected State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) to the point of public offering – an exercise which is currently being undertaken to prepare a road map for this public offerings programme. The Ministry is cognisant of the political implications of such a programme, but is committed to facilitate an orderly rationalisation of the SOEs in light of the increased pressure on the treasury to sustain these SOEs.

The government is expanding its programme of public offerings, in order to both increase private sector participation, and develop the stock market. These include the already-listed Point Lisas Industrial Port Development Corporation, the Trinidad and Tobago Mortgage Bank (a merger between two previous state mortgage providers) and First Citizens Bank. This is aligned with an overarching plan that has identified several key “growth poles” for the opening of internal economic spaces, which will be aided by the creation of special economic zones and favourable tax environments.• Central to outward-facing development will be the creation of economic spaces within a context of regional integration.

new Economic spaces: sustainable growth and DevelopmentLearning from the Euro crisis has underlined the ever-increasing relevance of a perspective based on political economy. Politics and economics must work together. Political efforts are paramount in regional integration and Trinidad and Tobago must lead. Political and economic institutions must be built in order to mitigate moral hazard; that it may not prove disastrous in times of crisis. It is with this in mind, and in the interest of resistance to international shocks, that the maintenance of prudent sovereign wealth funds, present in Trinidad and Tobago in the form of the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund becomes more important. If these safeguards can be built, then Trinidad and Tobago may lead the creation of a regional economic space that clusters the economic resources of the region to promote growth. • In first instance, and given the resource-based drive in the world economy, emphasis has been placed by the Ministry of Finance on the combination of natural resources to promote further growth in the southern axis of the Caribbean (T&T, Suriname and Guyana). • The sectors involved are mining (bauxite) through the participation in the establishment of a regional aluminium industry in Suriname, promoting the use of gas in the Caribbean energy mix, and agriculture, ensuring adequate food production for T&T and the region. The forward and backward linkages created by these sectors are expected to benefit the entire Caribbean region from the growth poles in T&T, Suriname, and Guyana.

On the 50th anniversary of Independence, we seek to promote endogenous growth instead of the old state-centred model. We have stepped onto the path to development, but many more tough political decisions and structural reforms are necessary in order to adapt to a rapidly changing future.

Central to outward-facing development will be the creation of economic spaces within a context of regional integration


The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report, in which Trinidad and Tobago has risen by five places since 2009, identifies several areas of interest for competitiveness. Despite its size, it is making strong investments in its IT infrastructure, and its markets are becoming more sophisticated. • It is a strategic hub in the Caribbean, housing, amongst other organisations and multi-nationals, over 40 embassies and missions. Most school-children have been issued with laptops and plans are afoot to expand to achieve universal broadband access. • T&T has robust institutions, provides free

higher education and healthcare and a stable economy that is resuming growth in earnest. • In addition to the advantages for foreign investment already discussed, others include: competitive labour rates, high technical ability, time zone similarity with North American Markets, high cultural affinity to North America, robust telecommunication infrastructure.

The state has partnered with the private sector, boosting investment and fostering an entrepreneurial economy. The Financial Times has rated Trinidad and Tobago one of the top “Caribbean and Central American Countries of the Future” in 2012. • The Minister of Planning & Sustainable Development is committed to a competitive, innovative-driven economy as an imperative for sustainability and prosperity, and entrepreneurship must be the driving force for generating higher levels of constant growth. • The Finance Minister since June 2012, Lawrence Howai, has stressed that growth is his priority.

The foundations for growth have been laid, a roadmap for sustainable development exists, Trinidad and Tobago is ready. International investors would do well to take note. ■References* The content of this article is based on the sources listed below including the writings of Winston Dookeran, as Finance Minister and internationally respected development economist. I also want to thank Iwan P. Sewberath Misser for his contributions and Kiran Mathur, who was an intern for two summers in the Ministry of Finance, for his assistance.1. “Budget Statement for 2010-2011: Facing the Issues”, Ministry of Finance, Trinidad and Tobago 20102. Moving from PROMISES TO PERFORMANCE, The Underpinnings of the 2011 Budget, Winston Dookeran, Minister of Finance, 30th September, 20103. “Budget Statement for 2011-2012: From Steady Foundation to Economic Transformation”, Ministry of Finance, Trinidad and Tobago, 20114. “Green Paper: Transforming the Civil Service: Renewal and Modernisation” Ministry of Public Administration, Trinidad and Tobago 20115. Innovation for Lasting Prosperity, Medium-Term Policy Framework 2011-2014Ministry of Planning and the Economy, October 20116. “Moving Boldly Forward”, Ministry of Finance, Trinidad and Tobago, 20117. Growth and Development Strategies for the Caribbean, Compiled by the Caribbean Development Bank, November 2010.8. “Creating New Space for Development: An Integrated Endogenous Approach with Economic, Political and Social Dimensions” Winston Dookeran, 20119. “Ease of Doing Business Report” 2010 World Bank10. Winston Dookeran, Power, Politics and Performance, A Partnership Approach for Development, Ian Randle Publishers, 2012.11. World Bank “Ease of Doing Business Report” 201212. Brian Frontin, chairman of InvestTT 13. World Economic Forum “Global Competitiveness Report” 201214. Howai: Gowth is the Priority. Interview in Guardian Business, July 2012, Week One.

oPPorTuniTy


The state has partnered with the private sector, boosting investment and fostering an entrepre-neurial economy. The financial Times has rated Trinidad and Tobago one of the top “Caribbean and Central American Countries of the future”

Trinidad and Tobago:

in the fast lane


By the 1960s, the plantation economy of Trinidad and Tobago looked like so many others in the Caribbean, typified by the presence of several large farms owned

by the social upper class. The agricultural sector grew largely due to the export of raw agricultural products to the UK and other European countries. In 1965, approximately 22 per cent of the labour force was employed in the agricultural sector (Trinidad and Tobago. CSO 1975, 2). By 1977, the key agricultural exports were sugar (139,506 tonnes), molasses (30,768 tonnes), raw cocoa (3,168 tonnes), raw coffee (1,608 tonnes) and citrus (527 tonnes) (Trinidad and Tobago. CSO 1987, 118). The sector was successful mainly because there were well established marketing arrangements and world agricultural product prices were relatively high.

Agriculture NowOver time however, with the rapid rise of the oil and gas, tourism and construction sectors, labour and other resources left the agricultural sector, so that the contribution of the agricultural sector fell from 2 per cent of total GDP in 1997 to just 0.4 per cent of total GDP in 2009 (ECLAC 2011, 5). In 2008, the labour force in the agricultural sector accounted for only 3.8 per cent of all industries (Trinidad

and Tobago. CSO 2009, 7), and agricultural land availability fell by 44.3 per cent between 1962 and 2009 (FAOSTAT 2012). By 2005 the main producer of sugar, Caroni (1975) Ltd (a state-owned company) ceased operations, so as export agriculture fell, domestic agriculture became more dominant (see Table 1).

Bananas and Root Crops was the largest commodity group with 30.2 per cent of total domestic agriculture GDP, followed by Other Domestic Agriculture, made up mainly of green vegetables (25.2 per cent), Fishing (20.1 per cent) and Poultry and Eggs (20.0 per cent). Over the past 50 years, the agribusiness sector grew significantly, driven largely by food manufacturing. However, while it provides greatly to local and regional supplies, many inputs are imported, with accompanying considerable foreign exchange leakages. Further, as the population increases, shortfalls in local food production have been met by rising food and beverage imports (Table 2), exceeding TT$4 bn since 2008.

The planners of the agricultural sector are also facing diverse issues, which must be addressed if the agricultural sector is to be sustainable. The sudden and remarkable increase in global food prices since 2007, accompanied by high global food price volatility led to more food and

Agriculture in trinidAd And toBAgo: How do we Move ForwArd?

opportuNity

triNidAd & tobAgo 50 yeArs of iNdepeNdeNce132

from fArmiNg to AgribusiNess

dr shAroN hutchiNsoN

lecturer,

department of Agricultural

economics and extension,

Faculty of Food and Agriculture,

uwi, St Augustine campus,

trinidad

19971 20082

Agricultural GDP (mil TT$) 777.4 466.6

-‐ Export 37.5 7.5

-‐ Domestic 384.0 492.9

-‐ Sugar Industry 355.9 (33.8)

Table 1: Contributions of Agriculture to GDP at Current PricesSource: 1 Trinidad and Tobago. CSO 2002, 3; 2CSO 2009, 3

P132-133 Sharon Hutchinson.indd 132 22/08/2012 13:54

nutrition insecurity in Trinidad and Tobago. Market inefficiencies (such as low numbers of importers) and high farm input prices also added more burdens to the sector.

money in the futurePreferential access to European markets has eroded, and the CARIFORUM-European Union Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which came into effect in 2008, aims to ensure a predictable trading arrangement for primary and processed export goods. Still, such agreements can only be beneficial if there is increased competitiveness (Trinidad and Tobago. Ministry of Trade and Industry 2012, 11-14). These changes are also taking place within the context of climate change, with forecasts of increased temperature, and a possible drop in annual rainfall of 15.2 per cent by the 2040s (ECLAC 2011, 30). Other issues, such as the implementation of wholistic land and water management need urgent attention, as competition for these natural resources intensifies.

Despite the challenges, the potential of the food and agricultural sector is great. The success lies mainly in creating a new paradigm for agriculture and in establishing better sectoral linkages in the future. Firstly, farming must be seen as an agribusiness, with strict management of all resources. Greater collaboration among farmers’ groups to enhance the sharing of technical and market information, will further strengthen the sector. Secondly, agriculture value chains need to be developed. This means moving beyond raw products to new processed or value-added products which fetch a higher price, and which can displace increasing food imports. Potential also exists in supply chain gaps, especially in the provision of processing facilities. Such investment is supported by a stable economy and good air and sea shipping options.

The growth of the sector also requires productivity gains and reduced risk via insurance mechanisms. There is also need for

better links between agriculture and tourism; between science, economics, agribusiness and technology; and more prioritised investment in the agricultural sector by the government to spur private sector investments. Despite the many changes in the agricultural sector over the past 50 years, there is great potential for sustained expansion for many more years into the future. All the key stakeholders have important parts to play in ensuring the sector’s success, and this can be achieved with everyone working together with a common goal of food and nutrition security for all. ■

ReferencesEconomic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). 2011. An Assessment of the Economic Impact of Climate Change on the Agricultural Sector of Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago: ECLAC. Accessed July 9, 2012. http://www.eclac.org/portofspain/noticias/paginas/0/44160/Trinidad_and_Tobago_lcarl321.pdfFood and Agriculture Organisation Statistical Database (FAOSTAT). 2012. “Land Resources for Trinidad and Tobago.” Accessed July 2, 2012. http://faostat.fao.org/site/377/default.aspx#ancor Trinidad and Tobago. Ministry of Trade and Industry. The CARIFORUM/EU Economic Partnership Agreement: An Executive Summary. Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: Ministry of Trade and Industry. Accessed July 3, 2012. http://www.tradeind.gov.tt/Portals/0/Documents/EPA/EPA2/EPA%20Summary.pdf Trinidad and Tobago. Central Statistical Office (CSO). 1975. Quarterly Agricultural Report: January – March 1975. Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: CSO. Trinidad and Tobago. Central Statistical Office (CSO). 1987. Annual Statistical Digest 1986. No 33. Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: CSO. Trinidad and Tobago. Central Statistical Office (CSO). 2002. Agricultural Report 2001. Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: CSO. Trinidad and Tobago. Central Statistical Office (CSO). 2009. Agricultural Report 2008. Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: CSO.

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despite the challenges, the potential of the food and agricultural sector is great. the success lies mainly in creating a new paradigm for agriculture and in establishing better sectoral linkages in the future

triNidAd & tobAgo 50 yeArs of iNdepeNdeNce

Table 2: Food and Beverage Imports for Trinidad and Tobago, 1998-2008Source: CARICOM Secretariat Statistical Unit, pers. comm.

P132-133 Sharon Hutchinson.indd 133 22/08/2012 13:54

No longer is economic might determined by the expanse of industry or the brawn of manpower. Entrepreneurship and innovation are today’s key

economic drivers. They create jobs, revitalise neighbourhoods, raise standards of living and enhance daily life, propelling people and economies to become more efficient and more productive. The growth and management of small, innovative businesses, therefore, have become critical in national development. Given today’s mutable and globalised economy, entrepreneurship and innovation can give countries a competitive advantage. And on that horizon, Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) looms large.

Fifty years ago, the ‘traditional’ was all there was. Entrenched in childhood memory and immortalised in the works of our literary greats, small business ownership was necessity-driven. Like many other Trinidadians a young Nobel Laureate, V.S. Naipaul, living on Miguel Street could often be found running to Chin’s

Mini Mart to get three cents’ worth of butter. A lack of education and financing among a predominantly low-skilled people precluded the big dreams that came with business ownership.

Fifty years later, there are about 18,000 mostly consumer-oriented small businesses that contribute 20 per cent of GDP and employ 35 per cent of the workforce, or 200,000 people. T&T has moved from necessity-driven to opportunity-based entrepreneurship. The kinds of businesses that existed 50 years ago continue to serve the community, and they have proliferated.

But the ecosystem is changing. The latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM 2010) report revealed that not even the global economic downturn has deterred the country’s budding entrepreneurs: most (69 per cent) believe they have good opportunities for starting a business. A population of 1.3 million boasts 1.8 million cellphones and the highest broadband Internet access penetration in the English-speaking Caribbean (52 per cent). University tuition fees are fulfilled by the government, allowing highly-motivated citizens to dream up their own vocations. Industrial dominance has engendered supply-chain niches for small businesses to engage the economic process. These, coupled with the inherent creativity of the T&T people, have given rise to a new wave of entrepreneurship-minded innovators who, over the next 50 years, can capitalise on their technologically advanced and globalised setting in fields from food production to renewable energy, to tourism and the creative industries.

Much beloved for their fusion cuisine, T&T entrepreneurs are finding ingenious ways of marketing indigenous foods. David Thomas and Rachel Renie’s Market Movers, for instance, married the traditional with the technological. They built a business on the notion that we sacrifice “the things we once loved...[like] a home-cooked meal [or] a snack that didn’t come out of a plastic bag” because of today’s “fast-

opportuNities for youNg people over the Next 50 years

opportunity


appreciating our changing economy

denzil mohammed Writer, editor and Journalist,

trinidad and tobago

Cocobel Chocolates produces

single estate chocolates from

trinidad – with a twist

P134-135 Denzil Mohammed.indd 134 23/08/2012 12:26

paced lifestyle.” With the click of a mouse (and a reduction of their carbon footprint), consumers can now order fresh produce from local, organic farms for home delivery. Supported by Youth Business of T&T (YBTT), Market Movers grew in two years from 10 customers to 500.

Creativity is restricted neither to the designers and artists whose names have masqueraded far and wide like Anya Ayoung-Chee and Peter Minshall, nor to canvas and fabric. Like Thomas and Renie, Isabel Brash is taking one of our long-forgotten organic treasures, cocoa, and pushing its gastronomic limits. With a presence all over social media, Cocobel Chocolates produces single estate chocolates from Trinidad – with a twist. Infused with purees of mango, coconut and even hot peppers, Brash’s high-end creations illustrate the value of “going local” with a pinch of creativity in taking businesses further: whereas the local price of cocoa is about US$4 per kilogramme, Cocobel creations fetch well over US$100 a kilo.

High-tech innovators will soon have a home at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business’ Biz Booster. While the local universities are exploring ways of commercialising the research they generate to better serve community and industry alike, this commercial business incubator seeks to launch businesses into the global market. The Biz Booster will nurture businesses with a high-value proposition aiming for high export revenue generation. Given T&T’s long history in energy production via petroleum, natural gas and methanol, renewable energy is perhaps the area where T&T can make its most indelible mark.

The public-private partnership of the Biz Booster is but the latest in a string of initiatives to support entrepreneurs. The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) has led private sector involvement in supporting entrepreneurs with its Business Incubator Programme, where entrepreneurs have immediate access to a mentor.

Forging a greater entrepreneurial culture in T&T, government agencies invest in those who want to start their own businesses. Funding and mentoring are available from YBTT, mentioned above. Training centres and incubators across the country have been created by the National Entrepreneurship Development Company. The National Integrated Business Incubation System provides business development support, infrastructure and financial assistance, and the Development Finance Company Holdings Ltd focuses on venture capital and equity funding.

The entrepreneurial landscape in T&T is fast changing. And a more educated and adventurous generation is, likewise, fast moving away from the traditional. From storefronts to Facebook, fuels to fabric, the buzzword is entrepreneurship. The people of T&T are leading the charge. And the government and private sector are abreast of the trends, looking to outpace the country’s neighbours with a forward-thinking, innovation-driven economy. ■

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the entrepre-neurial landscape in t&t is fast changing, and a more educated and adventurous generation is, likewise, fast moving away from the traditional


Cocobel Chocolates founder

isabel Brash gets up close and

personal with her ingredients

photographs courtesy of isabel B

rash/Cocobel C

hocolates

P134-135 Denzil Mohammed.indd 135 23/08/2012 12:26

In the 50 years since attaining Independence, Trinidad and Tobago has emerged as the strongest economy in the Caribbean, with the most robust and advanced manufacturing

sector, a world-class energy industry and a strong and resilient financial sector.

Buttressed by affordable energy, a skilled workforce, large amounts of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and a long history in the energy sector, Trinidad and Tobago registered strong growth in its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 15 years until it was negatively impacted in 2009 by the fallout from the global economic crisis and the precipitous fall in natural gas prices in the United States because of the emergence of shale gas. It was a test of mettle which the government overcame, first, by stabilising the economy and then, by maintaining a rigid focus on FDI growth opportunities.

At the time it gained independence, Trinidad and Tobago’s economy was based primarily on petroleum and agriculture. But oil became king as the company then known as Amoco (now bpTT) made massive new oil discoveries off Trinidad’s east coast in what is known as the Columbus Basin. The discoveries came at a time when oil prices were on the rise, which provided the financial capacity for huge investment in the country’s infrastructure, including the construction of new schools, highways and industrial estates, including Point Lisas. They also helped to finance the initial investment in natural gas-based industries.

The oil boom lasted from 1973 to 1983, and as crude prices fell and eventually collapsed in 1986, coupled with strong wage demands, Trinidad and Tobago’s economy went into a decade of painful recession.

Like all of the British West Indian colonies, there was limited manufacturing in Trinidad and Tobago at the time of independence; manufacturing was based primarily in Britain, with few manufactured goods finished in the West Indies.

During the 1960s, the government sought to attract manufacturing and FDI, following the example of the Puerto Rican Industrial Development Corporation. It attempted to implement what Nobel laureate Sir Arthur Lewis called “industrialisation by invitation,” but was unable to replicate Puerto Rico’s success. The government then moved to a policy of import substitution, which encouraged domestic production of goods rather than importation and established a de facto embargo of certain imports to protect domestic producers.

This was the first substantial foray into manufacturing in Trinidad and Tobago but as the price of crude declined and the economy fell into recession, the local assembly industry also fell on hard times. Consumers demanded finished products from abroad and as part of its borrowing arrangements from the international lending agencies, Trinidad and Tobago was forced to open its economy. This new reality led to several major economic decisions that would benefit the country significantly.

Perhaps the most important was the decision to shift the economy away from its over-reliance on crude oil and to increase the contribution that natural gas was making to the economy. In order to do this, the government approved and sought out FDI in the petrochemical sector to the point where Trinidad and Tobago has emerged as the largest exporter of methanol and ammonia in the world and is a key exporter of urea to the United States.

A second set of decisions that paid dividends was the retooling of the manufacturing sector, the opening up of the market which forced manufacturers to become competitive and the flotation of the TT dollar which effectively devalued the dollar and made local manufacturing products more competitive. These decisions allowed Trinidad and Tobago’s manufacturers to become the strongest in the region, to the point where 80 per cent of all trade in CARICom now

an HIstorIc wIndow of opportunIty for fdI In trInIdad and tobago

opportunity


new openings are emerging in the non-oil sector

during the 1960s, the government sought to attract manufacturing and fdi, following the example of the puerto rican industrial development corporation, but was unable to replicate puerto rico’s success

P136-138 InvesTT article.indd 136 17/08/2012 17:59

involves Trinidad and Tobago entities.As the Trinidad and Tobago economy has

rebounded, this country has punched above its weight in the energy sector. Until the collapse of natural gas prices in the US, Trinidad and Tobago provided America with 70 per cent of its Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) imports. It is also a world leader in converting its natural gas into other commodities in what is termed the ‘Point Lisas model of development’.

In seeking to deepen its energy sector and link it to the manufacturing sector, Trinidad and Tobago has now moved further downstream and already produces melamine, which is used in the manufacture of a range of items from glues to hardwood finishes to pot spoons. Part of that melamine is to be reserved for local manufacturers as the country is open to FDI and local investment in manufacturing plants using melamine as their base.

The government is also in negotiations with a consortium comprising Saudi Arabia’s SABIC

and China’s Sinopec for the construction of a US$5.7 billion methanol to petrochemicals plant and a methanol to olefins plant.

The opportunities for investment in Trinidad and Tobago are enormous. on the financial services side, this country has many things going for it. Its banks remain strong and were not hit by the global financial crisis. Even the meltdown of Clico, the largest conglomerate in the Caribbean, did not threaten the local banking sector. Financial services account for more than a third of non-energy GDP, and the financial sector employs some 12 per cent of the labour force.

In addition, Trinidad and Tobago’s financial sector has become a financial force in the Caribbean, giving it a natural hinterland advantage from which to consolidate its position as the financial services gateway to Latin America. Local banks account for about 60 per cent of total bank assets in the region; insurance companies account for a similar share of total

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trinidad and tobago’s financial sector has become a financial force in the caribbean, giving it a natural hinterland advantage from which to consolidate its position as the gateway to latin america


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regional insurance business. Banks have about 15 per cent of their portfolio in offshore loans, the bulk of which is in the Caribbean. A vibrant wealth management industry has expanded significantly in recent years. About 25 per cent of the funds under investment in the mutual fund industry are denominated in foreign currency.

on the manufacturing side, the advantage of competitive energy prices, a skilled workforce, several trade agreements with CARICom, Latin America, Europe and even the USA, all give local manufacturers an advantage in accessing significant markets. These, combined with moves to reduce the bureaucracy at the nation’s ports and its governmental agencies, add to the ease of doing business in Trinidad and Tobago. And leading the charge is invesTT, the newly-created investment promotion agency led by its up-beat president Kelvin mahabir:

“The opportunities in the non-oil and gas sector are there for all to see. Like every other place, we’re not strong in every area, but we know where our strengths are: the creativity of our people,

low energy costs, core competencies in large-scale manufacturing, and we remain committed to providing investors with adequate support throughout the investment process,” mahabir says.

As part of the twin island republic’s move to further diversify its economy, it is investing in tourism, with a plan to promote the country’s product and to encourage the construction of additional high-quality rooms on both islands. There are tax incentives for developers and opportunities to be part of both the business and culture and leisure tourism that Trinidad and Tobago has to offer.

Government has expended significant sums to build the Tamana InTech Park, designed to attract and encourage the development of ICT. It is also the home of the University of Trinidad and Tobago which will feed the ICT industry and other key sectors with the talent it requires. The science and technology park offers superior networking solutions based upon Next Generation Network (NGN) technology that includes highly reliable and fully redundant networks, wireless connectivity, bundled VoIP, seamless business mobility packages, video and web conferencing. There are also opportunities for light manufacturing and agro-processing.

There is no doubt that, like the world economy, Trinidad and Tobago is facing challenges particularly as it relates to growth. The government has adopted an expansionary policy as it seeks to return the economy to growth, with continued investment in infrastructure and other productive capacity. Ideally situated as the gateway to doing business in the Caribbean and Latin America, the country remains welcoming to FDI: an investor-friendly environment, enabling legislation, modern infrastructure, air and sea connectivity, a well-educated workforce, access to neighbouring markets through trade agreements and a stable political and economic environment. It is the place to invest. ■

opportunity


in seeking to deepen its energy sector and link it to the manufacturing sector, trinidad and tobago has now moved further downstream

t&t: gateway to

the caribbean and

Latin america

pho

togr

aph

cour

tesy

of i

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tt


It is generally accepted that research is an important driver of economic growth and development. Accordingly, research institutions are expected to advance

knowledge creation and foster the critical thinking and policy advice necessary to stimulate economic development. Building on the foundations laid in the first half of the twentieth century through the work of institutions like the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture, research in Trinidad and Tobago has flourished through the establishment of institutions of learning as well as the creation of a supportive policy framework.

Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago have made significant strides in research over the course of the last century. We recall, for instance that, Dr Joseph Pawan discovered that vampire bats were responsible for transmitting rabies, that Dr Rudranath Capildeo gained international recognition for his work in applied Mathematics and Physics, while Dr Theodosius Poon King conducted seminal research in the field of diabetes.

The St Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies has been the principal engine of national research since its establishment in 1960 and is well known for its strengths in all academic disciplines. The work of Professor Nazir Ahamad in Soils Science, Dr George Moon Sammy in Food Technology and Professor John Agard in the field of Climate Change, for instance, is noteworthy. The Cocoa Research Unit, the genesis of which can be traced to the 1930s, is recognised internationally for its outstanding research while individuals such as Professor Francis Cope undertook significant work in plant genetics, a tradition carried on by Professor Pathmanathan Umaharan. In addition to producing internationally recognised research, the UWI continues to train young researchers who are the future knowledge creators and innovators. It has led and participated in research consortia that

play a major role in creating new knowledge and attracting funding. Its Office of Research Development and Knowledge Transfer and the creation of a Research Information Management System that will drive the research agenda, ensure that its philosophy is transferred and that the results of its research are available to the wider society.

Other tertiary education institutions of more recent vintage also contribute to the research enterprise and the creation of knowledge. The importance of technology transfer was recognised by the establishment in 1971 of the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) with a mandate to engage in research and development, innovation, and commercialisation. CARIRI has played an important role in providing solutions to the manufacturing industry and the service sector. An additional impetus has been provided by the Prime Minister’s Awards for Innovation and Invention which recognise the contribution of innovation, invention, science and technology to the process of industrialisation and development.

Apart from the research conducted by tertiary level education institutions, government ministries have for decades been involved in research activities. These include, among others, the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources through the Central Experimental Research Station at Centeno and the Forestry Division. Other public agencies such as the Institute of Marine Affairs and the Environmental Agency have also fostered research.

From the 1970s, as public policy recognised the growing importance of science and technology in the creation of a research-driven, knowledge-based society, budgetary allocations were provided and a framework established to foster science and technology, first through the establishment of the National Scientific Advisory Council in 1968 and subsequently the National Council for Technology and Development in 1976. A

ReseaRch In TRInIdad and Tobago

sustainability


connecting development, commercialisation and government policy

dr david rampersaddirector

office of Research,

development and

Knowledge Transfer,

UWI, st augustine campus,

Trinidad

P142-143 David Rampersad.indd 142 17/08/2012 17:57

significant development in this regard was the establishment of the National Institute of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (NIHERST) which began operations in 1979 with a mandate to promote the development of science, technology and higher education, and improve the innovative, creative and entrepreneurial capabilities of the population.

Research has been facilitated by a strong intellectual policy framework which protects inventors and governs the transfer of knowledge between parties. As a result of the accession of Trinidad and Tobago to various international conventions, beginning in 1964 with the Paris Convention on Intellectual Property, the passage of new supporting legislation, and the inclusion of Intellectual Property in international loan and trade agreements in the 1990s, it became necessary to establish an effective comprehensive system to grant and

enforce Intellectual Property rights. A project to modernise the Intellectual Property system was begun in 1994 and the Intellectual Property Office came into being in 1997 to oversee relevant legislation and regulations in all matters relating to Intellectual Property.

Public policy continues to support research and its application. Thus, the Medium Term Policy Framework 2011-2014 emphasises the creation of an information, technology-driven, innovative, knowledge-based and globally connected economy. To achieve this, a national innovation system which includes mechanisms for financing will be established; the protection of Intellectual Property and the links between research and development and commercialisation will be strengthened; and a research agenda that is supported by the re-orientation of education and resources towards science-based learning will be promoted. ■

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the medium term policy framework 2011-2014 emphasises the creation of an information technology-driven, innovative, knowledge-based and globally connected economy


caRIRI technician

conducts failure

analysis using scanning

electron microscope

P142-143 David Rampersad.indd 143 17/08/2012 17:57

All businesses need to become more environmentally friendly; in their products, services and operations. This needs to be across the board and

in each type of business both large and small. From hardware stores and the “shop down the road” to multinational enterprises and heavy industries; they all need to incorporate environmental practices. This environmental consciousness is the way for our future and what we need to invest in from now. I strongly believe in this statement and I believe many others would agree with me.

Price of Progress versus the EnvironmentThe current issue we face is the price of progress versus the environment. On one hand we want to develop and become a prosperous nation. We are already one of the wealthier nations in the Caribbean thanks to our precious commodities of oil and natural gas, the industrial nature of our small twin island state. On the other hand, as we progress our environment is destroyed, degraded or altered to the point that it cannot be repaired or be returned to its pristine condition. Daily commuters out of Diego Martin and environs have to endure the denuded hillside at Powder Magazine which has been sacrificed in the name of progress. Up to today, it was never “re-landscaped” and continues to remain as an insult to the eyes. The pristine hills surrounding the Asa Wright Nature Centre were recently threatened by activities at Scott’s Quarry in Verdant Vale. Here is an internationally appreciated ecological centre which was encroached upon in the name of progress. Fortunately, further damage was hindered by the timely intervention of the government.

The price of progress on the environment is a debate which is heavily argued on both sides. An example would be a large housing development on a hillside which is very much

needed in the area due to its proximity to Port of Spain, but the valley below is a flood-prone area. This scenario has repeated itself in several areas of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T). We cannot just drop all our lifestyles, economies and societies to return to the forests and live the “natural life.” On the flipside, countries cannot utilise all their resources uninhibitedly to ensure that their economies will prosper; this prosperity is not built on sustainability. Resources are needed constantly to produce products and services; which would eventually diminish. Water, air and land would become polluted which would make the process of cleaning it more expensive, complicated and become a further risk to our personal health and wellbeing.

What we, as young persons, can begin with is taking small steps in our daily lives to become more environmentally conscious. An item which could easily fit into the handbag is often put into a large plastic bag. Sanitation in our homes includes harmful chemicals. If inhaled, they can cause health hazards. There are better alternatives which would be just as effective. Then there is the recurring problem of littering on our streets; this can be solved by a collective discipline of disposing garbage into receptacles. Would you litter in your living room? Then why do you litter in the fish’s or the bird’s “living rooms”? I am met with the reply that it is the street cleaner’s job or that there were not any bins close by. These are very flimsy excuses which put the blame on someone else.

What areas need to change?What really needs to happen in Trinidad and Tobago is a marriage between progress and the environment; each contributing to a compromise. Progress at its current rapid rate needs to be structured and development needs to be built with the forecast of what the country would be like 50 years from now, 100 years or 200 years. The questions that need to be asked are:

SuStAinAble buSineSSeS of the future now!

sustainability

trinidad & tobago 50 yEars of indEPEndEncE144

going grEEn makEs good sEnsE

anna bElla thornEYouth Ambassador,

environmental

Management Authority,

trinidad and tobago

byline photograph by

Alexander Johnson

P144-148 Anna Bella Thorne.indd 144 23/08/2012 10:03

• Whether this type of good or service is sustainable.• How would the world be powered in the next 50 to 100 years? • What would the lifestyle of our future society be like?

These are some of the questions that myself, my generation and the generations after me would need to ask themselves.

First and foremost, there need to be tax incentives for businesses that actively incorporate a green initiative, be it a sustained operational change or incorporating eco-friendly alternatives for their products. Another mechanism would be in the form of green business grants. Applicants can either be an established business that wants to incorporate environmental alternatives and technologies or a new business that wants to incorporate sustainable practices. The consumers should be rewarded with tax reductions when they implement major green technologies into their living spaces. Our Green Fund’s purpose is to provide funding for only NGOs and CBOs who implement green practices. There are not yet any mechanisms for businesses who want to go green to get additional funding.

Another area of improvement is the reduction of plastic bags used in local supermarkets. Typically we are provided with an astonishing amount of plastic bags when purchasing groceries. Only such establishments as Price Smart are motivating their customers to either reuse provided carton boxes, sell reusable bags or bring their own bags; which their customers quite accepted. Other businesses should adapt this policy or create penalty charges for the request of plastic bags.

Excessive packaging increases the amount of waste for each product which ends up in the waste disposal system. Specifying the amount of required packaging needed and imposing fines on excess packaging would effectively reduce the amounts of wasted material. Government

issued seals should be used for using recycled materials, reducing the amount of packaging used, incorporating greener processing or natural materials. Packaging standards for each type of product should be developed with a strict set of guidelines. In the case of packaging electronics, inside the box should be the protective material for the product, all the required accessories and a manual. To take it a step further, use recycled materials as the protective casing, outer box and even print on recycled paper.

Recycling in Trinidad and Tobago has traditionally been for glass since recycled glass melts at lower temperatures, reduces the amount of fuel needed for production and thus saves money in the end without losing its quality. Recently there have been initiatives to collect other recyclable materials like plastic bottles, paper and ink cartridges. These materials are collected, sorted, shredded and shipped to foreign countries which have recycling plants. This is a good move in the right direction, but in T&T that recycling needs to become a popular method of disposing of our wastes. In my ideal scenario, Trinidad and Tobago should become the recycling capital of the Caribbean. This would be a good sector to invest in since recycling produces raw materials for producing packaging for the many products that are manufactured throughout the Caribbean. This sector would close the loop of production to consumption.

Collaboration between tertiary level institutions and businesses should help to develop each other. Tertiary institutions who conduct research can supply information on alternatives for the business sector. Then in return, educational institutions will be well informed about the Global Consumption Market for eco-friendly products. In Trinidad and Tobago, the typical consumer does not incorporate good environmental practices or may not even be aware of them. Various NGOs, CBOs and educational institutions like the Fondes

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collaboration between tertiary level institutions and businesses should help to develop each other. tertiary institutions who conduct research can supply information on alternatives for the business sector

trinidad & tobago 50 yEars of indEPEndEncE


Amandes Community Re-Forestation Project (FACRP), are doing their part to actively educate their community and the wider public about the importance of protecting the environment.

business and the protection of the EnvironmentThe public and private sector need to work in synergy. To solve environmental problems in many cases, products and services would need to be available. To solve the littering problem, make our waste more valuable so that it would be specifically collected rather than just cast away. Carib Brewery has collected its used bottles for years and has paid a return fee. For developments to have greener and cleaner alternatives, the environmental solutions need to be readily available. For example, it should be mandatory for a development that generates high levels of polluted waste water to operate a waste water treatment plant. To solve the issue of hazardous domestic waste water, provide less toxic cleaning products for domestic use for the consumer.

Entrepreneurs should be considered as problem solvers. They look at the current and future needs of the Market. Entrepreneurs are usually the individuals in society that are the innovators or the first to bring a needed commodity to the Market. The concept of an Eco-Entrepreneur is that these individuals not only look for the demands of the Market but also demands of the Environment. These entrepreneurs should look to the current research and introduce the inventions or innovations that would be profitable and beneficial to the environment.

As an example for a profitable eco-business, I would like to mention the annual recurrence of flooding of areas in Central Trinidad around the date of the Divali Celebrations. Traditionally families are refurbishing their households at that time and have to dispose of old mattresses, fridges and furniture. In the absence of the scheduled collection of “white waste” close to

those festivities, the households dispose of those items into the rivers. Additionally beautiful bamboo structures are erected for Divali which will be thrown into the rivers on the day after the festivities. This results in the inevitable flooding of the areas at the next occurrence of rain.

An eco-entrepreneur could contribute to the solution. His company would distribute a schedule for the collection of white waste in these areas. This would motivate the householders to place their white waste for collection in front of their properties at the appropriate date. His company will then prepare the white waste material for recycling and re-use. The same mechanisms apply for the day after Divali with the collection of all bamboo. This will reduce the exorbitant cost of flooding to the Nation while the eco-entrepreneur earns in the process. Of course his business will be needed year-round as all our rivers are used in the above described manner.

The German Environmental Management Association (whose German acronym, BAUM, also means TREE) has approximately 600 companies under its umbrella. Some famous members are Adidas, Bosch, Siemens Appliances and Faber Castell. These companies are part of Europe’s largest environmental initiative for industry which was founded in 1984 by a group of entrepreneurs based in Hamburg. BAUM has since then created several successful initiatives like ECO+, Ökoprofit, Solar – na klar! (“Going solar – that’s the way”). Such an association can be developed in either Trinidad and Tobago or to incorporate CARICOM into this initiative. The industrial sector, manufacturers, importers and retailers can each form a subgroup in the association. This association can create combined environmental initiatives as a form of corporate social responsibility, such as establishing research institutions, supporting environmental NGOs, CBOs and Foundations and developing pioneering environmental projects.

In the diagram opposite, I demonstrate with

sustainability


Entrepreneurs should be considered as problem solvers. they look at the current and future needs of the market. Entrepreneurs are usually the individuals in society that are the innovators or the first to bring a needed commodity to the market


trinidad & tobago 50 yEars of indEPEndEncE 147

the example of a product like toothpaste, how each sector can make changes to their operations and contribute to the environment. Th e industrial sector can provide low-impact raw materials or supply the manufacturers with recycled materials for production. Manufacturers should prevent or reduce the amount of harmful materials used in their products where possible. Importers should look to import more eco-friendly products and services into Trinidad and Tobago.

Retailers should collect excess packaging of their products which can be returned to the suppliers to either be reused or recycled. Finally, the consumers would properly dispose of their waste via source-separation to prepare for recycling.

Closer to home, Costa Rica has become renowned as an environmentally conscious

country and is oft en ranked between third and fi ft h of the top ten most environmentally friendly nations. Th e main reason why…? Despite its small size, Costa Rica has approximately 5 per cent of the world’s biodiversity, which it protects fi ercely. Costa Rica has 5 per cent of the land under the status of reserves, national parks and wildlife refuges. Also, Costa Rica compensates landowners who plant and maintain trees and other vegetation. Th is has led to an increase in forested areas from 24 per cent in 1985 to 46 per cent today. Finally there is a 5 per cent gas tax which directly funds environmental programmes. Th is is good thinking that we, as young Trinbagonians, want to see in our country as well. Instead, here gas is tax-subsidised, which means that everybody wastes it with impunity

retailers should collect excess packaging of their products which can be returned to the suppliers to either be reused or recycled. finally, the consumers would properly dispose of their waste via source-separation to prepare for recycling

Figure 1. � e Toothpaste Producer to Consumer Cycle. � is diagram illustrates the kind of change that is required and that could be made to a product in the various sectors


all under the mantle of stimulation for the economy. This is the fine line between progress and the environment that my generation will need to address.

What we shall look to in the futureThe future we want for Trinidad and Tobago should not only be one of economic stability but also one of ecological preservation. Whichever developments and activities are initiated now should only have a positive impact on our environment. This will be the only way for our small, twin-island state to not only be prosperous but to become clean, low impact and eco-friendly. So that when we celebrate 100 years of Independence, businesses would have caused consumers to become educated on environmental protection while supporting the eco-friendly initiatives. The general public of Trinidad and Tobago would ensure their surroundings and public spaces are clean and well cared for. Citizens would utilise all the

green alternatives available to them to make a better lifestyle for themselves and their country. Because Trinidad and Tobago is such a small island state, whatever we do to our environment affects us first before it affects anyone else.

information about the authorFrom my beginnings in 1992, I have been living among many trees on a hill in St James. Many times I had to assist my parents to extinguish fires during the dry season, because somebody threw a burning cigarette butt out of the car window which ignited the very dry flora of our surroundings. I fought for the survival of every tree and the parrot babies which had their nest in the burnt down grou-grou boeuf palm. From early on I learnt that we have to dispose of our refuse properly, compost the organics and create new soil with the broken-down leaves.

I am used to sleeping with wide-open windows and the benefits of the fresh air with the negative ions which my green surroundings are providing. It was a natural progression that I wanted to know more; how I can help to sustain green living spaces for myself and fellow human beings in my beloved country of Trinidad and Tobago, in which we can live, create and utilise appropriately the technologies of the 21st century.

Recently, I completed my Associate Degree in Environmental Management and in September 2012 I will embark on my BSc in this field. This knowledge will enable me to help to green our cities, to sustain our resources and to assist in maintaining and further developing Trinidad and Tobago into this wonderful paradise, where its citizens can live and contribute meaningfully to our global existence in the 21st century.

My Passion lies with the fields of Urban Development, Landscape Architecture, but also to “green-up” homes and businesses. Since September 2010 I am appointed a Youth Ambassador of the EMA. Art is also a medium I use to convey my environmental message. ■

sustainability


the future we want for t&t should not only be one of economic stability but also one of ecological preservation

the only way

forward is green

Pho

togr

aph:

Ste

phen

bro

adbr

idge


A useful benchmark to begin examining the above question, is the Report of the Water Pollution Committee published in March 1962 as Independence Day

approached. This committee appointed by the Governor General and chaired by Mr Justice J.R. Blagden, met and received memoranda or interviewed interested parties from 1959-1960. Its remit was “to examine the problems of the pollution of rivers, inland and coastal waters and agricultural land by oil, sewage and effluent from factories and mills, and to recommend such measures of control as may be necessary in the overall interests of Trinidad and Tobago”. Among some of its noteworthy recommendations were:-• Declaration of the Caroni River from its junction with the Mausica down to the sea, together with its tributaries the Mausica and Tacarigua as open drains with permission to discharge trade effluents therein.• Introduction of a Pollution Control Ordinance.• Establishment of a Pollution Control Authority.• Institution of a Sewerage Scheme or Schemes which will undertake the reception of both domestic and industrial effluent.• Introduction of an Industrial, Agricultural and Fisheries Land Zoning Plan.

So where are we 50 years later with regard to implementing these recommendations? Fortunately, thinking has improved with regard to the Caroni River and its tributaries being declared “open drains”. This is because since 2001 the Water Pollution Rules 2001 are in force under the Environmental Management Act 2000. Perhaps also, the passing of the Environmental Management Act 1995 (rev. 2000) and the establishment of the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) 32 years post-Independence might be regarded as responses to the calls for a Pollution Control Ordinance and the establishment of a Pollution Control Authority. The EMA

has also created a National Environmental Policy, Certificate of Environmental Clearance Rules, Environmentally Sensitive Areas Rules, Environmentally Sensitive Species Rules but as yet Waste and Hazardous Waste Rules and Air Pollution Rules are still outstanding.

The matter of nationwide Sewerage Schemes was first addressed in the Lock Joint (America Ltd) Sewerage Extension Project of 1966 in which over 320 kilometres of street sewers and 5,000 manholes were installed in San Fernando, Arima and Port of Spain. A major, more recent development is the 2004 commissioning of the WASA Beetham wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) which began to treat domestic waste from Greater Port of Spain. It is worth noting that effluent from this plant meets the strictest environmental standards. An associated problem is the numerous non-functioning WWTP’s from various housing developments scattered across the country, 38 of which WASA has assumed responsibility for since 2004. Looking forward, six regional WWTP’s are planned for the East-West corridor and these plants will ultimately lead to the elimination of numerous small WWTP’s that are currently in operation thus hopefully providing wastewater coverage to 75 per cent of the population by 2015.

The next significant recommendation made by the Water Pollution Committee, related to the need for environmental issues to be included in a land zoning plan. This was first addressed in the 1982 National Physical Development Plan of Trinidad and Tobago laid in Parliament pursuant to the requirements of the Town and Country Planning Act 29 of 1960. The two volumes of the plan present a survey of the nation’s physical characteristics, natural resources, population, economy, physical and social infrastructure, housing, land tenure, environment and settlement patterns, and an analysis of the spatial system and development potential. Unfortunately this plan which is required by law to be reviewed every 5

EnvironmEntAl ChAllEngEs in t&t ovEr thE lAst 50 yEArs

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from water pollution to a green economy

professor John agard

Professor of tropical

island Ecology,

Department of life sciences,

UWi, st Augustine Campus,

trinidad

P150-151 John Agard.indd 150 22/08/2012 13:52

years is now obsolete, never having been revised in the 30 years since it was created. In the 50th year of Independence however, the situation is about to change as the Ministry of Planning and Sustainable Development is developing a new National Spatial Development Strategy to replace the obsolete National Physical Plan of 1982. Inclusion of conservation areas which provide ecosystem services that support people in the context of sustainable development is a significant aspect of this strategy. Trinidad and Tobago still retains significant forest cover because built development has largely concentrated in urban areas of both Trinidad and Tobago. The system of Forest Reserves maintained by the Forestry Division since colonial times and the conservation of the Main Ridge Forest Reserve in Tobago by the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) as a protected area (the oldest in the Western Hemisphere) since 1762 has helped ensure that more than half of the twin island state still remains under ‘green’ cover.

In the years since the 1962 Report of the Water Pollution Committee, the Cabinet has appointed other follow-up committees on 15th October 1970 to Consider the Question of Pollution and on 17th November 1978 to look into the matter of pollution, the restoration of quarrying sites and to make recommendations. These committees highlighted previously unmentioned environmental issues which are still concerns today, such as the need “to preserve areas of special ecological significance” and the need to avoid “visual pollution” and “indiscriminate dumping”. The conflicts with quarrying and similar development activities with human habitation are still very relevant issues in 2012. The general feeling among the population would seem

to be that environmental enforcement is weak and the right balance between environment and development has not yet been achieved by the 50th anniversary of Independence.

So where do we go from here? Promising signs are on the horizon, finally a dedicated Ministry of Environment and Water Resources has been created. Secondly, the creation of a new Ministry of Planning and Sustainable Development for the first time elevates Sustainable Development to an explicit policy goal with the intent of attaining balance between the social, economic and environmental objectives. The government’s Medium Term Policy Framework 2011-14 sets out a ‘Green Economy’ framework to address this interrelationship and an associated institutional framework to address the structures required to support sustainable development. Time will tell. ■

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promising signs are on the horizon; a dedicated ministry of environment and water resources has been created, while the creation of a new ministry of planning and sustainable development for the first time elevates sustainable development to an explicit policy goal


t&t’s waterways: no

longer “open sewers”

nariva r

iver on trinidad’s east coast. Photograph: s

tephen Broadbridge

P150-151 John Agard.indd 151 22/08/2012 13:52

Deep within us we know and we feel that in some way we have been responsible,” wrote Earl Lovelace in 1965 in his first novel, While Gods are Falling.1 The

protagonist refers to crime and poverty. He proposes an ethic of social obligation for the new nation of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T). Fifty years after Independence, climate change raises the same questions of onus and duty. The average citizen dumps 28 metric tonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere – mostly through automobiles, air conditioning, and petrochemical manufacturing (See table opposite)2. In per capita terms, only Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates do more damage than T&T. How does the country grapple with its disproportionate responsibility for climate change? I spent a year in 2009-2010 exploring this question ethnographically among environmental policy-makers and energy experts. While I was there, Port of Spain committed itself to a 6 per cent increase in carbon emissions. The country began construction of a new gas-fired power plant in La Brea – the overlooked sidekick of the much-detested aluminum smelter. When fully operational, the 720 megawatt plant will promote Trinidad and Tobago from fourth to second place in the per capita rankings3. Few citizens seemed perturbed. Why – even among environmentally-minded Trinis – did this carbon dumping provoke so little concern?

T&T’s sense of peril has overwhelmed its sense of responsibility. Indeed, this unconscious choice shaped the country’s approach to climate change from the beginning. Policy-makers have emphasised vulnerability to the exclusion of culpability. In 1990, Port of Spain and its Minister of the Environment, Lincoln Myers, spearheaded the formation of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). Profound endangerment – from rising seas – gave these atolls and archipelagos strength. “Their resource…,” Myers explained to me at his home,

“is the advocacy of justice and fair play …We have to be the moral voice.”4 What was true for AOSIS, however, was not necessarily true for the twin-island petro-state itself. Myers’ deputy Eden Shand recalled a “strained feeling” at the Rio summit in 1992: “They were discussing carbon pollution and pointing fingers towards the North and the Middle East. Trinidad had to be very silent ’round the table.”5 At that point, Trinidad and Tobago’s emissions exceeded 9 Mt per capita, higher than that of France, Italy, and Japan. And diplomats calculated emissions in this way. An early draft of the Kyoto protocol “reaffirm[ed] that per capita emissions in developing countries are still relatively low…”6 On behalf of AOSIS, Trinidad and Tobago submitted that document to a 1996 preparatory meeting in Geneva. The Alliance gave T&T necessary cover, camouflaging culprits of climate change in a forest of victims.

This carte blanche worked for more than a decade – until international attention forced the government to restate its position on carbon emissions. In 2009, Port of Spain hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, considered a prelude to the Copenhagen Conference of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. Under scrutiny, Prime Minister Patrick Manning defended his entire environmental record from oil and gas to the proposed smelter. His arguments stuck. The resulting document – the “Port of Spain Climate Change Consensus” – stipulated “a dedicated stream [of funds] for small island states and associated low-lying coastal states of AOSIS.”7 The Prime Minister passed his country off as a pure victim of climate change. When I interviewed him some months later, Manning counted his nation as responsible for only 0.1 per cent of global emissions. China, by contrast, emitted 22 per cent, “and they don’t care about anybody.” Responsible for less than 5 Mt, the average Chinese man or woman would seem to care much more than most Trinis – as

Debating the per capita measure of carbon emissions

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Victims with responsibility

dr daVid mcdermott hughes

associate professor of

anthropology,

rutgers university,

usa

P152-154 David Hughes.indd 152 22/08/2012 13:50

I suggested to Manning. “I reject this approach of counting per capita emissions,” he blazed back, “It’s not right. It’s not right. I fi ghting that.”8 Manning insisted upon comparing the total pollution of virtual city-states and mega-nations a thousand times more populous. His arithmetic classifi ed victims with culprits and vice-versa.

Among mid-level civil servants too, expectations of future harm deferred the question of current responsibility. In March 2010, the government released its Draft Climate Change Policy. Of 20 pages of text, the document devoted two pages to discussing means of reducing the country’s carbon emissions – and in no great detail. Indeed, the author, Kishan Kumarsingh parroted Manning’s line: “…in a scientifi c context the atmosphere reacts only to absolute emissions and not per capita emissions.”9 Wide-eyed, Kumarsingh opened each of the ensuing public consultations with his characteristic note of alarm: “Sometimes a whole island is a coastal zone!” In fact, sea water threatened less than drought. “Th e whole of Trinidad is burning right now,” an environmental planner spluttered at the

fi rst consultation.10 Two days before the second consultation, Newsday captured the sight of fi re bearing down on Port of Spain. “Th roughout the Southland,” the newspaper editorialised, “… the forests have been burned, the ground as black as the seeping oil – which itself had burned away in billows of dark black smoke.”11 Would the public think through this cycle of carbon-driven damage and the responsibility it implied? Actually held in the southern oilbelt, the government’s second open meeting on climate change missed that opportunity. Speaking from the fl oor, an offi cial from Petrotrin (the national oil company) insisted upon business-as-usual: “We have to realise that Trinidad is energy-based,” he reminded the audience, “Adaptation should be given a higher priority than mitigation.”12 Indeed, the only risk analysis conducted in Trinidad and Tobago focused on the energy sector and predicted “catastrophic eff ects to onshore operations and off shore platforms.”13 In this way, encircling water greenwashed and exonerated the very industry perpetrating climate change.

Climate change is thus giving rise to a simplistic

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would the public think through this cycle of carbon-driven damage and the responsibility it implied? actually held in the southern oilbelt, the government’s second open meeting on climate change missed that opportunity


per-capita co2

emissions, 2008 (mt)


narrative of victimhood and innocence. In the complex reality, Trinbagonians throw a pollution boomerang: they hurl CO2 into the atmosphere, and it returns as an angry ocean to strangle them. Many fear the return and forget the throw. In another context, Lovelace criticised such a partial attitude. “[Y]ou can’t take from the world and not pay,” chides one of the characters in The Gods Are Falling. “You cannot take one part and reject the other.”14 Regarding climate change, Manning and other influential Trinbagonians have taken the vulnerability and rejected the culpability. But people sometimes change their minds. Port of Spain bears comparison with New Orleans. Franny Armstrong’s 2009 film follows the reckoning of a petroleum paleontologist living in that city. To Alvin DuVernay, “oil smells so much like money it’s just beautiful.” Then, he smells corpses rotting after Hurricane Katrina. The scales fall from his eyes. “Happiness is not in the latest gadget,” he reflects, “…not for me anymore.” We are living in “the age of stupid” – the title of the documentary – DuVernay concludes. Uncomfortable as it is, such self-criticism cuts carbon emissions more rapidly than does

blaming others. With luck, Port of Spain, New Orleans, and other petro-cities will assemble and export this recognition of responsibility. It is now more essential than oil. ■1. Earl Lovelace. 2011 [1965]. While Gods are Falling. Leeds, UK: Peepal Tree Press, p238. 2. The figure would run much higher if it included either emissions from airplanes or those from hydrocarbons produced in Trinidad but combusted elsewhere. All emissions statistics derive from 2008, as published and disseminated in International Energy Agency. 2010. CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion: Highlights. Paris: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development / International Energy Agency.3. Alutrint’s public presentations in support of the power plant (at Vessigny on 13th and 17th December and 5th and 11th March 2007 and at Couva on 17th December 2007) projected its daily consumption of natural gas as 121 mcf. At that rate, the plant would generate 2.5 million MT of CO2 per year, a 6.5 per cent addition to the 2008 national output. The per capita figure would rise to 30.21 Mt. When completed in late 2011, the power plant was only running at 35 per cent capacity (250 of 720 MW). Therefore, the increase in carbon emissions at that point amounted to 2.3 per cent.4. Interview, Gran Couva, Trinidad, 2nd July 2011.5. Interview, Newark, Delaware, 20th June 2011. Having left his position as Deputy Minister of the Environment, Shand attended the UN Conference on Environment and Development as an NGO representative.6. “Draft protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction,” submitted on 17th May 1996 as Paper No.1 by Trinidad and Tobago on behalf of AOSIS for consideration by the Ad Hoc Group on the Berlin Mandate, fourth session, Geneva, 9th-16th July 1996. Downloaded from http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/1996/agbm/misc02.pdf on 28th June 2012.7. “Port of Spain Climate Change Consensus: the Commonwealth Climate Change Declaration,” Port of Spain, 28th November 2009, Clause 13.8. Interview, San Fernando, 29th June 2010.9. Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, “Draft national climate change policy for Trinidad and Tobago,” 2010, p7.10. Public Consultation on Climate Change Draft Policy, Port of Spain, 23rd March 2010.11. “Fire everywhere,” Newsday, 4th April 2012.12. Public Consultation on Climate Change Draft Policy, La Romaine, 6th April 2010.13. As presented by Garret Manwaring to the Health, Safety, Security and the Environment Conference of the American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago, Port of Spain, 29th September 2009. Petrotrin has never released the full report.

sustainability


climate change is thus giving rise to a simplistic narrative of victimhood and innocence. in the complex reality, trinbagonians throw a pollution boomerang: they hurl co

2 into the

atmosphere, and it returns as an angry ocean to strangle them

serene t&t: problem?

What problem?

marian r

iver on trinidad’s north coast. photograph: s

tephen broadbridge


Sustainable development is about being fair to the future; about leaving future generations as least as well off as the current generation. Any economy

implementing policies to realise Sustainable Development, particularly those that build their economic base on the basis of rents accrued from non-renewable resources such as oil and gas, should reflect positive trends in their economic, social and environmental indicators of sustainable development. The ultimate goal of such economies should be arriving at an equilibrium a sort of ‘steady state’ of resource and environmental use and impacts which are within the carrying capacity of the country initially, but ultimately within the carrying capacity of the globe given the interdependence of national, regional and global ecosystems.

Sustainably developing Trinidad and Tobago from 1962-2010 In the context of Trinidad and Tobago the focus over the past 50 years has been on sustaining development, where indicators of that approach were determined by the prevailing political climate. This is not necessarily consistent with what the literature suggests should be the fundamental tenets of sustainable development that is, as noted in the first section above, and as cited by Munasinghe (1993), economic efficiency, social equity and careful management of the environmental pollution that is a key distinguishing feature of a developing country that is heavily dependent on oil and gas.

Trinidad and Tobago’s development has traditionally been guided by industrial policy plans fuelled by the energy sector. That focus has included policies to propel investment, production, employment, marketing and management from foreign-based, to locally-controlled institutions. In the 1960s, Trinidad and Tobago’s dependence on the energy sector was significant with that sector accounting for 80

per cent of exports and 28 per cent of government revenue. The government was following the ideology that obtaining economic growth would inevitably lead to improvements socially and correct inequalities within the society. The country’s “golden” age of development 1973-82, the period of the oil boom, was fuelled by high oil prices that resulted in increased rents to the government coffers and there was a concerted ‘state-led’ approach to development2. The economic bust (1983-1994) posed multiple macroeconomic challenges for the government of Trinidad and Tobago: high unemployment, high inflation, and severe economic contraction – all partial indicators of development. During the period of 2005-2010, the economic climate in the country was described as “ideal for international business and foreign direct investment.” The renewed dynamism in Trinidad and Tobago’s economy was the energy sector. The sector saw some of the highest prices per barrel in recent years, peaking at US$137.11 in 2008. The development plan during this period was driven by the “Vision 2020” which was intended to guide the economy of Trinidad and Tobago to developed status4 by the year 2020.

The current context for development in Trinidad and Tobago: 2012 and beyond One can surmise that the current national development policy is captured in the Government of Trinidad and Tobago’s (GOTT) Medium Term policy Framework (MTPF) for 2011-2014. That document is entitled Innovation for Lasting Prosperity and articulates seven interconnected pillars for sustainable development5. Further, the MTPF outlines five priorities for action over the next three years which it suggests, as stated in the MTPF (p. 2), sets the “…foundations for achieving sustainable economic and social advancement of all citizens in the future…”. In the context of the inevitable decline in the availability of non-

SuStainable Development - triniDaD anD tobago at the croSSroaDS

SuSTainabiliTy

Trinidad & Tobago 50 yearS of independence156

paST developmenT STraTegieS and propoSalS for The fuTure

dr marlene aTTzSag. coordinator,

Sustainable economic

Development unit (SeDu),

Department of economics,

uWi, St augustine campus,

trinidad

P156-157 Marlene Attzs.indd 156 17/08/2012 18:10

renewable energy resources, the MTPF also notes the GOTT’s intent to “… shift from the over-dependence on hydrocarbon resources …it is prudent to take decisions now to engineer a policy shift that will result in sustainable growth, in a context in which oil and gas are no longer the mainstay of the Trinidad and Tobago economy (p5). To give effect to the GOTT’s change in development course to the aforementioned “shift” the MTPF articulates, at different points in the Framework, plans to build the platform on which the country’s dependence on non-renewable energy sources will be diversified to more renewable energy sources. These plans include, inter alia, fiscal incentives to encourage the expansion of renewable technologies, a renewable energy policy and specific plans among the various Ministries to adopt renewable energy policies and practices. All of these plans are buttressed in the context of the realisation that non-renewable energy rent resources are de facto not sustainable unless the complementary policy and implementation strategies have consistently been in place.

is Sustainable development achievable in the next 50 years? It is commendable that, in moving forward, the GOTT recognises the imperative to look to more non-renewable sources of energy to form the basis of development strategies for the country. However, it is suggested that the abovementioned plans of the GOTT are only likely to lead to truly sustainable development if there is a related commitment along the lines as elaborated below7:1. An appropriate balance has to be maintained between immediate goals (which are usually based on political expediency) and sustainable long-term plans;2. Transparent and articulate financial and funding arrangements – including budgetary allocations – should be explicitly identified for the achievement of the abovementioned policy objectives;

3. There should be a minimisation of ad hoc policy which is driven by external directives;4. The need to ensure the availability of reliable data and research to inform policy directives and the required implementation strategies. Relatedly, there ought to be recognition of the necessity to reduce communication barriers and simultaneously competition for resources between ministries.Some of the strategies recommended for bridging the gap between research and public policy include: 5. Policies on information sharing;6. An effective communication strategy for research output to facilitate clearer understanding (and implementation) by policy makers;7. The creation of more opportunities for dialogue and communication between policy makers and researchers; and 8. An interactive model of stakeholder consultation, and building of local capacity to conduct research.

The plans identified in the MTPF can only help us forge a truly sustainable future for Trinidad and Tobago if ideally all of the eight strategies and measures signalled above, are mainstreamed into the psyche of policy makers and civil society at large. Then might we be able to say, unequivocally, that the country is on a path to truly sustainable development. ■1. One of the main actions taken by the government was the construction of an iron and steel complex (ISCOTT ) which was completely government-owned and turned out to be one of the major failures of the government during this period.2. Developed status included, according to Vision 2020, developing innovative people, “to ensure that citizens are well known for excellence; providing a seamless and high quality education system; providing a highly skilled and knowledgeable workforce and allowing the richness of the culture to serve as an engine of innovation. The focus here is on improving the quality of the human resource in an effort to make Trinidad and Tobago more competitive internationally.” Mention was also made of increasing the contributions to research and development, as this was recognised as one of the drivers of economic growth and development. 3. Pillar 1 People-Centred Development; Pillar 2 Poverty Eradication and Social Justice; Pillar 3 National and Personal Security; Pillar 4 Information and Communication Technologies; Pillar 5 A More Diversified, Knowledge Intensive Economy; Pillar 6 Good Governance; Pillar 7 Foreign Policy.4. Crime and Law and Order; Agriculture and Food Security; Health Care Services and Hospitals; Economic Growth, Job Creation, Competitiveness and Innovation; and Poverty Reduction and Human Capital Development.5. These recommendations draw on a 2009 Conference hosted by the UWI St. Augustine Sustainable Economic Development Unit (SEDU) and UNESCO’s Cluster office in Jamaica, for which the theme was “Bridging the gap between policy and research for sustainable development”

SuSTainabiliTy

157

The focus over the past 50 years has been on sustaining development. This is not necessarily consistent with the fundamental tenets of sustainable development

Trinidad & Tobago 50 yearS of independence

P156-157 Marlene Attzs.indd 157 17/08/2012 18:10

Tobago joins the rest of the country in the celebration of the golden anniversary of the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. As we celebrate, we must

reflect on those last 50 years, taking pride in the development experienced and the challenges surmounted. We must savour and be motivated by the achievements of our national stalwarts in so many spheres of endeavour, and we must appreciate the relative good fortune that we have enjoyed in comparison to many other developing countries of the region and the world.

However, as we celebrate, we must also be mindful of the mistakes made and repeated, of the opportunities created and lost, and of the pettiness and the prejudice nurtured and disseminated.

So we must celebrate but, as we mark this anniversary of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, we must simultaneously be aware that it is the mindset, the posture, and the contribution of each individual which would have been the major factors determining our rate of development in our journey over the past 50 years. And these selfsame qualities will continue to be the major factors in shaping our progress in ensuing decades.

This is why the special role of Tobago and Tobagonians in the Independence story cannot be ignored. Tobago enjoyed significant autonomy in its relationship with Great Britain almost 250 years ago. By 1768, the island had created its first bicameral legislature, which could be considered as the first incarnation of the present Tobago House of Assembly. It is therefore extremely significant that one of the dominant themes on the island over the last 50 years has been the quest for increased autonomy as Tobagonians assert their right to determine their own destiny. We, as Tobagonians, owe it to our history, and to all those who would have been involved in the struggle, to remain steadfast in our quest for internal self-government. We must not be bribed or bullied into accepting anything less than what we deserve and what our predecessors envisaged for the island and its people. Tobagonians must review the lessons of the past and recognise that there are some issues which demand that they abandon political, religious, sectoral and other affiliations and play their role as “true Tobagonians.”

The people of this island have every reason to be proud of their contribution to the

Tobago aT fifTy

tobago

trinidad & tobago 50 Years of independence160

appreciating the past, charting the future

orville londonChief Secretary,

Tobago House of assembly

a view of downtown

Scarborough, now known as

Carrington Street. This area

has become a main hub for

commercial, banking and

import/export activity

P160-161 Orville London article.indd 160 17/08/2012 18:46

nation’s development over the years. Former President, Prime Minister and Tobago House of Assembly Chairman Arthur N.R. Robinson; late Commissioners of Police Eustace Bernard and Hilton Guy, former Heads of the Public Service, Dodridge Alleyne and Reginald Dumas; cultural icon Dr J.D. Elder; former Governor of the Central Bank Victor E. Bruce; educator Lionel P. Mitchell; entertainers Calypso Rose, Lord Nelson and Shadow; footballer Dwight Yorke and athletes of recent vintage, Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Lalonde Gordon, Renny Quow, Semoy Hackett and Joseanne Lucas – these are just some of the high-profile Tobagonians who have made significant contributions in building the nation and enhancing its regional and internal stature.

Tobagonians have also blended their unique qualities into the national mix and have contributed to the fascinating mosaic that identifies this country as one of the most intriguing national entities in the region. We need to introspect and determine if we have retained those qualities of devotion to duty, pride in performance, loyalty to family and community, confidence in self and belief in God that enabled our fore-parents to cope with their particular environment. These are the qualities which engendered respect, even admiration throughout the country. If we lose these Tobago values, the Tobago spirit, we do a disservice, not only to ourselves, but to a country which needs committed, self-reliant, focused and confident men and women if it is going to realise its full potential over the next 50 years.

Tobago’s potential for significant contribution to the national economy must also remain a priority. The Tobago House of Assembly is committed to the development and diversification of the tourism sector, while ensuring that our pristine environment is maintained. The issues of environmental degradation, and climate change will continue to challenge us. Battling such global problems requires concerted action, not

only by the Assembly, the Central Government and regional and international entities, but by all residents of, and visitors to, Tobago.

The diversification of the Tobago economy will continue under this administration. More Tobagonians have to return to the land and Tobagonians must be prepared and outfitted to derive more benefit from the sea. The availability of energy resources in the waters surrounding Tobago must improve our negotiating position on the national stage but, more importantly, the potential for the use of natural gas could within the next two decades provide the catalyst to develop and market Tobago as a genuine green island.

We will continue to celebrate but we must also continue to reflect. We have come a long way since 1962 but we have a long and challenging journey ahead. Yet it is a journey which is also exciting and full of opportunity. Let us be strengthened, encouraged and informed by the lessons of the past five decades so that, as an island, a country and a people, we will be even better prepared to contribute to the development of the sovereign democratic state of Trinidad and Tobago. Happy anniversary and may God bless our nation. ■

tobago

161

We, as tobagonians, owe it to our history, and to all those who would have been involved in the struggle, to remain steadfast in our quest for internal self-government

trinidad & tobago 50 Years of independence

Tobago: the road may be

long but the future’s bright

Photograph: S

tephen broadbridge

P160-161 Orville London article.indd 161 17/08/2012 18:46

The constitutional history of Tobago is a history of contestation. The island endured a variety of imposed administrative/ constitutional arrangements which

reflected an imperial and national quest to find the best constitutional arrangement for its administration that would serve interests of particular groups. This proved to be an elusive dream. For the most part, the systems utilised did not meet the satisfaction of some group or groups on the island and generated petitions and protests. The constitutional issue became more emotionally charged and tension-ridden in the wake of developments during the later part of the 19th century as British officials remained firm in their commitment to some form of unification regardless of local sentiments, and even more so in the 20th century. It is posited here that the root of Tobago’s constitutional and administrative problems has been the top-down panic-driven approach taken by a ruling class that was insensitive to the desires of the population mainly allowing participation by dissent. While there were changes in the groups involved, from early

colonial times to the present day, seven distinct phases of contestation can be identified.

The first stage of contestation was manifested as Europeans fought over the island, which was shuffled from one European possessor to another. As a result, the island remained devoid of any specific permanent constitutional arrangements until 1763, when it was made a British possession which was confirmed, after a French interregnum, by the Treaty of Paris in 1814.

The second phase of contestation occurred during the early period of British rule when the island was administered as a part of the Government of Grenada, along with Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines. The central administration was run by a General Council but each island had the direct administration of a resident Lieutenant Governor. This arrangement did not satisfy the resident planter element who petitioned for a Council which was appointed in 1768 when the island’s first assembly was established.

The third phase of contestation occurred between 1833 and 1876 when Tobago was made a part of the Confederation scheme. The British sought to reform government and cut administrative costs. The new social formations which resulted from the termination of enslavement impacted on developments during this period providing a new dynamic as the freed African population had a perspective that was different to that offered by the planter class. Imperial commitment to a federation or administrative union of the colonies was reflected in the inclusion of Tobago in the Windward Islands Federation, with the seat of Government in Barbados, in 1833. However, the Scarborough Riot of 1851, the island’s inability to afford the costs of maintaining troops and their subsequent withdrawal, the passage of The Act for the Better Government of Tobago in 1855 and the 1857 attempt by the President of the Legislative Council to extend the property rights

AN INDOMITABLE SEARCH FOR AN ELUSIVE AUTONOMY

tobago


tobago’s adMinistratiVe/constitUtionaL eXperience

dr rita peMbertonSenior Lecturer,

Department of History,


Trinidad

Alphonso Philbert

Theophilus 1901-1962 (right)

and Arthur N.R. Robinson

SC, TC, OCC (far right)

two of the ‘Founding

Fathers’ of modern Tobago

P162-164 Rita Pemberton.indd 162 17/08/2012 18:01

of the electorate, all reflect growing tensions over political and constitutional issues in the island. Despite these responses and amid attempts to reform the judiciary in 1866, the first discussions for unifying Trinidad and Tobago took place.

In 1874 the Tobago Single Chamber Act merged the Council and Assembly. While the larger planters supported the Bill, smaller freeholders including enfranchised non-whites saw the Act as an attack on their political aspirations. In 1875 planters protested the new arrangements and animosity towards the new Governor of the Windward Islands and his policies led to the Barbados Confederation Riots and the Belmanna Riots of Tobago in 1876. In June panicked planters voted to abolish the political constitution to facilitate the introduction of crown colony government and a next phase of contestation.

This 4th phase occurred between 1876 and the end of the 19th century. Faced with severe financial problems between 1878 and 1890, the island’s administration was placed in the hands of a cheaper junior official called Administrator. On the recommendation of a Royal Commission, a new Grenada Governorate including Tobago and excluding Barbados was formed. The Tobago Defence Association mounted a bitter campaign against inclusion in the new confederation and resisted attempts by the new Administrator to tackle corruption. In 1885, a debate in the Legislative Council ended in a violent anti-confederation disturbance in Market Square and in March 1885, despite the opposition of planter politicians, Tobago entered the new Windward Islands governate. Continued opposition from the planter class to this confederation led imperial attention to focus on association with Trinidad with which it was believed, the island would be better placed. By 1887 this was a fait accompli but the Tobago Legislature unsuccessfully sought an escape clause leading to protests from the island’s leading planters. In June 1887 the St Vincent,

Tobago, and Grenada Constitution Act as far as it related to Tobago was repealed to make way for the union of Trinidad and Tobago. The Order in Council came into force in January 1889 despite continued opposition from the planter element.

The era from union to Independence marks the fifth period of contestation. The act of union was revisited and with effect from 1st January 1899, Tobago was made a ward in the united colony of Trinidad and Tobago. From the start there were elements of dissatisfaction in the union. Biggart, Hope and A.P.T. James sought in vain to intercede for change and tensions became heightened during this period. Susan Craig James identifies five issues which faced Tobago during the first 50 years of the union. These include adequate representation in the councils of the state and the need for decentralisation of the administration, transfer of decision-making power to the island and popular control over the organs of the state. Tobago was placed in an “unenviable political and economic position” and it remained underdeveloped and its people frustrated in the union up to 1962.

tobago

163

in June 1887 the st Vincent, tobago, and grenada constitution act as far as it related to tobago was repealed to make way for the union of trinidad and tobago. the order in council came into force in January 1889 despite continued opposition



The independence constitution marks the beginning of the sixth phase of contestation. Independence for Trinidad and Tobago aggravated rather than solved Tobago’s problems as the central government did not empathise with the people of Tobago. The creation and later removal of the Ministry for Tobago Affairs stimulated more political tension as the age-old debate on how best to administer Tobago continued. The question of autonomy for Tobago occupied a prominent position in the politics of the country and matters came to a head in the 1970s with a crescendo of calls for cession and autonomy. The establishment of the Wooding Commission in 1971, which resulted in no tangible action, was followed by the Robinson motion of 1977 and a petition for self government for Tobago. In 1979 the Seemungal Draft constitution was prepared and the public was given one month to comment. While residents of Tobago supported the draft, government opposed the autonomy it proposed to give to the island. Finally, in 1980 the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) was reestablished.

While it offered a resolution to a long-standing demand, the establishment of the THA created numerous constitutional and personal tensions amongst the political class of Trinidad and Tobago and stimulated yet another phase of contestation over constitutional issues in Trinidad and Tobago.

The establishment of the THA ushered in the seventh phase of contestation. Once it became operational, dissatisfaction was expressed over a number of shortcomings of the Act. After much debate and tension, Justice Guya Persaud reviewed the constitution and produced a revised THA Act in 1996. But Tobagonians continued to complain about deficiencies of the Act. In 2006, Ellis Clarke presented a draft to amend the constitution to which objection was made on the grounds that it was prepared without the consultation of the people of Tobago, which was the norm in previous efforts. After more than a century the constitutional issue remains a hotly debated centre stage issue in the politics of Trinidad and Tobago. Meanwhile real autonomy remains an elusive dream for the people of Tobago. ■

tobago


in 2006, ellis clarke presented a draft to amend the constitution to which objection was made on the grounds that it was prepared without the consultation of the people of tobago, which was the norm in previous efforts

Tobago House of

Assembly Chambers,

Scarborough



Reflections on tobago’s touRism challengespreparing for a rebirth of paradise

tobago

in May 1956, an aircraft transporting screen stars Robert Mitchum and Rita Hayworth touched down at Crown Point International Airport in driving rain to begin the filming of

Fire Down Below. It was a momentous day for Tobago and it signalled a turning point in the attitude of Tobagonians, and some Trinidadians as well, towards the value of tourism to the country’s economy.

During the making of the film, taxi drivers, tradesmen, fishermen, boat owners and suppliers both in Trinidad and Tobago benefited from the financial opportunities that arose. Hundreds of residents were hired as “extras” on the set. Three major hotels – Bacolet Inn, Robinson Crusoe Hotel and Blue Haven Hotel that together aggregated about 80 rooms – were fully booked; and the few guest houses were also used to accommodate crew and technical film personnel.

When the movie was released in 1957, it introduced the world to a Caribbean destination hitherto unknown. The message was clear: Tobago was a beautiful and pristine island paradise; it was home to a warm and inviting population; and

it was a place where excellent service delivery at all levels was commonplace. The production of Fire Down Below, in a real sense, marked the beginning of Tobago’s tourism industry.

In the years that followed, tourism in Tobago experienced steady progress. The island possessed a thriving tourism product and recorded robust arrival figures, despite the ravages of Hurricane “Flora” in 1963 and the social unrests of 1970 and 1990. Between 1958 and 1990, four major hotels were constructed, providing approximately 500 new rooms to the island’s accommodation inventory. During the period from 1971 to 1990, a further five hotels provided an additional 221 rooms to the island.

Indeed, the industry became the backbone of Tobago’s economy. Between 1991 and 2012, an additional four hotels came on stream with approximately 450 rooms and over 2,000 small hotel, guest house and host home rooms were added to the destination’s accommodation inventory. Additionally, by 2005, the island benefited from increases in international arrivals by 77.5 per cent within a five year period.

neil wilsonsenior consultant,

Division of tourism and

transportation, former

secretary of tourism and

transportation, tobago

house of assembly

a taste of belle dancing

at the indigenous tobago

goat racing, buccoo

integrated facility

P165-167 neil wilson.indd 165 23/08/2012 10:28

Like many other Caribbean destinations however, Tobago’s tourism sector suffered a decline in recent years. Outbreaks of SARS and Bird Flu, the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre, global economic meltdown, as well as several natural disasters in the Caribbean, placed a strain on the industry, while crimes against visitors further eroded the destination’s image.

To counteract these effects, the Tobago House of Assembly, through the Division of Tourism and Transportation, has been taking measures to identify problem areas and provide strategic solutions to sustain the industry. The standardisation and improvement of the island’s small property room stock was identified as a priority. As a result, the Division launched the Small Property Assistance Programme – a pilot project aimed at elevating smaller properties to three-star quality. Six properties were identified for renovation in the initial stage and, when this

phase is complete, 100 additional marketable rooms will become available.

With the primary goal being to increase visitor spend on the island, the issue of high-end rooms also needs to be addressed. It is imperative that more first class seats on international flights are utilised, but the island must be able to provide appropriate accommodations for this affluent demographic. Several airlines have expressed interest in increasing existing frequencies to the A.N.R. Robinson International Airport, while others are keen to initiate flights to the island, but these plans hinge on Tobago’s ability to offer sufficient high-end room stock. In order to encourage investment in the tourism industry, the Tourism Development Act, 2000 was introduced to provide incentives in the development of the sector. The recently introduced Loan Guarantee Programme and Roll Out Plan undertaken with the support of the EXIM Bank will further facilitate the physical improvement of the tourism plant.

Improving the island’s room stock is not a panacea for the hurdles faced by tourism practitioners, however. Quality service remains a priority in an industry that relies heavily on customer satisfaction as an effective form of advertising. To this day, Tobago’s reputation for excellent service has allowed certain properties on the island to enjoy repeat visitor figures in the region of 80 per cent. It is therefore a great cause for concern when one only has to peruse popular travel sites like Trip Advisor to read the negative reviews that have been tarnishing the destination’s good name over the last few years.

Admittedly, tourism in Tobago is afflicted by a shortage of trained and experienced workers. A survey conducted on employment conditions in the sector indicated that wages and working conditions are far from satisfactory. Industry workers are therefore easily enticed away from these jobs by less onerous, better paying forms

tobago


while tobago has recorded decreases in its international arrivals, its overall visitor arrival numbers have significantly increased over the period 2003-10

the quiet, sleepy coastline

of charlotteville



notwith-standing the economic chaos currently visiting major source markets, new marketing strategies hold great promise

of employment, while those that remain can afford to pay little or no attention to quality service as there is a high demand for labour. To address this critical shortage, several properties have turned to the Philippines, Guyana and other foreign countries for suitable labour but the introduction of foreign staff creates a new set of challenges. To its credit, the Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute (THTI) has been doing its part to provide a long-term solution by producing well-trained graduates in a variety of relevant fields. But tourism’s private sector must exercise greater creative and innovative initiatives to improve the quality of service being offered to visitors.

Too significant to be ignored, crime has also contributed to the decline. In 2005, a spate of serious crimes against visitors resulted in a significant decline in international arrivals. These incidents prompted the diplomatic missions of foreign countries to tighten their travel advisories for Tobago. The effects of such advisories were not experienced immediately as many visitors would already have booked and paid for their holidays. Instead, the repercussions were felt in the years that followed and the island has yet to recover, even though there has been little or no crime involving visitors on the island in recent years

However, while Tobago has recorded decreases in its international arrivals, its overall visitor arrival numbers have significantly increased over the period 2003 to 2010, due principally to domestic tourism. Arrivals from Trinidad continue to rise both by sea and by air. Unfortunately, the inadequacies of the air bridge service between Trinidad and Tobago frustrate Trinidadians and many affluent travellers opt to pay the exceedingly higher fares to get to other Caribbean destinations, rather than fly to Tobago. To reverse this trend, the Division of Tourism and Transportation has engaged the domestic carrier in discussions and more

recently there has been the addition of several more flights to the daily schedule.

There can be no doubt that Tobago’s tourism industry faces several obstacles. Despite these challenges however, recovery has begun as a result of the collaborative efforts being taken by the THA and key stakeholders within the industry. Notwithstanding the economic chaos currently visiting major source markets, new marketing strategies hold great promise for attracting visitors. In addition, product development initiatives are being undertaken that will improve visitor experience. As Trinidad and Tobago celebrates its 50th Anniversary, the Division of Tourism and Transportation will embark on a series of promotional Road Shows throughout the United Kingdom, Scandinavia and North America, which is expected to raise the profile of Tobago as the ideal Caribbean destination. Indeed, Tobago’s tourism stakeholders have every reason to move forward with optimism. ■

cocoa Dancing - one of the

traditional ways of preparing

cocoa beans for market


There are several ways to measure development, but life expectancy is perhaps the most basic. By this measure, the tiny island of Tobago compares to

the world’s most developed nations. Whereas the world average is 67 years, the average Tobagonian can expect a full nine years more of life. And Tobagonian women have a life expectancy of almost 80 years, which is just one year below Japan, which has the highest average life expectancy in the world.

What accounts for this? Is it diet? Health care? Social equity? The data are insufficient to answer these questions. Strange as it may seem, it doesn’t appear to be a matter of health – over 20 per cent of Tobagonians suffer from some chronic illness, which is the same as the national average. And more than one-third of Tobagonians smoke cigarettes, while about one in five have used marijuana or other soft drugs. Advances in medicine which have increased life expectancy world-wide in the past 50 years and, despite having no proper general hospital until 2012, healthcare in Tobago has kept pace with medical developments. In 1960, the island was served by 10 health centres which treated about 4,000 patients a year; in 2012, Tobago has 17 health centres and 5 outreach facilities which treat about 15,000 patients annually. This is with an increase in the population from just over 33,000 in 1960 to almost 57,000 today. Thus, the ratio of health facilities to population has risen from 1:3,300 to 1:2,600, while the ratio of centres to patients has decreased from 1:400 to 1:700. Put another way, whereas only 12 per cent of the population accessed professional health care 50 years ago, now 26 per cent do.

The Central Statistical Office’s recently published Trinidad and Tobago Human Development Atlas revealed some other significant factors. For example, in terms of “multi-dimensional poverty” (measured not only by income, but also

by education, sanitation, electricity, and so on) Tobago had a very low ratio of poor persons. This is significant, since stress is a key factor in health and longevity and, as argued by epidemiologist Michael Marmot in his book Status Syndrome, stress exists along a social gradient – for example, the greater the gap between the haves and have-nots, the more stress experienced by the latter and therefore more ill-health.

Social disorder is also a major cause of stress, and crime is a key indicator of such disorder. In this regard, Tobagonians appear to be much better off than the rest of the country. In a 2010 survey funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Tobagonians were asked how worried they were about being a victim of crime. One in three persons worried about this, while just one in five found crime to be a problem in Tobago.

Tobagonians also seem to have confidence in the future since, according to a 2011 survey carried out by the ANSA McAL Psychological Research Centre, about 44 per cent of Tobagonians stated that they would like to have three or more children, even though the national average is 1.7, which is below the replacement rate needed to keep the population from declining. Between 2000 and 2011, the population of Tobago grew by almost three thousand persons, but how much of this increase is due to births and how much to immigration is not known.

Using religion as a measure of social change, Tobago’s profile has altered significantly over the past 50 years. In the 1970 census, 48 per cent of Tobagonians were Anglican. In the 2000 census, only 18 per cent were. In 1970, the next largest religions in Tobago were Methodists, Roman Catholics, and Adventists, who each accounted for about 10 per cent of religious groups. In 2000, Baptists and Pentecostals had grown significantly, the former accounting for nearly 14 per cent of religious groups. In

Tobago: a socio-hisTorical porTraiT

tobago


travels through time

Kevin baldeosinghJournalist, Novelist

and author, Trinidad

P168-169 Kevin Baldosingh.indd 168 17/08/2012 18:18

1960, the Other/Not Stated group made up just 11 per cent of Tobago’s population; in 2000, this group had grown to 22 percent. In The Changing Society of Tobago, sociologist Susan Craig-James writes, “The religious composition of the population became more varied, partly because of increasing ethnic differentiation, and partly because of the growth of new evangelical Christian churches and of groups practising African-derived religions. However, the census data after 1970 fail to reflect these changes. Moravians, a major influential denomination in Tobago, were not identified; neither were Spiritual Baptists, Rastafari, Orishas, and Buddhists.”

At the same time, changes in religion ratios do not necessarily mean changes in values, since different religions may adhere to the same norms even if they have different beliefs. In this regard, Tobago displays most of the traits of a traditional culture. For example, in the norms and values survey, 80 per cent disagreed with the statement “I rather live with a partner than get married”; 32 per cent had often received corporal punishment from their parents with another 58 per cent being hit “sometimes”; and 86 per cent did not support equal rights for homosexuals.

These are all attitudes which are prevalent in traditional cultures; in developed societies, most people hold opposite views. On the other hand, Tobago does have some modern values: for example, 82 per cent of Tobagonians think career and educational attainment should be pursued before marriage. Additionally, fertility rates have dropped in the island, suggesting that the stated preference for large families is not matched by the revealed preference of actual births. At present, the crude birth rate is 14 per 1,000 persons, down from 30 per 1,000 in the 1960s.

Another important socialisation factor is education, but this appears to have caused little fundamental change in Tobago in the

past half-century. In the 1960s, the island had 36 primary schools (10 government, 26 denominational) and four secondary schools (two government, one denominational, and five private) which served 1,400 students. Fifty years after Independence, the number of primary schools has increased to 41, with government schools catering for just 35 per cent of students. The number of secondary schools in Tobago has increased during the Independence era to nine, with six government schools, two denominational, and one private. Student enrolment is now over 4,000, with government schools accommodating over 70 per cent of them. However, although Tobago boasts a 100 per cent primary school enrolment rate, only 56 per cent of Tobagonians have a secondary level education in the 21st century. Specifically, only 27 per cent of persons over 50 have a secondary education, according to the Norms and Values survey, while 83 per cent of persons in the 17 to 30 year old age group do.

One likely reason for this low level is that, historically, Tobagonians didn’t need a higher education in order to earn a living. In 1946, 37 per cent of Tobagonians were self-employed in farming, shop-keeping, trade and huckstering, according to figures compiled by Craig-James, and just 61 per cent were wage earners. Now, nearly half of the island’s labour force is employed directly and otherwise by the State, meaning the Tobago House of Assembly, while just 40 per cent work in the private sector. or have their own business

In this narrow sense, 50 years of Independence has brought less independence for Tobagonians, although the high rate of government employment may also be a key factor in Tobagonians’ sense of security. Overall, the population now has a better standard of living than their forebears, but education levels and social attitudes reflect a present still harking back to the island’s past. ■

tobago

169

in 1946, 37 per cent of tobagonians were self-employed in farming, shop-keeping, trade and huckstering, and just 61 per cent were wage earners. now, nearly half of the island’s labour force is employed directly or otherwise by the state


P168-169 Kevin Baldosingh.indd 169 17/08/2012 18:18

First things first. While this is an appreciation of the contribution outstanding cricketers from Trinidad and Tobago have made at national, regional

and international level in the 50 years since the twin-island nation’s Independence, it would be negligent not to acknowledge the significant role played by a number of pioneering personalities on the field of play before 1962, from the fast bowling tandem of Woods and Cumberbatch at the turn of the century and the flamboyant daring of the legendary Sir Learie Constantine (who, in addition to his achievements on the field was the first Black man to become a member of Britain’s House of Lords), to the elegance of Jeffrey Stollmeyer and all-round virtues of Gerry Gomez, to the emergence of the match-winning mystery spinner Sonny Ramadhin from the sugarcane heartland of rural Trinidad.

Indeed, it is a curious coincidence that the

golden anniversary of political independence from Britain occurs at the time when another spin wizard from this country, Sunil Narine, has enjoyed a meteoric rise in stature due to his exploits with first, his homeland, then for the West Indies and, in keeping with the flourishing interest in the lucrative and popular T20 format, as the “Player of the Tournament” in his debut season in leading the Kolkata Knight Riders to their first triumph in the 2012 season of the Indian Premier League.

Such prowess in spin bowling should really be no surprise for it can be argued that, before the emergence of batting superstar Brian Lara as the nation’s one and – so far – only global cricketing icon, and the rise of Tony Gray and then more significantly Ian Bishop as world-class fast bowlers from the mid-’80s to the end of the ’90s, Trinidad and Tobago has long carried the mantle as the home of practitioners of guile, evidenced by the likes of Willie Rodriguez in the ’60s to the quartet of Raphick Jumadeen, Rangy Nanan and Inshan and Imtiaz Ali in the ’70s.

Others have followed in their footsteps since, and while they have all played key roles in Trinidad and Tobago’s regional successes over the years, none has managed to make a major impact on the international scene in the manner Narine suggests that he may in the coming years.

Yet whatever he achieves, it is unlikely that the young man from Arima will scale the heights conquered by Lara, whose nearly 20 years at senior national and international level from 1988 to 2007 left a legacy of monumental record-breaking feats of batsmanship, accomplished with a style that made a lasting impression on those who saw the left-hander at his very best and guarantees him a lofty stature as one of the greatest batsmen of all time.

Lara’s greatest regret, despite the mountains of runs and assortment of records, is that he was never part of an all-conquering West Indies team, his emergence coinciding with the seemingly

Locating our cricket heritage

sport


an appreciation of the greats, bY fazeer mohammed

Lara’s greatest regret, despite the mountains of runs and assortment of records, is that he was never part of an all-conquering West indies team

the legendary

Sir Learie constantine

Pho

togr

aph

cour

tesy

of P

aria

arc

hive

P172-173 Fazeer Mohammed.indd 172 23/08/2012 16:46

irreversible decline in the fortunes of the regional side that is now approaching two decades.

Fortunately, the same fate did not befall Gray and Bishop. While the former’s all-too-brief international career can be put down to the curiosities of the selection process, only the recurrence of a serious back injury that interrupted his progress at the very height of his fearsome powers deprived Bishop of the opportunity of being ranked among the all-time greats in a glorious vanguard of Caribbean pacemen.

Trinidad and Tobago’s contribution to West Indies and world cricket over the past 50 years has also included personalities who, while not being considered giants among their contemporaries, were vital elements to successful national and regional sides.

Foremost in this category would be Larry Gomes, “Mr Dependable” of the batting line-up in the virtually invincible West Indies team of

the ’80s, while Deryck Murray’s quiet efficiency as wicketkeeper and useful lower-order batsman straddled two dominant eras: the ’60s of Sir Frank Worrell, Sir Garfield Sobers and so many other luminaries, and the ’70s as a member of two World Cup-winning teams when the fearsome quartet of fast bowlers presented a unique challenge for wicketkeepers.

Then there are those whose talent suggested they should have achieved a lot more despite prolonged participation at the highest level. Names like Gus Logie, Phil Simmons and Daren Ganga come immediately to mind, although Ganga has at least had the consolation of being at the helm of the national side in its emergence over the past eight years from a prolonged drought at regional level.

Just as it would be disrespectful not to have acknowledged the outstanding performers prior to 1962 who paved the way for the post-Independence successors, it is also necessary to pay tribute to the ground-breakers of 1970, the national team under the astute, no-nonsense leadership of Joey Carew that claimed successive Shell Shield crowns and included players of the calibre of Charlie Davis, a batsman who, despite averaging over 50 in Test cricket, retired from the international game because the pittance being earned by players at the time was not enough to sustain his family. That era of austerity is far removed from the riches now enjoyed by Narine and several of his compatriots who now command places in the West Indies squad and attract lucrative contracts from the T20 tournaments sprouting up all over the world.

In the midst of such financial abundance though, they would do well to note that, apart from their own obvious talents, they are also the beneficiaries of the exploits of earlier sons of the soil of Trinidad and Tobago who made us all proud to identify with them as they took on the very best in the world over the past 50 years. ■

sport

173

the 1970s era of austerity is far removed from the riches now enjoyed by the likes of sunil narine and several of his compatriots as a result of the t20 tournaments sprouting up all over the world


Brian Lara: t&t’s

global cricketing icon

P172-173 Fazeer Mohammed.indd 173 23/08/2012 16:46

Just 20 days before Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) celebrated its 50th anniversary of Independence on 31st August 2012, a 19 year-old boy from Toco, a fishing village

in the deep eastern part of the country, forced the world to stand up and pay attention to its sporting prowess.

The 84.58 metres throw which Keshorn Walcott achieved in the men’s javelin event at the London Olympics, not only stunned his more seasoned opponents, and earned him the gold medal, it also ended a 36-year wait for the tiny Republic of just 1.3 million people for a step up to the highest rung on the podium of Olympism.

Walcott joined 100 metres sprinter Hasely Crawford as the second Trinidad and Tobago citizen to win an Olympic gold medal. As was the case with Walcott, Crawford’s 1976 sprint to the finish line in Montreal, was achieved against more established competitors, and gave his countrymen something to celebrate on the eve of an historic transformation to Republican status which it gained on 1st August later that year. These two feats have been the highlights of the country’s sporting achievements in its 50 years of independence.

The world’s sporting stage, however, is no stranger to the land of steelpan and calypso.

Sporting connoisseurs will no doubt relish the memories of Germany 2006, when the T&T Soca Warriors left an indelible mark on the world, stealing the hearts of everyone at the FIFA World Cup, with their gritty on-the-field display, drawing goalless with Sweden in their first World Cup appearance and then holding England for some 83 minutes, before collapsing to a 0-2 loss. Despite crashing out after the first round, T&T left Germany with a fanbase of international proportions for its fun-loving approach to the tournament. T&T had been very close to the final on two previous occasions, controversially losing 1-2 in its 1974 bid to Haiti, in a match in which it scored five goals – four of which were disallowed. Haiti went on

to the finals while the referee and linesmen who officiated the game were banned for life.

As if that was not heart-breaking enough, T&T needed a draw in front of its home crowd at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in 1990 to go to Italy, but fell to an embarrassing 0-1 loss to America.

Very few are likely to forget the World Netball Championships which were staged in Port of Spain in 1979. The premier international netball tournament, it not only united the people, but saw T&T earning its first and only world team title. Along with England and New Zealand, T&T emerged joint champions. T&T needed to beat New Zealand in its finals match to stand alone at the pinnacle, but the Kiwis proved too tough to crack and won 49-33.

In the boxing ring, there have been titles from Claude Noel and Leslie Stewart, while women’s boxer Giselle Salandy had eight titles to her credit when a car accident ended her life in 2009. Noel challenged Mexican Rodolfo Gonzalez in 1981 for the WBA lightweight title. He had to withstand a strong finish by the Mexican, but came away victorious, to give independent T&T its first boxing crown.

Known as the “Laventille Tiger”, Stewart challenged for the WBA light heavyweight title in 1986, but was TKO’d by Marvin Johnson when the bout was stopped. In the rematch the following year, Stewart dominated Johnson whose corner retired the fighter in the ninth round.

At the age of 14, Salandy defeated Paola Rojas to become the youngest person to win a world title, the WIBA IBERO title in Curaçao. When she defeated Manela Daniels four years later, she became the youngest female in the world to win the NABC title. In 2006 she won six world titles in one fight and successfully defended them against Yvonne Reis one year later. In 2008, she defeated unbeaten Karolina Lukasik in her mandatory defense, winning eight title belts – WBC, WBA, WBE, WIBA, IWBF, WIBF, GBU and UBC.

Later that year, Salandy defeated Yahaira

Celebrating our sportspersonalities

sport


because there’s more to life than just cricket, bY Valentino singh

While crawford and Walcott hit the pinnacle of sport at the olympics, there are several other olympians whose successes have consistently lifted the spirits of t&t

opposite: Man of the

moment, olympic Men’s

Javelin gold Medal winner,

Keshorn Walcott

P174-175 Valentino Singh.indd 174 22/08/2012 13:49

Hernandez, to secure her eight belts, breaking a Caribbean record by being the first boxer in the history of the Caribbean to successfully defend all her world titles on six consecutive occasions.

Individual world titles have also been won in chess and golf, Maria Nunes, snatching the 11-12 age group at the Junior Golf Championships in 1979 and Shawn Tavares enjoying similar junior success in 1982 at the World Junior Chess Championships. There is also professional golfer Stephen Ames, born and bred Trinbagonian, who has won four PGA, two European and one Nationwide titles.

While Crawford and Walcott hit the pinnacle of sport at the Olympics, there are several other Olympians whose successes have consistently lifted the spirits of T&T. These include Ato Boldon (eight Olympic and World Championship medals), Wendell Mottley, Edwin Roberts, Edwin Skinner, Kent Bernard, Richard Thompson, Keston Bledman, Marc Burns, Emmanuel Callender, LaLonde Gordon, Jarrin Solomon, Deon Lendore, Aide Alleyne Forte, and swimmer George Bovell, who is the only non-track and field athlete to have won an Olympic medal. He won bronze in Athens 2004, in the 200 metres individual medley.

The early days of independence would have seen the likes of cyclist Roger Gibbon, dominating the region. Gibbon placed 5th in the kilometre time trial in Mexico, in 1968, while Gene Samuel just missed bronze in the same event in 1984 in Los Angeles. And they would be included among the stalwarts at World, Commonwealth, Pan American and Carifta Games. Names such as

Ian Morris, Mike Solomon, Darrel Brown, Siobhan Cropper in the swimming pool, Debbie O’Connor in badminton, Elizabeth Gibson in tennis, Dexter St Louis and Leela Calpu on the ping pong board, Roger Daniel, the shooter, Emile Abaraham, Candace Scott and Cleopatra Borel-Browne and Kelly Anne Baptiste, the first T&T woman to win a World Championship medal, have also impacted on the nation’s sporting conscience.

Some 50 years after Independence, the T&T sporting fraternity continues to be a shining light to the rest of the community. The most recent success from Walcott, a boy, not yet 20 years old, is testimony to the wealth of talent which resides in T&T. It might have been an unexpected one, but certainly Walcott’s gold medal was an appropriate gift to the nation on its Golden Jubilee. ■

sport

175

sporting connoisseurs will no doubt relish the memories of germany 2006, when the t&t soca Warriors left an indelible mark on the world


P174-175 Valentino Singh.indd 175 22/08/2012 13:49

It’s a complete surprise when a dream comes true and none of it looks the way you dreamed it would. November 1990 is a memory of red; a nation at the ready, their collective breath

held waiting to unleash the perfect storm of victory. But none came. Sixteen years later a mere handful of pilgrims witnessed Trinidad and Tobago qualify for the 2006 World Cup. A long-awaited dream, hard won by the smallest nation to ever make it to football’s most prestigious competition, and yet a victory marred by anger and disappointment as we faced the wrath of the Bahrainis. The tableau etched in my mind saddens and yet uplifts my spirit.

Today I cannot look at a steel pan without being reminded how our national instrument, shielded us that night from the missiles thrown. The instruments belonging to Woodbrook Playboyz played an heroic role in ensuring the empty bottles and stones being thrown at us on all sides did not hit the younger Trinis among us. Never has a day in sport spoken more for who we are as a nation.

A simple glance into our country’s past reveals an abundance of proud moments, like Lystra Lewis’ visionary hosting of the world netball championships in 1979 and our consequent win. The heroics of Dwight Yorke, Haseley Crawford, Brian Lara. Surely we are ready to welcome the world to one of the world’s gems.

Sport has always been a part of who we are. Tropical days are made to be outdoors. Many of our great sportsmen and women honed their skills in fields and on beaches. It’s a natural mix. It’s the reason why Barbados sees as many as 200 visiting teams annually. Their first stop may be the batting nets but the visit always ends on sandy shorelines. We need to emulate this. Our topography is ideal for Adventure racing, Coast to Coast multi-sport events, and of course that great healthy lifestyle pursuit, Hiking. The winter months abroad see the most pleasant climate here. That’s a natural fit for sport tourism. More

than that we are a friendly people; we exude authentic warmth that is easily seen and felt. Germany 2006 is proof of that. During the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany, I recall a CNN News anchor saying “My favourite is the team from Trinidad and Tobago. They don’t seem to know when they are losing, they are friendly and know how to show it”. That is our competitive edge! How we use that now is critical.

Our 50 years of nationhood have been punctuated by great successes; in fact the majority of our national heroes derive from the area of sport. We continue to build on this rich tradition with our young athletes excelling in ever-widening sporting disciplines. Over the last decade we have made great strides in building our sport infrastructure and boast now of four stadia. We already have the experience of hosting a number of international events. Within recent years a variety of university programmes have been designed and put in place to fill the growing opportunities for employment in the field of sport tourism.

Government policies and investment moving forward must be designed to support these advances. That will necessitate a strategic approach that includes all stakeholders and a clear understanding of all, about their roles in this collective effort. Opportunities need to be clearly identified. On the ground, communication and coordination between sporting organisations and the tourism authority must be established and actively maintained. Since sporting associations traditionally organise events, these bodies need to be educated and trained to maximise the tourism potential of their activities. Event calendars for sport and tourism must be coordinated in order to achieve this.

Masters games and sporting festivals created solely for their entertainment value have grown around the world and attract a plethora of aficionados. Dubai stands out in this, building its brand through a variety of manufactured

sportIng accomplIshments and theIr tourIsm potentIal

sport


sport and development, bY anthonY harford

the potential for trinidad and tobago to become a booming sport centre is great, but it requires a strategic approach that includes all stakeholders

P176-177 Anthony Harford.indd 176 17/08/2012 18:05

and well-packaged sports events. Our local associations have the enthusiasm and creativity to develop comparable events. To support these efforts government must address difficulties these sporting associations experience in accessing funding for planning and executing such events. They must remain focused on the long term benefits to the country.

Government must also commit itself to research and data collection. Presently none exists. Projections made by sport associations and other organisations in planning events are usually based on past experience. Formulating viable strategies to grow sport tourism can only be accomplished with accurate and relevant information. Post-event research must also be undertaken and the long term benefits of events tracked. To guarantee the efficacy of these strategies a standardised approach to evaluating events must be formulated and best practice guidelines set out. Great reserves of patience is also required as results are not instant, the brand has to grow.

In addition, we must ensure capacity utilisation of our existing facilities and, importantly, we must develop community facilities to link our visitors with our people. I recently hosted an Australian cricket team and arranged a game at Preysal, a local hotspot for cricket. At about 8pm, I received a cry for help. The bus driver was unable to return the team to their hotel. The team was nestled in an open area beneath a home, eating curry and unwilling to leave the camaraderie and hospitality that so warmly embraced them there! This I guarantee happens no where else in the region. I am also reminded that through sport we may be exposing another great aspect of national life, our unique cuisine!

In my 30 odd years in the sporting industry, encompassing my travels and endeavours in the field, often I have thought of Trinidad and Tobago’s vibrancy and how beautifully it could lend itself to the superior development of the sport tourism product. There is an ever-growing presence of supporters, innovators and talented athletes. The potential for Trinidad and Tobago to become a booming sport centre is great. This year we celebrate our 50th anniversary of Independence and continue to make bold statements about who we are and our vision for the future. In October 2012, our country will proudly host the 30th Commonwealth Sports Awards in keeping with the vigour and purposeful strides of our nation-building. This celebration of 50 must be the platform to start selling ourselves. ■

sport

177

masters games and sporting festivals created solely for their entertainment value have grown around the world. our local associations have the enthusiasm and creativity to develop comparable events


trinbagonian sports

fans are as much a part

of the spectacle as the

players themselves

photograph by s

tephen Broadbridge

P176-177 Anthony Harford.indd 177 17/08/2012 18:05

The story of Trinidad and Tobago’s tourism over the last 50 years is one of unfulfilled potential and lost opportunities. With its abundance

of oil and natural gas fuelling downstream energy-related projects, coupled with an initial rejection of tourism at the political level, it is really surprising that the industry has survived in even its present limited form.

Since the death of Eric Williams, who was unabashedly opposed to the development of tourism in Trinidad and Tobago, which he derided as creating a nation of bus boys, successive governments have flirted with tourism as the key to diversifying the national economy, yet each has stopped short of grasping the nettle, and taking the necessary actions to make it happen.

While Trinidad and Tobago was developing its energy-driven economy, the rest of the Caribbean was building a tourism-based future.

After the second World War, Caribbean tourism was primarily centred in Cuba, just 90 miles off the coast of the United States. Castro’s 1959 revolution changed all that. Then with the advent of jets the rest of the region became accessible in hours instead of days, and the islands soon became fertile ground for the tourism explosion that was to follow.

But it was not all easy sailing, Eric Williams was not the only politician with misgivings about the tourism sector, many other Caribbean politicians also saw it as an insidious form of commercial neo-colonialism, and found it difficult to rationalise the dichotomy between service and servitude

Recently the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), in celebration of its own Golden Jubilee, published a definitive book on the history of Caribbean tourism, entitled The Caribbean: from Pirates to Hoteliers.

There are of course a number of political risks entailed in a full-blown tourism thrust.

The cost of investing in new hotels, subsidised airlift out of crucial source markets, and the use of adequate promotional funds to move Trinidad and Tobago out of the ‘best kept secret’ column to become a demand destination, all invite criticism from an electorate which tends to think that all such funds should be used for improvements in social services.

All industries, however, not least in the energy sector, require an initial investment to get going, but with tourism there is an upside that comes in the form of a broad range of professional employment opportunities, that offer excellent career upward mobility, not to mention extensive cross sectoral linkages, and substantial hard currency earnings.

It now seems probable that the People’s Partnership, under the guidance of its newly appointed Tourism Minister, whose demonstrated outreach to key private sector tourism stakeholders, and an apparent willingness to reach beyond to external professional expertise, is ready to reignite interest in tourism, and certainly the timing could not be more opportune.

The argument of when our oil and natural gas will run out misses the point. One thing is absolutely sure, these are finite commodities and they will run out, sooner rather than later. We can only hope that there is enough lead time, and the necessary political ‘cojones’, to do all those things that will be necessary to establish a viable tourism industry before that happens.

As a result of Trinidad and Tobago’s long held determination to remain outside the Caribbean tourism mainstream, and public skepticism about its economic relevance, there are presently very few within the country who have the knowledge, and more importantly the experience, to be deployed in any new tourism thrust. Consequently there are many who continue to doubt Trinidad’s capacity to develop and operate a successful tourism sector.

TDC’s current promotional efforts are

fulfilling Trinidad and Tobago’s Tourism promise

tourism


a dream still waiting to happen

John bell former director general

and Ceo of the Caribbean

Hotel association

P180-182 John Bell.indd 180 23/08/2012 12:08

to open up international tourism markets we need to acknowledge that it is not our job to dictate what the visitor should have, but rather to understand what the travelling public wants and then find a way to match what we have to fit those needs

principally focused on the domestic market and the diaspora, perhaps because its easier, in contrast to the much less familiar, yet considerably more lucrative business of international travel.

To open up international tourism markets, however, all those involved will need to acknowledge that it is not our job to dictate what the visitor should have, but rather to understand what the travelling public wants, and then find a way to match what we have to fit those needs.

As a starting point we need to recognise that in Trinidad and Tobago we have two quite different products, which need to be developed and marketed independently under separate but related brands. Tobago is a quintessential Caribbean beach destination, but one that is blessed with great physical and ecological diversity, and backed by the cultural and entertainment resources of Trinidad.

The overriding problem is Tobago’s lack of a critical accommodation mass with which to guarantee airlift out of its existing and potential source markets. Add another 1,500 quality hotel rooms, preferably including those international chains with recognisable brands, and access to the US, Canadian and continental European markets would rapidly become a reality, and with it a very desirable mitigation of Tobago’s over-dependence on the UK market.

In addition, if a proportion of those new rooms were to fall into the luxury category it would open up a new and lucrative demographic market segment to work with. It would also add a welcome lustre to Tobago’s market resonance.

By contrast, Trinidad offers a completely different array of vacation options, similar in many ways to Costa Rico, Dominica or Colombia, all of which boast an exciting range of visitor attractions based upon their cultural, physical and ecological diversity, rather than simply a beach experience.

In contrast, Trinidad, while possessed of

excellent metropolitan hotels, lacks any resorts that could be used to attract visitors to vacation here, or even to extend their business trips for a few extra days of R&R. The addition of high-end resorts with related recreational facilities on the North Coast, in Las Cuevas or Chaguaramas, for example, would completely transform Trinidad’s tourism market potential.

Very few destinations, however, have ready-made attractions that do not need some embellishment, and Trinidad is no exception. The Northern Range is replete with hiking trails to wonderful waterfalls, all of which would be the better for being cleaned up, signed and made safer. In addition there are many exciting commercial opportunities for canopy

tourism

181trinidad & tobago 50 Years of independence

an embarrassment of

riches: one of Trinidad’s

many waterfalls

P180-182 John Bell.indd 181 23/08/2012 12:08

walkways/tramways, with zip lines for the more adventurous, whose inclusion would only enhance the rain forest experience.

Man-made attractions are no longer the exclusive purview of Walt Disney, and are now common throughout the international tourism world – the London Eye, the water park at Atlantis, Cancun in Mexico, the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas, and cable cars up into the Alps, the Andes, and the mountains in China for example.

A cable car from Las Cuevas up to the top of El Tucuche, with a restaurant there to take full advantage of the incredible view across the north coast would be a huge draw for both visitors and nationals alike.

Almost all the elements of a Trinidad vacation require some measure of enhancement to make them internationally competitive, more importantly they need to be professionally managed, packaged and promoted.

Vincent Vanderpool Wallace, the Bahamian tourism visionary, accurately parodied Bill Clinton’s election saying ”it’s the economy stupid” to become; “it’s the experience stupid”. That means everything that happens to the visitor from the moment they arrive to their time of departure, including the places where they stay, the restaurants where they eat, the places they visit, the things they do, and the people they meet, all are of critical importance.

Getting all that right is not rocket science, but it does require total political commitment to get all the moving parts in place. To some that may seem like a Herculean task, but it really is not. It is simply a sensible investment in a diversified economic future for Trinidad and Tobago, one that is bound to yield significant dividends in economic growth and meaningful employment for the future.

Can it be that tourism is finally about to take its proper place in Trinidad and Tobago? ■

tourism


a cable car from las cuevas up to the top of el tucuche, with a restaurant there to take full advantage of the incredible view across the north coast would be a huge draw for both visitors and nationals alike

Trinidad’s rugged and

beautiful north coast

all p

hotographs: stephen b

roadbridge

P180-182 John Bell.indd 182 23/08/2012 12:08

Think of rugged mountain ranges that crash into jagged coastlines or gently slip into long plains and rolling hills that beg to be explored. Blessed with diverse

South American ecosystems of rainforests, wetlands, savannas and so much more, Trinidad and Tobago shares both South American and Caribbean geology, natural history and amazing habitats. Put into this dream destination a massive network of trails for hiking, birding, or mountain biking with long river systems for kayaking or splashing in. And, for good measure add world famous eco-lodges, rare and fascinating wildlife, all on islands whose culture gave birth to distinctive forms of music that in turn gave the Caribbean its rhythm and there you will have paradise.

Lying just seven miles off Venezuela’s coast, separated by the Gulf of Paria which only gains a depth of 30 metres, you can easily see South America from Trinidad, and during Ice Ages you could have walked there. This was possible

because during ice ages sea levels were lower by a minimum of 100 metres and more. This connects T&T to the South American plethora, hence in essence we are South American in nature on tiny Caribbean islands.

We have over 460 bird species, over 100 mammals, over 100 reptiles and amphibian species, over 620 butterfly species and more than an astounding 2,000 flowering plants; amongst the greatest variety for any island on Earth, certainly more than the rest of the Caribbean combined. With all this wildlife in a massive variety of habitats from wetlands, rain forest-covered mountain ranges, elfin woodlands, coral reefs to rugged dynamic coasts, Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) is poised to be the Caribbean’s premiere eco-adventure destination. So far though, it has been a mostly untapped gem waiting to be discovered.

Ecotourism is the truest form of sustainable tourism where symbiotic relationships are formed between government, private enterprise and rural communities in ways that benefit everyone and everything, particularly wildlife and wild spaces. This resource can be used as a vehicle to improve rural communities, providing careers that all lead to conservation of nature instead of potentially destructive activities. In fact ecotourism has its genesis in conservation.

The early roots of nature conservation in T&T began with the preservation of Tobago’s Main Ridge in 1776 for the protection of the rains. The protection of the Main Ridge subsequently led to development being stopped on all high hills, which led to forest reserves, scientific reserves and wildlife reserves such as the Caroni Swamp.

Later in, 1891, Trinidad joined the conservation movement with the creation of the T&T Field Naturalists’ Club. Members of this illustrious group were the protagonists for the formation of several key agencies for the preservation and management of the environment, including: the European Valley

The evoluTion of ecoTourism in Trinidad and Tobago

tourism


a secret waiting to be revealed

courtenaY rooksadventurer, naturalist and

eco Tourism Professional,

Trinidad and Tobago

all

phot

ogra

phs:

ste

phen

bro

adbr

idge

gasparee caves,

chaguaramas, Trinidad

P184-188 Courtenay Rooks.indd 184 24/08/2012 14:15

Zoo, the Institute Of Marine Affairs, the Environmental Management Authority, and Environment Tobago.

The Asa Wright Nature Centre, some would say T&T’s first eco-lodge, also owes its beginning in part to members of the Field Naturalists’ Club. In 1967 Spring Hill Estate was purchased from Asa Wright by environmentalists and birders establishing the nature centre as a Not-for-Profit Trust to “protect part of the Arima Valley in a natural state and to create a conservation and study area for the protection of wildlife and for the enjoyment of all.”

The honour of being first however, goes to the Pax Guest House which started in 1916; its situation on the edge of forests and immediacy to initially the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture, then the University of the West Indies, meant that visiting researchers chose Pax for its proximity to the university and to nature. This meant that the folks with vast knowledge in frogs, birds, bugs, snakes, butterflies, plants and all nature were often at the dinner table sharing stories and knowledge. In Tobago, it was the Blue Waters Inn that developed a long history as a birders’ and divers’ destination of choice.

By the late 1970s these lodges concentrated their efforts in the birding market with growing success. Trinidad and Tobago boasts more species of birds than the rest of the Caribbean combined; the distinguished neotropical ornithologist Richard French’s Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago, made T&T one of the world’s most well known birding destinations. The combination of biodiversity, being English speaking and having world-renowned guides make it an ideal destination for the main birding markets of England and North America.

A brilliant aspect to the birding ecotourism product is the Caroni Bird Sanctuary and the Scarlet Ibis that reside there. Starting with the Nanan family in the 1940s, American GIs were taken into the swamp initially to hunt ducks.

However, this was quickly eclipsed by sight of thousands of Scarlet Ibis coming into roost at sunset and hunting tours morphed to ecotours. Illegal hunting of the ibis up to the 1980s nearly wiped out the local population; numbers dwindled from over a hundred thousand to less than 2,500 birds by the late ’80s. Fortunately, public consciousness swayed from not really caring to loving the ibis as the ecotours in the swamp gained momentum. Hunting the birds became more difficult and new hunters did not wish to hunt something that was a source of national pride. The population of Scarlet Ibis has now rebounded to over 15,000 in the Caroni Swamp and at least another 15,000 in other west coast swamps.

Other birding hot spots developed through T&T; Kernaham Trace in Nariva Swamp, Cumuto, Waller Field, Roussillac Swamp, Oropuche Swamp, Waterloo and other west coast mud flats, Main Ridge Tobago, Buccoo Swamp, Little Tobago all became standard

tourism

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ecotourism is the truest form of sustainable tourism where symbiotic relationships are formed between government, private enterprise and rural communities in ways that benefit everyone and everything


malachite butterfly,

one of 630 species in

Trinidad and Tobago


places where visiting birders turned lifelong dreams to reality. Oh and let’s not forget the fragrant Trincity Sewage Treatment Ponds. As cow manure feeds plants, human manure feed fishes, frogs and bugs that birds find delicious.

A tip of the hat must go to the guides who pioneered, like Jogie and Roodal Ramlal in Trinidad and Adolphus James and David Rooks in Tobago. As is said, they have forgotten more than we will ever know.

Ecotourism in T&T has also come to the rescue of two other endangered species: the Trinidad Piping Guan (Pawi) and the Leatherback Turtle. By 2000, the Pawi was under tremendous pressures from over hunting through its range in North and Central Trinidad. The Forestry Division, along with the Pawi Study group and Eco tour guides started the Pride in Pawi Programme that encouraged members of the public to embrace the Pawi as “We Pawi” a shy bird whose genetic makeup is uniquely

Trinidadian, much like most Trinbagonians.Conservation of Leatherback Turtles had

a more rocky beginning, the first step was made by the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists’ Club who visited Matura in the late ’60s and were appalled at the sight of over 50 turtles hacked to death on the beach. Led by Professor Peter Bacon, research was undertaken throughout the ’70s which led to the laws being changed. This also led the author in his first steps to ecotourism as he tagged turtles in 2 or 3 day camps on Grand Tacaribe. Truly, lying on a beach at 1am with a billion stars and dinosaurs morphs one’s spirit. A heart-wrenching video did the same to many in the Matura Community who then formed Nature Seekers, a community based organisation dedicated to conservation of Leather Back Turtles.

They forged a very difficult path battling government, friends, family, and even environmentalists until their consistent efforts

tourism


trinidad and tobago boasts over 460 species of birds, more than the rest of the caribbean combined

left: amazonia campestris.

right: a Trinidad motmot

eating a small snake


trinidad & tobago 50 Years of independence 187

bore fruit. Their single-minded perseverance has led to internationally acclaimed success; which has since been repeated in Grande Riviere, Fishing Pond and Tobago. It must be noted that Dr Carol James, then of the Forestry Division was an early proponent and her support was critical to their success. It is no idle boast that many beaches have gone from a 60 per cent slaughter rate to 0 per cent. Each year literally millions of baby turtles enter the sea alive due to these communities’ efforts. Just as notable is that each year ecotourism careers grow as guides become more professional, better informed and organised, and lodges, guesthouses and B&Bs gain stronger footholds.

T&T remains blessed with a trail network that is unsurpassed and ancient. They were used for hunting, farming and trade routes for First Nations moving between communities, farms, hunting and religious sites. Early European settlers developed these routes into

what are known as Donkey Trails in order for supplies and produce to move easily between settlements. Subsequently, these trails were maintained by the government into the ’70s, though as the country’s focus shifted into more urban activities it has been mostly left up to the hikers, hunters and mountain bikers to maintain these networks.

In the ’90s active and adventure ecotourism was introduced through Caribbean Discovery Tours, Wildways and Rooks Nature tours who provided professionally led hiking, wildlife and kayaking tours. Some favourites emerged such as the sensory overload of Tamana Cave with its hundreds of thousands of bats and pungent metres of dung crawling with roaches and other nightmarish creatures, as well as kayaking in Nariva’s tea waters to see the world’s loudest primates, howler monkeys, and diving into Gasparee Caves’ emerald cenote. Tobago also became famous for its

ecotourism in t&t has come to the rescue of at least two endangered species: the trinidad piping guan (pawi) and the leatherback turtle

The northern range

mountains, Trinidad


scuba diving, which stopped the rape of Black Coral sea beds. The turn of the century brought mountain biking, rock climbing, rappelling and most recently zip lining to make things a bit more adventurous. Oh and lest some folks get vexed with me I forgot to mention kite surfing, surfing, and windsurfing!

The key to all T&T’s adventurous activities is that they are all tremendous fun. There are no thousand foot cliffs to climb or death defying mountain biking descents or even man eating sharks to wrestle, every activity is a wonderful

kick in the pants and guaranteed to plaster a big smile across even a very sullen mug! How can fruit off a tree and a curry breakfast, mountain biking to a waterfall that you rappel, swim under, go to hear steel drums, English tea with French desserts, local beer and curry dinner with friends not be fun?

So get out there and enjoy all the ridiculously fun, beautiful eco and adventure tourism opportunities Trinidad and Tobago has to offer! It will be awesome – I say that way too often, but it’s the simple truth. ■

tourism


t&t remains blessed with a trail network that is unsurpassed and ancient

How important is tourism to the trinidad and tobago (t&t) economy?The tourism sector today accounts for around 4.5 per cent of our GDP. It employs directly 30,000 people and indirectly another 30,000. Those kinds of figures are nothing to scoff at, so it gives us a good platform to build on for the future, and we intend to do so.

What sets t&t’s tourism offering apart from its competitors in the region?Trinidad and Tobago is an incredibly diverse place – in every respect, from our ethnicity and our geography to our incredible biodiversity. In many ways, Trinidad and Tobago is unique in the Caribbean, because we share many characteristics with South America, and we need to capitalise on that uniqueness. If we do that, I think in a very short space of time we will be one of the premiere destinations in the Caribbean.

The Caribbean, of course, is a world-class destination itself, so we need to show how different and diverse Trinidad and Tobago is whilst remaining firmly part of the Caribbean experience.

How do you intend to encourage more ‘multi-destination’ tourism in t&t?We are a twin-island state and each island is very, very different. Even as a local, when I go

to Tobago it’s a whole other experience coming from Trinidad, and that is something we can take advantage of in terms of marketing to different market niches.

Tobago has the world’s oldest protected rainforest, which lends itself to eco-tourism, as well as some of the region’s best reefs and beaches, which appeal to divers and water-sports enthusiasts. Trinidad, for its part, has a well-developed sports infrastructure that can be leveraged to capitalise on the popularity of major sporting events, as well as boosting our attractiveness as a place where athletes can come to train. Trinidad is also a very active and lively place, with many festivals and cultural events throughout the year, and both islands can be promoted as destinations for eco-tourism, heritage tourism, and business and convention tourism.

What are your priorities in the short-to-medium term?We have a number of low-hanging fruit that we are going after in Tobago, such as cruise liner arrivals and additional airlift, so I believe that within a short period of time Tobago’s international visitor numbers will be back up where they belong. I believe we have a very strong base to work from and we are going to build on that for both Trinidad and Tobago. ■

intervieW WitH tHe Honourable

stepHen cadiz mp Minister of Tourism,

Trinidad and Tobago


Born in 1981, Anya Ayoung-Chee shot into the international spotlight as the winner of Project Runway Season 9, a US cable reality TV show centred around

fashion design. A graduate of Parsons School of Design in New York and Central St Martins School of Art and Design in London, Anya spent several years working as a designer in New York City until in 2007, when she returned home after her 18-year old brother Pilar died tragically in a car accident. Soon after the move, Anya was selected to represent her country at the Miss Universe pageant. This experience propelled her into a life in front on the camera as a model and television host. She has since hosted several Caribbean television and web-based events and live shows, including movie premieres, fashion shows and her own fashion programme Make It Yours.

How would you say your upbringing in Trinidad and Tobago has shaped you as a person and as an artist? Fundamentally; it’s a huge part of who I am and what I do. My mother went to great lengths to immerse me in the cultural life of Trinidad, so I grew up going to art exhibitions and events from an early age. It didn’t really matter how little I understood; it was part and parcel of my everyday upbringing and gave me a deep appreciation for the arts and culture of our country. Being Trinidadian gives me a foundation and a sense of purpose in terms of my energy and focus. It’s a reminder of where I come from and it is very grounding for me.

You were educated at St Joseph’s Convent in Port of Spain. Did having such a traditional, Catholic education instill you with a sense of discipline, or did it give you a rebellious streak?In retrospect, I think it gave me the qualities of single-mindedness, drive and ambition – I’m an archetypal St Joseph’s Convent girl in that respect

– and yet in many ways I rebelled against that kind of rigid, structured approach. For example, when it came to choosing what courses I would do for my A-levels, I had a choice between doing medicine and the arts. I was expected to do medicine because I was good at biology and chemistry, and I wanted to study oncology because my father’s a surgeon. But there was something so intriguing to me about art because I didn’t really ‘get’ it; I couldn’t wrap my head around it. In the end I had to sit down and beg them to let me do Biology, Chemistry, and Art for my A-levels. I mean, beg! Nobody understood what I was doing; how could I be doing Art instead of Physics? So, in that sense, I was already starting to veer off the path of what was expected of me at school.

How has your Chinese heritage shaped your perspective, both on your home country and yourself, as a designer? I’ve never really thought about it, to be honest, because I’ve always just considered myself a ‘Trini’. When I’m in New York, I get asked – literally, every day – ‘What ethnicity are you?’ And they’re never satisfied with my answer because I have to say, ‘Well, my grandfather came from China and my great-grandmother came from India…’ and it’s a long story, and their eyes just sort of glaze over. I’m constantly made to bring up my heritage, but I think growing up in Trinidad makes us racially ‘neutral’, in a sense – because it’s such a melting pot – which is how I get to indulge in so many different cultures and traditions. So, in a way, it’s not so much being Chinese that has influenced me but rather being a ‘non-race’. It’s like I have a passport to everything. Because of my mixed heritage, I get the chance to go to both reggae parties and uptown parties; I’m able to penetrate different parts of society and have different cultural experiences, and I think that if I was at one end of the cultural spectrum or the other I would not be able to do this so easily.

It’s cool to Be a trInBagonIan

THe laST worD

TriniDaD & Tobago 50 YearS of inDePenDenCe190

inTerview wiTH a riSing STar

anYa aYoung-CHeeFashion Designer

and entrepreneur,

trinidad

Interview by

alice besson Paria Publishing company,

trinidad

P190-192 Anya Ayoung Chee.indd 1 23/08/2012 12:27

what most inspires your art? what do you draw from? I think that’s still evolving, but looking back on the five or so collections I’ve done so far as a fashion designer, I’ve always been inspired by our indigenous cultures in Trinidad and Tobago. I’m inspired by people who dress in a way that is specific and considered, but not necessarily from a fashion perspective. They consider what they’re wearing generally, but they’re not trying to make it into Vogue. They are very sure of their identity, which they express through their clothes, and these are identities that have developed over thousands of years. I love to draw on that.

How would you characterise your different labels? what gives your clothes their ‘edge’? At the moment I have three lines: Anya, which is my high-end line, Pilar by Anya, which is my fusion line, and Anya de Rogue, which is my lingerie project – I consider it my couture project but it doesn’t necessarily have to be haute couture, it’s just a bit more experimental. Pilar by Anya is a line made for women who are a bit more edgy, and want to display themselves in a way that is sexy but which draws on their personality. It’s who I am, it’s what I’d want to wear, whether I’m in New York or Port of Spain. It’s transporting that modern Caribbean girl throughout your life, whatever situation you’re in. Whereas Anya is my resort line, designed for a slightly more sophisticated woman, one who travels and can afford the kind of lifestyle that takes them from one destination to the next throughout the year.

would you say you are a good businesswoman? Yes, but I’ve had to work at it over the last few years, it didn’t come naturally. Post-Project Runway I found I had people who wanted to buy my clothes on a much larger scale than I experienced before the show, so it was a case of either learning to fulfil that demand or being completely overwhelmed by it. It forced me to

become more business-savvy and to make choices that are right for my business. The experience has been a crash-course in Fashion Management. It’s good though, because I’m more dedicated and in-tune with running a business.

You are also very involved in charity work with the TallMan foundation. How does that fit into your life and work? The TallMan Foundation fits perfectly into my work because it is a transformative art programme, and because it’s situated in Trinidad and Tobago, so on many levels it speaks directly to my attachment to my home country. Because it’s a small organisation, I tend to have many roles; I consult, I’m sometimes the Creative Director. It’s great because it fits into the model of the business that I want to have – one which is directly connected to a non-profit – but it also got me thinking from the outset how I can give back to society and how I can contribute through my work.

When I applied to be Miss Trinidad and Tobago it was in large part because I wanted to have a public role in society, to have a voice as a Caribbean woman. But it didn’t quite work out

THe laST worD

191

being Trinidadian gives me a foundation and a sense of purpose in terms of my energy and focus. it’s a reminder of where i come from and it is very grounding for me

TriniDaD & Tobago 50 YearS of inDePenDenCe

anya at work in her

studio in Port of spain

all photographs: W

yatt gallery


that way. Instead I felt somewhat silenced, like I’d lost my own identity. I was very honoured to represent my country, but as a role it was missing something for me. I only found this out when I decided to do something that was really for me, which was Project Runway. I had no intention of that being something that was representing Trinidad and Tobago – I was doing it for myself, as something that was calling me as an individual, and then what happened turned out to be exactly what I always wanted.

and from a personal perspective, what are some of the hurdles you have had to overcome in order to create? Since winning Project Runway, I sometimes find myself feeling a bit overwhelmed. My natural tendency is to be very outgoing, but in the last couple of months I’ve really made an effort to return to my inner voice and listen to myself. I learned through meditation, through a more regularised schedule; those are things that I thought my nature was to reject – discipline, structure, regularity. But all those things actually

create much more clarity for me. So I think it’s really an exercise in maturity and growth, and it has given me is more control over my creative process and over ‘Anya’ – because that’s the only thing I can offer that’s of real value.

where do you think your relationship with Trinidad and Tobago is heading, from both a business point of view and as an artist? is there scope for development here for you? I absolutely believe that my focus, from a developmental standpoint, will continue to be here. I don’t want to say only in Trinidad, but as far as I’m capable of developing my work here, be it production-wise, from a talent perspective, or from an educational perspective.

I’m exploring a lot of avenues that I can have an influence on that I’m very passionate about. I don’t mean that in an arrogant way, I just mean that I see the potential of this country and its people and I want to have a positive influence.

My goal for Trinidad and Tobago is really to see us, as a people, come into who we are. We are still a young country and need to appreciate our identity. Trinidad and Tobago is just such an amazing place. To me, it is the future but it will never make its rightful claim on the world unless we recognise our true worth. I would like to see that happen across the board, from a fashion perspective and otherwise; more awareness of how truly special we are and how much we have to offer the world. It’s cool to be Trinidadian or Tobagonian! It really is! I know this because I’ve lived outside of Trinidad. Everybody loves it; everybody thinks it’s sexy and cool and we just have to believe that ourselves. I get very annoyed when people ask, ‘well, how come we’re not here? How come we’re not there?’ But 50 years is a very short time when you consider the larger world and how long it takes other cultures to flourish. It’s a journey and that’s the journey that we’re on so let’s be conscious of it; that’s the benefit of being a young country. ■

THe laST worD

TriniDaD & Tobago 50 YearS of inDePenDenCe192

Trinidad and Tobago is just such an amazing place. To me, it is the future but it will never make its rightful claim on the world unless we recognise our true worth

anya on Yara Beach,

Blanchisseuse,

trinidad wearing a

dress from anYa

resort collection 2012


Trinidad and Tobago 50th Anniversary Book (editorial only)

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Transcript of Trinidad and Tobago 50th Anniversary Book (editorial only)