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Trinidad and Tobago mourns the loss of calypsonian Wilfred “Young Creole” Barker, who passed away on July 22 at age 87.
Young Creole, celebrated for his humorous calypsoes and dynamic stage presence, is known for hits like “Doh Jealous Them” and “Shave Me Barber Man,” and his dramatic rendition of the Mighty Sparrow's "Slave"
His contributions were recently honored by the National Action Cultural Committee. \(Source:  IEnt Live, July 24, 2024)

A Personal Account:
I remember that night quite vividly. It was during the late 1950s in the Morne Diablo area, South Trinidad. My aunt had just given birth, and I was standing outside their home, listening to the pandemonium inside. From where I stood, I could hear the chaotic noises, but I didn’t see anything directly. I was told that my uncle, normally a strong man, was frozen in fear in the corner when he saw the newborn child. Vashti, the mother, was said to be slipping in and out of consciousness.
Inside, Ms. Ingrid, the ‘chaamine’, was struggling to control the situation. She told me later that she tried in vain to hold down the child, but it scratched her fiercely and scurried under the bed. During a brief moment of silence, when the child had stopped screaming and growling, it was said to target the father with insults. With a disturbingly deep, unsettling voice it shouted: "Boysie! Wey yuh mudda? Watch yuh, yuh moorkh!" From outside, I could hear the cries, the screaming, the moving furniture.
Ms. Ingrid said that earlier, as soon as the child was delivered, it asked her in ‘a big man’s voice’ what she was doing there. She said she never expected the raakhas to be that strong, that the “kala jaadu that griping Vashti was too much.”
Ms. Ingrid described the creature as looking like a slippery, black ‘crapaud,’ with teeth like a dog. We were told to go ‘up de road’, away from the house. I heard later that when they eventually mustered the courage to look under the bed, the ‘thing’ was gone.
The trauma of that night left my aunt mute for nearly two years, and my uncle, unable to cope with the stress, fell into alcoholism, which ultimately led to his death. Ms. Ingrid herself was never the same after that night. To be honest, nothing was right after that, especially with Auntie Vash—no amount of puja, or visits from priests and pundits could bring her back to her old self. She eventually passed away in 2004. To this day, the memory of that night haunts me—the eerie cries, the growls, the stories from Ms Ingrid, it was really something else yes.”
- D. Bheepat
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"The Raakhas"
The tale of the “Raakhas” is a chilling legend that likely evolved with the East Indian indentured labourers who came to the Caribbean and was propagated by their descendants. This folklore may have been influenced by the “Rakshasa” of Indian mythology—demonic or ‘goblin-like’ beings known for their shape-shifting abilities, immense strength, and in some instances, an insatiable appetite for human flesh.
In Trinidad, a Raakhas/Raa-khas is a sinister newborn creature, often resembling a young rat, monkey, or frog, with a complexion as dark as night. It bears a high, sloping forehead, and its menacing grin reveals four protruding teeth—two on the upper jaw and two on the lower. Its long fingernails, toenails, and hair add to its eerie appearance, and it may even possess a tail. Upon birth, the raakhas immediately attempts to flee, leaping through windows and scaling rooftops, all the while shrieking the names of its parents as a chilling omen of impending doom.
The chaamine (midwife) faces a grim task: to kill the raakhas by strangling it or crushing its chest with a grinding stone (sil) the moment it is born. If the creature survives, it becomes a relentless predator, seeking to end the lives of its parents and others by clawing at their flesh and piercing their necks with its razor-sharp teeth.
The child never lives beyond a few days; it either perishes naturally or is mercilessly destroyed by human hands. A child is cursed to become a raakhas as a result of its mother's dark karma.
Have you ever heard of this tale?
Further Reading:
- Mahabir, K., & Khan, A. (2010). Indian Caribbean folklore spirits. Chakra Publishing House.
- Pattanaik, D. (2003). Indian mythology: Tales, symbols, and rituals from the heart of the subcontinent. Inner Traditions.
- https://www.nalis.gov.tt/.../Indian-Caribbean-Folklore
(Source: San Fernando North Community Library, July 20, 2024)

​Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has announced that children from hurricane-ravaged regions in Grenada, and St Vincent and the Grenadines will be allowed to enter T&T and seek refuge with their families.
The decision was made yesterday in reaction to the pressing need to help and support the hundreds of individuals in the wake of Hurricane Beryl’s devastation and deaths on the islands. Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines faced significant devastation.
“Given the level of total devastation experienced on these islands, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, acknowledging the deep familial ties between these islands and Trinidad and Tobago, has offered to allow school-age children from the devastated zones to be allowed into Trinidad and Tobago if they have family here who may wish to house them during the school holiday period that is upon us at this time,” the PM said.
Back in 2017, Dr Rowley offered accommodation to Dominicans who were left homeless following the passage of Hurricane Maria. At the time, the usual immigration requirements necessary for entry into the country were waived.
(Source: The Guardian, July 3,2024)

The Ministry of Energy confirmed in a June 13 release that a fresh hydrocarbon discharge had been discovered coming from the overturned vessel off the coast of Cove, Tobago.
On February 7, the Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) received a report that a ship about 150-200 metres south of Cove had capsized and was spewing a thick, oil-like substance which was washing up on the nearby coast.
Investigators later identified the vessel as Gulfstream, a vessel that had been towed by a tugboat called the Solo Creed.
Earlier on June 13 the Office of the Chief Secretary (OCS) of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) said a large amount of fuel was found to be coming from the boat.
A media release from the OCS said Chief Secretary Farley Augustine held an emergency meeting with stakeholders to discuss the latest spill.
In that release the OCS said it believed wave swells and high tides may have disturbed the vessel, resulting in more oil being discharged.
Thursday's Energy Ministry release said the substance might be dissipating because of the sun and the waves.
Technical staff at the ministry, along with TT Salvage, a local salvage and marine firefighting service provider and QT Environmental Inc, a global oil spill response consulting company, were said to be ready to deploy contingency measures should the discharge get worse.
“These contingency measures include the use of the NOFI current-buster technology at the affected area offshore,” the release said.
It said work on removing the hydrocarbons from the vessel is continuing, with about 30,617 barrels of hydrocarbons being removed to date.
At a press conference in May, Energy Minister Stuart Young said the clean-up had cost about US$12 million up to that time, but estimated the entire exercise could cost US$30 million. (Source: Newsday, June 14, 2024)