Natricia Duncan (Guardian) writes that in Trinidad and Tobago, the Prime Minister’s proposal to replace Christopher Columbus’ ship with a steel pan met with some support within his party, but also opposition.
The government Trinidad and Tobago wants to remove from its coat of arms the depiction of three ships used by Christopher Columbus, a move historians have welcomed as important in addressing historical inaccuracies and marginalizing colonial identity. Caribbean On August 18, the country’s Prime Minister, Keith Rowley, announced plans to replace the boat with one modeled after the steel pan, Trinidad and Tobago’s national instrument.
The ship depicted is the one used by Columbus on his explorations of the Caribbean, paving the way for centuries of European colonialism and slavery in the region.
In recent years, the Caribbean has been Discovered the islandsIn fact, it was inhabited when he arrived. Some have removed mention of the Italian explorer’s discovery from national holidays, but people worry that removing the ship from the coat of arms would erase an important moment in Trinidad and Tobago’s history.
“This is not an attack on Caribbean history. It is an attempt not to erase history but rather to correct it. Every generation has a duty to reinterpret history and correct the falsehoods in which parts of it have been written,” said historian Dr Claudius Fergus, chairman of the National Reparations Commission.
The commission is a regional branch of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, a Caribbean-wide body that seeks justice and reparations from institutions and governments for crimes committed during the Caribbean war. The Atlantic Slave Trade.
Fergus, a long-time advocate of removing colonial symbols from the country, welcomed the announcement as an important step towards cleaning up colonial identity.
Rowley drew applause when he announced he would go ahead with the change at the People’s National Movement Party convention. “You see the three Columbus ships on the coat of arms? They’re going to be retired. We have enough votes in Congress to get this done. I can announce that as soon as the legislation is in place, this should happen by September 24th,” he said.
Fergus says the replacement of boats with steel pans is significant: “The steel pan originated in Laventille. [the capital, Port of Spain] “This is a place that is sometimes referred to as the ghetto and since its inception the steelpan has faced extreme racism and classism from the general public, the church and many government officials at the time. As a result, progress towards support has been slow until today when the steelpan is accepted,” he said.
Rowley’s announcement divided public opinion in Trinidad and Tobago, with dissenting voices on the issue in Port of Spain’s Woodford Square, famously the site of some of the most important speeches by the country’s first prime minister, Eric Williams.
Roberto, who did not want to give his full name, feels the government should prioritise other issues. “There are people living below the poverty line, that’s what I should address first,” he said. He is also concerned about the impact on the public’s knowledge of history. “If history is deleted, who will teach it to my children and grandchildren?” he added.
Bruenand Tavernier, who works in the communications industry, said the issue of colonial identity is irrelevant. “It has nothing to do with crime or anything else that’s going on in the country,” he said.
For others, the removal of the ships is a major decision. “It’s about time,” Yafeu Ilezi said, adding that he hopes it signals a change in the status quo for the Caribbean island.
The planned removal of the ships is just one part of a national debate about the colony’s identity. On Wednesday, a cabinet-appointed committee is due to review the installation of statues, memorials and markers in Trinidad and Tobago and hold public hearings to gauge opinion on the issue.
Trinidad and Tobago’s announcement is part of a growing trend across the Caribbean. Ignoring colonial identity Legacy Structure. In 2022 Remove Barbados The proposal to make the British monarch head of state has passed, and other Caribbean countries are considering whether to follow suit.
For the original article, https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/25/historian-hails-trinidad-plan-remove-columbus-ships-coat-of-arms-steelpan
[Photo by Ash Allen/AP: Trinidad and Tobago’s coat of arms on a government building in the capital, Port of Spain.]
