Our capital city revealed

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DARA E HEALY

31st of August, independence

1962, independence

Will go down in history for everyone of you

Forget racialism and nationalism too

Let discipline, production, and tolerance guide us through independence

– Trinidad and Tobago Independence by Lord Brynner, 1962 Independence Calypso Competition winner

THE FIRST time our red, white and black flag was raised, it was at midnight on August 30, 1962, in Woodford Square. The following day, August 31, representatives of the British Crown handed over constitutional instruments to our first Prime Minister, Dr Eric Williams, and it is said that the celebrations continued for days.

Our capital city is at the centre of countless significant moments throughout history. It was declared the capital in 1784, by then governor Don Jose Maria Chacon who wanted it moved from St Joseph or San Jose de Oruna.

The Emancipation Proclamation was read in our city in 1834, former United States President Barack Obama and other world leaders were here for international meetings in 2009, and it was the focus of the first population census in 1851.

If you can believe it, Port of Spain was once a fishing village called Conquerabia, with just two streets, Calle de Infante (Duncan) and Calle Principe (Nelson).

In the 1750s it had “a couple of little wooden houses and mud huts, some 400 mostly Spanish-Amerindian mixed people and three shops. It was surrounded by high woods and mangrove swamps, and the inhabitants were fishermen, hunters, and small farmers of cassava, corn, and even a little sugar cane which they processed into ‘pampelona,’ a roughly refined brown sugar.”

The sea originally came as far up as South Quay, so the lighthouse, for instance, was only constructed in 1842 after the land reclamation exercise.

It is unfortunate that our capital city is also the site of a large population of vulnerable and disenfranchised. It has led to the inculcation of a gang culture that affects the people who live there, from Beetham to Belmont. We often interact with children who have been forced to grow up too quickly, and treat with issues such as abuse, neglect or the incarceration and even the death of close relatives.

In spite of these difficulties, our city is a true coming together of the rich culture, history and social interactions that in many ways reflect who we are as a nation. Today, the city of Port of Spain and its suburbs officially include, Belmont, St Clair, Newtown, Woodbrook, and St James. Laventille, also considered an extension of the city, is home to the birthplace of the steel pan.

Port of Spain is where many of the famous steel orchestras may be found, such as Desperadoes, Renegades, All Stars, Phase II. There are museums, art galleries and the earliest architecture as seen in buildings like Queen’s Royal College, Knowsley and the Red House.

St James boasts the home of VS Naipaul, where no doubt the spirit of Mr Biswas still roams. The town is also routinely blocked to vehicular traffic to commemorate traditions such as Hosay. Belmont was called Freetown at one point because of the number of free or indentured Africans who lived there and were able to purchase their own properties. Belmont is still known for its preservation of the Rada belief system and stickfight traditions. And Dr Eric Williams was born in Woodbrook in 1911.

The indigenous legacy in the city is very strong. Mucurapo, an indigenous word in the Kalina language meaning silk cotton tree, is said to have been the site of a fierce battle between the indigenous peoples and Spanish colonials, with the indigenous community emerging victorious. Other place names in the city and its suburbs have indigenous origins such as Ariapita and Maraval. In 2014, bones and artefacts of these ancestors were discovered during renovations at the Red House.

The focal point for our independence celebrations is always our city, although it seems strange to me that we still do so with a rather colonial military parade. As we fast approach six decades of being on our own, how do we assess the importance of our city in the context of future growth?

In 1962, the Mighty Sparrow put faith in our leaders and the fact that we all live in relative harmony – “We want to achieve, we going to aspire, we bound to be a success.” His optimism back then is understandable, but his words still ring true – the onus is now on the people who lead us to make our city live and give our independence true meaning.

Dara Healy is a performance artist and founder of the NGO, the Indigenous Creative Arts Network – ICAN