Message to the nation from Dr the Honourable Keith Rowley Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on the occasion of Independence Day 2024
Fellow Citizens,
Today, we celebrate sixty-two years as an independent nation. I extend Happy Independence Day Greetings to you all from the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, my family and myself, as Prime Minister.
As we mark this occasion, it may be an ideal opportunity for us to first scan the wider world, a brief, random look into major events and the geo-political state of a few countries, then place our country on the scale of human development, gauge our progress, and the quality of life we enjoy here today in Trinidad and Tobago.
Maybe here, in this comparison, notwithstanding the many difficulties that we have to confront daily, we may better appreciate, our overall achievements, our resilience as a people, our natural and cultural wonders, and the beauty and richness of this land, called Trinidad and Tobago.
As a people, with our diverse origins, coming from many parts of the various continents, we continue to show a phenomenal harmony and respect for each other – a tolerance which must not be dismissed or understated, given the rise of ethnic tensions, identity politics, etc. in other parts of the world. This unique facet of Trinidad and Tobago has caused some observers to describe our inter-racial relationships as “uncommon”.
We know that our home is not without its stresses and strains, pockets of underlying hostilities, increasing levels of violent crime, family disputes, meaningless altercations spawned and spread by the gang culture among much of our youth. Yet, looking deeper, we can identify and praise what we call “The Trinbagonian” — our collective spirit in which we hold a transcendent respect for The Almighty, alongside an eager willingness to display kindness, selfless care, compassion, respect, love, sharing with family, friends, and extending trust to strangers, as fellow humans all wrapped in a daily ambition to be better.
As Prime Minister, when I look across our land, I see creativity, optimism, discipline and pride in all the best that Trinidad and Tobago has produced over the last 62 years.
I see us all as lively, sentient beings, who always seem to be on the move to something greater. Whatever our race or status, our unique, collective “Trinbagonian Spirit” stands out, wherever, because we always expect to be enjoying and enhancing our daily lives, protecting our freedom, celebrating our music, our dance, our food, our fashion and, of course, our Pan.
In reality, our country stands firmly as a land of opportunities and possibilities, populated by resilient citizens. It is this perspective that challenges us all to nurture and strengthen ourselves as we face the many challenges of a demanding 21st century.
A couple of examples of this new optimistic spirit include the Government’s emphasis on vocational and skills training, open to all youths, through the Ministry of Youth Development and National Service. The agriculture projects are exciting initiatives which have already produced their first graduates and first harvests. In this simple but important activity, a total of 1,500 youths are expected to graduate over the next year, giving our young people, an alternative gateway to success.
Our robust Social Services continue to ensure that “no one is left behind”. Thousands of our most vulnerable citizens continue to benefit from social grants, social services, free healthcare and medicine, in addition to Government subsidies for water, electricity, transportation, and education grants.
The past decade is punctuated with global shocks and crises in the world economy, which heightened risks for this country. Covid-19 also added to those risks, with headwinds and tumultuous waters. However, we saw this as an opportunity to build our resilience and develop unique solutions, for instance, the Government turned the restructured Petrotrin company into a holding company with a highly profitable tax-paying subsidiary called Heritage Petroleum.
Most significantly, the country has been able to confirm landmark and unprecedented arrangements with our closest neighbour Venezuela, to develop gas fields that straddle our border and in that country’s waters. Exploration in the Loran-Manatee, Dragon and Manakin-Cocuina fields hold tremendous economic opportunities for Trinidad and Tobago, from the near term and into the coming decades. These projects will boost this country’s declining gas production, will sustain the plants on the Point Lisas Industrial Estate and are the basis for the Government’s optimism, and hope for our secure future.
In addition, inflation, at great risk a few years ago, has subsided to below one percent; our economic growth continues apace, with strong signs of growth in the non-oil sector. Our economic buffers remain strong, with both our Heritage and Stabilisation Fund and External Reserves approaching US$6 Billion, giving us an eight-month import cover. This is even after we have carefully used some of the interest from the earnings of the Fund to bail us out during the recent series of unplanned difficulties in the pandemic and post-pandemic era. The unemployment rate stood in 2023 at 4.1%, and further progress is expected this year.
So, today as we celebrate our Independence 62, I ask that all citizens join me in committing to this optimistic spirit. Let us continue to see ourselves as resilient people, who are developing a country, marshalling together, navigating its challenges and difficulties “WITH BOUNDLESS FAITH IN OUR DESTINY”.
I assure you that your Government is fully engaged as we address all the major issues while pointing to the real prospects for a brighter future.
Today, our country continues to stand strong as we continue to believe in our future.
Let us all have a safe and happy Independence Day 2024. (Source:  Office of the PM of T&T, August 31, 2024).

Ray Funk
MANY Trinidadians have risked their lives in service of others. Some have been memorialised; others are little known.
One who is not well known is Dr Arnold Donawa, a dental surgeon and outspoken advocate for the rights of Africans, African Americans, and working people.
Not just an advocate, he risked hs life during the Spanish Civil War for his heartfelt beliefs in a life of commitment and service.
Born in Trinidad in 1899, he went to the US in 1916 to study dentistry. He got a first degree at Howard University in 1922, interned in Boston, then worked at the Forsythe Harvard research lab and went on to get an advanced degree at the Royal College of Dental Surgeons in Toronto. He was a radiological instructor, then did postgraduate work in pathology, preventive dentistry and periodontia.
He opened a practice in Harlem and became president of the Harlem Dental Association. In 1925, he published an article on root-canal procedures in the first issue of the journal American Dental Surgeon.
He was appointed dean of the College of Dentistry at Howard University in 1929, but resigned in an internal administrative struggle. He later sued Howard and was vindicated with a monetary award for lost wages.
Donawa returned to Harlem and private practice as a dentist and oral surgeon, and was soon deeply engaged in civil-rights issues. He developed a robust anti-fascist voice in the Daily Worker at that time.
In the summer of 1935, in response to actions by Mussolini in invading Ethiopia and wrote, “We must create unity between the Italian and the Negro people…We must arouse sentiment to help Ethiopia.”
He became one of the leaders of the Medical Committee for the Defense of Ethiopia and in November he reported to the New York Age that two tons of medical supplies had been gathered, sent, and had reached the forces fighting in Ethiopia.
When Mayor LaGuardia participated in a pro-Italy rally, he wrote to him, “As the mayor of the largest city in the US, which has declared itself completely neutral, your action on behalf of Italy cannot be construed as a private affair; and the Medical Committee for Defense of Ethiopia voices not only its own protest but the justified indignation of the Negro masses of Harlem and other sections of New York City.”
In 1936, at the start of the Spanish Civil War, he was again fighting fascism, this time against Franco. But instead of offering support only from a distance, he volunteered and went to the front lines in Spain for over a year. His help was welcomed, and he became the head of oral surgery at the American Base Hospital at Villa Paz. 
Early in his time in Spain, he suffered a minor injury in an aerial assault in the town of Port Bau.
A reporter from the Daily Worker was there.
“The bombers had just been over and Dr Donawa was flung to the ground. When the planes passed on, he rose, and continued talking where he left off, without looking up. Always cool, brilliant at his task, he now directs the work of a large base hospital.”
The reporter called him, “a sculptor in bone and flesh who brought men back to life and health.”
Poet Langston Hughes visited Donawa during his stay in Spain. In his memoir I Wonder as I Wander, Hughes wrote that Donawa “was in charge of rebuilding the faces of soldiers there whose jaws were splintered, teeth shattered or chins blown away. This tall, kindly…man, a favorite with the patients, stayed in Spain until near the end of the war and brought back with him a group of wounded Americans.”
The New York Post reported he brought back 60 wounded volunteers and six nurses.
Donawa was interviewed by the Daily Worker on his return after a year and a half of service, and talked about the importance of such missions: “I think the Negro people have a special interest in preserving democracy because we know full well that what rights we have depend upon the existence of a democratic government. These rights can be extended only by the growth of democracy. If we fight for Spain, or any other country whose democracy is at stake, we are fighting for ourselves.”
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1941 – the outrage that drew the previously neutral US into World War II – Donawa was the executive secretary of the newly formed Negro Committee for American-Allied Victory, which proclaimed, “America must remove the shackles from its Negro citizens and tear down Jim Crow barriers now standing in the way of full participation in the war effort.”
Later in life, he continued to be an activist. In 1945, he was elected president of the North Harlem Dental Association and advocated for socialised medicine that would “guarantee medical protection for all Americans.”
The next year, as head of the Manhattan Dental Association, he was a signatory on a telegram to President Truman about anti-labour legislation.
“We, and the Negro people of Harlem for whom we speak, are vigorously opposed to the drastic curbs you have asked Congress to clamp down on the organised workers of our country. To deprive workers of the right to strike is to destroy their final weapon of defense against oppressive employers.
“To force involuntary servitude upon workers is to adopt the fascist pattern of slave labor. The Negro people have learned that a strong and democratic labor movement is our best guarantee of security and progress. We will defend labor's rights as our own.”
It is unclear what consequences Donawa faced over the years for being so outspoken. During the 1950s, McCarthy anti-communist crusade, his name appears on lists of those under investigation, but it is unknown what action, if any, was taken against him.
He later retired from his practice and reportedly returned to Trinidad and died in the 1960s, but details are lacking.
What is clear is that he was an outspoken advocate for civic rights at a time when few were willing to speak out, and fewer still to risk their lives to help the injured, during a war almost a century ago. (Source: Newsday, August 11, 2024)

As part of the World Steelpan Festival being celebrated from August 5-11, an art exhibition entitled Percussion – The Sounds of Steelpan is currently on display the Rotunda Gallery, Red House, Port of Spain.
The exhibition has over 60 paintings on display by local artists and a variety of percussion instruments.
Here are some of the work on display. (Source:  Newsday, August 9, 2024)

A voice is a powerful tool – one that voiceover talent and coach Aisha Manrique has turned into an asset.
Manrique's voice has been featured in radio and TV commercials, safety briefings, training videos, tutorials, and even as "the voice of God" or "the voice in the sky" at a number of live events.
She's the owner of the San Fernando-based Voicey Versa Productions Ltd, a company that serves as an ad producer, production company and coaching school.
"When people hear 'voiceover,' they think 'commercial,' at least in the Caribbean.
"But the opportunities are endless because voices are everywhere. You just have to understand the power of the voice and what it can do for you...I am a full-blown voiceover talent for both TV and radio, but by choice, I am not a radio announcer."
She said because she is open-minded and not afraid to explore where her talents can take her, some opportunities just seem to land on her doorstep.
Manrique recently returned to TT from hosting a three-day production for Disney for the launch of one of its movies, Ariel – an animated musical series for preschoolers inspired by the story of The Little Mermaid. The movie follows eight-year-old mermaid princess Ariel and her friends as they embark on fun-filled, action-packed underwater adventures throughout their Caribbean-inspired fairy-tale kingdom of Atlantica.


"I was also the voice of God for that production. It was challenging and gratifying" – involving 24 shows over a three-day period.
"As the show's host, my responsibility was to make sure the energy was kept up, so I had to project it.
"It was surreal, because as a child you know the Disney brand, you look at so many Disney shows, and you never think that your talents or gifts would take you there one day, where you are being utilised as a Caribbean voice."
She said it was like a Broadway production, held at Battery Park, New York City, and attracted thousands of children and their families.
Manrique believes when you put in the work and you are really intentional about how you position your brand, it will attract opportunities.
"I’ve been doing my work and putting my best out there. One day, out of the blue, I received a call from the agency responsible for producing the show. It was surprising because I didn't audition or reach out – I just got a call from an international number, and when I answered I was told they were looking for a Caribbean voice talent and a live announcer, because the show was geared toward that market.
"They wanted to show the uniqueness of the region, and I guess they did their research, looked at their options and selected me."
On August 4 she hosted the Miss Universe TT competition at Queen's Hall, and on August 29, she will host and write the script for the Caribbean Music Awards, which will be held at Majestic Kings Theatre in New York.
Last year she hosted the event and, on short notice, wrote the script for the presenters.
"A few days leading up to the show, they (the organisers) were like, 'Aisha, we notice that you are also a scriptwriter. Do you think you are up to the challenge of writing the script for the show?'
"I know I am a creative, passionate writer and I didn't doubt my abilities, but I was concerned about the short timeline. But I agreed to do it.”
As the scriptwriter, Manrique was required to write everything the presenters would say.
"I had to put myself into the headspace of each individual presenter, because these are different personalities we are talking about here, and I had to do my research and figure out, 'Is this something this person will say?'
"I had to become each personality and write to suit, in order to keep the audience alive and engaged.
"So it is not an easy process," because the scriptwriter must also be ready for any unforeseen circumstances and be able to make changes on the spot. The fact that she was also the announcer at the show made it even more challenging.
"They were very pleased with my work, and that in itself prompted them to ask me to return as live announcer and scriptwriter this year."
Manrique said she has always had a knack for communication, having grown up with a mother who trained her to write and to have an appreciation for vocabulary.
"I couldn't settle for simple words like 'good' and 'nice' to describe anything. So although I am not formally trained to be a scriptwriter, I am a creative mind and a student of life. 
"When I look at movies, go on road trips, go to an event, I don't just look at do it for entertainment purposes. I study human beings.It comes naturallu to me; it's a gift that I have. I observe the space, human reactions, the emotions and motions. It's an arsenal that I keep in the back of my mind, so when I'm writing I tap into that reservoir, and the words just flow.
"My mother played a huge role in what I am today. She was a writer, and even she said, 'Aisha, you've passed me, you know...You have a gift.' But if the student does not surpass the teacher, then learning ceases. This is the natural progression of things."
Manrique said even when she worked in the banking sector, she would be given scripts to write.
"I started as a CSR and ended my days in that industry in the marketing department. They would always tell me they are a huge fan of my pen."
But although she enjoys writing, she said, "Voicing is my first baby­," in which she has invested over two decades of training.
"Remember, the audience isn't seeing you, so you don't have that body language to fall back on. You need to use your voice to take your audience on the journey – that's why you need to be properly trained. You have to understand intonation, how to breathe, how to project, where to pause; it is all an art."
Manrique's training began at the Institute of Broadcasting Careers, in Belmont. She also trained under radio personality Edison Carr, has invested in a number of international courses and is a member of the National Association of Voice Actors in the US.


"So a lot of my training is international, because, while I have an appreciation for the work I do here in TT, there are so many opportunities that are available internationally. I've seen how proper training shifts your mindset, how it refines you, how it helps you to have an appreciation for the art. The voiceover industry is a billion-dollar industry, so you have to be open-minded and position your brand for when the opportunities come."
Through Voicey Versa, Manrique provides one-on-one voice coaching, group coaching, public speaking, interview and other voice-related techniques.
"My programmes are six-seven weeks via Zoom, for two hours on Saturday, and we cover everything as it regards voiceover training...
"When your voice is an asset, you have to treat it in a certain way, so we also look at voice maintenance.
"Then there is the business aspect, rates, and positioning your brand in the industry.
"It's a competitive space, so proper training is necessary. I've packaged my 23 years of experience and created a programme that I continue to refine it, because giving value for money is important to me.”
For more information visit voiceyversa.com, aishamanriquemedia.com or follow Aisha Manrique Media on IG and Aisha Manrique vo on TikTok. (Source: Newsday August 11, 2024)

GARY PETERS, acting Deputy Auditor General, swore the oath of office to act as auditor general before acting President Nigel de Freitas in a ceremony at the Office of the President on August 12.
The position has been held by Jaiwantie Ramdass.
A statement from the Office of the President said, "After graduating from Mc Gill University in Montreal, Mr Peters began in 1991 what was to be 33 years’ experience in the public sector.
"After five years as a labour relations officer in the Ministry of Labour, he joined the Auditor General’s Department and by 2013 had worked his way up to be Assistant Auditor General, a position he still holds.
"His Excellency congratulated Mr Peters and wished him every success in the new position," the statement concluded.
Newsday contacted former attorney general Anand Ramlogan to ask the whereabouts of his client, Ramdass.
He replied, "She is fine. She went on vacation. That's all."
Ramdass has been at loggerheads with Finance Minister Colm Imbert for refusing to accept further documents submitted late by the ministry for her audit of the 2023 Public Accounts.
The Government had asked her to consider its inadvertent $2.6 billion omission from the accounts, and got Parliament to grant her a time extension to submit the corrected accounts and her report on them.
Imbert initiated an investigation under retired Justice David Harris into the imbroglio, although critics fear it risked the Government's intruding on the independence of the constitutionally-protected office of Auditor General. (Source: Newsday, August 12, 2024)

Happy 83rd Birthday to our legendary Masman, Peter Minshall!
Peter Minshall was born on July 16th 1941 in Georgetown, Guyana and his family migrated to Trinidad & Tobago in the late-1940s. He grew up in Port of Spain, where he was exposed to Carnival from a young age. He attended Queen's Royal College before leaving to study Theatre Design at the Central School of Art and Design in London.
After graduating, he worked in costume design and mas. He became part of the multi-ethnic West Indian Theatre, as well as Notting Hill Carnival, where he was one of the first persons to design costumes.
When he returned to Trinidad and Tobago in 1974, he brought these experiences with him to create the “From The Land of the Hummingbird” costume for his sister Sherry-Ann Guy (Coelho). This costume showcased one of his earliest innovations: the articulated bird wing.
In 1976, he designed his first full Carnival band “Paradise Lost” which won that year’s Band of the Year title. In 1978, he produced “Zodiac”, followed by 1979’s “Carnival of the Sea,” which won Band of the Year in all categories.
His monochromatic “Danse Macabre” (1980) and “Tan Tan and Saga Boy” (1990) showcased his creativity in movement, with the two towering, 15-foot dancing mobiles of Tan Tan and Saga Boy being moved by just two individual performers.
Minshall appreciated the value of mas as a form of creative expression, and his Carnival creations and trademark dancing mobiles garnered international acclaim. He was invited to design and direct segments of the Summer Olympics in Spain in 1992 and in Atlanta, Georgia in 1996, followed by the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002. He also presented his artwork at international art exhibitions throughout Europe and the United Kingdom.
In 1982, Minshall was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Trinity Cross in 1996 for Art and Culture, and T&T’s first Emmy Award for his segment in the Opening Ceremony of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
This photo showing Peter Minshall is courtesy of the Trinidad Express Newspaper, Nov 12th 1996. This newspaper is part of the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago Newspaper Collection.
References: Bastien, Elliot, and Sandra Bernard-Bastien. World Class Trinidad & Tobago: an Area of Abundance: Profiles of Performance. Sekani Publications, 2006.
Pacifique-Marshall, Virginia, et al. The Carnival Suite: a Collection of Traditional Carnival Characters of Trinidad and Tobago. StarApple, 2014. (National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago, July 16, 2024)

SIX members of the TT's 17-strong contingent from the 2024 Paris Olympics, along with eight team officials, will return to this country on August 14.
Lovie Santana-Duke, who was TT's chef de mission for the July 26-August 11 games, told Newsday the contingent includes sprinters Akilah Lewis and Devin Augustine, quarter-milers Elijah Joseph and Renny Quow, and veteran Michelle-Lee Ahye, one of TT's flagbearers for the opening ceremony in Paris.
They will land at Piarco International Airport at approximately 3.10 pm on August 14.
Swimmer Dylan Carter, who competed in the men's 50-metre and 100-metre freestyle events at the Paris Olympics, is expected to arrive at 3.55 pm that day.
Santana-Duke said the remaining 11 athletes are either en route or have already returned to their respective overseas bases.
On August 11, TT's hopes of a podium finish in Paris were dashed when ace cyclist Nicholas Paul was eliminated from the quarterfinal round in the men's keirin event. On the previous day, Paul's teammate Kwesi Browne saw his participation at the games come to an end with a nasty fall in the repechage of the keirin event.
TT finished the Olympics without a medal for the second straight edition, after also returning empty-handed from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
TT's last Olympic medal came at the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, where 2012 gold medallist Keshorn Walcott bagged bronze in the men's javelin event.
In Paris, Walcott was one of only two TT athletes to make it to the final in their event, throwing a season's best distance of 86.16 metres to place seventh in the javelin final.
On August 7, Jereem Richards put in TT's most impressive performance at the games when he ran a national record of 43.78 seconds in the men's 400-metre final. Unfortunately for him, his blistering run earned him fourth place – narrowly finishing behind Zambia's Muzala Samukonga (43.74).
Both Augustine and Ahye exited their respective 100m events in their opening round, with the latter slamming some TT fans for their lack of support.
In her first Olympic Games, the 23-year-old Lewis lined up alongside Leah Bertrand and twins Sanaa and Sole Frederick for the women's 4x100m. However, TT finished a disappointing last in the semifinal heat.
Quow, 36, arguably had an Olympic experience to forget, as his shoe fell off midway through his first-leg run in the TT men's 4x400m semifinal heat on August 9. The TT quartet of Quow, Richards, Jaden Marchan and Shakeem McKay finished well behind the pack in their heat, in three minutes, 7.63 seconds (3:06.73).
The 23-year-old Joseph was an unused reserve for TT's 4x400m team. He finished fifth in the 400m final at the NGC National Association of Athletics Administrations Junior and Senior Championships at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on June 29.
The officials expected to return with the athletes are: Santana-Duke, Verne Alleyne (physiotherapist), athletic coach Charles Joseph, manager Dexter Voisin, welfare officer Maria Thomas, social media official Melanie Gulston and massage therapists Brent Elder and Keisha Fraser. (Source: Newsday, Aug 12, 2024)