We are too pre-occupied with celebration

This is the view of Dr Gelien Matthews, lecturer in Caribbean, American and Gender History at the St Augustine Campus of the University of West Indies.

“I don’t know if people are still keen about the significance of it,” she told Sunday Newsday.

“I know that there is a lot of entertainment attached to the celebration of Emancipation in Trinidad and Tobago.” Matthews said she was invited to speak at an Emancipation function hosted by TSTT on Friday which gave credence to her view that the essence of the observance was lost.

She said a highlight of the event was an Emancipation King and Queen competition.

“To me, that stole the attention of the people, that fashion parade. I gave a serious delivery but what really excited people in that whole function was the display of African clothing and the talent dimension of the competition.

In Trinidad and Tobago, people are more interested in the celebratory dimension of Emancipation rather than reflecting on the way in which it has changed living for black people in T&T and the wider Caribbean and the world.” Matthews, who wrote a publication titled “Slave Revolts and the British Abolitionists Movement” said the media and tertiary institutions have a crucial role to play in spreading the message of Emancipation.

“Yes, we do appreciate the beauty in the African hairstyles, in clothing and footwear, but I think we need to go beyond that.” In this regard, Matthews said the Emancipation Support Committee (ESC) must do more to promote the history of Emancipation.

“They should promote more and capture the history, write articles, produce with the history channel of Trinidad and Tobago, documentaries highlighting perhaps the significance of the formerly enslaved peoples and their struggles through revolution and fighting or even through resistance on the plantation,” she said.

“But, in terms of what they (ESC) do, I don’t think they do enough. Again, it is all about celebration.

They are in the Emancipation Village putting together a concert with entertainment.

And while these are important, it is not enough.” Matthews said Emancipation Day is still relevant.

“Trinidad and Tobago is the first country in the world to observe it as a public holiday and I definitely feel that it is important because it pays attention to one ethnic group in Trinidad and Tobago, people of African descent - the second largest group right now in the population - and it gives recognition to their struggle for freedom and the eventual attainment of freedom.” Emancipation Day, which commemorates the abolition of slavery, was designated a public holiday here in 1985.