Pillars of Brinsley Samaroo’s achievements

By Stephen Kangal July 17, 2023 In an attempt to assess and conceptualise the varied life, exciting times and indeed the unique legacy and saga bequeathed to us by the late Prof Brinsley Samaroo, I can think of his odyssey of life as a solid platform that was supported by four event-filled but interlocking pillars. … Continue reading Pillars of Brinsley Samaroo’s achievements

Brinsley Samaroo: A Historian of the People

Historian and retired lecturer Prof Brinsley Samaroo By Dr Tye Salandy July 10, 2023 I first met Brinsley Samaroo many years ago on a radio programme where I brought up an aspect of race relations in Trinidad and Tobago that I thought his explanation was missing. He agreed with me, and we spoke for a … Continue reading Brinsley Samaroo: A Historian of the People

Celebrating the 46th Anniversary of the Republic Day, T&T

An Address to the Trinidad & Tobago Association of Washington, D.C., October 2, 2022 by Dr Selwyn R. Cudjoe I am pleased that your president, Nigel Scott, has invited me to address you on the 46th Anniversary of our Republic even though I prefer to see the evolution of our political independent life beginning in … Continue reading Celebrating the 46th Anniversary of the Republic Day, T&T

Fight, not cry for our beloved country

By Raffique Shah September 19, 2022 I cried for my country on the eve of Republic Day celebrations, this one marking the 47th year as a sovereign state. That graduation of sorts removed the Queen of England as our Head of State—a contradiction so many former British colonies cling to long after they became independent. … Continue reading Fight, not cry for our beloved country

Origin of Indian indentureship in Trinidad

By Dr Selwyn R. Cudjoe June 06, 2022 On the celebration of Indian Arrival Day, May 31, an Express editorial recounted: “On this day 177 years ago the Fatel Razack entered the Gulf of Paria with over 200 Indians aboard, the first of 143,939 citizens of India to be brought here under a British scheme … Continue reading Origin of Indian indentureship in Trinidad

The price of progress

By Dr Selwyn R. Cudjoe April 25, 2022 A lecture given at The UWI History Fest 2022—April 20. PART I I have been asked to speak about the “price of progress”, which the organisers of History Fest 2022 suggested should explore some aspects of the political formations of the pre-independence Trinidad and Tobago. While I … Continue reading The price of progress

Selwyn Ryan and T&T’s intellectual tradition

By Dr Selwyn R. Cudjoe March 28, 2022 “Death is not an interruption of Being, but a necessary part of it, and the condition of our immortality… We shall die, but we shall not perish.” —Charles W Warner, “The Fear of Death” In the preface to his semi-autobiographical Beyond a Boundary (1963), CLR James informs … Continue reading Selwyn Ryan and T&T’s intellectual tradition