Children dancing
The Caribbean Region Observes Emancipation Day
Written by: A. Felecia Valenzuela
Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados and their South American and CARICOM neighbour Guyana, all observed Emancipation on August 1st. This day is observed in many former European colonies in the Caribbean and areas of the United States. It’s a day to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people of African descent.
Here in Trinidad and Tobago, there is a call for African history to be a part of the school curriculum when it is revamped. This call comes from Chairman of the Emancipation Support Committee, Khafra Kambon. Following the opening of the Lidj Yasu Omawale Village at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Kambon told the media this was his recommendation in light of current economic challenges facing the nation. Kambon’s statement is in relation to the theme of this year’s celebrations of “Empowerment To Face Today’s Challenges”. He says the curriculum must stimulate pride in a people who have been deprived of their identity for centuries.
In Trinidad the five-day celebration which began on July 28th included, among others; ancestral veneration at the All Stars pan yard, the site of the historic Kambule riots and a dramatic reading of the Emancipation Proclamation at the site of the Treasury Building on Emancipation morning.
Meantime, over in Guyana, the African Cultural Development Association (ACDA) held its annual Emancipation Day celebrations at the National Park. The event saw citizens of different ethnicities dressed in both traditional and modern African clothing, as they celebrated what has come to be known as “a day of freedom”
In Jamaica, there was a re-enactment of the reading of the Emancipation Declaration in town centres especially in Spanish Town, which was the country’s capital when the Emancipation Act was passed in 1838.
It should be noted that The first country in the world to commemorate Emancipation Day as a national holiday was Trinidad and Tobago, in 1985.
#EmancipationDayCelebrations
#EmancipationDay
#TrinidadandTobagoEmancipationdayCelebrations
#GuyanaEmancipationdayCelebrations
#JamaicaEmancipationdayCelebrations
Most Popular Posts
Spice: Colorism and Black Hypocrisy
By: Charmaine LindsayJamaican, Dancehall artist Spice, whose real name is Grace Hamilton is most popular for her erotic songs, and music videos with her acrobatic female dancers. However, she took a break from that routine to speak out against colorism. She did this in her recent social media stunt, and soon after released single, “Black Hypocrisy”.
Read more ...
Terri Lyons Is Calypso Royalty
By: Nekisha CyrusHands down, Terri Lyons is one of the most dynamic vocalists in the game with the musical versatility to match. Even though she hails from soca royalty as daughter of a soca legend, the one and only Super Blue, she has been determined to create her own legacy in the music industry
Read more ...
Visual artist Andrea Mckenzie may now live in Atlanta, Georgia but her bold, stunning works of art remain infused with her Trinidadian roots and Caribbean culture.
“My family legacy and Carnival is my foundation. I come from a lineage of creatives”, …
Big Rich In The Pungalunks Factory
By: David LawrenceBehind the signature phrase ‘Big Rich in the Pungalunks Factory’ which is heard in songs like Hunter’s ‘Jep Sting Naina’, Hunter’s and Bunji Garlin’s ‘Bring It’, and Kenneth Salick’s ‘Radica’, is an interesting story of human ingenuity that beckons to be told.
Read more ...