[UPDATED] Warao Queen warns PoS Mayor over Columbus statue

THE WARAO Nation will wait no longer than seven days for Port of Spain Mayor Joel Martinez to decide the process for removing the Columbus statue on Independence Square.

On Wednesday, queen of the Warao Nation Donna Bermudez-Bovell, was among a group who went to City Hall to deliver a petition supporting the statue's removal. The petition, started last week, had gathered almost 8,000 signatures.

Others delivering the petition included Shabaka Kambon of the Cross Rhodes Freedom Project and others, including All Nations of Rastafari and the First Peoples of Santa Rosa,

However, as Martinez said the city council would address the issue, he was interrupted by those unsatisfied by his response.

"Take it down," said a woman in the audience, who described herself as a representative of the people of all the Americas.

"We want to do this peacefully," Bermudez-Bovell interjected. "But if this cannot be done peacefully, then I'm sorry, people," she said, adding that she and the elders are fed up of being promised action without results.

Bermudez-Bovell repeatedly asked the mayor to give assurance that the matter would be addressed within the week, since it has been pending for discussion since 2017.

She said she could not guarantee the statue would not be forcibly removed by indigenous people, who, she said, were disrespected every time they passed the monument.

There have been incidents almost annually of the statue's desecration, which has been in place since 1881. There have been demonstrations and petitions for its removal dating back to the 1960s. In 2018, shortly after Martinez became Mayor, he received a petition from both the Cross Rhodes Freedom Project and the Warao Nation, with the same end-goal – to remove the monument.

"Whatever my people do," the queen said, "you all will have to accept it."

After being given the ultimatum, Martinez eventually agreed to discuss the matter with the council at its next statutory meeting, scheduled for June 24 at 2 pm.

Kambon appeared to take a more diplomatic stance, saying, all the polls showed that people were overwhelmingly in favour of removing the Columbus statue and other such monuments.

He reiterated what he sees as the irony of the situation, given that Columbus Square is located on Independence Square, in homage to TT's independence as a colony. It is also ironic, he said, that the Mayor of London – Sadiq Khan – on June 9 created a commission, which, according to the city's official webpage, is intended "to review and improve diversity across London’s public realm to ensure the capital’s landmarks suitably reflect London’s achievements and diversity.

He said it would be a shame if the colonisers could remove monuments which celebrate colonialism, and the former colonies, including TT, do nothing.

"This is a worldwide movement," he said, noting that even Columbus State Community College, in Columbus, Ohio, is set to remove its 20-tonne namesake statue, as was reported on Tuesday.

"This is a very, very serious moment. And we in TT do not want to be on the wrong side of history."

Martinez maintained that more dialogue is needed before any decisions are made.

But, he said, "I like the fact that the representation was made this morning by the (Cross) Rhodes Movement and the Warao community based on the information that they have gathered and the cause that they are representing.

"And as mayor of Port of Spain and the council, it is important for us to listen to the different groups as they present their discourse. At the end of the day, we want what is good and right for our citizens and the stakeholders.

He said he had been "listening to the various channels...Something is going to happen. The thing about it is that if it's going to happen in a short time or it may take a little bit longer, we as a people – once we go about it the right way – I feel that at the end of the day, we'll all be better off for it.

"Our history is what it is. It made us who we are today. There are times in history where negative things happen that made us better people," he said.

A member of the audience took issue with this statement, telling the mayor, "We are (where we are) despite (Columbus's arrival), not because of it."

Last week, during a morning television programme, Martinez said the process for remove a monument would require a discussion by the council and Cabinet approval. However, he was unable to explain the process yesterday after several enquiries.

He said responding to the petition "requires us to continue the deliberation that allows us to look at the various points of view, but the conversation is active.

"But what is good about it is that we can continue to have a discussion to help with the development of the city of Port of Spain."

Repeatedly pressed for a definitive answer by Bermudez-Bovell and members of the audience, he eventually said he would respond on the process after the council meeting next Wednesday.

This story was originally published with the title "PoS mayor given ultimatum over Columbus statue" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

THE WARAO Nation will wait no longer than seven days for Port of Spain Mayor Joel Martinez to determine the process for removing the Christopher Columbus statue from Independence Square.

On Wednesday, Queen of the Warao Nation Donna Bermudez-Bovell, Shabaka Kambon of the Cross Rhodes Freedom Foundation and others went to City Hall to deliver a petition supporting the statue's removal which had gathered almost 8,000 signatures since it was started last week.

However, even as Martinez said the issue would be addressed by the city council, he was interrupted by those unsatisfied by his response.

Bermudez-Bovell, in particular, repeatedly asked the mayor to give the assurance that the matter would be addressed within the week. She said she could not guarantee the statue would not be forcibly removed by indigenous people who, she said, were disrespected every time they passed the monument.

Martinez, after being given the ultimatum, eventually agreed to discuss the matter with the city council at its next statutory meeting, which is scheduled for Wednesday at 2 pm.