“A Rattlesnake, if cornered, will become so angry it will bite itself. That is exactly what the harbouring of hate and resentment against others is; a biting of oneself. We think we are harming others in holding these spites and hates, but the deeper harm is to ourselves”
—E Stanley Jones
There is a disease that is spreading through T&T, and if we don’t treat with it urgently, our country will be afflicted beyond the point of saving. That disease is called racism. Years ago, it used to be prevalent only during election time but it has now seeped into all aspects of life and is becoming more blatant.
In recent times, we saw an uproar when three students from the University of the West Indies were recipients of a scholarship that was supposedly for Afro-Trinbagonians.
This week, when veteran calypsonian Rikki Jai placed third in the Calypso Monarch final, social media comments focused on how “he only get that because UNC in power” and “dey have to put one of dey own one dey.” We also saw the “debate” on where Carnival is a PNM or UNC celebration. That is where we are now: even joy, achievement and culture get dragged into racial quarrels.
Historically, we have always been a divided country. In the colonial plantation system, white European colonisers asserted dominance over enslaved Africans through law, violence and psychological control.
Africans were made “property” by law. Physical punishment reinforced inferiority. Ideological control tried to convince people that oppression was normal and that they belonged at the bottom.
After emancipation, planters looked for a steady supply of low-wage labour and began importing indentured workers from India. That shift created tension and competition over jobs, wages and opportunity, and the colonial system benefited from keeping groups socially separated.
“Divide and rule” made it easier to govern two racial groups that were numerically larger than the white population.
Consequently, over time, racial prejudice became structured. It showed up in who got which work, who was paid more, who had access to schooling, and who the colonial authorities patronised. Under colonial rule, race became a marker of status and belonging.
Sadly, these systems did not disappear with independence. In independent T&T, the two dominant groups engaged in power struggles as each sought to consolidate its position. Political competition became deeply tied to race and ethnicity, and that remains one of the roots of the racism that persists today.
The fight for dominance, modelled on the old colonial order, continued. The players changed, but the racial dynamics survived. Political contestations were founded on race and ethnicity, and this is the basis of the racism which exists in our country today.
By the 21st century, racism stopped being something that only surfaced around elections. It is becoming more normalised and more open. It is there all the time, especially on social media platforms. Every national issue is interpreted through “us” and “them.”
It is time to deconstruct the racism which plagues our society, so we can face it head-on and treat it. First, we must stop encouraging race-baiting. I believe that if you truly consider yourself a proud Trinbagonian, you would not want to poison your country with division. So, I will say it plainly: the so-called advocates and bloggers who deliberately stir racial hatred are not patriotic. They are pathetic. And don’t tell me it is “free speech.”
Free speech does not mean free rein to promote a racist agenda. Once “freedom of speech” turns into disrespect for any group—race, ethnicity, religion, persons with disabilities, the homeless - it should never be tolerated, much less encouraged or patronised. Racism may have been a common part of our history, but it does not have to be our future. The past is the past for a reason. We study and learn from it but we do not have to carry it forward.
For any rationale, patriotic person who wants to see better for this land of ours, it is becoming more irksome to constantly see racist remarks dominating our public space: in speeches, on social media and even in print media.
It seems like that is all that dominates T&T’s society right now. Even when there are good, positive things happening, they get turned into racist battles.
And that makes me worry about the next generation. What are we teaching our young people? Are we telling them this is normal? Are we teaching them they must choose a side? If this is what it looks like now, what happens by the next general election?
So, what do we do? We stop forwarding racist voice notes and videos, call it out in our circles and teach our children the full history (slavery and indentureship). We can talk honestly about racism without turning it into hatred and divisions.
In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, “Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away, and that in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.”
For indeed, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
