Daily Archives: April 18, 2008

Culture, General T&T, Politics

Judge dead wrong on race

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by Dr. Kwame Nantambu
April 18, 2008

Trini PeopleThis critique is in response to an article titled “Judge: Address racism to move ahead” that appeared in The Daily Express (14 April 2008) in which Justice Wendell Kangaloo is reported to have said that “we in Trinidad and Tobago would do well to start a conversation about race” in order to move this country forward.

Apparently, Justice Kangaloo’s eye-opener on race in T&T resulted from his amazement while viewing a programme on race via MSNBC-TV in the United States.
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Culture, General T&T

Naming Ourselves

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By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
April 18, 2008

Derek WalcottIn Omeros, Derek Walcott’s epic poem, Achille, one of the major protagonists, returns to Africa and is welcomed home by Ofolabe, his father. During that visit, Ofolabe learns that Achille changed his African name to a Caribbean name that has little meaning. Hurt by this name change, Afolabe retorts:

“A name means something. The qualities desired in a son,/and even a girl-child; so even the shadows who called/you expected one virtue, since every name is a blessing,/ since I am remembering the hope I had for you as a child./ Unless the sound means nothing. Then you would be nothing./ Did they think you were nothing in that other kingdom?”

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