Drama at first consultation on statues, monuments

There was drama at the first public consultation on the placement of statues, monuments and other historical signage yesterday, after one member of the audience used a phrase deemed to be offensive by some in the audience.

Not even half an hour had passed during the consultation at the Government Campus Plaza, Port-of-Spain, before a disruption occurred.

The incident played out after the view of Zakiya Uzoma-Wadada, of the Emancipation Support Committee, was shut down by another member of the audience, Frank Ferrier.

Uzoma-Wadada had called for a change of statues, monuments and other historical signage to people of importance to Trinbagonians.

“Who are important to us, whom do we want to see in our spaces, who do we want our children to feel proud about and it cannot be Picton, it cannot be Christopher Columbus,” Uzoma-Wadada said.

During her contribution, however, Ferrier interrupted, saying, “I disagree with you…you are rambling.”

He was told to wait his turn to contribute by the moderator Dike Rostant.

He did not, however, and as Uzoma-Wadada called for the renaming of Oxford Street to Kwame Ture Street, Ferrier exclaimed, “Well go back to Africa then.”

This comment did not sit well with the other groups in the audience, who called for him to be “put out of the session.”

“Mr chairman, he asked her to go back to Africa, at this time I think that is a little bit beyond repair,” activist Shabaka Kambon said.

“Put him out,” poet and cultural activist Eintou Pearl Springer shouted.

But Ferrier did not stop there and during his contribution, scolded the panel and audience for what he believed was their one-sided view of history.

He questioned why Trinbagonians would want to make Stokely Carmichael, also known as Kwame Ture, a hero.

“A hero, really, really, I said no you can’t make that man a hero…Eric Williams must be turning in his grave to see what you all could do to destroy Trinidad and Tobago,” Ferrier said.

In 1969, when Carmichael burst onto the scene in the United States as a Black Power leader, the government of Trinidad and Tobago imposed a ban on him preventing him from returning to this country.

Ferrier also challenged the history of the First Peoples present, saying “they committed murder, you are a murderous gang of people.”

He described Columbus as an ordinary individual and added that if the goal/intention was to remove the statue of Columbus then he felt “sorry for T&T.”

“You will find this country will be a living hell sooner than later,” he warned.

Apart from Ferrier, the contributions of the others present were similar, with all finding common ground in the fact that the statues, monuments and other historical signage which exist do not represent this country.

However, the Grand Chief of the First Peoples, Eric Lewis, called for the renaming of the capital Port-of-Spain.

“There is no reason under the sun that the city that our ancestors inhabited should be called Port-of-Spain,” he stated.

Lewis also asked for the First Peoples community to be added to the calendar of holidays and for Woodford Square to be renamed.

Wendy Sealy, of the Woodbrook Community Committee, said 16 of the 38 streets in the district were named after British generals. These street names include Kitchener and Baden-Powell.

Artist Rubadiri Victor meanwhile said he believes T&T has produced enough notable people who have done exceptional international work who can replace the current statues, monuments, and signage.

Merikin descendant Abeo Jackson said she agreed with the renaming and removing of statues, but asked the panel where this exercise was fitting in a wider conversation.

She asked if there would be a national drive for re-education, through the formalised education system and this country’s creative and cultural forms.

“Privilege might be the loudest in the room at times but loud truly doesn’t necessarily mean equitable or just,” she said.

While the renaming and removal of statues and monuments were the popular views at the consultation, Jackson did not agree with the call to put the statues in a museum.

“I am a little less precious about putting them in museums, I feel rapists and murderers and destroyers of peoples and civilisations deserve no space, but that is me,” she said.

On July 21, 2022, the Cabinet agreed to the appointment of a committee to review and report on the placement of statues, monuments and other historical signage and recognition in Trinidad and Tobago by December 31.

The committee includes chair Emerita Professor Bridget Brereton, Dr Eastlyn McKenzie, Zaida Rajnauth, Chief Ricardo Bharath-Hernandez, Lawrence Arjoon and Kobe Sandy.

The committee said they have already spoken to 43 stakeholder groups and the suggestions from the public will be put into recommendations and presented to the Prime Minister.

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