Category Archives: Racism Watch

Caribbean, Dominica, General T&T, PNM, Politics, Racism Watch, UNC

Do They Ever See Us as a Nation?

27 Comments

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
October 2, 2017

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeLike the Prime Minister, I want to tell the naysayers against his proposal to house our Dominican brothers and sisters to shut up but for different reasons. I couldn’t see how decent men could speak of our neighbors as though they were aliens (“refugees”) who have no place in our land.

Dominicans ain’t no now come. They have participated in the making of this society. In 1814 there were 25,717 enslaved Africans in the island. Between 1813 and 1821 Trinidad received 3,800 enslaved Africans “of whom nearly 1,100 came from Dominica and nearly 1,200 from Grenada” (Eric Williams, History of the People of Trinidad and Tobago).
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Caribbean, Dominica, General T&T, Oil and Gas, PNM, Politics, Racism Watch, Recession

Public transportation a priority

2 Comments

By Raffique Shah
September 27, 2017

Raffique ShahI continue to focus on issues pertinent to the economy, to chastise the Keith Rowley-led administration for using the slump in the energy sector, hence plummeting government revenues, to moan and complain and blame for their inactivity, rather than being bold and innovative, grabbing opportunities that require little by way of capital investments, but which might yield rich returns.
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Caribbean, Dominica, General T&T, Media, PNM, Politics, Racism Watch, UNC

PM disappointed by TT response to refugee invitation

29 Comments

By Clint Chan Tack
September 23, 2017 – newsday.co.tt

Dominica after Hurricane MariaPrime Minister Keith Rowley yesterday said the vast majority of people understand why TT must do what it can to help Dominica in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Rowley was confident that most of this country’s citizens are caring people.

However, he expressed disappointment at the uncaring attitude of some over Government’s proposal to waive immigration regulations to allow Dominicans to stay in TT for six months, as their country rebuilds.
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Dominica, General T&T, Politics, Racism Watch

Social media rages with xenophobia

19 Comments

T&T Guardian
September 23, 2017

Dominica after Hurricane MariaFollowing Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s proposal for T&T to open its doors to citizens of Dominica in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, there was a lot of racist, political and xenophobic remarks on social media from citizens who disagreed with the idea.

Some of the comments included:
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General T&T, PNM, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Love a Donkey: Besson’s Independence Fables – Pt 3

10 Comments

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
September 18, 2017

PART 1 – PART 2 – PART 3

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeBesson argues that Trinidad and Tobago’s independence venture failed because more than 30 percent of the African population left the country since1962. “These emigrants,” he says, “were mostly urban, secondary school educated, more or less middle class….At the same time, about the same amount of people or more than that of those who left, have come from the islands of the Caribbean.” He elaborates: “Those immigrants’ background were mostly rural and primary school educated. This unique demographic transformation has impacted on Trinidad and Tobago politically, socially and culturally, and has significantly diminished the identity of the AfroCreole [read black] sector.”
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Africa, Barbados, Caribbean, Finance, General T&T, International, Racism Watch

Timeo Beckles et Dona Ferentes

14 Comments

By Stephen Kangal
August 06, 2017

Stephen KangalThere can be at least three reactions to the question of lumping Indians and Africans together by Sir Hilary Beckles for advancing his money-based regional CARICOMesse reparations agenda:

1. One cannot trust Afro-Caribbean intellectuals to sincerely look after the interests of Caribbean Indians after they have been excluded in the first instance by CARICOM.
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Africa, Caribbean, England, General T&T, International, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Britain’s Perfect Caribbean Crime: Ignored Genocide, Faked Emancipation…

22 Comments

7th Annual George Lamming Distinguished Lecture

Streamed live on Jun 13, 2017

On Tuesday, June 13, 2017, Vice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies (The UWI) Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, delivered the seventh Annual George Lamming Distinguished Lecture at The UWI Cave Hill Campus’ Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination (EBCCI) in Barbados. Vice-Chancellor Beckles spoke on Britain’s Perfect Caribbean Crime: Ignored Genocide, Faked Emancipation, Insincere Independence, and No Reparations.
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General T&T, PNM, Politics, Racism Watch, UNC

Distorting facts to suit one’s biases

5 Comments

From: Glassie
May 23, 2017

lettersIt is human nature to feel more comfortable ‘with your own’. So, an Indian voting UNC or conversely an African voting PNM is not necessarily a sign of racialism but merely a level of comfort with your choice. But when facts are distorted to suit one’s BIASES or to satisfy existing prejudices for purely political expediency, is when the devious nature of racism takes effect.
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Africa, General T&T, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

I arrived by birth

31 Comments

By Raffique Shah
May 30, 2017

Raffique ShahThere was a minority view back in the 1980s/1990s when the lobby for a holiday to mark the presence of Indians in Trinidad & Tobago was loudest, that the termination of indentureship in 1917, not their arrival in 1845, should be celebrated. If that had prevailed, this year the Indo-Trinidad community would have marked the centennial of end of their semi-slavery. But the very vocal majority had their say and their day, hence the declaration of a public holiday on Arrival Day, May 30, the date when, in 1845, the Fatel Rozack docked in Port of Spain and deposited 200-odd wretched Indian souls on these shores.
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General T&T, Labour, Politics, Racism Watch

Spreading Planter Propaganda

10 Comments

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
May 21, 2017

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeI am sorry I am only now getting back to Kamal Persad’s response to my article, “Getting It Right” (March 26). I noted: “While Indians were treated in a horrible, inhumane manner…, there is no doubt the Indians were brought to Trinidad to undercut the progress that Africans were making at the economic front.”
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