Divali poster

The Library department at the office where I work did a poster on Divali for the public.

East Indian Food

They served these today as part of the Divali celebrations held at our work place.  Above is paratha also called buss-up-shot. Below is a picture of traditional East Indian sweets (khurma, ghoolab jamoon, bharfi).

The Slaves Among Us

It is ironic that centuries after the end of colonial slavery and indentureship, the descendents of slaves and indentured labourers now stand complicit in perpetuating the slavery of another race, namely the Chinese. Last night more than 70 Chinese labourers protested outside the Chinese Embassy, complaining about the non payment of wages for two months and squalid conditions at their work camp at Chatee Trace, Cunpia. They walked more than two miles in the hot sun before they were stopped by police at the Uriah Butler Highway. It is not the first time Chinese workers here have protested but last night was a turning point in that police in riot gear had to be called out.

All of us have turned a blind eye to the conditions born by these Chinese workers responsible for constructing our schools, hospitals and 90% of all the major infrastructural developements in this country during and after the oil boom. We have benefitted from their cheap labour, but at what price? Are we any better than the British  and other Europeans were centuries ago? Last night when I saw these Chinese men being forced back unto buses, holding pieces of paper in broken English asking to be returned to China, their expressions grim and sad, I felt ashamed to be a West Indian.

Every morning I pass scores of Chinese workers who I know are living in sheds and shacks annexed to their construction site. We see them working through the night, pushing wheel barrows while we sit in the comfort of our homes. We see them coming from the slums in Sea Lots as we drive into Port of Spain in our nice cars. We see them huddled and packed into vans and trucks, clutching little bags and pieces of bread, while being taken to work. No local would be ever allowed to work under such conditions. Three weeks ago a Chinese worker committed suicide, no one seemed to care. I think it only made news because work had to be temporarily halted at that site.

Since these Chinese arrived about three years ago, they have become the new underclass to be exploited by the government and local business class. They are deriled in social commentary and Chinee is now our version of Paki. Their actions last night carried as the headline for all the major papers this morning, has forced us to accept all that we already knew on this small island of Trinidad. It's sad. We accuse the Europeans and in modern times the Americans and Canadians of still exploiting this region but what about us?

I am heartened that most of the radio talk show hosts and persons calling in to stations this morning showed a ground swell of local support for the Chinese and their plight. Several persons have called on the government to take action since the Chinese Embassy has refused to intervene. No surprise since the workers I understand are employed with a company owned by the Chinese government. I would like to join the chorus of persons calling for action. We cannot become a developed country in 2020 on the exploitation of others otherwise we would be no better than the Europeans and the Americans were before they ended slavery.

More pics from Tobago

A cross section of the audience at Gulf City Mall, Lowlands, Tobago who turned out to see the Divali celebrations.

Weekend Trip To Tobago

At L'Anse Fourmi we had to drive around this calf. I think we were blocking it.

If you look closely you can see a giraffe hiding in the grass. (see picture below)

[copyright  All rights reserved- no distribution of pictures without the permission of the author]

Callaloo Soup with Dumplings and Pigtail

This is real creole food. I bought this recently at Pancho's located at Frederick Street. They make some very good soups.

Merry Christmas!

[Photo courtesy TriniView.com]

In Trinidad and Tobago we start thinking of Christmas at the end of Ramadan (the Muslim holy month). After Ramadan Divali (the Hindu festival of light), which occurs early in October, marks the official commencement of Christmas celebrations. As I write I can hear the endless bursting of bamboo outside from children, which is traditionally done in the lead up to Divali. In a few days people, mostly Hindu's will start to place the popular icicle lights up and around their houses. I am not sure what is the significance of the bursting of bamboo or the icicles to the worship of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi but it's something I've always grown up with. On Divali itself Hindus will light deya's all around their homes and the streets. It's a beautiful sight. Divali represents the victory of light over darkness.

Look at youtube images of persons bursting bamboo in Trinidad. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSlTfB3pVAM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JdVHQxf02M

The More Things Change....

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog entitled "Too Much Love- Caribbean Men Cyar Take Tabanca" http://lerevedepapillon.blogspot.com/2009/08/too-much-love-wi-men-cyar-handle.html.

That blogged addressed the disturbing trend of men in the Caribbean, particularly in Trinidad  resorting to violence whenever thier relationships disintegrated. I am yet to turn 30, but it seems that as long as I have been a West Indian this has become the norm, a part of the West Indian culture. I feel forced to revisit this topic because of an incident that took place yesterday on Aripata Avenue in Trinidad. Shortly after 3 pm yesterday Anand Rampersad a former police officer shot himself in the head while speaking to his wife in a car outside a business place, where he was working as a security guard. No one knows what his wife told him, but clearly the discussion upset him enough to take his own life.

[Photo courtesy Newday newspapers 5.10.2009] Above a police Inspector interviews persons at the scene of the suicide.

The same day that this incident took place, the Express reported that Belmont police are investigating the apparent suicide of a 28-year-old security officer who was found hanging at his home around 11 a.m yesterday in Upper Albert Lane, Belmont. Police believe that Corey Gordon killed himself because of a relationship that had gone sour between himself and a woman.

It is testimony to the frequency of these incidents that the novelty of the story has already been lost in news circulation. It echoes past stories of other police officers commiting suicide after encountering domestic problems.

I am not a psychologist and I have not studied gender relations in the Caribbean. But I am a woman, a wife, a daughter and a sister. All the men in my life, both family and friends have all placed strong emphasis on the 'macho' complex. This is what defines masculinity in the Caribbean. It is what the media exports internationally as the essence of a Caribbean man. And while that has a definite appeal to 99.9% of the female population it puts enormous pressure on men here to be perpetually strong.

The first time I saw two men in my family hug was at a wedding held this year for my cousin. Its the opposite of western culture, which some people think promotes 'chi chi men' (gays). West Indian men need to find an outlet to safely express thier sensitive side and express thier problems. Perhaps some of that 'arm chair therapy' so popular in the US needs to be here. Although people here automatically associate any type of counselling with mental illness. Clearly there must be a shift in how we raise our men and how we define mansculinity. If we don't we would be only raising boys trapped in men's bodies unable to deal with problems as an adult.

A Sad Story- Help Kavita Singh

I came across this plea for assistance in the Tobago News and felt moved to post it on my blog. Kavita Singh a 24 year young woman has three months to live. She is in desparate need of money to do a bone marrow transplant in the United States. I know what her family is going through. Last year my sister, at the age of 25 one day suddenly collapsed at home. She was rushed to the General Hospital and in the days and weeks that followed we learnt from the medical tests that she required a mitral valve replacement for her heart.

We did not have the resources to raise the $1 million TT  required to do the surgery in the United States. The doctors gave my sister 6 months to live. It was a difficult time. For the first time I realised that a human life can be equated in dollar signs. Everyday she stayed alive was like a gift and now I am much closer to my sister. She is still alive today thanks to the government assistance we received. In February of this year she underwent free surgery at the Mt Hope Medical Sciences Complex. Last month she married her boyfriend of 7 years. Hers was a happy ending of sorts. But her situation is not isolated.

I pledge to support Kavita. I hope my contributions and those of others are not too late. Please support her cause if you can.

Read the full article here: http://www.thetobagonews.com/index.pl/article?id=24757009

YMCA Keep up the Good Work!

Photo: Coutesy YMCA website (see below)

The best stories never make the front pages. I read today that the local branch of the YMCA planned to take 20 disadvantage youths and teach them photography. Congratulations to the YMCA for trying to do something meaningful in the community and not just 'ole talking' like the politicians, pseudo Christians and those who get more mileage from crticising the work of others. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161538919

For further information about YMCA Trinidad and and Tobago check out: http://www.ymcatt.org/donors.html