by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI
…but still a long way to go
On August 30 and 31, I will be serving as one of several judges at London’s Notting Hill Carnival – Europe’s largest street festival. God has gifted his people with abundant talent. Artistic excellence is evident each year in many a band.
St Lucia’s High Commissioner to London, HE Dr Ernest Hilaire, is the Ambassadorial Patron for this year’s Carnival. As Debora Alleyne De Gazon, Creative Director/PR and Communication Manager of the London Notting Hill Carnival Enterprise Trust (LNHCET), says: “Recognition of an Ambassadorial Patron is one of the objectives of the LNHCET Development and Sustainability programme. This initiative aims to facilitate the opportunity for LNHCET to develop eminent relationships with various embassies thus fostering opportunities to promote their country’s creative and non-creative industries as well as the brand of the London Notting Hill Carnival.”
The demographics of the Notting Hill area have changed over the years but the spirit of Carnival is alive, as are the memories of those who played a major role in making it a reality – people such as Rhaune Laslett-O’Brien and Trinidadian-born Claudia Jones in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Pearl and Edric Connor, and Russell Henderson MBE, the Trinidad-born music icon who led the first Carnival parade in 1965. Russell, who founded Britain’s first steelband group in 1952 (The Russ Henderson Steelband), died in London on August 18. He was 91 years old.
Russell Henderson, stalwart of Caribbean music in the United Kingdom, died in London on August 18. Photo Kevin Joseph
On August 22, as part of the Carnival season, a study day – using film, archive material, personal accounts and so on – was organised at the Black Cultural Archives, Windrush Square, Brixton, entitled: “Claudia at 100: Power, Beauty, Resilience and Legacy.” The day provided an opportunity “to look back at the prolific life and legacy of Claudia Jones”. She was “the founder of the West Indian Gazette, social justice activist, and political campaigner” (www.facebook.com/bcaheritage).
As Trinidad and Tobago prepares to celebrate the 53rd anniversary of Independence, it is right that we acknowledge our many achievements. Indeed, we can be justly proud of the progress that we have made. However, if we reflect on what “self-determination” really means, we would have to accept that we have a long way to go before we achieve the ideals outlined in the Preamble of our Constitution or in the moving words of our National Anthem.
It was Plato who argued in The Republic that the best city-state has ties that resemble the nervous system of the body, so that “if the finger of one of us is wounded,” the community “feels the pain as a whole”.
Do we feel the pain of those in our beloved country for whom justice remains a forlorn dream? Does every creed and race in T&T have an equal place? General elections are upon us. Let us use this opportunity to look our flaws squarely in the face and urge candidates to commit to building the common good; promoting the dignity of each person and mutual respect among the diverse ethnic groups that co-exist in T&T; and being good stewards of our environment.
Let us harness the creative energy of all our people in the task of nation-building. We must start with the young ones – at home and at school – raising their awareness of what it means to be an independent nation. Tell them stories of the steadfast dedication of the many who, in the past and today, have given/give yeoman service so that we can realise our goals as an independent nation.
Today’s Gospel reading (Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23) has much on which we can reflect as we mark Independence Day. The words speak to each of us. Remember, it is not what goes inside of us that can defile us, but what comes out. At the heart of the matter is the human heart. Most of the troubles in our world stem from the human heart. How many have abandoned God and continue to hold on to human traditions? How many have allowed evil intentions to emerge from their hearts?
While today’s Responsorial Psalm (Psalms 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5) applies to each of us, I ask all election candidates who seek to serve the country to act uprightly, speak the truth from the heart, keep their tongues under control, cast no discredit on their neighbours, and take no bribe to harm the innocent.
If we have truly received the Word, we will strive to be upright citizens and use our God-given gifts to build a T&T in which love, truth, peace, freedom and justice can prevail. Happy Independence Day!
