When Gordon Rohlehr and Brinsley Samaroo died recently, the torrent of tributes celebrated their contributions to the world. Especially significant was the consistent references to their generosity with knowledge—the way they shared without regard for financial remuneration or public recognition. Along with the indefatigable Bridget Brereton, they have been exemplars …
Read More »Brinsley Samaroo: A Historian of the People who saw potential all around him
I first met UWI Professor Emeritus Dr Brinsley Samaroo many years ago on a radio programme, where I brought up an aspect of race relations in Trinidad and Tobago that I thought his explanation was missing. He agreed with me, and we spoke for a long time following the programme. …
Read More »NJAC Rededication: Daaga goes from student guild to movement leader
“[…] Makandal Daaga placed great emphasis on people and the indispensable need for the participation of the population in the building of any new society. “[…] It was on this premise that he mobilised the nation, not just to change social, political and economic conditions, but above all to enlighten, …
Read More »Dr Mahabir: ‘Black power agenda’ threatens ‘national treasures’; Gilkes: Colonial monuments carry offensive symbolism
Dr Kumar Mahabir: “[…] Despite the horrendous history of Columbus, his statue represents a tangible historical link to the Europe, Africa and Asia since 1498. It is one of the few statues of Columbus in the Caribbean and is a destination site for local and foreign tourists…” Corey Gilkes: “[…] …
Read More »Dear Editor: Afro-Indian unity? Never happened! Granger, NJAC bungled 1970 March by ignoring “Baba”
“Most of us Indians didn’t like Eric Williams and his PNM and would be glad to see them go. But we had no interest in seeing the Eric Williams black gang replaced by another black gang led by Granger/Daaga and company. “[…] Once Williams had got the news that a …
Read More »Indo-Trinis and “Black Power”: why Bhadase and Dr Williams agreed on issue of Indian-African unity
Someday in the future, when Trinbago nationalism becomes a common experience across our multifaceted demographic, February 1970 will surely be memorialised collectively as the month that precipitated the most significant events in the history of the two-island state since Emancipation. I am motivated to write this piece not only because …
Read More »White tyrants, black struggles and Indian distortions; Dr Fergus responds to Hanomansingh
“The great Karl Marx, for example, declared the Haitian Revolution ‘the most significant victory toward the advancement of universal freedom’. Without excluding the contribution of every ethnic constituency, the fact remains that, in the 20th century, African peoples maintained that leadership role. “According to [Dool] Hanomansingh and other like-minded activists, to include …
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