Selwyn Cudjoe Speaks on the Life of Tony Martin May 01, 2013
I met Tony Martin when I arrived at Harvard University in 1976. Although we were both born in Trinidad, we had not met each other prior to that time. Tony was born in Port of Spain, the capital of the country; I was born in Tacarigua, a village about twelve miles east of Port of Spain. Tony had studied at St. Mary's College, one of the elite colleges of the country... Full Article

Maxie Cuffie's Journalism April 10, 2013
EDITOR: I wanted to compliment the clear-eyed and logically-argued insights that Maxie Cuffie brings to bear on his columns each Sunday. It is a pleasure to open the Trinidad Guardian on a Sunday morning and see this young man offering such lucid, commonsense advice to the nation. Full Article

Ignorant Negroes/Tyrannical Masters: William Burnley
and the Caribbean Slave Experience April 05, 2013
In the 1950s when I was growing up in Tacarigua, Trinidad, West Indies, there existed a large, faded mansion in the Orange Grove Savannah that had seen the last of its glories. It stood there as a colossus on this magnificent expanse of land which, at that time, was one of the largest savannah in the country second only to the Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad. Full Article

In Appreciation of Tony Martin February 13, 2013
Tony Martin, an inspiration to his students and many of his colleagues, was a foundation member of the Africana Studies Department at Wellesley College. He believed in the integrity of the discipline and the principle of departmental autonomy. Full Article

Michel-Jean Cazabon: The Making of a West Indian Artist Jan 19, 2013
Lawrence Scott has written an important historical romance, Light Falling on Bamboo that is based on the life of Michel-Jean Cazabon. When the romance opens, Cazabon has returned to Trinidad from Paris to be at his mother's deathbed. What unfolds there from is a kind of Creole commesse, a word that Scott uses often. Full Article

Let Charity Guide Our Utterances November 14, 2012
Sometimes in our enthusiasm, we say extraordinarily silly things; such as the mutterings of Dr. Neil Parsan, our Ambassador in Washington, D.C. What is one to do with the following statement: "The Indian diaspora is a formidable force in Trinidad and Tobago, the largest numerical representation in the entire Caribbean; the most well-to-do and culturally strong and progressive ethnic group in the uniquely plural society of T&T." Full Article

Celebrating Fifty Years of T&T's Independence October 23, 2012
First of all I would like to thank Professor Linda Heywood for inviting me to participate in this wonderful program. I am particularly delighted to be on the same panel with Professor Orlando Patterson, Professor Emmauel Akyeampong, and to have the opportunity... Full Article

Reflections on the History of the Department of African and African-American Studies at Fordham University October 23, 2012
First of all I would like to thank Professor Amir Idris and Dr. Irma Watkins-Owens for inviting me to reflect upon the teaching and studying that I did here at Fordham about forty-five years ago. I arrived at Fordham University in 1966 and departed in 1972 when I left to do my doctorate at Cornell University. I was fired by the university because I did "not show proximate plans for a terminal degree." Full Article

Aspiring Together September 05, 2012
It was there for all to see. The PP had its own independence function at Woodford Square while the PNM conducted its own at Balisier House. Even die-hard PNMites were offended by such disunity. One of my nieces exclaimed: "Why dey dividing up the nation like that? It's de worse Independence I ever see." Full Article

Keshorn Walcott August 22, 2012
I do not envy any of the honors or pecuniary rewards Keshorn Walcott received. He deserves them all. It is an extraordinary achievement to bring home a gold medal to a country of 1.3 million persons when countries as large as Nigeria and India with a combined population of approximately 1.6 billion persons did not win a gold medal. Full Article

Against All Odds August 14, 2012
Just about when Kamal Persad Bissessar was celebrating the achievement of Trinidad and Tobago athletes who performed at the Olympics 2012 in Great Britain, I received an email from an African sister from Brothers Road.
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Lightning Bolt August 09, 2012
He was like a lightning bolt and his playfulness made him even more human, a star that descended from above to share a human moment with us. I would have given anything to be at Olympic Stadium to share in this once-in-a-lifetime moment with this great star. Full Article

Raced Memories August 01, 2012
For anyone black and slightly conscious, Emancipation Day should be as exciting as Independence Day. One only has to look at the spontaneous response of Africans on the first Emancipation Day to realize how united we were at the gloriously liberating moment. Full Article

A Way of Seeing July 25, 2012
Dr. Bhoe Tewarie is an academic; so am I. Dr. Tewarie is a Hindu; I am an Orisa, sometimes Anglican. Dr. Tewarie is Tapir/NAR/PP; I have always been a member of the PNM. Dr. Tewaire has been principal of UWI/ Arthur Lock Jack/ Minister of Planning and Economics; I am a professor, researcher and writer of books. Dr. Tewarie is busy planning our 50th anniversary celebrations; I am at the British National Archive researching the first fifty years of our nation's history (1800-1850). Full Article