My country, T&T, has always been a true friend to every other Caribbean island. Back in the 1930s, when oil was discovered in South Trinidad, hundreds of Grenadians and Vincentians emigrated to villages in the oil belt–Point Fortin, Fyzabad and La Brea, gaining lucrative jobs in the oilfields here. Barbadians gravitated to the Port-of-Spain area preferring jobs in the Police Service and the Teaching Service. In fact, history will record that in the 1940's our Police Service boasted a large percentage of Bajan officers of all ranks. They all raised their families here and became citizens.
Grenadians, in particular, blended their culture with ours over the years, greatly enhancing our calypso music, living peacefully without discrimination. Naturally, Trinis made fun of their strange accents, but there was no intolerance otherwise.
In later years, with economies in the islands and elsewhere deteriorating when the price of oil escalated severely in the late 1990s and the early part of this century, we saw another influx of immigrants from new countries.
Today, anyone visiting the cities of Arima, Chaguanas, San Fernando or Port-of-Spain, will hear accents from Jamaican, Nigeria, Ghana, Venezuela, Guyana, along with Chinese from China and Indians from India. The Chinese and Indians, being natural merchants, established groceries and supermarkets, clothing bazaars and restaurants; even refugees fleeing the Middle East, mostly young men, have successfully popularised their "street meats" when they introduced it to the culture. All of these immigrants have become an integral part of our landscape.
In times of natural disasters, my country has always led by example–the Haiti earthquake, Jamaica's hurricanes, and more recently St Lucia, Dominica and St Vincent. T&T has always been first responders–our Coast Guard, army and Air Caribbean with emergency supplies.
Jamaican artistes and their music are extremely popular in T&T, concerts are sold out long in advance and local deejays continue to belt reggae and dancehall, regardless. Does Jamaica have an open-door policy for immigrants fleeing Haiti or the Dominican Republic or Cubans fleeing Cuba? Or do you not have a similar protocol like us?
When Jamaicans are refused entry to the US and Canada, do they seek to boycott their imports from those countries also or at least make it a national issue?
An observation that troubles me is, why the silence from the thousands of Jamaicans who now reside happily in T&T or even from those who have never visited but who should know better?
Derek Johnson
Cascade