Culturepulse Issue 52

November 2018

Issue 52

Jada Marsh –Virtuoso Worst floods in 100 years devastates T&T 1

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CONTENTS Production and concept: D.T. Kalloo

3 things to help you realise your potential 6 Are We Missing the Solutions to Tackling Crime?

9 Jada Marsh - Virtuoso

Culturepulse is designed and produced by Cashewmedia Ltd and published online through www.issuu.com

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A Nation Comes Together In Time of Disaster 17 Poetry 4 Grenfell

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Mighty Shadow – Obituary

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Copyright 2018 Views and comments expressed by contributors are not necessary those of Culturepulse or Cashewmedia Ltd but of the author/s.

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cashewmedialtd@gmail.com Culturepulse list of contributors in making the magazine a success.

Natalie Alicia Dookie, Lyndon Brathwaite, Ansel Wong, David Wears, Chris Boothman, Nasser Khan, Malaika Crichlow, Amos Armstrong, Soshina Stephen, David Rudder, Jimmy Kainja, Paul Ade, Akilah Holder-Stewart, Michael La Rose, Dr Michelle Yaa, Dr Juanita CoxWestmaas, Dianne A Kalloo, Shabaka Thompson, Ron Ramdin, Rhianna Kalloo, Angelique, Dorothy Scott, Memory Pincheck, Erica Williams-Connell, Darren Lewis, Tessa Robinson, Cindy Mollineau, Omardath Maharaj,

Selena Carty, Alison Bajaican, Mahalia Mayne, Afridiziak, Leela Ramdeen, Caroline Muraldo, Selena Carty and Nestor Sullivan.

Member

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Since the devasting floods in Trinidad and parts of Tobago, watching the footage on Social Media and mainstream news. It saddened me to see the plight of those people who had lost all their possessions through the catastrophic forces of nature.

duty. Sometimes, it may not be apparent, and we need that little nudge to help us realise our potential. Trinidad and Tobago have realised it’s potential and we can only learn from this and rally round for the betterment of our people and our country. Leela Ramdeen noted, “the nation mobilised to face the onslaught of the floods and it was all hands-on deck (p.17). The Mighty Shadow would have been proud to see the ‘Love and unity’ of TrinbagoniansOne Love

One of the first images that touched me was the sight of a woman cooking food amidst the flood waters so that those who were unable to make a meal, would have one. The power of humanity and community spirit took over to assist those who were displaced and marooned.

The other act that brought a lump to my throat was the way two brothers assisted people using their boats to rescue, not just people, but animals and livestock along the way.

David Kalloo

For many months, criticism has been rife between citizens and the governments both present and past. Economic and development mismanagement blame has been bandied about ever since the new government came into power.

However, Trinidadians have demonstrated that in time of need, their fellowman is more important than party and, when the country needs us, regardless of class, colour, creed, rich or poor we can count on our fellowman to be there.

I reflect here on Lyndon H. Brathwaite (p.6) article on ‘Potential’. We all have the potential to do right, to do better and the potential to go beyond the call of 4

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3 Things To Help You Realise Your Potential Growing up I was always told that I had a lot of potential and as much as I did not have a full understanding of the word, I knew that what was said in the "positive tense" indicating that I will be doing big things or doing good work as I get older in life. I am certain most of us would have heard this while growing up and possibly some of us with children would have said it to our own children.

As I got older and still not having an appreciation of the word, I started thinking potential was elusive, mythical, not real. Where is it? and how come other people were seeing my potential and not me? Further on in my life I totally gave up on seeing potential it was no longer real, just something people said as a nice gesture.

prior experience in Microsoft excel.

He came over and asked me what I was doing. I explained, what I wanted to achieve and why and, surprisingly enough he pulled a chair, sat with me and proceeded to assisted me towards the completion of my task.

I was surprised by this and asked him as to how come he took the time to help me and his response was when the student is ready to learn, the teacher should be ready to teach, especially when they have potential”.

There was that elusive, unreal, faux word again! POTENTIAL. But this time something was different, potential felt real, tangible enough where I can hold it even though it has no physical form. For the first time I also saw my potential.

What would have made this difference? Let us first take a look at the word.

“When the student is ready to learn, the teacher should be ready to teach” - Inshan Meahjohn

POTENTIAL: English Language Adjective: Capable becoming

One evening in 2003, my manager Inshan Meahjohn observed I was still at the office trying to create a spreadsheet even though I had no 6

of

being

or

Noun: A latent excellence or ability that may or may not be developed In Physics: Meaning: Unapplied Energy So, what made the reintroduction of this word so different? We will have to look at three components;

“Applied knowledge is powerful” These three components are important and can be extremely dynamic when combined. It is important to note however, that realizing potential without a purpose and work is unrealistic and all efforts will result in failure.

Purpose and work are the two must haves out of the three perquisites.

The cliche “KNOWLEDGE IS POWER” is incorrect until we use the word “APPLIED” before it. If we look up the definition of the word applied, we will see that out of the many meanings it will refer to the word “WORK” at some point.

It is important to note that as much as this is written with the intent of improving the human condition towards positive outcomes. These same components can also be used for negative outcomes as well.

PURPOSE: My reason for staying late that evening was not exactly the creation of an excel spreadsheet, it was the ability to use the sheet as a “tool” so that I can close more sales and, earn a higher income. Having a purpose gives direction to your potential.

2) WORK: Potential is stored energy, with energy being the capacity for doing work. Work referring to the activity involving an applied force or movement (energy). Far too often I've seen colleagues having the potential, but not willing to do the work involved towards realising their goals.

So, I ask; • What is your potential?

• How do the three components factor into you achieving your potential?

• Are you wasting it?

3) MENTORSHIP: The polishing of a diamond is a process used to bring forth its beauty and value. This same polishing happens in humans through mentorship. The old parable "Give a man a fish" is true among us and without the right mentorship from our parents, teachers, managers, coaches, etc... many of us will settle in life with what is in front of us.

Mentorship goes deeper than just answering questions or providing help on occasion. It is an ongoing relationship of knowledge transfer, learning, dialogue and challenges towards an end result where the recipient improves or achieves over time.

Lyndon H. Brathwaite Inspired by: Real Life Events.

Website: www.opaatswy.com Change the Routine, _Create the Opportunity, Make the Difference.

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Are We Missing the Solutions to Tackling Crime? earlier this year London overtook New York City with crime figures and the Caribbean twin island state of Trinidad and Tobago is still plagued with violent crime in its urban city environs.

In a recent

shootout with police, five criminal Crime, no matter where in the

suspects were shot dead. As with

world, is a major concern for both

St

citizens and the police.

It seems,

associated with gun violence in

despite the leaps in technology and

many Caribbean islands and in

information police forces around

Trinidad it is more prevalent with

the globe are losing the battle

its proximity to the South American

against crime.

mainland.

The big question is Why? Many

One of the biggest challenges facing

police agencies are seeing cuts to

police forces are its interaction with

their policing budget and their

the public. Research and surveys

commissioners are levelling blame

have

on these cuts to the rise in crime

public, the police would always face

and for its inefficiency in dealing

an uphill task in dealing with

with rising crime statistics. Recent

criminality.

data cited St Louis in the US as

mistrust of the police in almost

America’s most murderous city. Its

every society. Recently in the UK a

downtrodden suburbs are evident

police

signs that economic decline as well

because he filmed himself abusing

as racial segregation attest to the

a disabled woman, then posting it

growing crime rate.

on Social

The

US

city

is

not

the

Louis,

the

proven

drug

that

trade

without

is

the

There is a growing

officer

was

Media.

dismissed

It is such

behaviour from the police and its

only

prejudices against ethnic minority

battleground for rising crime,

communities

9

that

continues

to

harbour

distrust

in

the

police

What can law enforcement agencies and the criminal justice system do

service.

to help reduce crime? A study in the

Police abuse of power also exists in

US has suggested that diverting

so-called ‘third world’ states and,

‘juveniles away from the juvenile

the US too. Where prejudices are

justice system’ can help by focusing

absent, corruption fills the void. In

on

the City of London Anti-Social

harsh

with violent and sexual offences,

prison

produce

totalling over 4000 reported cases These

rather

than

prison. Reports have found that

behaviour is a major concern along

(www.police.uk).

rehabilitation

Another

figures

hardened key

community

represent cases in the square mile

sentences

often

criminals.

factor

is

relations.

police-

This

has

proven to be a dynamic step in

alone. Further afield in Kenya,

crime reduction. In areas where the

crime is reported to be high in

police have integrated themselves

almost all areas, especially coastal

with the community, the crime rate

resorts where attacks on tourists by

have been dramatically suppressed.

armed gangs as well as carjacking.

Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu are known

hot

spots

for

criminal

activity. In the first quarter of 2018 there was an increase in crime cases totalling 1,448. A total of 35 police

officers

lost

their

lives

between January and April. Charles

Police

Owino, a spokesman for Kenyan police

said

that

‘crime

integration

within

the

community however, is not enough.

has

Better

use

of

technology

and

increased by 13%’ and pose a

management of crime databases

challenge for the police.

are crucial in fighting and reducing crime. Education and training for both

police

officers

and

neighbourhood watch groups are

10

also

fundamental

crime.

In

in

Guyana,

reducing newly

reality is much closer to eleven.

appointed Commissioner of Police

There is no synthetic solution to

Leslie

to

fighting and reducing crime. And

reforms

budget cuts don’t necessarily mean

James

implement

the

working on five cases, but the

has

vowed

fundamental

over a 5-month period. It is a huge

an increase in crime.

task, given the time frame. The commissioner

told

a

One of the nine rules of Robert

press

Peel’s Metropolitan police states

conference that changes would be

that ‘the test of police efficiency is

made to its aviation, marine and other

police

departments.

the absence of crime, and disorder,

He

not the visible evidence of police

announced that through ‘training, Human

resources

action in dealing with it.’ Yet police

management,

services in metropolitan cities are

rehabilitation and infrastructure’ the police force would be better equipped to deal with criminal elements. In 2017, Guyana saw a 35% increase in crime however, its violent crime rate fell by 11%.

Training and infrastructure are

finding it difficult to reduce the level

crucial in the fight against crime

of criminal activity occurring on

and crime prevention. In many

their watch.

cities, detectives are solving less

almost a third of the population

than 50% of homicides. Some of the

have suffered from some sort of

main setbacks for this is the lack of

crime.

cooperation from witnesses and a lack

of

experienced

officers

Numerous research points to the

to

use

process the workload. St Louis their

detectives

33 are

strong

technology, and

training, community

policing to effectively tackle the

homicide

overworked.

of

infrastructure

police commander, Major Warnecke said

In New Zealand,

growing menace of crime. One

On

professor of Sociology at Liverpool

average each detective should be

University 11

noted

that

‘there

is

evidence in the acceptance by many

avoiding repressive policies which,

police forces that effective crime

are

prevention can only be achieved

productive. Proactive community

thorough

between

associations have produced results

police and the community.’ Yet it

in places such as New York, Cape

remains the one area where most

Town and Chicago. However, these

police forces have lost control and

measures must be tailor-made as

the evidence is stark with the

no one policy is a fit-all-solution.

increase in violent crime.

There is no blanket approach to

cooperation

crime

often

and

seen

as

crime

counter-

prevention.

However, as Robert Muggah once said. “We need to get smarter about how we want to really have a meaningful impact on preventing and reducing violence.�

Across the globe, the reaction and methods

all

steer

education,

towards

technology

changing

socio

structures.

The

David Kalloo

and

economic

United

Nations

urges fostering civic culture to reduce violence in crime prone areas in many South American cities. The University of Queensland in Australia backs the use of technology

to

target

children

through wellbeing campaigns, so children

are

venturing criminality.

discouraged

down

the

In

Canada,

from

road

of

urban

upgrading is seen as a situational prevention, but many believe this just shifts the problem from one area to the next. Many countries are 12

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Jada Marsh – Virtuoso lessons with the violin. Since those initial trial lessons, Jada has not looked back. She impressed her tutors with her sparkling brilliance that she was encouraged to apply for a scholarship at Battle Abbey School for which was graciously accepted. Jada proved to be an exceptional talent on the violin and later attended The Royal College of Music Junior Department.

Jada’s unique talent with the violin did not go unnoticed, not only was her parents investing in her love for the violin, others had paid attention to her outstanding qualities. Jada was the recipient of a sponsorship to acquire a violin to the tune of £15000. The instrument, bow, case and two sets of spare strings enabled her to pursue her love for instrument and music which allowed her to excel beyond expectations. She went on to pass her Grade 8 violin exams scoring 140 out of 150, Jada Katie Marsh was born in the Royal Chartered Borough of Arima, Trinidad. The only Royal Chartered Borough outside of Great Britain.

She was born to a British father and a Trinidadian mother.

Jada attended the Arima Hindu School before moving to Hastings, England in 2009 where she attended the Castledown Primary School.

There the young Jada was captivated by a violin displayed at a friend’s house at the age of 5. She admired the violin with such enthusiasm that her parents extended her a 10-week trial music 14

four years ago achieving a high distinction and a distinction on music theory with 90 out of 100.

implore you and, simply takes your breath away with her bodacious renditions of classical and her native Trinidad music. She has married her native music with the violin with flawless ease.

Her eloquence in combining two different genres with such vibrance is pure brilliance beyond measure.

Her demure yet confident characteristics embodies the aura she brings to the stage with a repertoire that surprises and thrills every audience wherever she performs.

The talented Trinidadian did something extraordinary, she incorporated her native Trinidad music with the classical strings of the violin. Listening to the music her mother had brought back from Trinidad including; calypso, Soca, reggae and parang (traditional Trinidad Christmas music), Jada mesmerised audiences with her repertoire wherever she performed.

She has performed at some of the UK’s prestigious locations including; House of Lords, Kensington Palace, The Albert Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Trinidad and Tobago High Commission in London and thrilled audience in Birmingham, Leeds and more recently at the Miss Trinidad and Tobago UK pageant. At the Miss T&T UK show, she was adjudged Miss Talented Teen 2018. She is the appointed resident musician for the NHS Trust for Eastbourne and leader of the Hastings Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Jada has been described as having an ‘intuitive understanding’ of the violin that as such, she has turned ‘Beethoven’s Romance in F into a virtuoso performance’. Listening to Jada play classical, Soca, calypso or reggae is as exquisite as any fine voice. From playing David Rudder’s Trini to de Bone to Beethoven, Jada sends rapturous tingles through your soul. She captivates you, thrills you and

Photos courtesy Lisa Marsh

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A Nation Comes Together In Time Of Disaster

By Leela Ramdeen, Chair of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice & Attorney-at-Law, Trinidad

their safety and their property and execute emergency evacuation procedures.” The 14 Regional Corporations were put on alert to assist.

In a world in which selfishness, individualism, and greed threaten to overwhelm us, I feel proud of the way in which citizens in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) came together to help each other during the recent widespread flooding in T&T.

The rains continued over the weekend of 20 and 21 October. On 20 October our PM, Dr the Hon. Keith Rowley, declared the floods “a national disaster”. The major rivers e.g.

Caroni, Guayamare, Ortoire, Toco, as well as their tributaries, breached their banks, leading to flash flooding on roads, highways, and in many communities; as well as landslips and landslides/land-slippages in some areas. And high tide brought even more disaster.

According to “The Watchers News” as of October 22, floods were affecting an estimated 80% of Trinidad. Affected areas included: Arima, Bamboo, Barataria, Caroni, Cumuto, Cunupia, El Socorro, Diego Martin, Gasparillo, Greenvale Park La Horqueta, Kelly Village, Las Lomas, Mafeking, Manzanilla, Maraval, Mayaro, Oropune Gardens, Piarco, Port of Spain, St Helena, St Joseph, Sangre Grande, San Raphael, Santa Cruz, and Valsayn. There was also flash flooding in Tobago, in areas such as Bacolet, Delaford, Speyside, and landslide in Castara,

As early as Sat 13 October, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) was alerting citizens that an Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) was approaching. TT is located in the band of the ITCZ. Rains started on 15 October. From 17-19 October we had 250.2 mm of rainfall. As the ITCZ intensified over T&T the rain fell non-stop, relentlessly. Showers were heavy and torrential at times.

The T&T Meteorological Service upgraded the Riverine Flood Alert level from orange to red. The ODPM urged residents in flood-prone areas “to be cautious and secure

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Hope, L’Anse Fourmi and Mason Hall, where the road had become impassable.

them while other pets and livestock were left to fend for themselves.

Although, thank God, there were no human lives lost or serious injuries during the floods, there must have been loss of some animals and livestock. The image of a tethered dog neck high in water as the water rose was disturbing. A 10 ft anaconda was seen in the flood water; a caiman found itself inside someone's house while another was shown on social media trying to get past a gate into someone's yard.

Some animals were rescued. The Animal Welfare Network and the Veterinary Association of T&T are

It seems that most people thought that since God is a Trini, we would be spared, and so, both citizens and, to some extent, the authorities were caught with our proverbial pants down - even though we had about a week's warning!

Nevertheless, in the main, the nation mobilised to face the onslaught of the floods and it was all hands-on deck.

TT’s Fire Service, Defence Force, Coast Guard, and various

providing supplies and emergency care for pets and livestock.

State agencies were called in to help with the rescue as thousands of citizens were marooned in their homes, cars, and on roof-tops. The ODPM opened a number of shelters at schools, community centres, and civic centres. A few persons managed to take their pets with

Farmers in affected areas would have lost all their crops. And when we thought that all we had to do now was to wait for the flood to subside, the ODPM chief warned that “It’s not over”. The Caroni River 18

burst its banks again and the traffic jams continued. There was fresh flash flooding in a number of areas.

Flooding in El Socorro South intensified. Many people had been marooned in their homes there for over 3 days and in parts of Mayaro for 5 days. Many schools were closed, and commuters were stranded for hours. Some could not get home.

A public advisory on 26 October stated that "flood relief and recovery efforts continue in communities affected by the adverse weather which occurred between Thursday 18th October 2018 to Monday 22nd October 2018.

The National Emergency Operations Centre remains activated and continues to coordinate response, relief distribution, damage assessments and clean-up operations in affected communities." Health warnings have been issued and the Government has started allocating funds to those affected - although I believe that there is a need to increase the sums that are being made available. The Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries are conducting assessments and provide assistance to farmers who were adversely affected by the floods.

In the midst of this disaster, “Trinbagonians” rose to the occasion. Our people came together in a spirit of compassion, generosity and neighbourliness in the service of those in need. Many have lost everything – furniture, car, clothes, school books etc. Even I rolled up my sleeves and cooked pots and pots of food to distribute to those affected by the floods. Like many others, I delivered bags of clothes as many were forced to leave their homes with just the clothes on their backs. Clothes, toiletries, foodstuff, and cleaning supplies such as bleach and disinfectant continue to pour in to assist those affected. A few doctors offered their services free and, as reported, have been dealing with e.g. scorpion and centipede bites.

On 28 October, Renuka Singh’s report in the Guardian stated that “The widespread flooding over the past two weeks showed gaps in the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management's (ODPM) ability to deal with a national disaster. The Head of the ODPM, Captain Neville Wint, confirmed…that he will be calling for internal changes to ensure that the unit is better prepared to deal with such national crises in the future. One such change is the legislative implementation of a mandatory evacuation in areas expected to be affected by a natural disaster like hurricanes or flooding… Wint said he was disappointed with the response from his own 19

ODPM, the Defence Force and the Coast Guard after massive floods inundated parts of La Horquetta, Valsayn, and Central last Wednesday…

“He said despite the slow pace of the response and his own disappointment in the pace of the ODPM, there was no pre-planning, clearing of water courses or desilting that could have prevented the inundation of water that swamped communities. ‘You have to understand that the watercourses just couldn't handle the amount of water…No amount of sandbagging would have helped. Lessons have been learned, the gaps have been identified at all agencies.’ He said the lessons included improved communications and warning systems to help get the word out to the people before they are impacted by floods.”

"’The Coast Guard couldn't get to the affected areas because they were coming from Chaguaramas and that takes time. They were stuck in gridlock traffic, Wint said.’

Wint said the ODPM was reviewing a plan to make rafts and small flat bottom dinghies available to the regional corporations to expedite the rescue efforts of people stranded or marooned by the rising flood waters. Over the past few days, marooned residents were rescued by citizens in private boats.

Many took to social media to ask for help as the State agencies responsible for helping seemed to have collapsed “Wint said he was disappointed with the overall response to the flooding and is seeking to have legislation passed to enforce mandatory evacuation in areas that are expected to be hit hard by a natural disaster.

There is currently no legislation that the ODPM could levy to force people to leave their homes. ‘In the absence of that we are just reacting and it is instance-based,’ he said.

He said a proactive approach would be to have people at the shelters before the situation worsens. ‘But right now we all wait and see and then act,’ he said.

Clean-up operations and relief efforts continue. The recovery process will take a while. As well as Charity concerts being organised by various organisations in T&T to support the relief efforts, individuals/groups in the diaspora have also been raising funds including some in the UK. Caribbean Airlines have offered to transport relief items free of charge.

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be addressed as many citizens would have been affected emotionally and psychologically also. As the writer, Joan Harrison said: “The functioning of disaster preparedness is more than the assessment of damage, food hampers, shelters, mobilization and general damage control in the field, in terms of environmental salvaging…The mental health of a survivor is of immeasurable importance in the gamut of overall health. Mental health is the precursor to the enjoyment of life and material possessions.

Therefore, in disaster planning and response, mental health should be of primary concern to facilitate the psychological well-being of individuals.” According to clinical psychologist Dr. Katija Khan, a university lecturer and current president of the T&T Association of Psychologists, disaster relief should include both physical and mental resources. In a statement to Loop TT, “Khan outlined several reactions that can be expected both during and in the immediate aftermath of the flooding. They may experience a range of emotional, psychological, cognitive/mental, physical and social reactions.

People’s reactions and responses will also vary widely.”

About 20 flights out of Piarco were cancelled.

NGOs, Faith-based organisations such as Living Water Community, St Vincent de Paul Society and others continue to work tirelessly - in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who have been affected. Offer of funds from other Caribbean islands, such as Dominica and St Lucia, has not been accepted, as our PM believes that we can manage.

However, the Government has accepted nearly $4 million dollars in aid after the floods from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF).

The Business community and the Joint Chambers in T&T are working on disaster relief also. It warmed our heartstrings to see doubles vendors, those who run breakfast “sheds” etc going into affected areas to distribute free food. One Company donated $1million dollars to the relief efforts. Roads, including a major highway, were damaged. A Contractor paved the affected sections of the highway free of charge. Companies have been offering to provide school books, to repair 'salvageable' items, and to offer counselling services - all free of charge.

Former TT National Footballers plan a charity match in aid of flood victims.

The ODPM states that approximately 150,000 persons were affected by the floods – more than 3,500 households. The mental side of flooding trauma will need to

In the face of this disaster, speed is of the essence to help those affected to return to some kind of normalcy and to address trauma that many may experience. While the 21

authorities/agencies played their part in the face of the deluge, there were quite a few heroes/heroines - ordinary people like brothers, Navin and Ravi Kalpoo, who run Ibis Tours - taking visitors by boat through the Caroni Swamp.

They are being hailed as heroes.

They, with their co-workers, made 20 trips to rescue more than 400 residents in Kelly Village in one of their boats. These residents had been marooned in their homes and on rooftops in Kelly Village. Their selfless actions continued as they then took food to those affected and are now involved in the cleanup operations.

rose there also and was filling the car.

The next morning after 3 failed attempts by good Samaritans, at around 11:30 am, the husband of a woman who had seen Jizelle's appeal on Facebook, arrived with 2 other men in a large pirogue and they were finally rescued and taken to a shelter at Madras Rd., leaving their vehicle behind. Jizelle said: "We live in a country where we don't think we can trust anyone. But this was an eye-opening experience for me. The agencies should have been more prepared to deal with these things.

I was pleading for help and it was the citizens of this country that came together to help me and my family, and the other family...I am so proud to be a Trini."

There were amazing stories such as Jizelle Baldwin’s - a diabetic. See the Express newspaper:https://www.trinidadex press.com/news/local/trappedfor-hours-how-ordinary-citizensbecame-heroes/article_a9b1192ad704-11e8-bd45e73585fa9d86.html .Briefly, Jizelle, her husband, Chikara Todd, and 9year old son, from Las Lomas, together with a man, Mark Kelly, and his 3 young children aged 1, 3, and 5, whom they had rescued from the floods in their Nissan Frontier, were trapped in their vehicle in the floods for 16 hours - from Sat 20 October - near Mt Plasir. Despite talking to agents of the ODPM, the Police, Fire Services, the Regiment, and Coast Guard, none of these agencies came to their rescue. Her plight went viral on social media. At about 6:30 pm on Saturday, they managed to drive into a parking lot, but the water

Reggae singer Isasha (Brendan Young), who was also affected by the flooding in Greenvale Park, is seeking to assist his community to recover with the release of his new song, "We Got Love" which was released on Friday 26 October. The lyrics "celebrates the selflessness of everyone banding together to help those in need." Here are a few lines of the song: "Them say yuh never really know bout pain till it knock pon yuh door, yeah Just what day inah Trinidad 3 days rain, flooding all bout fuh sure yeah Me see water start rise up inah Greenvale Ahfi run left me house and try fih evacuate Next day people rushing fih help 22

and donate and tell we have faith so

floods, I could not help but agree with some of the comments about our apparent lack of ability to plan effectively...

"I know we got more love inah Trinidad than they think I know we got more unity inah Trinidad than they think..."

"Environmental issues must inform planning. As one blogger said, ‘imagine HDC built houses in areas that are prone to floods, in former agricultural lands - near wetlands, and the HDC did not build them on stilts!’ What environmental impact assessment was done in these areas? Of course, we know that there are many who build private homes in flood prone areas also.

As I stated in an article published in the national media and in Catholic News, "in the face of disaster, it is heartening to see how our people can come together to help each other. Let’s keep the love flowing. However, the aftermath of the recent floods must surely involve a review by all citizens of the need to review not only our disaster preparedness, but also our strategies for building sustainable and resilient cities, towns, villages and communities in general...we urgently need to take stock of what we need to do to ensure that our communities are inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. As the media brought into our homes images of devastation in so many parts of T&T due to the recent

'Time is running out. If we procrastinate, we will face the consequences. We need to use our human ingenuity to plan more effectively for what's coming at us.

At the opening of the 71st Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), (Oct 8, 2017) at which CARICOM’s Agriculture Ministers were present, Chairman Soeresh Algoe, Agriculture Minister of

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Suriname, noted that 'the ferocity and frequency of storms are as a result of warmer air and sea temperatures that are altering the climate… The climate is changing drastically and we, as CARICOM Member States, are most vulnerable.'"

problems by e.g. dredging/desilting, building retention ponds; deal with unmanaged development and indiscriminate dumping of household items in our waterways; stop the cutting away of soil from our river embankments

Journalist, Peter O’Connor, reminds us that the last time TT “was inundated by flooding for several days, with no road connectivity between north and south Trinidad” was “early December 1985. We continue to have floods but not as bad as this recent flood or the one in 1985. and strengthen them; enforce planning and environmental laws and so on. We have a duty and a responsibility to care for the earth.

Let's hope we will act constructively before the next flood comes along.

Way back in 2007, Pope Benedict XVI warned: "Our earth speaks to us, and we must listen if we want to survive."

Everything is interconnected. And in 1990 Pope St John Paul II said that the environmental/ecological crisis is a moral issue. Read Pope Francis' encyclical, Laudato Si - on care of our common home.

At the end of the day, the floods brought out the best in us. Thank God we are a resilient, generous people. The words of Martin Luther King Jr. come to mind: "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?'"

The spirit of volunteerism in T&T is alive and well. God bless our nation.

If we are to become proactive advocates/stewards of God's Creation, we need a conversion of hearts, minds, lifestyles and our "throwaway" culture. As the floods subsided, one could clearly see mountains of plastic and styrotex containers/bottles. Sadly, many of us know what we must do to mitigate such floods but we need to take the bull by the horn and just do it e.g. address our drainage 24

Poetry 4 Grenfell On October 29th a special exhibition opened at the Tabernacle in Powis Square, London. The exhibition titled, Poetry 4 Grenfell was aimed at showcasing those in the community who not only suffered from the traumatic experience of that dreadful fire but those who helped to bind the come-unity together and in some small way, ease the burden of a shattered community.

The exhibition featured works by young people and those who contributed to Poetry 4 Grenfell Voices From Da Grove & Latimer. Princess Emmanuelle, the founder of Kamitan Arts and editor of Poetry 4 Grenfell put on the exhibition to keep the memory of Grenfell alive. The exhibition featured the screening of the awardwinning film, Poetry for Grenfell Golden Trellick Heart. Live music was presented by calypso supremo Alexander D Great. Also providing live acoustics was, EmpresS1Eygpt, Yago Soto-Andre, Chole C, Rebekah Raphael, Stephen Steele and many others.

Poetry 4 Grenfell is the collaboration of a community. It is the voices of the residents bereaved and amplifying those from age 3-77 through the written, spoken word and images immortalising the memories of those souls that will never be forgotten. The exhibition invited you to come into the world of that ‘come-unity’ to listen and to draw from the real experiences and not those misrepresented and manipulated by the media.

Poetry 4 Grenfell Exhibition 29th Oct – 4 Nov Tabernacle Powis Square, London W11 Poetry 4 Grenfell Voices From Da Grove & Latimer Compiled and edited by Princess Emmanuuelle Published by Kamitan Arts To purchase a copy, visit: www.kamitanarts.com Email: ka.1@hotmail.co.uk 25

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2nd Annual Gafoor Lecture on Indentureship Studies – Lectures and New writing In collaboration with the Yesu Persaud Centre for Caribbean Studies (University of Warwick), the Institute of Commonwealth Studies is delighted to invite Prof.Tina K. Ramnarine (Royal Holloway, University of London) to deliver this year’s Gafoor Lecture on Indentureship Studies.

We will also welcome Pro. Stephen Rabe (Emeritus, University of Texas at Dallas), who will be marking the centenary of the birth of former IndianGuyanese premier Cheddi Jagan with a lecture entitled: The United States vs. Cheddi Jagan: A Case for Mistaken Identity.

In addition to these fascinating lectures, we are pleased to announce two special poetry readings. In response to his research in the Senate House Library’s Cheddi Jagan archive, poet Mr Gee will perform a new piece inspired by the life of this remarkable politician. Following this the Commonwealth Writers organisation, who recently commissioned a unique piece of joint-poetry from the descendants of indenture, will close the event with the first public reading of this exciting new work by Kama La Mackerel, Gitanjali Lyndia and Athol Williams.

Date: 28 November 2018 2:00pm – 6:00pm Venue: Woburn Suite, G22/26, Ground Floor, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU Please use this link to book: https://commonwealth.sas.ac.uk/events/event/15737

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Mighty Shadow Obituary

his compositions, ‘What’s Wrong with Me’ and ‘Scratch Meh Back’. In 2003 he copped two titles, Road March and International Soca Monarch.

He was often class as a Tobagonian, but Winston McGarland Bailey was born in Belmont, Trinidad and raised by his grandparents in Le Coteax, Tobago. His first inspiration to music came from fiddles and goat skin drums which he heard at local weddings growing up in Tobago.

Shadow went on to have his own calypso tent, Master’s Den. He recorded over a dozen albums. In 2003 he was awarded one of Trinidad and Tobago’s highest honours, the Humming Bird Medal.

Shadow’s repertoire of songs includes; Bassman, I Come Out to Play, Whoop Cocoyea, Yuh Looking for Horn, Tension, Pay de Devil, Stranger, What’s Wrong with Me, Poverty is Hell and the melodic Dingolay among many others.

However, there are two of his songs that stands out, yet seldom gets a mention. They are, Dat Soca Boat and One Love. The latter was covered by David Rudder in his 1990 album. These two songs get shunted to the background and should be aired more often. His passing has indeed left a void in the musical sphere in Trinidad and Tobago.

I don’t feel qualified enough to write anything about calypso legend Winston ‘Mighty Shadow’ Bailey who died of a stroke at Mount Hope Hospital on 23 October. He was 77.

Shadow’s hypnotic timbre helped to shape a new generation of Soca artists in Trinidad and Tobago. Like the inventor of Soca, Lord Shorty, Shadow injected distinctive rhythms and characteristics to his music that was uniquely Shadow.

You could not mistake it for anything else but, Shadow. Ask anyone to pick a Shadow tune and, more than likely, ‘Dingolay’ and ‘Bassman’ would come to their lips.

Shadow began writing calypsos at the age of 8 but it was not until he moved to Port of Spain and began singing chorus at Sparrow’s Young Brigade Calypso Tent in 1970 that he made a stage presence.

In a calypso world dominated by Kitchener and Sparrow, Shadow began to challenge the two bards and in 1974 he found the formula with ‘Bassman’ and ‘I Come Out to Play’ which earned him first and second place in the Road March podium that year. Shadow asserted his musical prowess and his black ensemble made him an enigmatic musical figure across the Caribbean. Still, the title of Calypso Monarch evaded him. Shadow conquered that title in 2000 with

The Mighty Shadow died on the eve of being awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies, Trinidad. He is survived by his five children.

Winston McGarland Bailey – Mighty Shadow 4th October 1941 – 23 October 2018 28

-Winter EquilibriumAs winter draws close, many of us have started to feel that sluggish drag and the need to hibernate with fatty foods. You can avoid this by adopting an ancient Indian holistic practice of Ayurveda. It is about getting your equilibrium during the winter months.

It is recommended to eat sweet sugary foods around lunchtime as this is when your digestive system is at its peak. Avoid things like ice cream as it will only help to make you feel more lethargic. Avoid as much dairy as possible according to one Ayurvedic practitioner. If you are going to have milk, it is suggested that you have hot milk, cooked with spices such as; cinnamon, black pepper, cardamon or ginger to make it more digestible. This is great as an evening wind-down and will enable a good night sleep too.

Having soups or stews are better than solid foods especially when you’re on the go and don’t have enough time for a proper meal. Often, you could find yourself indulging in mindless eating where you constantly put food in your mouth. By doing this, your digestive system has no rest. Drinking hot water is far better than having cold drinks in winter. Hot water, with lemon or ginger will keep your digestive system healthy and ablaze whereas chilled or cold drinks will dampen and make you sluggish.

It is beneficial to incorporate foods such as quinoa, turmeric, tamarind and cooked leafy greens to maintain healthy during the winter.

Try Carolyn Casner’s Slow Cooked Curried Butternut Squash Soup 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed.

3 cups vegetable broth 1 medium onion, chopped 4 teaspoons curry powder ½ teaspoon garlic powder ¾ teaspoon salt 1 can coconut milk 1-2 tablespoons lime juice plus wedge for serving Chopped fresh cilantro for garnishing Preparation Cover and slow cook (2.5hrs) until the vegetables are very tender. Turn off heat and stir in coconut milk and lime juice to taste. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth.

Garnish with cilantro and serve.

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Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry Rum Rob’s Rum Guide provides delicious news and updates as well as organise rum cruises in the Caribbean and Florida, yes Florida.

This review is taken from Rob’s Rum Guide and features a legendary Jamaican pot stills, Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry Rum. According to Rob, it invokes local history and ancestral culture of the island – the Arawak’s land of wood and water.

Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry Rum is a classic double-thumper as Rob puts it. A concert with traditional long fermentation cycles with aromas and flavours of black banana and flambeed pineapple, describing it as funky. Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry delivers a well-balanced blend of aged distillates from legacy pot stills before resting in Bourbon barrels in Jamaica. It then goes through a second maturation of a year in Cognac barrels in Southwest France. It is not surprising that Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry Rum won a gold award at its first RumXP International tasting competition at the Rum Renaissance Festival.

I wonder what rum connoisseur Mika Janssen would say about that? http://www.robsrum.com http://www.robsrum.com/rum-news/

Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry Tasting notes

Article and photo courtesy Rob’s Rum Guide

Initial aromas of ripe banana, vanilla and smokey oak lead to hints of pineapple, brandy and fine herbs.

On the palate, mixed ripe fruit and orange water precede the baked banana notes at mid-palate, with sour dough bread pudding, baking spices and almond butter fading into the medium warm finish.

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Grenada’s Promising Outlook

The outlook for the spice island of the Caribbean, Grenada looks strong, with continued growth according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Program for the Eastern Caribbean where its objectives are to reduce dependency on energy imports in the Caribbean by increasing the availability of renewable energy, according to Brogen magazine.

Grenada’s inflation remains below 1% as its economy has done very well in 2017. The IMF predicts that there are signs of strong growth for 2018/19 however, it will not show the same growth rate as 2017, when the economy grew by 4.5%. A spokesperson for the IMF said longterm growth will remain at a level below 3%. The IMF team forecast that there will be a rapid reduction of public debt by 2020.

While many small island countries face serious development challenges including low growth, natural disasters and high debt there has been a manoeuvre to reduce poverty and unemployment with the Blue Growth Coastal Master Plan which has worked well in Grenada. The blue economy is defined as a sustainable ocean economy that also preserves the long-term capacity of healthy coastal and marine ecosystems.

The program was successfully completed in Grenada in 2016 and act s as a model for other Caribbean countries.

Climate-Smart Agriculture is one area where it is aimed at sustainability and increases agricultural productivity. It is one of the government’s strategy to raise incomes and provide employment for those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds whilst improving food security and reducing poverty in Grenada. This along with the Geothermal Risk Mitigation 31

Winston McGarland Bailey – Mighty Shadow 32

4

th

October 1941 – 23 October 2018