I am from Trinidad and Tobago. I was born and lived there until I was nine years old, and again from fourteen until eighteen. I have never, however, identified with it as much as my parents would like. I do not freely call it my home.
That being said I have never been ashamed of the beautiful twin island nation… until now.
Recently I heard the heartbreaking news that a man by the name of Jack Warner was made Minister of National Security of our already corrupt and crime-ridden country. Jack Warner, once the Vice President of the worldwide football federation FIFA, was publicly suspended from the club for charges of alleged corruption and bribery in 2011. As such Warner resigned from FIFA before the investigation could be completed and “presumption of innocence is maintained”. Following this the current government of Trinidad and Tobago did not see any problem in appointing him Minister of National Security one year later. I, for one, do not feel safe.
This week I sat through a video 37 minutes long of a speech made by a woman by the name of Therese Baptiste-Cornelis. It took me three days to be able to watch the video in its entirety. This woman is our newly appointed permanent representative to the United Nations office in Geneva. She is, as a result, also ambassador to the World Trade Organisation, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Labour Organisation, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the International Trade Commission, the United Nations Educations, Scientific and Cultural Organisation in Paris, the Food and Agriculture Organistaion in Rome and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation in Vienna. She represents our small island in Switzerland, France, Italy and Austria. The speech to which I am referring was given as the keynote speech at the Institute of Cultural Diplomacy in Geneva, on the topic of Cultural Diversity as the Fourth Policy Area of Sustainable Development. I cannot begin to describe how embarrassing and disappointing this speech was. To represent our country in such a negative light in an international setting was the last straw for me.
I cannot find pride in a country that promotes people like Therese Baptiste-Cornelis and Jack Warner in our government. People who are ignorant and thought to be corrupt should not be allowed to represent a small island nation in the international arena. These are the people the world turns to when they want to learn what our twin islands Trinidad and Tobago have to offer. These are the headlines that the world will read. If this and Nicki Minaj are all we have to offer then I am disappointed and ashamed.
My opinion, however, is just that: opinion. I have never been particularly patriotic. I simply do not feel that I have one home as I have lived all over the world. This is one person’s view, simply an individual outlook on the island and the way we present ourselves publicly. Because when one person humiliates us it reflects badly on all of us. So many Trini’s are proud to be Trini: “Trini to de bone” we say. Yet where are they now standing up for their country? So many who live abroad make sure that the world knows they are from Trinidad and Tobago. The island is beautiful, they say, the Carnival is the best in the world. But where will empty compliments get us? The island is deteriorating. The oil is running out. Overpopulation and pollution are not non-existent. Not to mention the crime. As a teenager living there I had next to no freedom; incapacitated by the rampant crime. Yet no one mentions these things when they boast of their Caribbean isle.
I am not saying the island is horrible. I am not saying the people are hypocrites. I am simply saying that there is room for improvement and we will not and cannot improve until we, the people, speak up and do something about it. I believe it is ALWAYS good to be outspoken, as long as you have something the world should hear. Therese Baptiste-Cornelis, on the other hand, should have thought before she spoke.
That being said I cannot deny the beauty and excellence of the small islands. While I am not blind to its negatives there are many aspects of which I am proud. I am proud of the nature in many parts of the island that is still more beautiful than much I have seen in the developed world. I am proud of Carnival, a nation wide celebration of joy and patriotism where your neighbours and your enemies alike are your best friends for two days and all judgment is put aside. I am proud of our Olympians Jehue Gordon, George Bovell, Andrew Lewis and others who have worked hard to achieve their dreams and represent our nation in a very positive light. I am proud of the multiculturalism that Therese Baptiste-Cornelis mispronounced and misrepresented; the celebration of Christmas and Divali equally, of mixed cultures and mixed religions living together in a way I have seen nowhere else in the world.
I am cynical and I am outspoken, but I find things to be proud of.
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