When will we learn?

THE EDITOR: There is an attempt to impose an entirely useless debate on the national conversation about the cultural contributions and awards regarding Anil Bheem and Leroy Calliste (Black Stalin), two cultural artists who recently passed away.

This so-called debate only exposes the continuing failure to understand and appreciate the cultural contributions of our people of various origins to the mosaic of the Trinidadian/Tobagonian culture.

Culture is an aspect of the national life that should never be a source or tool for division, but must be understood as an important contributor to the forging of a nation and for the success of the national purpose.

We must always strive to bridge the gap among art forms of different ethnic origins and between generations and among audiences of various origins.

Such bridges of unity can only be built on the basis of respect.

To achieve this, we must learn to appreciate the various art forms, their histories and form and content, their development in our own space and the contributions of each to our national experience and our nation-building efforts.

Bheem made his contribution to the genre of chutney and other genres of Indian music. Stalin made his contribution to the genre of calypso.

Each artist and each art form have their own audiences and supporters.

But each if fully appreciated and respected has the potential to have an audience of the entire nation, fully appreciative of the value of each art form and its contribution to nation-building.

To promote any narrative that seeks to use the contributions of these artists as tools for promoting any kind of whose culture is better than whose is entirely counter to the necessity to build appreciation of the cultural contributions of our peoples of all origins and ethnicities.

Let us celebrate the contributions of each of these artists.

Let us educate ourselves on the value, history and norms of the art forms which they practised.

Let us build respect for each and every art form, regardless of origin or ethnicity, and forge them into instruments for our cultural and all-round national success in forging our TT and achieving the national purpose.

Bheem recently released a remake of a classical Indian song with his own innovative flavour – https://youtu.be/DAtaAuMXCVo

Take a listen!

Stalin produced a winning performance of one of his classic calypsoes – https://youtu.be/r8mNGbE_MGw

Take a listen!

CLYDE WEATHERHEAD

via e-mail