Tag Archives: Emancipation

Africa, Education, General T&T, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

So, What’s Africa to YOU?

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By Corey Gilkes
September 03, 2011

EmancipationIn the days just before and after Emancipation Day I paid close attention to many of the comments and discussions on certain radio talk shows and in the newspapers and frankly I don’t know which side worries me more: those who oppose Emancipation Day or those who support it. Is kinda like de time when people responded to the charge by evangelist Benny Hinn that he saw plenty voodoo in Trinidad. Those simplistic bible-wavers who agreed with him as well as many who angrily denied what he said both had one thing in common: a profound lack of knowledge about and contempt for that ancient belief system. Likewise, many who don’t approve of Emancipation Day and things openly African displayed very clearly near complete ignorance about Africa.
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Africa, Books, Education, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Africa’s hurt revisited

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By George Alleyne
August 01, 2012 – newsday.co.tt

EmancipationWhat has been suppressed by British and European reactionaries with a vested interest in justifying slavery was that long before the slave trade Africans were well advanced in mining and metal-working, agriculture, food production, cotton weaving and garment manufacture.
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Africa, General T&T, International, Nigeria, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Introducing A Black Supremacy Agenda into T&T/Nigeria Relations

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By Stephen Kangal
August 03, 2012

Stephen KangalPatriotic Trinbagonians, including the ESC must show their outrage and disgust against the statement made by The President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, at the Emancipation Day Celebrations when he accorded racial precedence and exclusivity to Afro-Trinbagonians in our national quest for attaining the good life (The Promised Land). This unfortunate statement was made at a function organised by the Emancipation Support Committee (ESC) that received a Government subvention of $4m and at which the Indo- T&T Prime Minister of T&T and Cabinet Ministers were in attendance.
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Africa, General T&T, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Raced Memories

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
August 01, 2012

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeFor anyone black and slightly conscious, Emancipation Day should be as exciting as Independence Day. One only has to look at the spontaneous response of Africans on the first Emancipation Day to realize how united we were at the gloriously liberating moment. Listen to Governor George Hill as he reported to the Secretary of State on August 7, 1834:
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General T&T, India, Media, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Reply to Raymond Ramcharitar’s Africentrism

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EmancipationTHE EDITOR: Raymond Ramcharitar’s 21/9/11 piece on Africentrism [How to do the Afrocentric Hustle] was a shameless display of intellectual laziness and generalising with enough vitriol to hint at something I won’t even dignify here with a mention. Which is unfortunate because it took away from a message that contained some validity. There’re quite a few scholars, politicians, artistes and activists who exploit enslavement, colonialism and Euro-centred racism to excuse self-defeatist attitudes and who manipulate racial insecurities, narrow tribalism and ideas of entitlement to retard real self-development among Afro-Trinis.
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Caribbean, Education, General T&T, International, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Modern science owes much to African civilisations

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8/7/2011 – barbadosadvocate.com

EmancipationIt saddens me to the core whenever I read articles such as the letter to the editor, written by Michael A Dingwall in the August 4 edition of this newspaper entitled ‘Black, but proud of what?’. If there is nothing for you to be proud of, maybe you should look in the mirror, and if you still cannot see anything to be proud of, do a little research into African history – there is plenty to know.
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Africa, General T&T, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Power versus powerlessness in T&T

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Emancipation Day Special: Part 2

By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
July 26, 2011

Dr. Kwame NantambuPart 2 of this Emancipation Day Special focuses on the power dynamics between Trinbagonians of Indian descent versus the powerlessness of Trinbagonians of African descent. And this overt ethnic imbalance is real despite the current United Nations-sponsored year-long celebration.
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Africa, General T&T, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Trinbagonian versus African Descent

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Emancipation Day Special: Part 1

By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
July 19, 2011

As T&T celebrates the United Nations-sponsored “International Year for People of African Descent,” it is a sine qua non to analyze/investigate the crucial reality of being Trinbagonian versus, albeit compared to, being of African descent in this Euro-centric environment.

The stark reality is that the ordinary Trinbagonian of African descent does not regard himself or herself as African. He/she is Trinbagonian, period.
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Caribbean, General T&T, Race and Identity

Emancipation: some creation myths

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By Selwyn Ryan
August 15, 2010

EmancipationI overheard someone complaining on a call-in programme during Emancipation week that people of African origin in Trinidad were a different breed from those in other islands of the Caribbean.

It was not clear whether the caller meant to say that the Trinis were a worse or a better breed. I think he meant that they were an inferior breed, since, like Prof Courtenay Bartholomew (Express, August 11) he had some critical things to say about us blacks here in Trinidad. The caller was however quite correct about Trinidad blacks being different from their Caribbean counterparts. Culture and cojuncture and not genetics were however responsible for the differences.
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Africa, Culture, General T&T, International, Letters, Race and Identity

Emancipation Celebration?

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EmancipationTHE EDITOR: After four hundred years of shackle slavery, and the worst kind of atrocities ever inflicted on any race of people bar none, all because of their melanin and without any apology and compensation, and therapy for Post Traumatic Slavery Syndrome, I am totally puzzled and confused with the reason for the celebration of Emancipation.
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