TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Trinidad and Tobago is a dual-island Caribbean nation near
Venezuela, with distinctive multi-cultural traditions and cuisines.
Numerous bird species inhabit sanctuaries such as the Asa
Wright Nature Centre and the Caroni Bird Centre both of which are tourist
attractions.
The smaller island of Tobago is known for its fabulous
beaches, and the Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve, which shelters hummingbirds.
The twin island state of Trinidad and Tobago, is a small
but high-income country. With a population of 1.3 million people and rich in
natural resources such as oil and pitch, it has one of the highest GNI per
capita in Latin America and the Caribbean.
English is the national language.
The island nation of Trinidad and Tobago stands out due to
its ethnic makeup and diversified cultures. The population is multi-racial with
a mixture of Afro-Trinidadians, Indo-Trinidadians, Syrians, and Europeans.
All races live in peace and harmony and celebrate all
cultural activities. The diversity of the people is reflected in the islands'
numerous festivals.
Trinidad and Tobago have a rich cultural life throughout
the islands, celebrating all festivals such as the Muslim festival of Eid el
Fitur, the Hindu festival of Divali, African festivals, Christian festivals of
Christmas and Easter, dance, and literature.
Both islands host an annual boisterous carnival featuring
calypso and soca music, during which time, tourists flock to the islands. It is
an unforgettable experience in this oil-rich nation.
There are lovely beaches and hotels with international
standards. Trinidad and Tobago is a tourist destination.
From the cosmopolitan streets of the capital of
Port-of-Spain to the tranquil beaches of Maracas and Tobago, everyone will find
something interesting here.
MUSICTT
provides industry-wide strategic direction and action plans toward the
development of the music industry as well as guidance and access to music
education and capacity development, especially in the business and monetization
of local music and protection of the same.
TRINIDAD
AND TOBAGO’S FILM INDUSTRY emerged in the late 1950s and by the late
1970s there was a small amount of local productions, which included both
feature films and television programmes. Trinidad and Tobago boasts of unique
country features and an ideal geographic location. In this regard, Trinidad and
Tobago possesses substantial resources for the production of feature films such
as a variety of contrasting location sites all within close proximity to one
another as well as experienced production crews. As a result of these
resources, over a period of almost sixty years a number of international
feature films have been shot on location in Trinidad and Tobago in spite of
other more competitive locations in the Caribbean Region. Improvements in
technology specifically the advent of low cost high definition video cameras in
the 21st Century, has led to the production of several local feature films in
Trinidad and Tobago.
FASHION
TT
- The Trinidad and Tobago Fashion Company Limited was established in 2013 with the mandate to
stimulate and facilitate the business development and export activity of the
fashion industry in Trinidad and Tobago to generate national wealth.
LITERATURE - In
the field of Literature, Trinidad and Tobago is the birthplace of many renowned
writers like Sir Vidia S. Naipaul, Michael Anthony, and Cynthia James.
V. S. Naipaul was knighted in 1989. He was awarded the
David Cohen British Literature Prize by the Arts Council of England in 1993.
In 2001, V. S. Naipaul was awarded the Nobel Prize in
Literature.
HISTORY
OF THE ISLANDS
Indigenous First Peoples, first settled on the islands.
Human settlement in Trinidad dates back at least 7,000
years. The earliest settlers, termed Archaic or Ortoiroid, are believed to have
settled in Trinidad and Tobago from north-eastern South America around 4000
BCE. SPANISH PERIOD
SPANISH
RULE
The first-ever contact with Europeans occurred when
Christopher Columbus, who was on his third voyage of exploration, arrived at
noon on 31 July 1498. He landed at a harbour he called Point Galera, named the
island Trinidad, and claimed it for Spain. Tobago was seen by Columbus on 14
August 1498. He did not land there, but named the island Belaforme, "because from a distance it seemed beautiful.
In 1530 Antonio Sedeño was appointed Governor of Trinidad.
In 1532 he attempted to establish a settlement, but was driven off the island
following the Battle of Cumucurapo, (or The Place of the Silk Cotton Tree). He
withdrew to Margarita, but he returned a year later and built a settlement now
known as Port of Spain. After failing to attract more settlers to Trinidad,
Sedeño was forced to withdraw in 1534.
Sir Walter Raleigh, who was searching for El Dorado,
arrived in Trinidad on 22 March 1595.
Spanish missions were established as part of the Spanish
colonization.
BRITISH
PERIOD
In 1797, a British force led by General Sir Ralph Abercrombie
launched the invasion of Trinidad. His squadron sailed through the Bocas and
anchored off the coast of Chaguaramas. The Spanish Governor Chacón decided to
capitulate without fighting. Trinidad thus became a British crown colony, with
a French-speaking population and Spanish laws. British rule was formalized
under the Treaty of Amiens.
British rule led to an influx of settlers from the United
Kingdom and the British colonies of the Eastern Caribbean. English, Scots,
Irish, German and Italian families arrived.
On 20 Oct. 1889, the British Government made Tobago a ward
of Trinidad.
In August, 1816, seven hundred former slaves from the
U.S.A. arrived in Trinidad and Tobago. Full emancipation for all slaves was
legally granted ahead of schedule on 1 August 1838.
AGRICULTURE
The sugarcane plantations which dominated the economy of
Trinidad and Tobago in the 19th century gradually gave ground to the
cultivation of cocoa. Trinidad and Tobago chocolate became a high-priced, much
sought-after commodity. Venezuelan farmers with experience in cocoa cultivation
were also encouraged to settle in Trinidad and Tobago, where they provided much
of the early labour in these estates. Many of the former cocoa-producing areas
of Trinidad retain a distinctly Spanish flavour and many of the descendants of
the Cocoa panyols live in these areas including Trinidad and Tobago's most
famous cricketer, Brian Lara.
INDENTURESHIP
In 1844, the British Government allowed the immigration of
2,500 Indian workers as indentured servants, from Calcutta and Madras.
According to Williams, this was an effort to provide "an adequate and
dependable supply of labour." They were financially compensated.
Chinese immigrants are now principally shopkeepers, as well
as general merchants, miners, and construction workers.
Many Indian immigrants who had completed their Indentureship,
also established businesses and estates. The Indian community has steadily
prospered and grown and makes up about 45% of the population of the nation,
DISCOVERY
OF OIL
The American Merrimac Oil Company drilled an early oil well
at La Brea at Trinidad and Tobago in 1857, where oil was struck at 280 feet (85
m). Also mentioned is the pioneering work of Capt. Darwent with his Paria
Petroleum Company Limited, and Conrad F. Stollmeyer, great grandfather of
Republic Bank's then Chairman, former West Indies cricket captain, Jeffrey
Stollmeyer), an entrepreneur of that period.
In 1893 Mr Randolph Rust, along with his neighbour, Mr Lee
Lum, drilled a successful well near Darwent's original one. Estimated oil
production in Trinidad and Tobago in 2005 was about 150,000 barrels per day.
The high oil prices of the 1970s and early 1980s led to an
oil boom which resulted in a large increase in salaries, standards of living,
and corruption.
POLITICAL
DEVELOPMENT
Trinidad was ruled as a Crown colony with no elected
representation until 1925.
The 1956 general elections saw the emergence of the
People's National Movement under the leadership of Eric Williams. The PNM,
opposed by Dr. Rudranath Capildeo of the Democratic Labour Party and Ashford
Sinanan, continued to dominate politics in Trinidad and Tobago until 1986.
The PNM party won every General Election between 1956 and
1981. Williams became prime minister at independence, and remained in that
position until his death in 1981.
Trinidad and Tobago obtained its independence from the
British Empire in 1962 and became a Republic in 1976.
On 1 August 1976, the country became a Republic, and the
last Governor-General, Sir Ellis Clarke, became the first President.
The PNM remained in power following the death of Dr.
Williams, but its 30-year rule ended in 1986 when the National Alliance for
Reconstruction (NAR), a multi-ethnic coalition won a landslide victory by
capturing 33 of 36 seats. Tobago's A. N. R. Robinson, the political leader of
the NAR, was named Prime Minister.
In December 1991, the PNM, led by Patrick Manning, won a
majority of 21 seats, and the UNC came in second. Manning became the new Prime
Minister. In November 1995, Manning
called early elections, in which the PNM and UNC both won 17 seats and the NAR
won two seats. The UNC allied with the NAR and formed the new government, with Basdeo
Panday becoming prime minister – the first prime minister of Indo-Trinidadian
descent.
Elections held in December 2000 returned the UNC to power
when they won 19 seats, while the opposition PNM won 16, and the NAR 1. The UNC
government fell in October 2001 and Patrick Manning of the PNM was appointed
Prime Minister..
The PNM formed the next government after winning 20 seats,
while the UNC won 16. Both parties are committed to free market economic
policies and increased foreign investment.
On 26 May 2010, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, leader of the
People's Partnership, was sworn in as the country's first female Prime
Minister. On 19 March 2018 Trinidad's
first female President, Ms. Paula-Mae Weekes was sworn in
In August 2020, the governing People's National Movement
won general elections, and the incumbent Prime Minister Keith Rowley started
serving a second term.
The islands of Trinidad and Tobago are a tourist haven, and
can also boast of having a diverse set of mix of arts and cultural activities,
some of which have been expanded in composition, size, and structure to become
the main sectors of a growing cultural industry.
Trinidad and Tobago has remained cooperative with the
United States in the regional fight against narcotics trafficking and on other
issues.
[Source: Wikipedia/ Internet]
N.B. Many of the author's books are set in the beautiful islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Get them at Amazon
