Category Archives: Racism Watch

Africa, General T&T, People's Partnership, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

With Respect to All

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By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
August 03, 2011

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeIf one opened the dailies the day after Emancipation Day one could not miss the photographs of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism sitting proudly in their African threads on either side of Kafra Kambon (Express, August 2nd) with a headline that proclaimed: “PM: No more last minute funding.” Just to reinforce her concerns, she cooed: “As a testimony to the recognition in the Emancipation Support Committee, I have requested a convening of an inter—ministerial team charged with the review of all festival—based commemoration to ensure matters of funding and production will no longer be matters of last minute intervention. We stand committed to the success of this intervention and the Minister of Multiculturalism Winston ‘Gypsy’ Peters will head this very special committee to ensure that you get the funding and support you need at the appropriate time.”
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Africa, General T&T, India, People's Partnership, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch, Religion

The Hidden Agenda

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By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
July 26, 2011

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeOn Monday next (Emancipation Day) black folks will come out in full ethnic regalia to commemorate the emancipation of our forefathers and foremothers. They will march from the Brian Lara Promenade to the Savannah and make uplifting speeches (as they should) about our condition. The next 364 days thereafter they shall continue their slide into penury and humiliation as the People’s Partnership (PP) government does everything to ensure that African people eat the bread the devil kneads. In this new dispensation no mercy will be shown and no sympathy offered.
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Africa, General T&T, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Power versus powerlessness in T&T

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Emancipation Day Special: Part 2

By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
July 26, 2011

Dr. Kwame NantambuPart 2 of this Emancipation Day Special focuses on the power dynamics between Trinbagonians of Indian descent versus the powerlessness of Trinbagonians of African descent. And this overt ethnic imbalance is real despite the current United Nations-sponsored year-long celebration.
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Africa, General T&T, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Trinbagonian versus African Descent

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Emancipation Day Special: Part 1

By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
July 19, 2011

As T&T celebrates the United Nations-sponsored “International Year for People of African Descent,” it is a sine qua non to analyze/investigate the crucial reality of being Trinbagonian versus, albeit compared to, being of African descent in this Euro-centric environment.

The stark reality is that the ordinary Trinbagonian of African descent does not regard himself or herself as African. He/she is Trinbagonian, period.
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General T&T, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, Racism Watch, THA, Tobago

The Allness of the Universe

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By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
June 21, 2011

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeA month ago the People’s Partnership (PP) celebrated its first anniversary. Its members party fuh so. Such was their glee that Kamla even found time to stick it to Orville London and the THA. Like all-conquering heroes and monarchs of everything they surveyed, not even the lowly CEPEP was beyond the grasps of their craven ways. They wanted it all. PP was not only of T&T; it envisaged itself as the all-embracing spirit of the society.
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Culture, General T&T, India, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Ethnicity versus race in T&T

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By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
May 03, 2011

Dr. Kwame NantambuWithin recent times, issues of ethnicity versus race have been discussed and bandied about in T&T without any clear, professional/intellectual/historical delineation.

The fact of the matter is that official 2000 census figures reveal that about 42 per cent of T&T’s population is of Indian descent while 38 per cent is of African descent.
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Africa, Complaints, General T&T, India, Media, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch, UNC

A full circle

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By Raffique Shah
April 23, 2011

Raffique ShahFORTY-ONE years ago, almost to the week, tens of thousands of mainly idealistic young people thought we had killed and buried the “race bogey” in this cussed country. We had grown up knowing that race-tension lay beneath the veneer of peaceful co-existence that those in authority had proclaimed. Too often, we had heard the epithets “nigger” and “coolie” bandied about, suggesting that after almost 150 years of living together in this melting pot, our people of different races and cultures were clinging to prejudices of a distant past.
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Africa, General T&T, India, Media, Opposition Party, Parliament, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Race Talk in the House

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ParliamentRace Talk in House: Jack, Rowley square off
The People’s Partnership has achieved better ethnic balance in the appointments of boards, Works Minister Jack Warner stated yesterday. He was speaking in the House of Representatives on the motion filed by Dr Keith Rowley, asking the House to reaffirm its collective commitment to the principles of fairness and meritocracy in public affairs in the light of the “reckless and divisive statements” made by the former Police Service Commission chairman Nizam Mohammed.
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General T&T, India, People's Partnership, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Police Service Is Unique and Powerful

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By Stephen Kangal
April 20, 2011

Stephen KangalThe Police Service is singularly the most unique and powerful institution of the state. The establishment of that service cannot be honestly and usefully compared with and justified by the ethnic composition of the establishment of any other public and private sector institution. At the same time the entry requirements for this service is academically minimal. Brawn was accorded overriding importance at the early stage of the then Police Force. Accordingly studying law, medicine or the professions was never an alternative to being a police man.
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Africa, General T&T, India, Law, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Is the Problem Really Race?

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lettersTHE EDITOR: Within recent weeks the country has been engaged in a lot of dialogue on the issue of race relations in T&T; the many different names that this issue is called demonstrates our dilemma in having a genuine debate on the state of relations between peoples of different ethnic origins domiciled here. The situation is further compounded by those who lead the discussions and their agenda, explicit and implicit.
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