Afro-Trinis: Our own worst enemies

Some weeks ago, I wrote about the need for legislation to deal with anti-social behaviour of adults in public that corrupt the minds of our young people. On December 5, 2003 I read a news item in a weekly newspaper under the caption: “Machel behaves stink on stage.” Together with the article was a picture to support the allegation, and by extension, my views on the behaviour of adults in public. According to the report, the performer “literally had the women eating out of his hands” and I assumed they were young mothers and would-be mothers enjoying the antics of their role model. I was not a bit surprised but it sent my mind back to the debate on the COSTAATT programme and the under-performing Afro Trinbagonians between the age of 17 - 24.

No one in their right senses will deny that there is an under-performing problem among our African males and it is the responsibility of the Government to address the situation. However, to make public a solution tainted with racism and discrimination, can only put the Government in the same low performance category as the 17 - 24 Trinbagonian under-performers. I hold the view that the Government felt the chosen solution was politically correct but did not foresee the criticism it would attract. As usual, the COSTAATT debate across the country was partisan, but what disturbed me most was the tendency — of those supporting the Trini style affirmative action as a solution — to blame the Indo Trini community for the performance of Afro Trinbagonians. From all appearances, this Government seems to have difficulty solving problems and should consider taking a crash course in problem solving methods that rely on truth and reality.

The first step towards complete liberation is to track our history and face the truth. The reckless attempt to deceive, took my mind back to my study group in the 1950s where we studied the history of  Indians and Africans after their liberation and end of indentureship. When this happened, the majority of Indians remained on the sugar plantation while the majority of Africans gradually left for areas where they could sell their labour and most of them who had land sold it as the years went by. There is much more to where this can take me but space demands that I cut this part of the history short as it is not as important now as this fact: “most of the Indians remained on the land and became both field-workers and small businessmen” — working the land, planting, reaping and selling the produce. That dual occupation became the foundation of their future economic success.

Another asset was their culture —notwithstanding their different religions or region in India from which they came. In the old days, I witnessed on many occasions Indo Trini children around the age of four to six receiving money and giving change to customers at the family business (parlour) under the supervision of their parents. On the other side of reality, this is how the Afro Trini used to deal with their children: “Yuh see that drawer with the money there, don’t go near to it and ah doh want to see you in the parlour.” Get the psychological message sent to the child? Long ago, it was the habit of adults to ask children, “what would you like to be when you grow up?” If the child is Indian, it would say: “Ah Doctor” — and as time moved on, some would say “Lawyer.” Ask the Afro Trini boy the same question, the popular answer would be: “ah policeman.” In those days, the police “force” (today it’s “service”) was littered with under-achievers. Indo Trinidadians’ positive attitude towards education, parenting and family values is an integral part of their culture.

In the real world of Trinidad and Tobago, low performance is not only confined to Afro males between the ages of 17 to 14. Generally, as an ethnic community, we have failed miserably in the areas of family values and our relationship with each other. We have become our own worst enemy. The Afro Trinbagonian entrepreneurs who can create employment are small in number and there are some intellectuals who are intellectually limited, serving only to keep our heads in the sand. I am always very wary of advocates of “black empowerment” who avoid confronting some of the self-inflicted weaknesses in our culture that are barriers in the pathways to empowerment. Whatever is our historical background, we are a fun loving people, but over-indulgence can make us become addicted to a fete mentality that make our lives less productive and immoral. Empowerment also means building self-esteem, changing negative attitudes and lifestyles that must start from the ground and not in ivory towers. The vision calls for trained leadership who will work towards building a network across the country aimed at developing a new Afro consciousness by confronting our cultural deficiencies as a people and present a new vision for reconstructing our family life and culture, which is much more than music, dance and calypso.

Depressed and dysfunctional Afro Trinbagonian families must be taught that marriage is a partnership in the building of a family. Men must be made to understand the single parent dilemma and learn to overcome their fears of responsibility, commitment and insecurity arising from the growing challenge they face from today’s women. Both men and women must not only be taught how to manage anger but also how to manage money. They must know the difference between what they want and what they need and make education a family priority. These and other cultural reforms, over time, can be the legs that will take our young Afro Trinbagonians away from dependence and into colleges and universities with their heads high, confident that they can perform with credit at the highest level. Here is the bottom line: The significant difference in the society between Africans and Indians is their culture and not race that is being used by unconscionable under-performing politicians to keep the less-fortunate Afro and Indo Trinbagonians divided and powerless, making it difficult, if not impossible for them to come together to struggle for social change and a better life for both ethnic groups in TT. The irony of the situation however, is that the so-called grassroot leaders and the less privileged themselves are contributors to the same politics of division that keep them between a rock and a hard place.

WYCLIFFE MORRIS
is the Former Director of Education
NUGFW