PM interested in education ties with Africa

The Prime Minister marked the visit of Ashanti King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II as a turning point in reconnecting Africa and TT through embracing a shared heritage.

A major part of this reconnection will come in the education sector as Dr Rowley, during his address at Emancipation Day celebrations on Tuesday morning, spoke of his personal interest in fostering collaboration between universities in Africa and TT, as both regions focus on advancing technologies and other disciplines in the 21st century.

He emphasised the importance of understanding and acknowledging African heritage while embracing the potential for future collaboration and exchange.

Rowley, in a brief address, highlighted the centuries-long loss experienced by African people due to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, which forcibly separated millions from their African ancestry.

“This is a welcome to our long-lost family.

“I speak of ‘loss’ because it was a loss calculated over centuries. It was one that forcefully sent millions of African people to this side of the globe, with the vast waters of the Atlantic separating us – disconnecting us from our African ancestry.”

However, he said there is hope that the king’s visit was symbolic and would impact citizens of African descent and the younger generation who have not had the opportunity to witness the prominence of African culture before.

“Today is indeed significant!

“It is significant to our citizens of African descent, and, particularly, to our younger generation, many of whom are witnessing and discovering, for the first time, the presence, stature and majesty of African royalty in our midst.

“Hopefully, from today, the word ‘their’ which implies something foreign, other, or of distant ownership, will be changed and we will begin to share and embrace every aspect of both our lives as ‘ours’ – meaning that on both sides of the Atlantic, African people will see the ‘one-ness’ that we carry within us.

"Then, we will be separated only by the narrowing waters of the Atlantic."