After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Emancipation Day activities have resumed with a series of activities today (August 1, 2022).
The Emancipation Support Committee said that a series of activities will take place as follows:
04:00: Massy All Stars Pan Yard, East Dry River from where a procession will go to the Yoruba Village Monument (the band stands near Besson Street) and then to the Arise Monument in front of the Treasury Building (in Independence Square, Port of Spain).
8 o’clock in the morning: Yedaase: A tribute to our ancestors will take place in front of the Treasury building.
9 am: Kambule procession through the streets of Port of Spain. From the Treasury Building, to end at Lidj Yasu Omowale Emancipation Village, Queen’s Park Savannah.
3 in the afternoon: The final session of Rhythm and Voices of Africa will be presented in Emancipation Village.
19:00: Flambeau Procession in the Massy All Stars Pan courtyard.
In their Emancipation message, the group said it marks the 30th anniversary with the theme “30 years of transformation and sustainability”:
“This year the Emancipation Support Committee of Trinidad and Tobago (ESCTT) marks its 30th anniversary with the theme – 30 years of Transformation and Sustainability.
“We couldn’t have gotten to this point without the work of early emancipators like M’zumbo Lazar and Edgar Marisse Smith, who organized the 50th anniversary of Emancipation celebrations and called for the day to be recognized as a public holiday in 1888.
“The response of the powers that be was the proclamation of August 1st as Discovery Day in 1901, which paved the way for the false narrative of Christopher Columbus to shape the national psyche. This lessened the marking of emancipation, but did not eliminate the commemoration of emancipation. While small groups of African people continued to celebrate Emancipation Day informally, with visible community events until the 1960s.
“It took NJAC and Daaga, from the 1960s to the 70s through the organization of cultural rallies marking emancipation, to once again receive the call for Emancipation Day to become a national holiday.
“This call was reinforced by cultural activists such as John Cupid who organized street processions in San Fernando, Lancelot Layne who organized flambeau processions through Belmont and Laventille and Lidj Yasu Omowale who organized the full three-day celebrations.”
The group said Emancipation “marked the end of an era when human beings could be legally trafficked and enslaved, a period when people could be flogged and worked to death for the benefit of others, sold, traded and herded like animals, animals”. or family silver and other heirlooms”.
“Those persons, women and men, many whose names cannot be remembered, who fought to break that world order and create a new world where men under the law are free and equal, are remembered and celebrated throughout the period of emancipation each. year and is most symbolized by the Neg Mawon sculpture in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.”
The group said in 1984, Prime Minister George Chambers proclaimed August 1 as Emancipation Day, replacing Discovery Day.
“Between 1984 and 1992 the Traditional African National Organization (TANA) organized emancipation celebrations at Mucurapo High School and in 1992 the ESCTT was formally established with Khafra Kambon and Lidj Yasu Omowale being its first co-chairs.
“In 1995, Prime Minister ANR Robinson was the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago to visit the Emancipation Village and subsequent Prime Ministers have continued the tradition.
“The celebrations moved to Queens Park Savannah in 1996, having outgrown Mucurapo Hall, heralding a glorious period that saw visits from African heads of state: Prime Minister Jerry Rawlins of Ghana, President Obasanjo of Nigeria, President Good Luck Johnathon of Nigeria and Presidents Fufuor of Ghana and Museveni of Uganda”.
“But it wasn’t just visiting heads of state, but eminent scholars and political activists graced the shores of Trinidad and Tobago for the commemoration of Emancipation.
“They came from North America, Dr Kathleen Cleaver, Dr Leonard Jefferies, Prof James Small, Dr Lisa Aubrey, Mel Foote; from East Africa, Professor Ali Mazrui, Her Excellency Gertrude Ibengwe Mongella First President of the African Parliament of the African Union ; from West Africa Prof Wole Soyinka; from South Africa Member of Parliament and leader of the ANC Women’s League, Winnie Mandela, and from the Caribbean, Honorable Ralph Gonsalves and Prime Minister Mia Mottley. Closer to home came Sister Andaiye from Guyana, Dr Anthony Martin from Trinidad and Tobago and Dr Julius Garvey from Jamaica.
“Global personalities such as Dr. Judith Aidoo-Saltus the financial titan of Ghana and Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas the UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Office for East Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) left their mark on the activities of emancipation over the years.”
“During the period, special relations were built between the Caribbean and Africa. The then Chairperson, Khafra Kambon of the ESCTT helped build the mechanism that would become the Economic Social and Cultural Committee of the African Union Commission (AUC) and sat on it. planning body and as one of the only two representatives of the African Diaspora for Civil Society.
“The African Union (AU) was often represented in special meetings and workshops in Trinidad and Tobago led by Dr Jinmi Adissa, Head of the Citizens and Diaspora Directorate (CIDO), who was responsible for implementing the African Union’s vision of a vision of people-oriented and Organization-led based on a partnership between governments, civil society and the diaspora Later ESCTT had the pleasure of hosting His Excellency Kwesi Quartey, Vice-Chairman of the African Union Commission (AUC).
“These relationships resulted in Prime Minister Patrick Manning accepting an invitation and becoming the first Caribbean leader to address the African Union Summit (2007) and the subsequent meeting of the first African Union Commission – CARICOM Summit (2021) which institutionalized CARICOM cooperation -African Union. ; explored greater economic trade and investment opportunities between Africa and the Caribbean; and committed solidarity to action to address global challenges, including climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The group said it continues its mission.
“ESCTT continues its stated mission of restoring African self-empowerment, embracing a contemporary vision of emancipation for development.
“The project of emancipation followed by independence is not over. As a nation, we continue to be stifled by neo-colonial structures of false hierarchies based on colour, hair texture, residential addresses, class, wealth and ethnicity. Public spaces continue to reflect the power and values of those who are exploited and oppressed. We seem as a society stuck in the binary power struggle for a space so narrow that we cannot address the deep and real social issues that are ripping apart the fabric . of society, the manifestation of which we see today as ‘gun violence and gender-based violence’ linked to growing social inequalities”.
“This year through the Kwame Ture Memorial Lecture Series we embarked on a journey to explore some of those deeper issues by asking the fundamental question, what else needed to be done to bring emancipation and independence closer to the reality that our people can experience? What needs to be done to further decolonize our environment – in the education system, public spaces or the data used to define and analyze us”.
“We are proud to have been able to contribute to the decolonization of the space that is Trinidad and Tobago through the erection of two monuments – one ARRISE – to the resilient spirit of our people and the other – the Yoruba Village Monument which speaks to the contribution of the African people to the cultural, social and economic landscape of Trinidad and Tobago.”
“The search for answers and for ordinary citizens to join us in this ongoing movement to achieve emancipation and independence is necessary. We remain optimistic that ESCTT in this 30th year can meet the challenges of national, regional environments and global made visible. from the global pandemic and the ravages of climate change that we are destined to experience as members of the community of small island developing states.”
