Emancipation story,Port-of-Spain, August 5, 1834

“For some time previous to this great day it had been plainly expressed by our slaves here that they had not the slightest intention of working for their masters after the 31st of July. “It was decided by them that the King had freed them right out and that the apprenticeship was a job got up between their masters and the Governor. Their masters were ‘dam tief’ the Governor an ‘Old Rogue’ and the King not such a Fool as to buy them half free when he was rich enough to pay for them altogether.”

— The Gazette, Port-of-Spain, August 5, 1834, in Historical Society of Trinidad and Tobago, Publication No 256.

About 192 years ago, Africans occupied the streets of Port-of-Spain to demand their freedom. Tomorrow, those streets will once again be filled with Afro-Trinbagonians proudly claiming the culture and identity their ancestors fought to preserve. African Emancipation Day must preserve African culture while confronting the conditions affecting people of African descent today. The culture that survived enslavement must be taught, supported and valued as part of our national identity.

TTPS statistics show the urgency: Afro-Trinidadians accounted for 34.2 per cent of the population in the last census, yet they made up 65 per cent of murder victims in 2023. That year, 136 Afro-Trinidadians aged 30 and under were murdered. The violence affecting some predominantly African communities cannot be ignored, minimized or excused. It is destroying lives, and those responsible must be held accountable. Emancipation must therefore create space for an honest conversation about personal responsibility, stronger families, responsible leadership, education and employment. We cannot celebrate African resilience while refusing to confront what is destroying lives today.

On this Emancipation Day, as if so interested in African people, but choosing to highlight a set of negatives, all with racists overtones, and with ultra political motives. The article, or the cut and paste agent should also state that Africans formed 100% of the formerly enslaved in Trinidad and Tobago. And, from August 1, the day after Emancipation, they had nothing to start with. While the Slave owners were compensated, the Africans were given nothing, no money, no land, nothing. And, when it was felt that they might have too much bargaining power to continue working on the estates, they brought competition from India, whom they paid with land and/or cash. So even the late comers had a start over the Africans. Don't you find something is wrong with that? From day 1, the Africans were starting from way behind everybody else. Is it any surprise that some would fall by the wayside? And, as usual, Africans have one quality, after the abuse, we never take revenge against our oppressors, we always try to work with everybody. Look at all the Caribbean islands that won independence and soon had black majority, we never sought hatred and revenge and diminishing others. Look at South Africa na d Zimbabwe; did blacks kill their former oppressors? No, usually, a lot of the problems in the societies is the refusal of the former oppressors and the late comers who never wish to accept black people. They fight and fight to prove superiority over blacks. Our weakness as black folks; WE ARE TOO TOLERANT

When we obtain power in our hands, we do not use it to try to oppress others. Instead, we manage in a way that everybody is equal. So, under slavery, we were treated as dirt; post slavery, others who did not go through the rigors of slavery were brought in and immediately placed at an advantage over us. We had to fight from behind, yet, when we eventually obtained power, we treated everybody equally. Maybe, that is our weakness, we always gave them equal place despite the advantage they had over us. Today, they turn around and use it as mapoie against us. I am still proud that we have always tried working with everyone, but maybe we have to stop marching; maybe we have to develop the mindset to put our race first. But, that would be a backward step.

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Another word salad pile of BS.

This is what the Indian indentured workers faced after landing in Trinidad and Guyana:

The Land Commutation Scheme (1869–1880)

Under original indentureship contracts, workers were guaranteed a free return passage to India after completing their service. 147,592 individuals as meticulously catalogued in the physical ledger logs held by the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago.

 Laborers could choose to forfeit their return ticket to India in exchange for a free parcel of land.

The Grant: This usually consisted of 5 acres of Crown Land (sometimes packaged with a small cash bonus of £5).

The Catch: This scheme only lasted about 11 years, and historians note that less than 2% of all indentured immigrants actually received land through this specific free grant program. Less that 3,000 accepted this offer.

The vast majority of Indians who became landowners in Trinidad bought the land themselves using accumulated savings from their meager wages  

Independent Farming: After their 5-to-10-year contracts expired, many Indians left the plantations, pooled their money, and bought small parcels of land. This allowed them to establish independent villages and become self-employed cane, cocoa, and rice farmers  

 The lifestyle on the sugar and cocoa estates was highly controlled, leading many historians to describe the indenture system as a "new form of slavery"  

 As contracts expired in the late 19th century, waves of "free" Indians left the plantations. Between 1880 and 1917, rapid "villagization" transformed the Trinidadian landscape through several key mechanisms​ build Villages near Sugar cane plantations. 

References:

A New System of Slavery: The Export of Indian Labor Overseas, 1830–1920 by Hugh Tinker

"A Social History of Indentured Indian Immigration to British Guiana and Trinidad, 1854–1884" by Elizabeth R. Rabe

The National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago (Port of Spain)

The British National Archives & India Office Records (London)

Note: The African party ruled T&T for approx. 50 plus years , what did they do to help the Africans ?

10 day work cutting grass and painting rocks.

How did Williams treat the Black Power movement and why did such erupt? He didn't trust his ilk. His police beat them and jailed them.

What did Williams give to the 1% , loans, tax exemptions not given to any of the others in T&T? Why? The Africans he gave them Beetham gardens, Sea Lots , Laventille , Morvant , and La Brea still living as in the 1960's.

When we obtain power: Rowley just bankrupted T&T, look at the debt during his tenure.

Claim of negativity: Under Rowley over 5,000 citizens of T&T were murdered, the majority young African males, what did he do?

Its why its wise to ignore idiots that post BS....😡