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So Trinidad and Tobago held an open podium style town hall on what to do with remaining colonialist/imperialist statues, symbols, etc. Things like a Christopher Columbus status and the coat-of-arms. It took 62 years post independence to make it happen but I guess it’s happening now? Why not earlier is what I want to know.
Some suggested a prominent Columbus statue be placed in a museum. Others requested it be destroyed and that people be allowed to stomp on the dusty remains. One man encouraged officials to round up statues of colonial figures and create a “square of the infamous.”
The public hearing was held just a week after the government announced it would redraw the nation’s coat of arms to remove Christopher Columbus’ three famous ships — the Pinta, the Niña and the Santa María – and replace it with the steelpan, a popular percussion instrument that originated in the Caribbean nation.
Hell yeah now we’re talking.
Others pushed for further changes on Wednesday night.
“What the hell is the queen still doing on top of the coat of arms? Please let us put her to rest,” said Eric Lewis, who identifies as a member of the First Peoples, also known as Amerindians.
Looking at all the countries with the union jack on there for no reason other than they were colonized once by the brits. I think only Hawaii gets a pass since it’s there to snub the USA. Put it to rest!
“We stumbling and tripping over heroes,” he said. “To have produced so much genius, and that lineage is nowhere present in the landscape.”
Among the suggestions of people to honor was Nobel Prize-winning author V.S. Naipaul; Cyril Lionel Robert James, a historian and journalist; and Kwame Ture, who helped spearhead the Black Power movement in the U.S. Others suggested that prominent Amerindians and more local women be honored, including Patricia Bishop, an educator and musician and Beryl McBurnie, a teacher credited with promoting and saving Caribbean dance.
*monkey paw curls* Christopher Columbus statue gets taken down but is replaced by Trinidadian Uncle Ruckus.