TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

 

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