Category Archives: Race and Identity

Elections, General T&T, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Racial chupidness vs ethnicity in T&T

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By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
September 20, 2015

Dr. Kwame NantambuThe recent public simplistic, albeit ridiculous racial remarks as per social media by Trinbagonians, tended to false impression that that’s the human interactive reality in this country post 53 years of putative political independence, period.

At the outset, it must be stated quite emphatically and equivocally that “this our native Land” is NOT racially monologue; our “native Land” is a polyglot, multiracial, multi-religious, multi-ethnic society, period. Hey, my fellow Trinbagonians there were human beings as in peoples who inhabited this land in B.B.E. era long, long, long, those whom are now called Europeans came, albeit stumbled, after being totally lost, ‘discovered’ whatever….
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Elections, General T&T, Labour, Opposition Party, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch, UNC

More CEPEP, URP ‘lochos’

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By Raffique Shah
Jun 13, 2015

Raffique ShahAs she enters uncharted territory seeking a second term in office, the Prime Minister exudes a measure of confidence that is at odds with a widely-held perception that her People’s Partnership coalition will lose the general election.

She and her ministers have made it clear that they plan to campaign on performance, which they hope will mute charges of corruption, waste and scandal that were deafening during the past five years.
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General T&T, Media, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch, UNC

All ah we is one, right?

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All ah we is one, right?
By Reginald Dumas – March 31, 2015
Trini PeopleIn April 2014 Jaishima Leladharsingh said in an insensitive Facebook comment said that he was “glad (ANR) Robinson (had) gone forever.” Soon after, he launched a racial assault on Anthony McLeod, whom he didn’t know but who he obviously thought was black. McLeod’s photo in fact shows him a mixed race person. Leladharsingh was clearly misled by the name: he must have assumed that Anthony looked like Errol. The Minister should take note.
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General T&T, People's Partnership, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Race versus Ethnicity in T&T

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By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
March 19, 2015

Dr. Kwame NantambuThe recent firing of Board Member of the Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA) Jaishima Leladharsingh by the Minister of Planning and Sustainable Development Dt. Bhoe Tewarie speaks volumes as to the overt misunderstanding, albeit confusion, between race and ethnicity in Trinidad and Tobago.

At the outset, it must be stated quite categorically and equivocally that the public remarks by Mr. Leladharsingh via Facebook were not racist; instead, they were downright “chupid”, unacceptable, foolish, insane, insulting, irresponsible and ignorant to the nth degree.
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General T&T, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

The Responsibility of Intellectuals

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By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
October 16, 2014

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeLast Saturday I attended the launch of Sat Maharaj: Hindu Civil Rights Leader of Trinidad and Tobago, a biography written by Kumar Mahabir. Although I did not read the book (it was not available at the time) I could see the enthusiasm and joy that emanated from an audience that had come to embrace Sat as their personal hero. I attended the function to congratulate Sat for having placed, via Mahabir, a partial account of his life.
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India, International, Media, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Update: African students recount racist attack in India

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African students from Noida recount mob attack horror


Niharika Lal, TNN
Oct 6, 2014, 03.15PM IST – timesofindia.indiatimes.com

The brutal attack on three African students at Rajiv Chowk Metro station hit headlines last week, reopening debates on racism experienced by Africans in the city. There is no official version yet of what the students – Yohan Koumba Daouda and Mapaga Yannis, both students of Amity Institute of Information Technology, and Guira, a first year BBA student of Sharda University – had done to incite the attack. One of the witnesses, who posted a video of the incident on YouTube, reportedly said that they were accused of ‘misbehaving with female passengers’ by making lewd comments at a woman on a train. Another report said that in the rush to board a train on the Yellow Line, one of the students was pushed aside. He apparently made a comment against Indians in protest, which then angered some passengers.
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Africa, General T&T, Hindu, India, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Balancing the Scales of Reparatory Justice

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By Stephen Kangal
August 21, 2014

Stephen KangalI regard myself as an objective and detached observer of the legitimate current claim being prosecuted across the Caribbean for European nations that participated in the infamous Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade to pay reparations to the descendants of those who suffered this inhumanity in the hands of the slave-masters/traders and tribal chiefs in Africa who mobilized them and sold them to the slave-traders.
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Africa, Education, General T&T, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Emancipate Yourself from … Yourself

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By Corey Gilkes
August 06, 2014

EmancipationYears ago, the late economist and social thinker Lloyd Best pondered over the question of how does one save a culture from itself. This is a question we have not collectively dealt with as we continue to entangle ourselves more and more in the destructive aspects of this culture that we’re partly responsible for creating. Somewhere along the line, Emancipation, understood as “freedom” – and I’ll come back to that later – was hijacked to become something that was tolerant of mediocrity, the spurning of ambition, industriousness and intellectual pursuits. Small wonder some people say “dey should bring back de white man” because we’ve made a mess of our Independence (and our Emancipation). I don’t necessarily subscribe to such a self-loathing sentiment but much of what we’re doing to ourselves and our space certainly gives credence to it.
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Africa, Caribbean, CARICOM, Education, England, General T&T, International, Law, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

CARICOM Reparations Presentation to UK House of Commons

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PROFESSOR SIR HILARY BECKLES
Professor Sir Hilary Beckles

ADDRESS DELIVERED BY PROFESSOR SIR HILARY BECKLES
CHAIRMAN OF THE CARICOM REPARATIONS COMMISSION

to the

HOUSE OF COMMONS,
PARLIAMENT OF GREAT BRITAIN
COMMITTEE ROOM 14
JULY 16, 2014
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Crime in T&T, Culture, General T&T, Law, Murder, Race and Identity, Racism Watch, Violence

Architects of our own demise

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By Raffique Shah
June 15, 2014

Raffique ShahI am writing this column knowing that it will not be read by the target audience—young, black and ‘er…unschooled men.

Few if any in this group read anything, least of all newspapers. If they pick up an Express, it would be to watch a photograph of some dead “bredren”, felled by bullets from police or criminal, same difference, and to wonder if they, upon meeting a similar fate, would make a pretty corpse.
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