National Icons of Trinidad Tobago_Rev2

NATIONAL ICONS OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
AUTHORS
CLR JAMES
Cyril Lionel Robert James was a philosopher, writer, Marxist theorist,
sports journalist and political activist whose intellectual
contribution to the world is among the most influential of the 20th
century. In 1936, he published the novel Minty Alley, becoming the
first Afro-Caribbean author to be published in the UK. That year he
also wrote the play Toussaint L’Ouverture and the book Black
Jacobins. When he died in May 1989, James left an enormous body
of intellectual work, devoted largely to human development.
SIR VS NAIPAUL
Sir VS Naipaul was born in Chaguanas, Trinidad, on 17 August 1932. His
first three books are comic portraits of Trinidadian society. The Mystic
Masseur (1957) won the Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in
1958 and was adapted as a film with a screenplay by Caryl Phillips in
2001. Miguel Street (1959), a collection of short stories, won a
Somerset Maugham Award. His acclaimed novel A House for Mr Biswas
(1961), is based on his father's life in Trinidad. His first novel set in
England, Mr Stone and the Knights Companion (1963), won the
Hawthornden Prize.
Subsequent novels developed more political themes and he began to
write about colonial and post-colonial societies in the process of
decolonisation. These novels include The Mimic Men (1967), winner of the 1968 WH Smith
Literary Award, In a Free State (1971), which won the Booker Prize for Fiction, Guerrillas
(1975) and A Bend in the River (1979), set in Africa. The Enigma of Arrival (1987) is a
personal account of his life in England. A Way in the World (1994), is a formally
experimental narrative that combines fiction and non-fiction in a historical portrait of the
Caribbean. More recent publications include Half a Life, in 2001 and Magic Seeds in 2004.
V. S. Naipaul was knighted in 1989. He was awarded the David Cohen British Literature Prize
by the Arts Council of England in 1993 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2001. He holds
honorary doctorates from Cambridge University and Columbia University in New York, and
honorary degrees from the universities of Cambridge, London and Oxford. He lives in
Wiltshire, England
DEREK WALCOTT
Derek Walcott published his first poem in the local newspaper at the
age of 14. His major breakthrough came with the collection In a
Green Night: Poems 1948-1960 (1962), a book which celebrates the
Caribbean and its history as well as investigates the scars of
colonialism and post-colonialism. Walcott is also a renowned
playwright. In 1971 he won an Obie Award for his play Dream on
Monkey Mountain, which The New Yorker described as “a poem in
dramatic form.” Walcott’s plays generally treat aspects of the West
Indian experience, often dealing with the socio-political and
epistemological implications of post-colonialism and drawing upon
various forms such as the fable, allegory, folk and morality play. In
addition to his Nobel Prize, Walcott’s honours include a MacArthur
Foundation “genius” award, a Royal Society of Literature Award,
and, in 1988, the Queen’s Medal for Poetry. He is an honorary
member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.
He is Professor of Poetry at Essex University.
CULTURE
PATRICIA BISHOP
Patricia Alison Bishop was an artist whose commitment to teaching
lifted entire communities to heights of excellence outside the
boundaries of their expectations. She became the medium through
which classical training in the Arts passed to those outside the formal
learning system and through whom the old classics were energized by
the living creativity of the people’s Arts.
She made history as the first person to conduct a combined steel band
and symphony orchestra when Desperadoes and the New York Pops
performed together in the mid-1980s.
CARLISLE CHANG
Carlisle Chang is an artist of extraordinary breadth whose work is
immortalised in the Coat of Arms and national flag of Trinidad and
Tobago. To many, he is the father of Trinidad Art for having drawn his
inspiration from the cultural mosaic of his society. He produced
several public works of art, including The Inherent Nobility of Man
(1961), an imposing mural painted in the arrival hall of the old Piarco
Airport, which was, tragically, demolished in 1979 to make way for
building expansion. Mr. Chang received two Band of the Year titles
with “China: Forbidden City” (1967) and “We Kinda People” (1975).
His creativity expanded to the realm of dolls, copper work, handicraft,
woodcarvings and embroidery.
GEOFFREY HOLDER
This Tony award-winning actor was born in Port of Spain in Trinidad
and Tobago. Holder will be best remembered to many as the
cackling Voodoo villain who dogged Roger Moore's footsteps in his
first outing as secret agent James Bond. His other films included
1982 musical Annie, in which he played Punjab. More recently, his
distinctive bass voice was heard narrating Tim Burton's 2005 film
version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Holder made his
Broadway debut that same year in House of Flowers, a Caribbeanthemed musical in which he first played Baron Samedi. A top-hatted spirit of death in Haitian
Voodoo culture, the character made full use of the actor's imposing physique and physical
dexterity. He won two Tony Awards for best costume design and musical direction in the original
Broadway production of The Wiz, an all-black version of The Wizard of Oz. He also appeared in an
all-black version of Waiting for Godot.
LORD KITCHENER
Aldwyn Roberts, the Lord Kitchener, is the acknowledged Grandmaster of
Calypso, whose musical oeuvre displays an uncanny affinity to Mas and the
Steel band. In 1944, Kitchener penned his first composition for Pan with
“Beat of the Pan”. It marked the beginning of a unique relationship between
calypso and steel band, in which Kitchener’s compositions would come to
influence the musical direction of the Panorama competition. Through his
music, Lord Kitchener became the voice of the West Indian community and a
mobilising spirit for the island emigrants so far from home. Despite his
London successes, Lord Kitchener stayed close to the calypso scene in
Trinidad where he kept his fans dancing with such hits as “Nora, Nora” and
“Trouble in Arima”. This musical genius dominated the calypso world,
writing over 350 songs, running his own Calypso Revue tent, winning 10 Road March titles and
composing the music that would win 18 Panorama titles and entertain generations of musicians to
come.
BERYL MC BURNIE
In 1938, Mc Burnie left Trinidad to study dance at Columbia University
in New York where she studied under Martha Graham, met the great
Black American actor Paul Robeson and worked on Broadway. Her
crusading work inspired Rex Nettleford to found the Jamaica National
Dance Theatre Company, succoured Nobel Prize writer Derek Walcott
in his early years in Trinidad and set the template for generations of
dancers. She travelled the length and breadth of the country and
knocked on every door, raising money, solving problems and seeking
support for the Arts. In November 1948, she fulfilled a dream when
Paul Robeson laid the foundation stone of the Little Carib Theatre at
Roberts St, Woodbrook, launching the country’s first permanent
theatre and the Little Carib Dance Company.
An exciting performer, the dancer billed as La Belle Rosette set New York stages on fire. For her
contribution to dance and the Arts, Beryl McBurnie received many awards and honours including
an honorary doctorate from UWI (1976), and her country’s highest honour, the Trinity Cross (1989).
PETER MINSHALL
Peter Minshall is an artist, designer, artistic director and masman who is
renowned for his works of mas for Trinidad carnival and large-scale
spectacle events and performances. Much of Minshall’s success came as a
result of his investigation into the kinetics of the human body in motion and
the development of structural techniques to amplify the energy of the
masplayer’s performance. One of Minshall’s earliest innovations was the
articulated bird wing, which allowed for the complete freedom of wingwaving movement and dance. Another signature Minshall structure is the
fixed wing attached at the shoulders, often depicting magnificent angel or
devil characters.
As Minshall’s kinetically expressive mas creations became more
sophisticated and more distinctive, he coined the term “dancing mobile” to classify them. Perhaps
the most advanced of these dancing mobiles was the articulated armature that made the
foundation of ManCrab (1983) and Callaloo Dancing Tic Tac Toe Down the River (1984). This
structure transmits and amplifies the dancing energy of the mas performer into billowing
constructions of fabric and film, high above the performer’s head. A subsequent development
brought together the technologies of backpacks, foot attachments, hinged arms, and spiral tubes
to create a giant dancing puppet that can be motivated by a single performer, reversing the
traditional relationship between puppet and puppeteer. The most famous of these were Tan Tan
and Saga Boy (1980).
At the international level, Minshall played a major role in the design and artistic direction of the
opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in 1992 and 1996, and the 2002 Winter Olympics,
among other major spectacle events. He has received numerous awards for his achievements,
among them: the University of the West Indies’ Guggenheim Fellowship (1982); an honorary
doctorate from The University of the West Indies (1991); the Trinity Cross (1996); and an Emmy for
the Opening Ceremony of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
HORACE OVE
Horace Ové has written his name into the history books as the first black
British film maker to direct a feature-length film, bringing to his work a
sensibility chiselled out of his experience of growing up in Belmont, Trinidad.
In 1960, Horace Ové left Trinidad for England to study painting, photography
and interior decorating. Captivated by film, he enrolled at the London School
of Film Technique and began experimenting with his own productions. He
quickly gravitated towards filling the void surrounding the Black experience in
England, particularly the Afro-Caribbean presence. With the issue of race
looming largest, Ové began his exploration with a short film titled Baldwin’s
Nigger, in which the African American novelist James Baldwin discusses the
Black experience and identity in Britain and America. His next film, Reggae,
took him inside the West Indian experience in Britain. The film caught the attention of the BBC,
which broadcast it and commissioned other work from Ové including King Carnival and episodes for
The World About Us series.
Horace Ové received the title of Commander of the Most Excellent Order (C.B.E) from
Queen Elizabeth for his contribution to the British film Industry. In 2012, he was honoured in his
home country with a T&T Film Pioneer Award from the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company.
MUNGAL PATASAR
Mungal Patasar is an internationally celebrated musician who has created
a unique genre of world music that draws on all the elements of the
musical culture of the Caribbean. Patasar has appeared in major festivals
worldwide, the last being the Roskilde festival in Denmark where he
played to an audience of approximately 90,000.
In Paris in 2000,
Patasar’s music was described as the ‘new world music’- the music of the
new millennium, having its roots in Indian Classical ragas with motifs of
reggae, calypso and including other Caribbean rhythms. The next year,
2001, Mungal launched his CD “Dreadlocks” in Paris where within a week,
the title song “Dreadlocks” hit the top twenty on the European charts.
He has an honorary degree from the University of the Trinidad and Tobago
and has been honoured for his contribution to music with the national
award of the Hummingbird Medal (Gold).
CALYPSO ROSE
In 1966, Calypso Rose wrote the immortal Fire In Me Wire, a song which
has become a Calypso anthem. It has been recorded in eight languages
and is still the first Calypso to be sung for two consecutive years at the
annual carnival competition in Trinidad and Tobago.
For five years Rose outclassed the competition to win the national
"Calypso Queen" title in Trinidad and Tobago. During this time she kept
knocking on the doors of the male dominated "Calypso King" competition.
In 1978, those doors finally opened! With the powerful lyrics of I Thank
Thee and Her Majesty, Rose was awarded the newly renamed "Calypso
Monarch" title from a star studded field of the best competitors of the day. She also won the "Road
March" title the previous year with Gimme More Tempo. To date, Calypso Rose still holds the
distinction of being the only woman to win either title until 2009, placing her in a class by herself.
JIT SAMAROO
Jit Samaroo has been written into the history books as the most
successful arranger in the 50-year history of the Panorama competition.
At age 15, after a life-changing encounter with Landig White, the
musical director of the Lever Brothers Canboulay Steelband in Tunapuna,
he joined the band, quickly mastering all the instruments while trying his
hand at arranging for the band. In 1971, Bertrand “Butch” Kelman,
tuner for both the Samaroo Kids and Renegades Steelband, introduced Jit
Samaroo to Renegades, launching one of the most fertile Pan
partnerships of all time. Together they have won the national Panorama
competition a record nine times, including a historic hat-trick in 1995,
1996 and 1997. In 2007, Jit Samaroo retired from Renegades, having
sealed his reputation as one of the most successful, accurate, clinical arrangers ever. On the basis
of his body of work, the University of the West Indies awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2003.
Earlier, in 1995, he was awarded the Chaconia Medal (Silver).
BOOGSIE SHARPE
Len “Boogsie” Sharpe was a child prodigy of the steelpan who
actualized his gifts for composing, arranging and performing
through the steel band, adding new dimensions to the music.
Sharpe remains the premier example of musical genius in the
post-Independence era of the steel band movement. Without
reading a note of music, he has been able to compose complex
melodies and arrangements that have taken Phase II into the
winners’ circle of the Panorama competition.
Boogsie is a virtuoso player with a gift for improvising. He plays every instrument in the steel
band, but his successful international solo career is built on the double-seconds, which have
sparkled in many a jazz ensemble. In 2009, he received the Hummingbird Medal (Gold).
THE MIGHTY SPARROW
The Mighty Sparrow is a calypso singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Known
as the "Calypso King of the World," he is one of the most well-known
and successful calypsonians. In 1956, Sparrow won Trinidad's Carnival
Road March and Calypso Monarch competitions with his most famous
song, "Jean and Dinah". In 1984 he won his eighth Road March title with
the soca-influenced "Doh Back Back." Also around this time, he began to
spend at least half the year in New York City, finding an apartment in
the West Indian neighbour hoods in Jamaica, Queens. Sparrow
continues to write, perform, and tour into the 21st century; in a 2001
interview he mentioned that he had been singing and performing a "Gospel-lypso" hybrid. In 2008,
he released a song supporting Barack Obama's presidential campaign, "Barack the Magnificent". He
also did a remake of his "Congo Man" song with fellow Trinidadian Machel Montano on the “Flame
On” album.
POLITICS
DR. ERIC WILLIAMS
Eric Eustace Williams was born in Trinidad on the 25th September
1911. He was educated at Queen's Royal College, Port of Spain, where
he won a scholarship to study at Oxford University, England. He was
awarded a BA (First Class Honours) in 1935 and a Doctor of Philosophy
(DPhD) in 1938. He taught Social and Political Science at Howard
University, Washington D.C. before returning to Trinidad to found the
People's National Movement (PNM) in 1956.
In September 1956, the PNM won the national elections constituting
Trinidad and Tobago first party government. Dr. Williams, the party's
political leader, became the country's first non-colonial Chief
Minister. In 1961 after another PNM electoral victory, he became
Premier. In 1962 he led the country into independence, becoming
Prime Minister in the process and in 1976 declared it a Republic.
He was appointed a member of the United Nations University in 1974. A historian of note, Dr.
Williams was the author of several respected texts, including Capitalism to Slavery and a History
of the People of Trinidad & Tobago. Over the course of his lifetime he was accorded numerous
honours, he was a member of the Queen's Privy Council (PC) and a Companion of Honour (CH), he
was also a wearer of El Collar de Venezuela and a bearer of the Southern Cross of Brazil. Dr. Eric
Williams died on the 29th March, 1981.
SPORTS
HASLEY CRAWFORD
Hasely Joachim Crawford rose to the pinnacle of Olympic glory to
become, after three decades, the only Trinidad and Tobago runner to win
an Olympic gold medal. The Olympic Games of 1976 brought Crawford
international fame as he edged out his competition, to win the 100m
race in a record time of 10.06 seconds. Later that year, Crawford was
awarded the prestigious national award of the Trinity Cross. His
achievement was further recognised in 2001 by the government of
Trinidad and Tobago when the country’s first National Stadium was renamed in his honour.
In August of 2012, when the nation celebrated its 50th anniversary of
Independence, Hasely Joachim Crawford was named among Trinidad and
Tobago’s 50 Sports Legends.
BRIAN LARA
In 1994, Brian Charles Lara made history scoring 501 runs. Born in
Santa Cruz, at the foothills of the Northern Range, on May 2, 1969, he
began to play cricket at the tender age of seven years old. Lara
remains the only player in West Indian cricket history to have been
appointed skipper of the regional team three times. Lara was
inducted into the ICC’s Hall of Fame in 2012. He is one of only three
cricketers to receive the prestigious BBC Overseas Sports Personality
of the Year and he also earned himself the Wisden Leading Cricketer
in the World Award in 1994 and 1995.
At home, he was awarded the Trinity Cross in 1994 and the Order of
the Caribbean Community in 2008.
KESHORN WALCOTT
Keshorn Walcott, born on April 2, 1993, is from the scenic village of
Toco in North Trinidad. Walcott is a three-time Junior CARIFTA Games
Champion, the 2012 World Junior Champion and the London 2012
Olympic champion in the javelin throw. In the London 2012 Olympics,
the 19-year-old Walcott won gold in the men's javelin, throwing 84.58
metres in the second round. Walcott is Trinidad and Tobago’s second
gold medallist and the youngest ever Olympic champion in the Javelin
throw. Walcott also made Olympic history by becoming the first nonEuropean javelin champion in sixty years. Walcott was awarded
Trinidad and Tobago's highest honour, the Order of the Republic of
Trinidad and Tobago, by President George Maxwell Richards at the
National Awards ceremony in August 2012.
DWIGHT YORKE
Dwight Yorke’s powerful foot and inspirational leadership, combined
with the football artistry of Russell Latapy and the commitment of a
talented team of Soca Warriors propelled Trinidad and Tobago into
football history as the first Caribbean country and smallest nation ever
to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2006.
It was Yorke’s arrival and subsequent presence in the squad that
ultimately helped to turn a seemingly irretrievable situation in the
qualifying round of the 2006 World Cup into a fourth place, play-offearning finish. After a 1-1 draw at home and a headed conversion of
Yorke ‘s pin point accurate corner in the second leg of the play-off in
Bahrain, Trinidad and Tobago made a dramatic entry onto football’s
biggest stage.