The place of the historian

“He did valuable work as a historian, documenting the history of Trinidad and Tobago. I have a copy of his last book on my desk.” Opposition Leader Kamla Persad- Bissessar said he “fought a valiant, but losing battle, with pancreatic cancer.” Born in San Fernando in September 1982, Bissessarsingh was the eldest of three children.

He did not study history.

He studied Agribusiness at the University of the West Indies and went on to work in public relations at the Ministry of Local Government and later in the Siparia Disaster Management Unit. However, he had also been reading local history for years.

According to a profile of him last year, two books that had a big impact were a photo album of nineteenth-century Trinidad by G?rard Besson, and The Years of Revolt by Fr Anthony de Verteuil. He has also identified Michael Anthony, Bridget Brereton and Peter Harris as key figures.

While his work in collecting, documenting, archiving and writing about history has brought him many admirers, it is Bissessarsingh’s grace upon a cancer diagnosis that truly shines.

His family has recalled a tortuous ordeal and raised troubling questions about the quality of local medical care. Pancreatic cancer is not necessarily a death sentence, but it requires early detection which, unfortunately, was not the case in this instance. Instead, despite years of baffling weight gain, doctors were unable to identify what was the problem.

Yet, once a diagnosis was made, Angelo resolved to live to the fullest to the very end. He continued to work, to write and to advocate for historical causes.

In fact, he also bravely went public with problems relating to the supply of medicine needed to treat cancer.

Instead of his concerns being treated with gravity, they were largely ignored by a society that does not appear to place primacy on the value of human life.

Bissessarsingh’s death is a blow for those concerned with preserving our history. As a country we have not done well enough in terms of generating discussion on our past and cultivating expertise in this regard.

While we have many fine historians, they very often face battles against ignorance and revisionism by persons with agendas and with mercenary intentions.

What is the role of a historian in a society that does not value its heritage and its environment, both natural and social? How can we foster a greater appreciation of who we are and where we have come from? History teaches us many lessons and is a useful resource.

But more importantly, history is truth. In the so-called age of post-truth, societies all over the world are facing challenges that are threatening to turn back time and undue progress.

Without historians, who will challenge public officials who are intent on recasting the past in order to suit their purposes? Without historians, how will our children know of the great country they live in, and its long and complex ties to many of the Earth’s continents? We send condolences to Bissessarsingh’s family. May his work live on. In death, he now joins the very history that he worked so hard to preserve.

May he rest in peace.