We are at the end of 2022. What will 2023 bring us? The recent past has worn us down, making us more apprehensive about the future. The pervasive uncertainty drains our optimism, making us more guarded in our expectations. What lies ahead? What lessons should we take with us into …
Read More »Mia Mottley: The Black Stalin was a maestro, griot and true Caribbean leader
“[…] Black Stalin was one of our region’s finest masters of calypso. Both his lyrics and his melodies expertly captured the rhythm and vibe and voice of the Caribbean. “He was acutely conscious of our shared history, culture, passions and concerns and expressed them in his songs in a way …
Read More »“The undisputed People’s Calypsonian!” Gov’t pays tribute to the late Black Stalin
“[…] Black Stalin was a standard bearer of Carnival traditions whose work spans from pre-independence to the present. In the 1950s, Stalin began as a limbo dancer, then later devoted the next 60 years of his career to developing the Calypso art form…” The following statement on the death of …
Read More »Noble: Mary’s Boy Child, the Troublemaker—will we join Jesus’ war with the Establishment?
As Christmas is upon us again, the lyrics of Away in a Manger appear relevant today. Away in a manger/ no crib for his bed/ The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head;/The stars in the heavens looked down where he lay/ The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the …
Read More »Noble: Considering the PDP’s collapse, the PNM Convention’s shuffle, and Volney’s passing
What a week! The events that tumbled over each other added to the exhaustion and frustration of the long road from 2020. Do we, as a country, have a clear path to success? Let us consider a few of the incidents. Firstly, the THA’s Chief Secretary announced that he and …
Read More »Vaneisa: The empire of Enid Blyton, and other stories—colonialism via crumpets and tea
English colonialism has left a long and often miserable legacy. Cricket and tea have often been cited as the most positive contributions to its former colonies, but my interest today is not in exploring the quality of those exports. Something else triggered me. I was thinking of the impact of …
Read More »Daly Bread: Do they hear themselves? What a stunning lack of empathy to “justified complaints”
“How much for the vehicle yuh driving?” This question was one amongst the torrent of words thrown at Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan and Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Faris Al-Rawi (demoted from attorney general) in the course of a walking tour in Bamboo No 2. …
Read More »Dear Editor: Play Whe is emblematic of Trini superstition—and it could be a bonding exercise
“[…] My father used to religiously record the Play Whe results until my inquisitiveness caused him to give way, and he reassigned the task to me. It was a good bonding opportunity for us, and I became his diligent understudy, scribe, and good luck charm. “[…] To my delight, he …
Read More »Daly Bread: Crime scourge requires more than retreat and bewilderment
The Prime Minister last Sunday, in a speech before the PNM Women’s League, expressly acknowledged that Trinidad and Tobago is in “a situation of unacceptably high levels of crime”. This is an important acknowledgement after all the years of dismissive responses to the high levels of violent crime pioneered and …
Read More »Daly Bread: Hope! Can T&T find way past “dire social disorder”?
My first column on the subject of hope was written in July 2002. Currently, it is not possible to avoid a retrospective tone in these columns. This is because those in leadership positions in many sectors in our country have evaded confronting the widespread and rampantly growing societal problems with …
Read More »Noble: Sowing and Reaping: “[…] T&T’s leaders exploit […] divisive issues to gain power…”
The immutable law of nature is: what we sow, we will reap. We will not get mangoes if we sow pigeon peas. We always reap later. Sometimes, we sow ochro and have a crop in six weeks. But the crop takes years at other times, as it does when we …
Read More »Noble: Will they pick up a book or a gun? Why school violence was long in coming
In this week’s episode of school violence, we saw a lack of respect for school authorities writ large. The accustomed respect for the office of the Principal was missing. The core incivility of life in our society has been demonstrated for all to witness. The National Parent-Teacher Association President opined: …
Read More »