January 3rd Discussion - Makayla Martinez & Wynsome Painter

 January 3rd - First Week in Trinidad & Tobago!

Us in front of Sir Arthur Lewis Hall 😁

We know you've missed us😚

🌟We have spent the first week exploring the multi-cultural and beautiful island of Trinidad and it has been a blast! We have tried new foods, toured Tunapuna and even got to buy produce at the Tunapuna market. Throughout this week we have also been studying the history of Trinidad and Tobago and the many narratives that are in tandem with the poly-ethnic culture. The many narratives have at times caused divisions within the island and some of these divisions persist today. We were able to dive into Bridget Brereton’s  “Contesting the Past: Narratives of Trinidad & Tobago History” and through the work of this Trinidadian scholar we were introduced to the many narratives that compete for dominance. Trinidad being a “colonially created” place as Brereton mentions citing Benedict Anderson’s concept of nations as imagined communities has struggled to define its ethnic Trinidadian population. The Afro-centric and Indo-centric narratives also struggled to unify despite both groups being forced into some form of servitude and enslavement; they had distinct backgrounds that clashed and struggled to form under one national identity. Overall, some of these legacies and tensions still exist today but many have been able to find a balance that allows for both the celebration of a group’s culture and their Trinidadian nationality.   


            


Dhalpuri Roti from Lovey's
                            

DID YOU KNOW: 

The island of Tobago was a separate British colony that had two brief periods of French rule from 1763 to 1889. Because of its history as an "independent" colony, as well as the fact that it is geographically separated from Trinidad, it has its own unique narrative. Demographically and socially the island is very different from Trinidad. The population of Tobago is mostly made up of people from African descent with small groups of local "whites" and mixed-race individuals. Therefore the same poly-ethnic character that is found in Trinidad, the larger of the two islands, is not found in the rural, village-based society that Tobago has held onto throughout its history. 







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