In a statement yesterday, the ministry said in addition to his words of congratulations, Minister Garcia offered the support of the Ministry in continuing a strong and dynamic relationship with the UWI.

Minister Garcia stated “It is my hope that the Ministry of Education and by extension the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, can work with the University of the West Indies to continue the development of human resource in innovative ways that aid to strengthen the Caribbean economy.”

The winning film will be chosen by a jury of three, which this year comprises Gregory Sloane-Seale, national co-ordinator, Citizen Security Programme in the Ministry of National Security; Dr Gabrielle Hosein, head of department and lecturer, Institute for Gender and Development Studies, at The University of the West Indies; and Pamela Carmona, regional youth and activism co-ordinator at the Amnesty International Americas Regional Office, in Mexico.

The films in competition are Cargo, Entre 2 Rives: De Saint- Domingue à Pointe-à- Pitre and Jeffrey.

Cargo by Kareem Mortimer of The Bahamas Kevin owns a battered boat, but making a living from fishing won’t keep him afloat.

Desperate, he puts his boat to another use: transporting equally desperate Haitians from the Bahamas on their way to enter the US illegally. He’s taken risks before — this time he must pull off the biggest one of all.

Entre 2 Rives: De Saint-Domingue à Pointe-à- Pitre –Mariette Monpierre, Guadeloupe A chronicle of the struggle of two Dominican women who left everything behind, including their own children, to move to Guadeloupe in hope of a better life. More than ten years later, they still fight everyday to bring their children across to their new home. Two women, two shores, one dream.

Jeffrey – Yanillys Perez, Dominican Republic Twelve-year-old Jeffrey’s mother wakes him not for school but to clean windshields in traffic to pay the rent, as he’s done for six years.

His older brother sings reggaetón, and –anxious to break free of their crushing poverty– he hopes to follow suit as “Jeffrey the Nightmare”.

In addition to receiving a trophy, the winning film-maker will also be given a cash prize of TT $5000.

Annabelle Alcazar, programme director of the ttff said in a media release: “Films have the power to give voice to those most affected by injustice, and to inspire individuals and communities to stand up and speak out against injustices such as racism, sexism, LGBT discrimination, poverty, broken justice systems and other issues that impact communities and suppress the notion of democracy for all.” Pamela Carmona, at Amnesty International Americas Regional Office, in Mexico, added: “Caribbean film-makers have been fearless in crafting powerful stories of human struggle, sacrifice and triumph –reaching across cultures and countries, transcending language barriers to speak eloquently on the issues of human rights and social justice. As long as human rights violations exist, there will always be a need for such films, and this prize is our way of acknowledging the important work being done by film-makers and activists in the Caribbean region.

The festival opens tomorrow and ends September 25

Archie, who has been called on to resign as Chief Justice, following the imbroglio of the resignation of former chief magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar and who has adamantly said he will not be doing so, is expected to address the criticisms levelled against him and the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC) of which he is chairman.

Questions have been raised on the JLSC’s ability to make appointments since the resignation of two members, retired judges Roger Hamel-Smith and Humphrey Stollmeyer in June, particularly the appointment of seven new Masters to the Family Court.

There has been no announcement of replacements for either Hamel-Smith or Stollmeyer.

Today’s ceremonial opening will begin with an inter-faith service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Hart Street, from 10 am. Chief Justice Archie will then lead a short procession of judicial officers, lawyers and other dignitaries to the Hall of Justice on Knox Street.

Archie will inspect the Guard of Honour by the Police Service before making his way to Convocation Hall, where he will deliver his annual address and declare the new law term open. Rumours are also rife that in addition to leading members of the inner bar, several judges may also not attend today’s opening.

Ayers-Caesar’s abrupt resignation in April, which in a lawsuit against the JLSC she has denied, left some 53 cases in limbo. While some of these preliminary inquires have restarted, others are still in doubt. There has been no official word from Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard on what action he will take on some of these cases, which includes decade-long murder inquiries.

Gaspard in May called for a definitive statement on the status of Ayers-Caesar, saying he could not exercise his powers unless he is officially told whether the former chief magistrate resigned.

Government has announced a decision to file an Interpretation Summons to have the court pronounce on the matter and sources say this is expected to be completed this week for filing.

At a meeting between Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar in mid-July, Persad-Bissessar rejected the proposal by the Prime Minister for a legislative resolution to the Ayers-Caesar debacle.

Ayers-Caesar was appointed a judge of the High Court on April 12 and resigned after prisoners whose cases were left unfinished rioted.

Ayers-Caesar is also challenging the revocation of her appointment as a judge and she will know next week if she has the permission of the court to pursue her legal action against the JLSC.

Schmidt in his welcome remarks stated: “We cannot miss a word of condolences for the victims of the earthquake that harshly hit the south of Mexico last week and a deep solidarity with all those who have lost their lives and properties by the devastating passage of hurricanes Harvey, Katia and Irma.

Chile will assist the concerned governments in their reconstruction as it was stated by the President of the Republic, Michelle Bachelet.” He then said spoke on the bilateral relation between Chile and TT in the past year, stating that it has been one characterised by a number of achievements, beginning with the historic official visit of the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Keith Rowley and his delegation to his country on May 28 and 29, and of the political consultations that took place this year. He said: “Both represent the excellent level of compliment and commitment for continuing the process of improving our ties.” In the area of trade, Schmidt spoke of the Partial Scope Trade Agreement that will be signed next month for a feasibility study to be done, and in terms of cooperation, he said several initiatives are in train on coastal erosion, senior public management and a new workshop on Search and Rescue to be held in Barbados.

In the social sphere, Schmidt is hoping an MOU will be signed, thus propelling the laying of the foundation for successful Chilean experiences in working with vulnerable youth, such as the Fútbol Más NGO in TT.

Chile will also participate in the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival with the movie entitled Neruda, accompanied by the President of the Association of Chilean Film Producers. Schmidt said: “Our goal is to encourage dialogue between the creative minds in both countries.

We are also working with the National Steelpan Symphonic Orchestra on a musical production to pay tribute to Chilean artist Violeta Parra in the Centenary of her birth, and on launching a work of Chilean literature translated for young audiences in the English-speaking Caribbean.” The Ambassador said all these activities aim to change this relationship into something vibrant, with a solid foundation enriched by several developments that will unite us even more in the future.

Schmidt concluded: “We want values to prevail — the values that have always underpinned our relationship, starting with strengthening representative democracy, and expanding the levels of participation and transparency of institutions.

Jesús López-Gonzáles, Ambassador of Mexico, briefly explained why the Ambassadors of Chile and Mexico decided to hold their countries’ most important annual celebration together. He said: “Mexico and Chile share a deep, mutual appreciation, which has been built through decades of friendship and solidarity among our countries and our peoples.” He then spoke of the 1920s, when Mexico was recovering from its Civil War, Chile’s renowned poet and educator, Gabriela Mistral traveled to Mexico City to assist Mexico’s Minister of Education create what is today Mexico’s public education system. Then in the 1970’s, Mexico opened its arms to give refuge to hundreds of Chilean nationals seeking protection, many of whom stayed to contribute to Mexico’s development.

However in spite of the recent passage of hurricane Katia and an earthquake that took the lives of 96 people and caused considerable damage to infrastructure and homes, López-Gonzáles said: “Relief and reconstruction efforts are now underway, and fortunately our robust economy will allow for these efforts to be competed as soon as possible.”

The announcement was made at a private screening of the’ to be a Renegade’ documentary held for the band at the Government Campus Plaza Auditorium. Norman Christie, BPTT Regional President announced the new bursary by saying: ‘One of the most powerful levers for change is education. To this end and in commemoration of the fourth consecutive Junior Panorama title won by the Junior Renegades, it is my pleasure to announce the establishment of the BPTT Renegades Bursary.

This annual bursary, will be offered to a member of the Renegades Youth Steel Orchestra who has been accepted to pursue tertiary level education at an accredited institution.’ Minister of Culture, Nyam Gadsby Dolly, Minister of Agriculture, Clarence Rambharat, former Mayor of Port of Spain Murchison Brown, former Minister of Culture Joan Yulle Williams and Nneka Luke, CEO of the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company were among those that attended the private screening of the BPTT sponsored documentary with BP Renegades band members, senior members friends and family of the Charlotte Street based steel orchestra.

Following the movie, Danielle A. Jones, BPTT Manager Corporate Communications recognised the family members of the BP Renegades for their support of the band and community: ‘The greatest gift you can give a child is to expose them to the arts and culture of Trinidad and Tobago,’ said Jones, ‘we (BPTT) thanks the parents, Aunties, uncles, grannies and grandparents for exposing their families to pan.. We even thank the godparents, like my godmother who first took me to push pan for the Renegades on Charlotte Street in the 1990’s and helped inspire this film.’

Rotich defended the men’s and overall title in 14 minutes and 39 seconds which was more than a minute ahead of the second place finisher Cleveland Thomas of Guyana (15:46), and Shirvan Baboolal, was the first local runner to finish in 15:47. Veteran local runner Curtis Cox was fourth in 16:01.

Rotich, who was pleased with the organisation of the event, described the course as good. He noted that his next race will be in Texas, United States later this year.

Chebwogen was 16th overall, but captured the women’s crown in 16:59. Grenadian Kenisha Pascal was a distant second in 18:09 and Sarah De Freitas copped bronze in 19

I say this because we are lucky to have an outstanding regional literature festival and a prestigious literary contest that features Caribbean literature. In case you haven’t noticed, international publishers are not exactly rushing to publish Caribbean literature.

Occasionally, we hit the literary jackpot with a novel like A History of Seven Killings by Jamaican writer Marlon James, which won the Booker Prize, but all in all, it is difficult to build a canon of Caribbean literature because foreign publishers don’t want to take a chance on new, Caribbean writers.

The simple truth is that foreign publishers don’t want to take chances our our literature because they say not enough books sell in the Caribbean. The books that foreign publishers often do publish, turn out to be watered down versions of Caribbean culture to meet the needs of a foreign audience with a penchant for viewing the Caribbean as an exotic playground.

The CODE Burt Awards are particularly important because they feature Young Adult (YA) literature for readers 12 to 18. These awards provide teens with books where they can see themselves in their own setting. This literary award keep that love for literature alive in that crucial period between childhood and adulthood.

If we lose readers in the YA age group, they are often lost to the world of books forever.

Books help us to determine our place in society and indeed the world. They help us resolve the conflicts in our lives, and they provide a sense of pride in who we are. If we don’t support Caribbean literature and the CODE Burt Awards, then we risk losing our literary voice in this world.

So, today I proudly introduce you to the 2016 CODE’s Burt Award-winning books for Caribbean literature in their winning order: 1. Dreams Beyond the Shore by Tamika Gibson (Trinidad and Tobago) 2. Girlcott by Florenz Webbe Maxwell (Bermuda) 3. The Protector’s Pledge by Danielle Y C McClean (Trinidad and Tobago) Over the next three weeks I will present a book review on each one of the winning books, which are now available in book stores. I must confess that am excited about Girlcott because it is historical fiction, which is quite popular with YA readers, and because it had been submitted when I was a CODE Burt Award head judge three years ago. Even back then, I felt Girlcott should have been in the top four finalists.

Also, writers should take note that Dreams Beyond the Shore and Girlcott were unpublished manuscripts when they were submitted to the CODE Burt Awards.

They are now published by Blouse and Skirt Books based in Jamaica.

Aspiring writers should go on line and check out the CODE Burt awards. Submissions to the contest are due in October.

Winners have the satisfaction of seeing their books distributed in schools throughout the Caribbean because each book is guaranteed sales of at least 2,500 copies.

There is no way to fully explain the importance of the Burt Awards and the NGC Bocas Lit Fest. Together, they serve as our lifeline to the world of literature.

Gone are the days of sharing worries and distresses, voicing of opinions and being each other’s neighbour.

Welcome to the future of self-concern, egoism and selfish acts, among each others.

The citizens have once again proven that respect for each other and people in authority is non-existent. They have lost touch with reality as they are all self-absorbed in their own little bubble.

I know there is a saying “respect is earned and not given” but in reality, people of authority must be respected whether earned or not.

In addition, it should not just be people in authority but everyone, every citizen of TT , should be respected, no matter their age, size, gender, race or religion.

Likewise, the voicing of concerns and opinions should also be respected as everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Not because there is a disagreement it means one party is right and the other is wrong.

No, both parties can be right based on the argument they put forward.

Come on people, open your ears and eyes, listen and see what is happening around you and your neighbours.

Furthermore, sharing concerns, protecting, securing and being our neighbour’s keeper has been blown away by the winds. The current reality of TT is hard to swallow, but it is what it is. Citizens being self-absorbed in their own world allows free passage for anything drastic to happen.

Women are being robbed, raped and murdered. Children are being beaten and abandoned. Elderly people are being killed. Where is the concern for protecting our neighbours? Where is the respect for each other? Isn’t the current reality of TT scary enough? A lot of effort is required to bring TT back from its current reality. A movement away from being self-centred, arrogant individuals and performing selfish acts for each other is required.

An effort to reduce the lifestyle of living in your own world or being in your own bubble has to be made. Keeping your ears and eyes open is essential for protecting ourselves and our neighbours.

These acts are what will demonstrate respect.

Respecting each other will bring forth the caring, considerate, thoughtful and helpful nature of TT . It is respect for each other that will take the country away from its current scary reality.

NIRMALA GOORDEEN via email

Already the event is gaining significant sponsor support with the addition of six companies to the line-up. Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA), Deloitte, EOG Resources, Ernst and Young (EY), KPMG and National Insurance Board of Trinidad and Tobago (NIBTT), a statement from ICATT said.

The conference will be held on November 9th and 10th and is to be held at the Hyatt Regency in Port of Spain on the theme — “Driving the Upturn — The Transformation to Longer-term Prosperity” which will focus on strategies to stimulate the local economy to achieve a sustainable recovery, the institute said.

The six new sponsors join existing gold sponsors, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), PKF, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the Trinidad and Tobago International Financial Centre Management Co. Ltd (TTIFC).

Silver sponsor is the CPA, affiliate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Caribbean (ICAC) and Bronze Sponsors include Baker Tilly Montano Ramcharitar, First Citizens Bank and Massy Group.

Joined by their parents, teachers, friends and peers from other schools, the students walked from their school on La Pique Hill, along Pointe-a-Pierre Road, Circular Road, Royal Road, Coffee Street, Mucurapo Street, and back to their school, spreading the message of non-violence.Principal Caroline Bally-Gosine who led the procession of mainly Forms One to Upper Six girls expressed her pleasure at the turnout on the second week of the school term. It was only last week the students decided to stage the walk which was themed, “Make a difference, stop the violence.” Bally-Gosine said, “We wanted to make a statement to stop all forms of violence. Domestic violence, where there is spousal abuse, children abuse, violence in the streets, bar fights, fights for little or nothing.” She said that the theme was chosen not because it is topical, “but because violence affects almost every family.” Bally-Gosine said she hopes that the walk would have the effect of increasing awareness, especially among the San Fernando community.

“We work hard to teach our girls that nobody, male, female, child, adult, should be subjected to any kind of violence. This society should be one where every citizen is able to walk freely, to do your business, exercise, live as you want to live without fear.

Fear is pervading almost every aspect of society now,” she said.

Following the walk, the school was transformed into a health clinic, where past students who are medical doctors, returned to the school to conduct vision screening, blood pressure and glucose testing, along with representatives from the diabetes association. One parent, Dr Carol Ann Ramlakhan, was also on hand to conduct dental testing and offer advice, while Dr Sunil Persad and his wife, Dr Vanessa Harry, spoke to women on health issues