“Ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.” — James Baldwin
The Minister of Culture was not the target of public anger at the Emancipation ceremony. The Government was. And when the woman declared, “We will remember,” her words reflected the deep sense of betrayal felt by thousands after Government policies pushed so many onto the breadline.
While we remember, we mustn’t lose focus on the country’s economic and judicial realities: closure of businesses, rising unemployment, abandonment of well-established principles of international relations, the normalisation of the State of Emergency, and the political directorate’s use of preventive detention orders against hundreds of people without warrants, without bail, and, in some instances, without access to legal representation. These are not isolated concerns—they strike at the very heart of justice and the rule of law.
The unpleasant events that occurred during the Emancipation celebration are concerning. But we must not be distracted from the issue of governance, including any new regulation that would require young people aged 16 to 18—defined by law as children—always to carry IDs.
Disobedience to laws attracts penalties. Laws must be fair, practical, and proportionate. When they impose burdens that many cannot reasonably meet, they raise serious questions about justice and good governance.
Traditionally, we collectively celebrate all cultural and religious occasions, including Emancipation. We dress in ethnic attire, enjoy the cuisine, dance to tassa and steelpan music, and pray together. Why must Emancipation celebrations be mired in ugly racism? Given the overwhelming goodwill the Government had when it came into office, the expectation was that it would foster harmony, but instead it has become a catalyst for divisiveness by denigrating citizens who disagree with it.
The Prime Minister said that “words hurt,” after calling citizens filth, gangsters and criminals, and brown-nosers. What are their children to think? Now we are accused of involvement in criminal activity or suffering from mental health issues if we are concerned about surveillance—telephone intercepts. We are, and we are not criminals.
One would not have expected the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) to be so insensitive to the significance that Emancipation holds for many citizens. It was not a matter of ignorance; UTT’s leadership conflated Emancipation with the end of Indian indentureship—two historically distinct events that deserve recognition on their own merits. That is entirely different from the Indian community celebrating Emancipation by showcasing their cultural traditions and artistic expressions. Those who continue to distort the issue risk inflaming racial tensions.
The insults don’t stop. Minister Roger Alexander used Emancipation Remembrance to criticise Afro-Trinidadians, describing them as “an endangered species” and questioning whether African Emancipation Day had produced meaningful progress. He said too many people remain “trapped by a mentality rooted in slavery,” asking why, after so long, “we are celebrating Emancipation but still mentally we are on that slave ship making that same trip.” Who is we”? Seemingly he is. But I don’t think he knows better, so one should seek to educate.
When Bob Marley sang, “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; none but ourselves can free our minds,” he was urging people of African descent to free themselves from the psychological scars of slavery, colonialism and racial oppression. But his message was also universal, calling on all people to reject beliefs rooted in racial superiority, domination and dehumanisation.
The phrase itself originated during the colonial era, with Marcus Garvey, a freedom fighter, who used it in a 1937 speech promoting self-emancipation and self-determination. In 1979, Marley expanded that vision in Redemption Song, honouring the struggle of freedom fighters, whom he described as prophets, and affirming the mental, spiritual and physical resilience that enabled Africans to survive the brutality of chattel slavery.
It is a myth that slavery ended in 1838. That was on paper. Chattel slavery was unprecedented in scale. It was hereditary; skin colour became a defining legal marker, with the belief in inferiority. That ideology outlived chattel slavery itself and is exemplified today when school authorities take issue with African hair braids and when people deride African religions.
Afro-Trinidadian generations
Thirty years after the British Empire signed the abolition law, slave ships sailed. Many countries hadn’t enacted laws. The plantation system had not disappeared, and formerly enslaved people worked in plantations under coercive and exploitative conditions— another form of slavery. Grandparents of today’s baby-boomer generation, people born between 1946 and 1964, had suffered slavery. That is, perhaps, why there is so much sensitivity around the Emancipation celebration. The memory is relatively recent.
Coming from a status where slavers had stripped away family life, names, culture, language, and religion, the Afro-Trinidadian generations moved forward and achieved a profound historical transition from enslavement and colonial restriction to citizenship through universal education, academic and professional achievement, and political leadership that built the social support system, virtually every road, university and educational institution, science and technology establishments, sporting facilities, public housing infrastructure, government and state institutions, utilities, hospitals, community centres, and public spaces that benefit all of us today. They nurtured excellent international relations based on respect for the sovereignty of peoples. ANR Robinson gave the world the International Criminal Court. While the first barrel of commercial oil gushed out from the ground in 1908, it was only in the decade of the 1960s, under Dr Eric Williams, Father of the Nation, that the critical energy sector began to assume a “national” identity. He implemented gas subsidies so that every citizen benefited from the country’s wealth.
By 2000, nearly 75% of Afro-Trinidadians had risen out of poverty and today contribute across every level of the socioeconomic spectrum. Yet significant socioeconomic disadvantages persist in some predominantly African urban communities, and youth crime remains a worrying issue. While they are not the principal owners of the country’s largest concentrations of wealth, the truest measure of progress is the extent to which a nation improves the quality of life and opportunities of its people across generations. By that standard, their advancement has been substantial. They have built successful businesses, contributed to the growth of domestic finance and the banking sector, and have distinguished themselves globally in jurisprudence, medicine, science and technology, sport, literature, poetry, art, music, and the development of the steelpan.
Rituals and traditions are strong forces that ground people. They provide continuity between generations, shared identity and values, stability, and the foundation needed for balance and growth. But such celebrations must strike a balance between remembrance and staying focused on the present and future. Frankly, I think the greatest respect we can pay to the memory of our ancestors is to ensure Emancipation celebrations evolve from remembering to invoking collective aspirations that will inspire younger generations, focusing on achievement, culture—African Heritage and Futurism—so they become a foundation for growth, progress, and confidence rather than an anchor to past suffering. Remember, but don’t lose focus.
