Emancipating ourselves

THE EDITOR: On Thursday TT will observe Emancipation Day. What do we need to do to free our minds from mental slavery?

I am a dougla whose maternal grandfather, Robert Henry Fitzgerald Manning, of African origin, came to Trinidad from Barbados when he was 12 years old. He was a tailor and lay reader in the Anglican Church. He won a sweepstake and invested the money in cocoa plantations in Sangre Grande, and in property in Port of Spain.

While owning property is not all that is necessary to enable us to emancipate ourselves, it’s time to develop a culture of pride in our heritage – that goes beyond an annual procession or display of African artefacts in an emancipation village.

When I was an inspector of schools in London, a team of advisory teachers for whom I had responsibility and I produced a resource book for teachers entitled “Positive Books About Black People’s History” – reviews of books by/about famous black people, and about the rich history/culture that existed in Africa before slavery.

Some of the problems we face in TT may be linked to the fact that many of our people don’t know their history.

There were about 20,000 slaves who lived in TT in 1838 when slavery was finally abolished here. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of people of African origin living here. The Government’s vision is about putting people first; nurturing our greatest asset. But it can’t do this alone. We all need to feel that we belong to TT; that we are inter-connected. Let’s work to achieve our goals together. It’s a sense of belonging that will inspire us to be better stewards of God’s creation; to build communities in which each person can flourish – children, the elderly, the differently abled etc

I want to “big-up” a young woman of African origin, Lisa Edwards, who is in the process of establishing an NGO. Edwards has lived in Le Platte, Maraval, for the past 11 years.

She says: “As I looked around I saw that there’s so much to be done in my community; so many people need assistance. We can help each other; by coming together as one people, we can make things happen.”

She has formed a group called the Phillip Trace Positive Movement to help develop her community.

She organised a walkabout with the local councillor and has identified a number of issues to be addressed. She and her group are planning a fundraiser – curry duck cookout – on Morne Coco Hill on August 24 to facilitate the work of the group.

They have reasonable goals. They want a homework centre where computer literacy can be taught; recreational facilities; a place where young and old can come together and learn from each other, listen to music, share their God-given talents to build the common good.

This Emancipation Day let’s stop kicksing and start developing/implementing strategies to build, grow and sustain our communities; let’s embrace our diversity. Will you be a change agent in your community?

The principle of subsidiarity is important. It “grants freedom to develop the capabilities present at every level of society, while also demanding a greater sense of responsibility for the common good from those who wield greater power” (Pope Francis, Laudato Si). This way people can participate in the economic, political, and cultural life of society.

Emancipation is about ensuring good governance. As Mandela said: “There is nothing that makes people more appreciative of a government than that it should be able to deliver services.”

In TT too many lack basic amenities; too many of our nation’s institutions are failing. And in the absence of distributive justice, the battle for a slice of the nation’s “cake” continues apace. “The State must inevitably face the question of how justice can be achieved here and now” (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI).

LEELA RAMDEEN

chair, CCSJ

director, CREDI