Cell Phones and Coconuts

I confess - I am unfaithful to the English language. J’adore le français. But today I return to my native tongue, because I want to speak of an experience, for which nothing but English will suffice. Two days ago I purchased a Nokia E63. It was the most expensive cell phone I have ever owned in my life. About half month’s salary for the average civil servant. When I swiped my debit card to make the purchase I swear I experienced a physical pain in my chest during the transfer. I held the phone and marveled at all the features. But what struck me most was how far cellular phones had penetrated and become part of Trinidad and Tobago’s social landscape.

In 1999 I saw my first cell phone. I still lived with my parents in Tobago (population approx. 45,000). I had just completed Sixth Form (equivalent of 12th grade) and worked at a locally owned bank to earn money for University. My boyfriend at the time, actually high school sweet heart, purchased a Sony Ericsson. I suspect it nearly bankrupted him. He was one of the few Tobagonians I knew who owned a cell phone at that time. It was like owning a car in the 1980’s. I held the Ericsson, which resembled a miniature walkie talkie, then in awe, much like I did now with my Nokia E63. Within 3 years cell phones were more affordable and accessible, although it remained a status symbol for the middle and upper classes. Flash forward to 2009, and even a primary school child on a small allowance can own one. Technology is coming here faster and faster. I can buy a coconut while jogging around the Savannah and get a phone card from the same vendor courtesy wireless technology. I can sue someone in Tobago and see them via video conference at the court in Trinidad. I saw my first hybrid car yesterday and I am sure more will follow. Some West Indians like the Bobo Shanti, a rastafarian sect, still resist technology. They shun ATM's and computers as marks of the beast.

To all those who decry the advent of technology I quote the lyrics to Bob Marley's famous 'Redemption Song': "... Have no fear for atomic energy, Cause none of them can stop the time....".