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Trinibagonian Nationalism refers to nationalism among the people of the dual-island region in the Caribbean east of Venezuela that encompasses Trinidad and Tobago. It refers to their patriotic feelings, values and actions (be they political, socio-cultural or racial) that were born out of relations in the dual-island republic's formation.
Spanish migration took place in the 1600s, following slave raids that wiped out a large portion of indigenous life in Trinidad and Tobago. [1]
The first major migration to the islands began with an influx of Indian citizens migrating to Trinidad's major city, The Port of Spain, in 1845. This migration marked the first chapter of the cultural formation of the nation and of its current racial diversity. It brought new cultural, racial, political and often religious values and beliefs that conflicted and complemented the previous Spanish influences. [1]
Trinidad and Tobago received their independence on the 31st of August 1962, and the two islands have been considered a republic since that time. [2] This foundation of the dual-island republic marked the formation of its modern-day nationalism.
The mix of nationalities, customs and culture of the modern-day republic contribute significantly to the nationalism of Trinidad and Tobago.[ citation needed ] The early Indian influence, paired with the Caribbean location and culture of the dual-island republic, made way for Creole culture largely founded upon these customs.
A particularly famous Trinbagonian cultural custom, that is globally renowned as representative of West Indian culture is the Trinidad Carnival. "However, this cultural practice has been prevalent in Trinidad and Tobago from shortly after the cultural renaissance of post- World War 2. Trinidad and Tobago developed a rich cultural life from early colonial times, enhanced by the striking diversity of the population. Carnival, calypso and the steelband" (which emerged just after World War 2) were at the heart of the Creole cultural complex" [1] The unique dress worn by females at the festival (feathers, gems and festive undergarments) mostly with wings) shows components of Spanish, Native American and Indian Traditional Dress. The Trinbagonian Culture is similarly grounded upon the ideals of multi-nationalism.
Modern-day Calypso music originated on Trinidad and Tobago, and is derived from West African traditions of musical form and structure. It was brought there by enslaved people, and was a way of spreading ideas and recording cultural events at a time of low literacy. The Black Power movement in the 1970s spawned a number of nationalistic calypso musicians in the republic, such as Black Stalin who was known for his militant lyrics. [3]
The discrimination prevalent in Trinidad and Tobago is not only between difference racial groups. For lower socio-economic groups, occupational discrimination meant lower opportunities for higher income positions and fostered the growth of the pay disparity between both racial and socio-economic groups. This discrimination became a focal contributor to the civil rights activism that branded a sector of Trinbagonian Nationalism during the 1960s. [4] Naturally, the racial disputes and disagreements that the dual-island have with neighbouring nationals contributed to the nationalism of Trinidad and Tobago. For the dual-island, a significant nationalistic dispute is between both Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. [5] During a course of over three decades the nations underwent diplomatic meetings. The dispute was around the distribution of maritime spaces, hydrocarbons and fisheries. It went on between the periods of 1988 to 2004 and included treaties and ended in Barbados taking the case to arbitration on February 16, 2004. The dispute was not only political, it also drove a wedge socially and culturally between the nations that resulted in higher levels of low grade crime. [2]
The evolution of culture, politics and media play into the way in which the nationalism of Trinidad and Tobago plays an individual role in the way in which the nation is viewed currently in both its nationalism and as a nation state. The evolution of social and cultural issues act as an indication of the nationalistic evolution. These national issues that have either evolved or more recently come into relevance are an indication of this. A primary issue in the current climate in Trinidad and Tobago is around female rights and sexual rights. The negotiation for sex rights and reduced discrimination begun, being prevalent, for Trinidad and Tobago, in the 1960s. This largely meant establishing more legitimate legal and political grounding for the rights and freedoms of those with female bodies, surrounding civil and sexual issues. Similarly, in 2018, the previous political ban on same sex intimacy was overturned on April 13 of 2018."section 13 of Trinidad and Tobago’s Sexual Offenses Act punishes “buggery,” or anal intercourse, punishable by sentences of up to 25 years in prison. Section 16 of the same act, on “serious indecency,” stipulates that a person who is sexually intimate with a person of the same sex without having intercourse is liable to imprisonment for up to five years." [6] As the culture around same sex rights evolves, with it the values, principles and beliefs evolve; the nationalism of the Trinbagonian region. This is a major representation of nationalism in that the cultural and social issues that a nation concerns itself with, majorly reflect upon what the nation stands for; henceforth its nationalism.
Calypso is a style of Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago during the early to the mid-19th century and spread to the rest of the Caribbean Antilles by the mid-20th century. Its rhythms can be traced back to West African Kaiso and the arrival of French planters and their slaves from the French Antilles in the 18th century.
The music of Trinidad and Tobago is best known for its calypso music, soca music, chutney music, and steelpan. Calypso's internationally noted performances in the 1950s from native artists such as Lord Melody, Lord Kitchener and Mighty Sparrow. The art form was most popularised at that time by Harry Belafonte. Along with folk songs and African- and Indian-based classical forms, cross-cultural interactions have produced other indigenous forms of music including soca, rapso, parang, chutney, and other derivative and fusion styles. There are also local communities which practice and experiment with international classical and pop music, often fusing them with local steelpan instruments.
A calypsonian, originally known as a chantwell, is a musician from the anglophone Caribbean who sings songs of the calypso genre.
The Toronto Caribbean Carnival, formerly and still commonly known as Caribana, is a festival of Caribbean culture and traditions held each summer in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a pan-Caribbean Carnival event and has been billed as North America's largest street festival, frequented by over 1.3 million visitors each year for the festival's final parade and an overall attendance of 2 million.
Rapso is a form of Trinidadian music that grew out of the social unrest of the 1970s. Black Power and unions grew in the 1970s, and rapso grew along with them. The first recording was Blow Away by Lancelot Layne in 1970. Six years later, Cheryl Byron was scorned when she sang rapso at a calypso tent; she is now called the "Mother of Rapso".
The music of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines includes thriving music scenes based on Big Drum, calypso, soca, steelpan and also reggae. String band music, quadrille, bélé music and traditional storytelling are also popular.
The music of Antigua and Barbuda is largely African in character, and has only felt a limited influence from European styles due to the population of Antigua and Barbuda descending mostly from West Africans who were made slaves by Europeans.
Afro-Trinidadians and Tobagonians are people from Trinidad and Tobago who are of Sub-Saharan African descent, mostly from West Africa. Social interpretations of race in Trinidad and Tobago are often used to dictate who is of West African descent. Mulatto-Creole, Dougla, Blasian, Zambo, Maroon, Pardo, Quadroon, Octoroon or Hexadecaroon (Quintroon) were all racial terms used to measure the amount of West African ancestry someone possessed in Trinidad and Tobago and throughout North American, Latin American and Caribbean history.
The culture of Trinidad and Tobago reflects the influence of Indian-South Asian, African, Indigenous, European, Chinese, North American, Latino, and Arab cultures. The histories of Trinidad and Tobago are different. There are differences in the cultural influences which have shaped each island. Trinidad and Tobago is an English-speaking country with strong links to the United Kingdom.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Trinidad and Tobago face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same rights and benefits as that of opposite-sex couples.
The Southern Caribbean is a group of islands that neighbor mainland South America in the West Indies. Saint Lucia lies to the north of the region, Barbados in the east, Trinidad and Tobago at its southernmost point, and Aruba at the most westerly section.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Trinidad and Tobago:
Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago formally established diplomatic relations on Barbados' national date of independence, 30 November 1966. Barbados maintains non-resident representation to Port of Spain, and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago maintains non-resident representation to Bridgetown. Both countries are members of many shared organisations, including the Association of Caribbean States, the Commonwealth of Nations, CARICOM, CARIFORUM, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
Barbados v. Trinidad and Tobago was a 2006 arbitral case between Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago in which the tribunal resolved the maritime border dispute between the two countries. The dispute was arbitrated before an arbitral tribunal constituted under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, in which the Permanent Court of Arbitration served as registry.
Grenada–Trinidad and Tobago relations refers to foreign relations between Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago. The two countries have historical and cultural connections dating back to the 18th century. Both nations are members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Association of Caribbean States and the Organization of American States.
Women in Trinidad and Tobago are women who were born in, who live in, or are from Trinidad and Tobago. Depending from which island the women came, they may also be called Trinidadian women or Tobagonian women respectively. Women in Trinidad and Tobago excel in various industries and occupations, including micro-enterprise owners, "lawyers, judges, politicians, civil servants, journalists, and calypsonians." Women still dominate the fields of "domestic service, sales, and some light manufacturing."
Cletus Ali, better known as Mighty Dougla, was a Trinidadian calypsonian who won the island's Calypso King title in 1961.
Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The country is home to people of many different national, ethnic and religious origins. As a result, Trinidadians do not equate their nationality with race and ethnicity, but with citizenship, identification with the islands as whole, or either Trinidad or Tobago specifically. Although citizens make up the majority of Trinidadians, there is a substantial number of Trinidadian expatriates, dual citizens and descendants living worldwide, chiefly elsewhere in the Anglosphere.
M. Jacqui Alexander is a writer, teacher, and activist. She is both a Professor Emeritus at the Women and Gender Studies Department of the University of Toronto as well as the creator and director of the Tobago Centre "for the study and practice of indigenous spirituality". Jacqui Alexander is an enthusiast of "the ancient African (diasporic) spiritual systems of Orisa/Ifá, and a student of yoga and Vipassana meditation". She has received teachings on this meditative practice in Nigeria, the Kôngo, India, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, and New York. The themes of her work have captured a range of social justice subjects from the effects of imperialism, colonialism, and enslavement with special attention paid to the "pathologizing narratives" around homosexuality, gender, nationalism. Alexander's academic areas of interest specifically include: African Diasporic Cosmologies, African Diasporic Spiritual Practices, Caribbean studies, Gender and the Sacred, Heterosexualization and State Formation, Transnational feminism.
Chile-Trinidad and Tobago Relations refers to the bilateral relations between Chile and Trinidad and Tobago. Chile has an embassy in Port of Spain. Trinidad and Tobago is accredited to Chile from its embassy in Brasília, Brazil. Both countries are members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
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