Features
Corey Connelly
The death of Tobago cultural icon Rawle “Axeback” Titus on January 2 has sparked a new discussion in some quarters about what strategies, if any, are being undertaken to preserve the island’s rich heritage for future generations.
Titus, 80, in his prime, was a fiery cultural performer who thrilled audiences on the island and beyond. But in his later years, he was also respected as a writer, historian, poet, playwright and mentor to some of Tobago’s young performers.
Titus’s book Wake People Wake: The Sacred and Profane, a socio-anthropological study of early wakes, shows the vibrancy of Tobago’s culture and is considered one of his major works.
At the time of his death, Titus was completing a body of work, entitled Prose, Paintings and Poems, detailing the history of Tobago.
Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, in his eulogy at Titus’ funeral service on January 10, gave the assembly’s commitment to ensure that his unfinished work is published.
For Dr Charleston Thomas, chairman of the Tobago Festivals Commission Ltd, discussions about the state of Tobago’s cultural heritage, and even nationally, might not have arisen had it not been for the death of Titus and that of the strong. Leroy Calliste (Black Stalin) and Francine. Edwards (Sung Francine).
“That’s really the impetus that’s giving us this moment to ask these questions in a more real way,” he said in an interview.
“If these deaths hadn’t happened so soon after each other, I’m not sure there would have been that desire to talk about it. That, in itself, is a statement about the state of our cultural heritage.”
A former lecturer in cultural studies, gender studies and modern languages and literature, Thomas argued that barring the efforts of some in the fraternity to preserve and preserve aspects of it over the years, there is still an urgent need for in-depth and comprehensive research on Tobago -n cultural heritage.
He noted that conservation efforts, so far, have focused primarily on African influence on the island.
“We have a very rich culture in terms of our indigenous heritage. We have inherited a lot from many cultural spaces. But one of the challenges I have is that we tend to overemphasize the African heritage, which, by and large, is what we know. But we have other cultural spaces that we inherited.”
Thomas said he is unsure about the extent to which Tobagonians are aware of the contributions of Europeans and indigenous peoples.
“So I don’t know that we can make a statement about what the state of the culture is about that.”
He considered culture as the variables that have appeared over generations, such as the dance, speech group and games that Tobagonians used to play.
“But to really find out exactly what the state of our culture is, it must depend directly on research and an analysis of what actually happened.”
Thomas added, “Talking about culture as it is often presented is an easy way to romanticize things. There is a wider conversation that needs to be had in a more measured way. Right now, we’re in knee-jerk reaction mode.”
However, he noted that many aspects of the island’s heritage have been passed down from generation to generation through an oral culture.
“We are an oral society and our daily conversations are more in the realm of an oral framework compared to the framework of writers. In other words, we exist more in Creole.
“This means that much of what we save happens almost instinctively. So we see people doing things and just doing them. It happens almost organically.”
The writer’s element, Thomas said, deals with research bodies and the archiving of information in facilities such as libraries and museums.
He believes Tobago has performed poorly in this area.
“In the context that we are also a writing society in terms of written literacy, there is a lack of facilities for research. And that, to me, is one of the biggest problems.”
Thomas added, “So, for example, we are preserving the cultural heritage of our language. We’re maintaining it pretty well because we take it, learn it and move it forward.
“There is also a performative element. We bring it to the stage and when we’re angry, we automatically turn to that because that’s what we verbally maintain. But to talk about preserving the works of someone like Mr. Titus is missing the point.”
Thomas, who is also a writer, musician and linguist, attributed the situation to the lack of education and the way Tobagonians are oriented towards their education.
He recalled a conversation he had with noted sociologist Dr Susan Craig-James a few years ago in which they discussed her book, The Changing Society of Tobago: 1838-1938.
Craig-James, he recalls, had told him: “My greatest pain is that Tobagonians read nothing, nothing, nothing.”
Thomas said the book was the culmination of 28 years of research.
“All that research and to understand that we don’t read. That there is a complex problem.”
He believes the problem was compounded by the absence of a major library in Tobago for nearly 16 years, the infusion of cable television and what he perceived as an increasing decline in standards at primary and secondary school levels in English and history. during the last few years. years.
Thomas said that when he returned from lecturing in Jamaica a few years ago, there was a lack of “a real tertiary level institution” in Tobago.
“This has kept the island out of serious discourse outside the airwaves.”
He said in Trinidad, Jamaica and other islands with established tertiary institutions, “It is the university community that nurtures and generates a certain kind of conversation.
“In Tobago, we haven’t had an established university on the island and therefore that kind of university culture has been kept away from the island.”
The nature of the work in Tobago, he believes, also does not encourage the desire for research.
“Work in Tobago is pretty much governed by THA and the people who generally leave the island and come back and work here don’t fully see the need for higher education and research in order to survive.”
He continued, “You can survive on your diploma (diploma). You can enter the political office, become chief secretary. But there is not necessarily a need factor to go further with studies and research in order to survive and live comfortably on the island.
“So we have a number of competing factors that make it quite difficult to do serious research on the island. Conversations will happen, but the factors are many and they all compete.”
However, Thomas applauded those who have produced books and other materials as a means of preserving Tobago’s heritage.
But he complained that everyone seems to be working in silos.
“People have done it individually. Rawle Titus did his thing. Susan Craig-James did her thing. But we haven’t come to a place yet where we know how to put all that work together in a serious way with the right group of people who know what to do and have it located in a place that is holy and that generates and magnetizes more work like that.”
To address this issue, he suggested that THA boldly establish research teams for each of its divisions.
“Their job will be to do cultural research, which is applicable in all fields. It’s all going to come down to culture.”
He said the positions will be full-time and members must submit reports, which will later be edited and cataloged.
