Let Port-of-Spain juices flow

Increasingly cities are being seen as centres of dynamic growth and development as opposed to mere places of commerce with an important component comprising the cultural ethos of the city and host community. In Trinidad and Tobago’s renewed focus on changing its development mindset and announced objective of achieving a high level of development, is the role of culture seen as a key stimulus? Cities have always held a significant place in the evolution of humankind and we are still discovering traits of the past which emphasise the city’s role in acculturation. The great archaeological discovery of the city of Cambia is a case in point. This lost city dating to 7500 BC suggests the tantalising possibility of a civilisation that predates the previously oldest known one by 2000 years. It helps us understand the growth of villages and cities in the world. Prior to this discovery the first major urban settlements in the world were believed to have appeared in the river valleys of ancient Mesopotamia around 4000 - 3500 BC They were followed by the Nile Valley civilisation in Egypt, which produced the great Pharaonic culture. The Indus Valley settlements flourished 1000 years later around 2500 BC (Raj Chengappa). However, in the Gulf of Cambia oceanographers discovered the ruins of a vast ancient city submerged under the sea with striking similarities to Indus Valley civilisation sites on the mainland. Mammoth constructions included one the size of an Olympic swimming pool with a series of sunken steps resembling the Great Bath of Mohenjodaro. Another rectangular platform was as large as the acropolis found in Harappa. There was a large granary-like structure made of mud plaster.

A short distance away were rows of rectangular basements resembling the foundations of crumbled homesteads with outlines of a drainage system and mud roads. Artefacts recovered included polished stone tools, ornaments, semi-precious stones, ivory and the fossilised remains of a human vertebra. If we leap to modern times, we observe the evolution of cities as cultural centres taking place in unlikely places. By the close of the 19th century great European cities such as London and Paris were regarded as meccas of great culture. Typically creative communities were confined to the sprawling capital cities of leading powers. They had the wealth and the means of distribution to attract a large cross-section of artists from around the world. Increasingly, this is no longer true. Recently, new kinds of creative laboratories have emerged — in small university towns like Austin, Texas and Antwerp, Belgium, in the impoverished neighbourhoods of Marseilles, France, and Gateshead, England (Adam Piore). Driven out by the high rents of cities like London and Paris, and aided by technology and the growing ease of travel, more artists and thinkers are congregating in smaller, far-flung communities around the world. Technology has assisted a new generation of artists in Tijuana, Mexico, to upload its work onto the internet for the world to see. Technology has permitted transmission of copy from Cape Town and from someone sitting at a sidewalk cafe to an advertising agency in London. “Just as culture has become decentralised, so has creativity. We see avant-garde cultures in smaller places with young, hip bases.”

Piore alleges that the forces which draw artistes to unusual locales are the same. They come to live life to the fullest, to be a “player”, to be where the action is. Creativity emerges from chaos, pushing people to take new risks. Disorder shakes up old ideas. And nowadays, the sites of greatest ferment are often far from the rich, comfortable cultural capitals. Post-war Kabul for example, is alive with painters, film-makers, and musicians, all streaming back to the city after years in exile. Poverty is another spur to creativity. In our own TT the steel pan, the only new musical instrument in the twentieth century, developed in the poor neighbourhood of Laventille. A creative spark is needed to fuel the rise of a genuine community, such as a great name, the development of a cafe culture or the founding of a new art school. Then the cities begin to attract secondary and tertiary levels of creative people, artists in other fields, small businesses, technology start-ups, academics and design firms. Creative people want to be around other creative people. Thus a city with artists, nightlife, diversity, will attract entrepreneurs, academics, technology enthusiasts who are the people able to drive economic growth in this new age. We in TT claim to be culturally rich with artists, dancers, comedians, painters and musicians. Can this cultural evolution fuel our development as an international cultural and commercial centre as is happening in other places far less endowed with artistic talent? Further, can we develop the capacity for creating the environment in which such a development can blossom?

The views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of Guardian Life. You are invited to send your comments to guardianlife@ghl.co.tt