On Thursday, August 14, the Prime Minister hosted an event in honour of Emancipation Day. It should be proudly noted here that T&T is the first country in the world to formally recognise the end of slavery and the emancipation of the wards of the colonial era.This fact, however, was not even closely reflected in the reprehensible and culturally insensitive, myopic decor choices made for the Prime Minister's event. Let me say here that this is not an indictment on the country's leader, as I am certain (or at least hopeful) that she was unaware of the minor event details prior to her arrival.
The event planners conceptualised, approved and executed a motif rife with animated images and statues of giraffes, open savannah, four-foot-high thatched huts and animal-print tablecloths that adorned each table to commemorate the dark era that was slavery. Instead of a trite tack back to Africa, the focus surely could have been the significant contributions that have been and continue to be made by former slaves and their descendants.
Now, if you haven't already been caught open-mouthed at the cultural misappropriation and sheer ignorance of this idea, please indulge me as I attempt to explain.Having already outlined the significant milestone and the values and tenets of freedom to which Emancipation Day is ascribed, it is grossly offensive to then align the release of human beings to an archaic, broad interpretation of the entire continent of Africa and her exotic animals.
In 2014 where the world of information is literally at our fingertips, we cannot accept these faux pas as "Trini ting." In no imaginable scenario would President Obama do the same or would the UK's David Cameron honour Indians in his country with stereotypical images of cumin, saffron and scantily-clad Indians doing their washing in the Ganges. Delta Airlines made the same mistake a mere month ago after the USA vs Ghana match when they tweeted an image of a giraffe to represent the latter country, which is not a native country of the animal. They were forced to apologise and retract and were left with pie on their faces.
Emancipation celebrates all of us who are free. Emancipation is not Africa. Africa is not animals.
Nyssa Pierre