tidings
Melissa Doughty
The Kambule Street Procession, often called the Emancipation Street Parade, is back after two years.
The Emancipation Support Committee of TT (ESCTT) confirmed this on Thursday and posted on its Facebook page that community groups were to register for the event.
ESCTT director Zakiya Uzoma-Wadada said the registration process is nothing new as it was done to get an idea of the number of community groups participating in the event.
This year’s procession will begin at 4am with a ritual for the ancestors at the Panardin Massy Trinidad All Stars, Duke Street, Port of Spain.
There will then be an early morning procession to Yoruba Village Square, East Dry River, Port of Spain, where rituals will also be performed there.
It will then be moved to the Treasury building, Independence Square.
At 8 o’clock in the morning there will be a formal opening with speeches by dignitaries. The Prime Minister has been invited and the committee is awaiting a response. Dr Rowley and all TT Prime Ministers are usually invited to events and usually attend.
The street procession will start at 9am and will go to Queen’s Park Savannah where there will be performances during the day.
Although virtual events were held over two years, this is the first year the committee will host events like it used to before the pandemic.
Uzoma-Wadada said the registration process, in no way, indicates that there would be a limit on the number of people allowed to participate in it.
“We have always recorded groups for the procession. But more community groups, cultural groups and so on because one part of the process of facilitating their participation was trying to help them with transportation.
“In some cases we would have given them funds, if we had enough, to get cloths and so on for their community and so on. This year, unfortunately, we can’t do the shipping or even the fabric and so on because the resources just aren’t there,” she said.
She said that because the event has not been held for two years as well, the commission is also contacting any new groups interested in participating.
The committee still plans to advise people to wear masks and disinfect as it is aware that the pandemic is not over.
People will no longer be mandated to wear masks from July 17.
“It is difficult to check the numbers for the road procession. While we are able to manage community groups, many individuals come out on emancipation day and you don’t want to tell people on that day that you can’t join the procession.
“What we need to do is ask people to take that personal responsibility,” she said.
She added that the committee will post these tips on its social media pages.
The Emancipation Village is also back. The village will be open from July 29 to August 1. In the village people can buy goods and services from local entrepreneurs, as well as be entertained by the committee’s evening events.
There will be disinfection stations in the village and entrepreneurs will be asked to ensure that people disinfect their hands before entering the booths.
While some people may still have concerns about coming out, there was a “thirst and craving” for the event, Uzoma-Wadada said.
“What happens on emancipation day and the celebration of emancipation is very special for a large number of people in our society and I know they are anxious,” she said.
Uzoma-Wadada said the market will be quite big this year as a number of entrepreneurs were anxious to sell their goods and services.
On the opening night of the Villages, there will be a shikamoo (an event honoring elders in TT’s calypso fraternity) for calypsonian David Rudder.
Some of the previously honored calypsonians were Sandra “Singing Sandra” Des Vignes-Millington and Emrold “Brother Valentino” Anthony Phillip.
The July 30 concert will honor the late Lutalo “Brother Resistance” Masimba and members of the rapso fraternity will perform his songs.
The Unity concert will be held on Sunday. The concert highlights TT’s local reggae fraternity.
“In this, we usually give an award to one of the female reggae artists and this year we will give it to a female reggae artist for the first time,” she said.
She gave no other details about who, saying the commission wanted to surprise the public.
The village is free and open to the public from 10:30 am to 3:00 pm during this period.
After 3 p.m., people will be asked to make a $30 donation to the evening’s events.
