2014 newsletter - 1st edition by Colthrust PR

1st Edition 2014

2014 NATIONAL EMANCIPATION CELEBRATION REPARATIONS:RIGHTING A HISTORICAL WRONG

AKOBEN: On Sunday May 25, African Liberation Day, entertainment, education featuring multimedia presentations, drama, and the introduction of a new CD on reparations formed part of the Emancipation Support Committee’s launch of its programme for the 2014 commemoration. The launch, which took place at the Lions Cultural Centre, Woodbrook, Port of Spain at 5.00 p.m., also commemorated African Liberation Day. This year the Emancipation Support Committee of Trinidad and Tobago (ESCTT) will place its major focus on reparations, highlighting this crucial issue with its theme: “Reparations: Righting a Historical Wrong”, which was addressed by the organization’s Chairman, Khafra Kambon. CARICOM helped to set the stage for this theme when in June 2013, Heads of State of 15 1 Caribbean nations took a historic decision to claim reparations from Britain France European

CALL TO ACTION and other European countries for the suffering inflicted on Africans by the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and chattel slavery, as well as the genocide against the indigenous peoples of the region. CARICOM Heads went a step further by approving draft recommendations, called a Ten Point Plan, for negotiations with the former colonizing powers. The agenda includes support for repatriation and a number of developmental proposals in the areas of economic development, health, culture and psychological repair. The CARICOM decision has had tremendous international impact and it has become one of the revitalizing factors in the global reparations movement. As one of the non-governmental organizations, in the Caribbean, that has consistently championed the cause

of reparations, the ESCTT is giving its full support to CARICOM and its programme of activities, which was launched at the Lions Cultural Centre th on Sunday, May 25 reflected this. In 2014 the African world and all those touched by the messages of Marcus Mosiah Garvey will also be th celebrating the 100 anniversary of his founding of the Universal Negro Improvement African Communities League. This major anniversary was also featured in the ESCTT’s programming and it was highlighted at the launch through the celebrated guest speaker, Dr. Donna McFarlane, Director and Curator of Liberty Hall in Kingston, Jamaica, the former centre of Garvey’s Jamaica operations. Liberty Hall: The Legacy of Marcus Garvey, as it is officially… Continued on page 5.

: A CALL TO ACTION

May 25th - AFRICAN LIBERATION DAY

ESCTT Launch of the National Emancipation Festival and commemoration of African Liberation Day

Africa Freedom Day, the precursor to African Liberation Day, came into being on April th 15 1958, when the first Pan African Conference was held in Ghana – the Conference of Independent African States. --The meeting, held under the patronage of Kwame Nkrumah was attended by representatives of governments from Liberia, Morocco, Libya, Sudan, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Ghana and the United Arab Republic. One of the major objectives of the Conference was to discuss measures to protect the independence and sovereignty of participating countries and assist other African territories in their struggle for self government

government. th April 15 the first day of the Conference was declared as African Freedom Day to symoblise the determination of the people of Africa to liberate themselves from the domination and exploitation of European countries and to allow for a date on which to review the progress of the movement for liberation. Between 1958 and 1963, 17 more African countries gained their independence. th On the 25 May 1963, 31 Heads of African States gathered in Addis Ababa for a summit meeting at which the organization of African Unity, now known as the African Union, was born.

At the summit, African Freedom Day was renamed African Liberation Day and th May 25 became the new date on which it would be commemorated. African Liberation Day is now celebrated internationally as a day to reaffirm the commitment to Pan Africanism and the liberation and unification of Africans on the continent and in the Diaspora. th

May 25 is also the date chosen by the Emancipation Support Committee of Trinidad and Tobago to launch the annual national Emancipation celebrations.

100th ANNISVERSARY UNIA founded by Marcus Mosiah Garvey “Up you mighty race, you can accomplish what you will”, perhaps the most often quoted and powerful words of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, sum up the potent message and mission of this Jamaic

Marcus Garvey stands among UNIA members

Jamaica-born, global icon of the PanAfrican movement and the organization he founded 100 years ago - the UNIA/ACL, the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Citizens League. In the early twentieth century, Garvey saw a people who were not only materially oppressed, held in contempt by others and discriminated against, but a people diminished by psychological wounds, limiting their potential by low self-esteem and lack of selfconfidence. Garvey built a strategy for the uplift of Africans globally around some key concepts. “Liberate the minds of men and ultimately you will liberate the bodies of men.” History was one of the tools he used to liberate African minds. As he said “there is no future for a people who deny their past”. Marcus Garvey inspired pride in African identity. He stimulated psychological, spiritual, cultural and physical linkage to Africa as a foundation on which to build the economic and political power of the race, emphasizing always the need for unity and self-reliance.

Ideology was combined with practical action which included political and social activism, publishing and distributing globally a spectacular educational tool, “The Negro World”, as well as developing economic enterprises such as factories and the Black Star Steamship Line. The radical ideas and bold actions led to the building of a phenomenal Pan-African organization that embraced some 11 million members at its peak. Trinidad and Tobago was very much a part of this global movement which had a tremendous impact on the Caribbean. By 1923 the number of chapters of the UNIA in Trinidad, second only to Cuba, was indicative of the popularity of the organization in Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad boasted twenty three chapters including those in rural towns such as Balandra, Caroni, Matura and many more. The UNIA chapters were well organized and Garveyism spread throughout the island. The UNIA also proved to be a key vehicle for political mobilization for Afro Trinidadian women of the middle and working class in Continued on page 7

2013 AFRICAN HISTORY QUIZ Each year the Youth Mobilization Committee of ESCTT hosts an African History Quiz and Spoken Word Competition which are part of an outreach programme geared towards primary and secondary school students. --The aim is to raise consciousness among the youthful population and increase the knowledge of the rich history, struggle and contribution made by persons of African descent to the global community. The competitions are sponsored by the Republic Bank, through its Power to Makea Difference programme.

First Place Winners of the 2013 African History Quiz- Arima Central

First Place Winner of the Spoken Word competition, Chloe Tenia of Atwell's Educational

In 2013 17 schools from across Trinidad and Tobago registered to participate in the African HistoryInstitute Quiz Competition. Students were given roughly 6 weeks to study the contents of a booklet which comprised four sections: Renowned Africans, Historical Events, General Knowledge and Africans in Science and Technology. Despite the challenging content, the students rose to the occasion stunning judges with their ability to recall and analyze information. The Spoken Word Competition featured nine students from various primary schools taking part, each dramatizing a story based on African mythology or featuring a strong lesson in morality. Students captivated the audience and judges, bringing to life words written on paper. Both competitions were broadcasted on CNMG television network giving these young persons the opportunity to showcase their knowledge and talent on a national stage. With the growing popularity of the competition, the ESCTT welcomes the opportunity to share the knowledge of African heritage, culture and accomplishments with a national audience.

Second Place Winners of the African

History

Quiz,

St.

Benedict's College Third Place Winner of the Spoken Word competition Kellisha Perez with Republic Bank Representative Ms. Nadia Williams

Second Place Winner of the Spoken Word competition, Adenike Olajide with Chairman of ESCTT Mr. Khafra Kambon

Third Place Winners of the 2013 African History Quiz-Arima North Secondary

Africa in the Carnival by Pearl Eintou Springer

Pierrot 1 The Barrack yards of Port of Spain Still singing humanity’s bitter refrain From Enslavement Africans had won their freedom But their living conditions were still inhuman Eintou, KAMBULE These words apply now, as then, as the playwright places these words into the mouth of the Pierrot, as he tells the story of the stick fighters as they prepare their battle plan to deal with Captain Baker. Imagine Myler, Fritzie, Joe Talmana and the other great stick fighters coming together, bringing together all the stick fight bands from Corbeaux Town, Free Town, La Cour Harpe, Dry River, New Town, burying their differences, coming together to face a common enemy who was denying them the right to cultural expression. The Kambule Riots that preceded the Carnival of 1881 was rooted in Cultural resistance and the recognition of the need for cultural retention. In my mind I have always made the link between that Carnival in which the actions of our stick fighters ensured the survival of our Carnival and the Carnivals of 1968 and 1969 and 1970. George Bailey played Brightest Africa which won both the Band of the Year and the People’s Choice. Desperadoes played Pages of Africa and Winston Gordon played Sailors Offshore in Africa. There was ferment in the artistic community, ferment among the students, young radicals, activists and trade unions.

The Carnival of the African was linked to Emancipation celebrations until a vicious colonial government in an act of psychological savagery gave August 1st to be celebrated as Columbus Day, to honour as the Kambule Pierrot says ‘The very man who brought slavery upon us’ Carnival is our major national festival. Now it has been commandeered as a commodity, consumed by the very sections of the society from which had come the spewing of scorn. There is now not one great African bandleader in the forefront of the mas! The mas has gone to bikini and beads. The people of the East Dry River have no knowledge of their contributions to the mas, nor to the society in general. The curriculum denies them the name of Joe Talmana, the heroes of the mas, the pan, the kaiso. Costumes are imported wholesale, fuelling the greed of some of the big band leaders, denying the establishment of a thriving carnival industry. The inventors of the only musical instrument of the 20th century still struggle for recognition, visibility.

In the Carnival of 1970 one could feel the excitement, the increasing polarization between disadvantaged young Africans and the rest of the society. We descended into the city from the East Dry River. Our J’Ouvert Band was Pinetoppers’ The Truth, Before, Then and Now.

The key to social transformation lies in the culture. The creation of an equal and just society lies not in the erosion of cultural identity but in the celebration of all. There should be no conflict between ethnicity and nationality. Like a subterranean current of strong waters, the elements of African culture, systematically damned by oppression, denial and a creeping concept of creolism, have consistently and systematically subverted all attempts at excision, extinction.

The section, BEFORE referred to the glory of Africa before the holocaust. THEN was the Middle Passage (Maafa) and NOW, reflected the militancy, the mood of the sixties and seventies. We celebrated the icons of revolution from Kwame Ture to Malcolm X. We marched and pranced, danced to the music of the African drums. Then came the February Revolution!

Let us take note of the warning of Garvey – those who do not heed the lessons of history are forced to repeat them. In 2011 the words of 1881 still resonate, still echo from the Hill. So much for the results of political leadership of many years by people who looked African, but who did not grasp and therefore failed to validate the creativity and self-hood of their political base.

The wonderful text on our history by Dr. Hollis Liverpool ,

Every effort needs to be made to give the stick fighters, the warriors of the mas, the recognition they deserve for having

CARIBBEAN PAN AFRICAN NETWORK COMMEMORATES ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY st

The Caribbean Pan African Network(CPAN) is an independent, non government regional organization registered in the island of Trinidad and Tobago. The Network was formed on th the 12 of September 2004 at a meeting held at the Commission for Pan African Affairs, Bridgetown Barbados. The meeting was an initiative of the Clement Payne Movement of Barbados, the Emancipation Support Committee of Trinidad and Tobago and the African Union. CPAN was established as a mechanism to facilitate Caribbean civil society engagement with the African Union and the African continent in general, in response to the decision of the African Union to formally incorporate the African Diaspora in the governance and development processes of the African continent. In this regard the African Union launched its Diaspora

Initiative at the 1 African Union / African Diaspora Forum in Washington D.C. in 2002. This was followed by an African Union-African Diaspora Workshop in Trinidad and Tobago in May 2004 where the decision was taken to host the regional civil society meeting in Barbados. From its inception CPAN incorporated in its mission the development and expansion of cooperation between Pan African organizations in the Caribbean Region and the commitment to work with other regional Pan African Networks and engage in a formal institutional relationship with the African Union towards the empowerment, development and integration of African peoples of the Continent and the Diaspora. The goals of the CPAN are as follows:  To develop an agenda for Caribbean civil society engagement with the African Union.  To provide Caribbean representatives for the relevant African Union organs.  To foster people empowerment and development throughout the African world.  To unite, strengthen and empower Pan African organizations in the Caribbean to play an effective role in the development of the region. The Network aims to fulfill its Mission and Goals through the following programme areas: Formal Participation in African Union Structures and Programmes

Education and Culture; Trade and Investment; Caribbean Unity; Reparations, Youth Mentorship and Leadership Development. At present CPAN comprises representatives of Pan African Organisations from 18 countries in the Caribbean – Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Martinique. Jamaica, Nicaragua, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and the US Virgin Islands. This year CPAN will commemorate th its 10 anniversary at a General Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda on th th October 15 and 16 following the CARICOM Reparation Conference of th th October 12 -14 . The priority items on the agenda will be the revitalizing and strengthening of the Network, building stronger working relationships with other regional and international Pan-African Networks, the struggle for Reparations and developing a more formally structured institutional relationship with the African Union.

2014 NATIONAL EMANCIPATION FESTIVAL REPARATIONS:RIGHTING A HISOTRICAL WRONG CONT’D …named, is now a major global centre for information on Marcus Garvey and the UNIA.

Dr. Donna McFarlane

Dr. McFarlane’s career background spans work as a development economist with a number of international organizations. She is also qualified with a PhD in Museum Studies. She has overseen the transformation of the once abandoned Liberty Hall, situated in a marginalized and violent inner city community in Jamaica, into a multimedia cultural, educational and inspirational institution respected and cherished by the surrounding communities, the rest of Jamaica, and the world.

REPARATIONS

Pictured above is one of the cells which could be found in the building known as the Slave Quarters on Goree Island. Picture taken from whc.unesco.org

US President George Bush, speaking at Goree Island in Senegal, in July 2003, evoked the horrors of slavery and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade in these words, “For hundreds of years on this island, peoples of different continents met in fear and cruelty. At this place, liberty and life were stolen and sold. Human beings were delivered and sorted and weighed and branded with the marks of commercial enterprises and loaded as cargo on a voyage without return”. He described the nightmare as “one of the greatest crimes in history”. He pointed out that at the end of the Middle Passage, Africans were enslaved in societies “indifferent to their anguish and made prosperous by their unpaid labor”. Recently resigned British Prime Minister Tony Blair, echoed the sentiments in an article written in 2006 describing the TransAtlantic slave trade as “one of the most

inhuman enterprises in history”. He also admitted that "Britain's rise to global pre-eminence was partially dependent on a system of colonial slave labour” The words of these Western leaders read like the opening lines of arguments for reparations. Clearly, even on moral grounds, commitment to some form of compensation would be the logical outcome of acknowledging such heinous crimes and the material prosperity and power their societies 6

societies enjoy as a result. Unfortunately the statements of President Bush and Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair followed the pattern of similar statements made by other European leaders, which express abhorrence for the extreme cruelties of the slave trade and chattel slavery, without apology or recognition of the need for compensation. At the UN General Council meeting which designated 2007 as the year to commemorate the abolition of the slave trade, almost all the spokespersons for Western European Countries took pains to emphasise that acknowledging the crimes of the past formed no basis for calls for reparations. The other side of the legacy is a devastated Africa and the continuing ruin of African lives globally, a fact ignored by the beneficiaries of slavery but acknowledged by representatives of several non-European countries, when they addressed the UN in support of the resolution to observe the abolition of the slave trade in 2007. In his sermon, to mark the occasion of the bicentennial of the abolition of the slave trade, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, emphasised both sides of the legacy: "We, who are the heirs of the slaveowning and slave-trading nations of the past, have to face the fact that our historic prosperity was built in large part on this atrocity. "Those who are the heirs of the communities ravaged by the slave trade know very well that much of their present suffering and struggling is the result of centuries of abuse." Reparation is a moral question as well as a legal one. Lord Anthony Gifford of Britain, a practicing attorney and expert in international law, speaking at the First Pan-African Congress on Reparations,

held in Abuja, Nigeria, in 1993, laid out the following bases in law for Africans to receive reparations:  The enslavement of Africans was a crime against humanity.  International law recognizes that those who commit crimes against humanity must make reparation  There is no legal, barrier to prevent those who still suffer the consequences of crimes against humanity from claiming reparations, even though the crimes were committed against their ancestors There is precedent on our side - the Jews; Japanese-Americans for their internment by the US government during World War II; Koreans for the wrongs done by Japanese troops during their invasion and occupation of Korea during the war. Some indigenous peoples in Canada, the US, New Zealand and other places have received compensation based on reparations claims. Reparation goes beyond compensation. The Permanent Court of International Justice, now called the International Court of Justice, in defining the principle of reparation said that “reparation must, as far as possible, wipe out all the consequences of the illegal act and re-establish the situation which would, in all probability, have existed if that act had not been committed.” One of the positive sides of the reparation struggle is that it requires the dissemination of African historical truth, and more and more of our scholars are rising to the occasion.

100th ANNISVERSARY UNIA founded by Marcus Mosiah Garvey Cont’d the inter war period. Its influence on the political, economic and social landscape monumental A proponent of worker’s rights, Garvey’s activism moved many local trade unionists to action and informed the working masses of their rights. The leadership of the Trinidad Workingmen’s Association (TWA) overlapped with that of the local UNIA chapters with persons like James Braithwaite who was the TWA Secretary in 1919 and 1920, also being at one time the President of the Port of Spain branch of the UNIA. Additionally John Sydney de Borug, a key leader in the TWA, was also a critical figure in the New York chapter of the UNIA. In the aftermath of World War 1 where bhjlk;’l’l[l

retrenchment and salary cuts spelled the reality of many local Trinbagonians and the return of disenchanted servicemen with stories of racism at the hands of their fellow European counterparts, Trinidad and Tobago was rife with social injustice. Garvey’s voice became a beacon in the wilderness spurning the labouring masses and trade unions to action. Many quotations from the UNIA newspapers were often heard at workers’ rallies and Garvey’s influence was ever present at the dock workers’ strike of 1919. Garvey was denied entry to Trinidad and Tobago in 1922 and 1928 because of his persistent fight

fight against injustice and oppression of those persons of African descent. In 1937 Garvey was finally able to visit Trinidad, his second since 1914 and though his visit was brief, his impact on the labour movement was monumental and his ideology and philosophy continue to guide those who seek the interest of the working masses. Garvey’s influence continues in many contemporary Pan-African organizations, including the Emancipation Support Committee of Trinidad and Tobago, in the Rastafari movement, and in national festivals, with the commemoration of emancipation being the most outstanding one.

TRY THIS AFRICAN RECIPE: FUFU

Fufu is a mash of yams or other starches served as an accompaniment to meat or vegetable stews. To eat fufu, pull a small ball of mush off with your fingers, form an indentation with your thumb and use it to scoop up stews and other dishes. Or place large balls in individual serving bowls and spoon stew around them. Ingredients White yams -- 2 pounds Butter -- 2 tablespoons Salt and pepper -- to taste Method Place the unpeeled yams in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 15 to 30 minutes or until the yams are cooked through and tender. Drain and let cool somewhat. Peel the yams, chop them into large pieces and place them into a large bowl with the butter, salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher until very smooth. Alternatively, put the yams through a potato ricer and then mix with the butter, salt and pepper. Place the fufu into a large serving bowl. Wet your hands with water, form into a large ball and serve.

NOTE : Substitutions can be made with yams or plantain or a combination of both root crops. Fufu is typically served with stews and can accompany ox tail, or corn soup. This dish is delightful and the variation in food textures when served with stews provides for a delicious and unique culinary experience.

QUIZ DID YOU KNOW Before colonial rule Africa comprised up to 10,000 different states and autonomous groups with distinct languages and customs.

What is the name of the retention from our Yoruba heritage which serves as the foundation of the cooperative credit unions of today? Answer on page 8

Answer: Susu or the Yoruba form Esusu is a monetary banking system in which a fixed amount of money is paid to a central banker over a period of time. The banker would then redistribute said funds equally on an agreed upon time by participants. In the post emancipation period “joining a susu” as it was locally known, was a means whereby persons of African descent could purchase small holdings or estates or secure funds to start a business enterprise. Emancipation Support Committee 5B BERGERAC RO AD M AR AV AL PORT OF SP AIN Telephone 6285008 Fax 6289526 Email: info.emancipation @tstt.tt.net

2014 Theme: REPARATIONS: Righting A Historical Wrong

AKOBEN: Call to Action!

Reflection, Resistance, Renewal.

. “ESCTT Raising Consciousness through Culture, Research, Education, Business, Facebook Emancipation Support Committee-ESC Twitter @triniesc Website www.emancipationtt.com

Community & Youth Mobilization” The Emancipation Support Committee of Trinidad and Tobago seeks to advance the interests of Africans nationally and internationally. We are an organization that sees the need to strengthen the identity of our people by reconnecting them with their roots and reaffirming the need for pride in being Africans. By understanding the traditions of our ancestors and the struggle that brought us to where we are today we can then make plans to brighten our future through understanding of and appreciation for our heritage.