Monthly Archives: August 2012

Africa, Business, Education, General T&T, India, Labour, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

No compensation for slaves

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By George Alleyne
August 29, 2012 – newsday.co.tt

EmancipationThe argument has often been put forward by politicians and would be politicians that persons of Indian descent own a far greater degree of property in Trinidad than people of African descent, because they had saved and used their money wisely.

It is an attempt to create misunderstanding between the two major ethnic groups. What led to today’s disparity in land ownership is well documented and rooted in Trinidad’s colonial past. The end of slavery in 1838 and the movement by freed slaves to urban and suburban areas and away from the sugar estates, with which they had for so long identified with their suffering, meant that the sugar planters had to source new labour.
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General T&T

Real Independence: Updated

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By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
August 26, 2012

Dr. Kwame NantambuThe Euro-American re-colonization of aspects of life in Trinidad and Tobago is further compounded/exacerbated in the overt, wanton adoption of American-NBA names for this country’s men’s and women’s pro-basketball league teams such as Detour Shak Attack, Caledonia Clippers, Trailblazers, CIL Cavaliers, Falcon Crest, BM Spurs, Londdenville Warriors, Valencia Kings, Chaguanas Wizzards, and Cosmic Raptors. Roxborough Lakers.
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General T&T, People's Partnership, Politics

Wine and have a good time

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By Raffique Shah
August 26, 2012

Raffique ShahI SUPPOSE there are a few achievements that we can celebrate at age 50. Top of my list would be the blessing that as a nation of many ethnicities we have not degenerated into bloody race wars or violent religious conflicts. It’s for want of trying, I should add. Many ethnic, political and religious misleaders, past and present, have worked hard to steer their flocks into confrontation. They could not give a damn about the possible consequences of their manipulation. Luckily for us, as David Rudder sang, most Trinis just “want to wine and have a good time and look for a lime”..
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Africa, General T&T, India, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch, Sports

Keshorn Walcott

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By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
August 22, 2012

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeI do not envy any of the honors or pecuniary rewards Keshorn Walcott received. He deserves them all. It is an extraordinary achievement to bring home a gold medal to a country of 1.3 million persons when countries as large as Nigeria and India with a combined population of approximately 1.6 billion persons did not win a gold medal. Keshorn should be showered with our congratulations and our prayers for a long life and continued success. The government should be congratulated for recognizing his contribution to our national pride.
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England, General T&T, Politics, Sports

No political blight

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By Raffique Shah
August 19, 2012

Raffique ShahI EXPERIENCED déjà vu last Monday, a feeling of “been there, seen that” as I watched the Prime Minister and her Cabinet colleagues milk golden boy Keshorn Walcott for all he was worth, and then some. Politicians can be merciless in extracting their mileage from achievers. Walcott, having endured two extensive world-class sporting events with all the in-built tension, not to add energy- sapping hours of travelling, was forced into an ultra-marathon homecoming to satiate the political appetites of the powers-that-be. In what should have been his hour of glory, I felt sorry for the boy.
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Culture, General T&T, People's Partnership, Politics

Eid-ul-Fitr 2012 message from His Excellency Professor George Maxwell Richards

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Fellow Citizens

President Professor George Maxwell RichardsThis year, as we celebrate the significant milestone of the fiftieth anniversary of our nation’s Independence, I am reminded of how thankful we should be to be citizens of a nation in which religious observances, such as Eid-ul-Fitr, can be celebrated in an atmosphere of respect and peace, as guaranteed by our Constitution and as espoused in the words of our National Anthem, where “…every creed and race find an equal place.”
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General T&T, International, Letters, Sports

A nineteen year old from Toco

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Keshorn Walcott at welcoming ceremony, Piarco International Airport
Keshorn Walcott at welcoming ceremony, Piarco International Airport

A nineteen year old, with no international senior experience, who is not on the Grand Prix circuit, who is not in college, who has not participated in Commonwealth Games or World championships, goes in one month less one day from being the World Junior champion to being the Olympic champion in his first major international outing.
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Business, General T&T, India, Politics, Racism Watch

Against All Odds

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By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
August 14, 2012

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeJust about when Kamal Persad Bissessar was celebrating the achievement of Trinidad and Tobago athletes who performed at the Olympics 2012 in Great Britain, I received an email from an African sister from Brothers Road. About ten years ago she had created a small company in that remote part of the country and was trying hard to make the best of herself. She wrote:
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General T&T, Sports

Memorable moments in time

By Raffique Shah
August 12, 2012

Raffique ShahTHERE is an afterglow to the Olympic Games, an image or moment in time that remains etched in the minds of hundreds of millions of people who view the quadrennial extravaganza. These indelible memories are often so overwhelming, they capture the hearts and minds of most fans. In my case, I’ll always remember the men’s 100-metres final in Seoul, South Korea, in 1988 —the greatest race (for me) until this year’s edition in London, England.
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