For some weeks this column had been focused on the good, the bad and the ugly of Carnival and its component parts. Last week, I returned to commentary on the government charades that are passed off as effective governance—on that occasion, dealing with the haphazard situation in respect of the …
Read More »Noble: Is Griffith positioning himself as T&T’s J Edgar Hoover? Or Donald Trump?
“A lawless, indisciplined and corrupt nation cannot fight crime.” Pastor Clive Dottin, The People’s Roundtable, January 2024. At The People’s Roundtable, Pastor Dottin discussed the distinction between a street military revolt and a spiritual revival. He saw the nation as having a decision: either we allow the streets to be …
Read More »Vaneisa: “Far more than a collection of books”—a library is a living space
In a land where public institutions are symbols of frustration, two stand out by dint of their commitment to service and innovation. I am referring to Nalis, our National Library and Information Service Authority, and our National Archives. In the course of my various episodes of research, I became convinced …
Read More »Noble: Get tough on Crime Talk—T&T must address roots of criminality
If you had a leak at your home, what would you do? Will you buy a mop and then a larger mop? Or will you seek a plumber to find the source of the leak? Putting the mop to work while you await the plumber would seem sensible. However, not …
Read More »Vaneisa: “A superb specimen of the human race”—to Reggie, with love
(This column was written on the day he died, before I knew.) In January 2021, I wrote a column about headaches, and my perpetual one since I was about 14. It was not so much a complaint (I hope), but an attempt to explore that world of pain and its …
Read More »Dear Editor: Broad hair guidelines no match for racist beliefs: how MOE erred
“[…] The official Ministry of Education press release announcing the hair code […] works to trivialise the issue and divorce it from its substantive context. “[….] An interview with former principal of Fatima Collage, Father Gregory Augustine two weeks after the press release illuminates the point. On 20 July he …
Read More »Daly Bread: The road make to walk; preserve Pan On The Avenue!
The centrality of the Panorama competition to the steelband movement cannot be doubted. However, there are some downsides to it receiving paramount attention. In the Newsday, early last week, Mark Lyndersay penetratingly labelled Carnival as “an entrenched competition economy” and summarised the deficiencies of Carnival in its current form as …
Read More »Vaneisa: Searching for a form—how to preserve our heritage
It’s an idea just taking root, and having thrown it out last week, I figure I could try to see how it could take shape. By headlining that column “A Ministry of Festivals” people got locked inside an idea of an entity akin to the existing Ministry of Culture, although …
Read More »Daly Bread: Supporting the authentic mas
How do we get our brilliant steelbands and their significant numbers of youthful players and supporters back on the road on Carnival days? The steelbands are a unifying and healing force and are capable of mitigating the divisiveness and socio-economic exclusivity with which the Carnival band scene is riddled. Carnival …
Read More »Vaneisa: A Ministry of Festivals can be revolutionary—with Manwarren at the helm!
I don’t actually mean that we should have a ministry of festivals, in the sense of a state-controlled body—that kind of lumbering oversight has done little to develop anything meaningfully. Not for an entity that has to be agile and innovative and intimate with our history and traditions. Last year, …
Read More »Early Bird: Machel’s Monarchy triumph; mafia or merit? Mission for the media?
“What shit you talking, bro?” Bobby asked, his jaw literally dropping. “We talking bout the same song?” Even before Calypso Fiesta, I had shared Soul of Calypso with my pardna on WhatsApp. We both agreed then that it was not the “hit calypso” Machel would have us believe it is. …
Read More »Noble: Messy Massy and Mr Warner
During the massive rebranding exercise, Tony Deyal wryly commented: “Neal and Massy announced it was Massy and proved to be even worse, messy…” He also cautioned Mr Gervase Warner: “…I keep seeing the CEO in almost every local forum pontificating about the economy, the environment, and everything under the sun… …
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