In this land of many peoples and people of many ancestries, how do people see their ethnic heritage? How do they practice it, ignore it, or celebrate it? On the occasion of our 54th anniversary of independence from Britain this year, Guardian feature writer SHEREEN ALI spoke to T&T citizens of different backgrounds to ask how they see issues such as ethnicity, race and in some cases, their own uniquely diverse heritages. Today and tomorrow we hear from citizens of Arab/Syrian/Lebanese descent.
Sam Salloum
Businessman, leader of Trini Posse
When you have to fill in a form asking you your race, what do you put?
"Other". But it's interesting, as being an Arab is not necessarily a race (though in Trinidad we consider it to be so). Arabs in Tunisia do not necessarily look like Arabs in Lebanon.
How do you see your ethnic roots & heritage? Is it important to how you define yourself, or is it irrelevant, an accident of birth?
I was born into a Lebanese family. My dad was born in Lebanon in 1914 and my mother was born in Trinidad to Lebanese parents. I define myself as a Trinidadian Arab and both are equally important to me. The Arabic culture that my Trinidad Syrian/Lebanese community has preserved is as cherished as the culture of Trinidad and Tobago.
I was very fortunate to have visited the Middle East (Lebanon, Syria and Jerusalem) some years ago and even though T&T will always be home for me, when my wife and I arrived in Lebanon to family, I immediately felt that this country was also my home and I continue to feel this way.
Do you celebrate your ethnic heritage, ignore it as irrelevant, or have mixed feelings about it?
I celebrate both. Cricket and Carnival are both very obvious aspects of my Trinidad culture and I enjoy both of these tremendously. In fact, the love for cricket was a big part of my involvement in the development of the Trini Posse "way" of following cricket–a method that has been adopted around the world now.
The Syrian Lebanese community in T&T is very active and through the generations, it has been responsible for keeping our culture alive through many activities–from charity to Arabic festivals. I love these and over many years have participated whenever I can–from learning Arabic as a child (I have now forgotten) to dancing the dabke as an adult.
I keep the Arabic tradition alive at home through cooking. My mother, May Salloum, was an excellent cook and she passed her love for cooking on to me. The Arabic community celebrates through food and my wife and I have hosted many, many occasions where traditional roles are reversed and I am in the kitchen for hours preparing Arabic dishes for friends and family. So much so, that I recently launched a brand called Tita's hummus (Tita is Grandmother in Arabic) in celebration of my and my mother's love for cooking.
Do you think race is important in T&T? Do you think different ethnicities have different values?
It is a funny question because the answer is yes and no. Growing up, I lived between two East Indian families in Woodbrook and there was no distinction among our families.
Has race become more of an issue now? I think that it is used conveniently to separate people on the one hand, but on the other, if I were to just look visually at Trinidad now as compared to 20 years ago, there are so many more "mixed races" and mixed marriages.
I think that different ethnicities have different cultures, and related to that would be the value system that each ethnic group holds.
Given the number of ethnic groups in T&T that have lived side by side over the many years, I think that each group has contributed to the value system and culture that is Trinidad, while still retaining our own identities.
Let me take food again as an example. Twenty years ago, or even ten years ago, hummus (a chickpea paste) was almost an unknown entity outside the Syrian Lebanese community. Now, I have people calling to order to put into their children's lunchkits.
How long have you/your family had roots here (best estimate)?
My father, Kaissar Salloum, born and educated in Lebanon, came to Trinidad in 1937, one of the first of our community to arrive, and worked as a kashish (trader), travelling from house to house selling goods. With the money he earned, not only did he establish our signature business–Lebanese House–but as I learned when we visited Lebanon many years later, he also sent money back to his village, money that was used to put electricity in homes and to even build a Greek Orthodox Church (that was his religion).
He became Hon Consul to Lebanon in 1952 before his death in 1974.
Both him and my mom ensured that we had strong roots in our community–but also ensured that we understood and appreciated the wider cultural experience that Trinidad offered.
What do you like and dislike about T&T culture?
I think the carefree mentality that is the strength of our culture, is also our greatest weakness, adversely affecting our productivity.
Do you know about the beliefs and lifestyles of T&T people of different ethnic heritages from your own?
I grew up living between two East Indian families in Woodbrook, so the East Indian culture was a big part of my childhood. I was also a Guardian paper delivery boy, so I met different folks.
Growing up in Woodbrook, I was exposed to many different people. Remembering my boy days, one of my neighbours founded/owned Hong Wing coffee. I spent my childhood days immersed in the culture of Woodbrook, making kites with the other kids out of cocoyea, flour and water, and flying the kites in the parks.
I remember I was so amazed by all the steelbands around me (Invaders, Starlift, Phase II, etc), and the great mas men such as Stephen Lee Heung, George Bailey, Edmund Hart, and Peter Minshall. I also played in a hardball Sunday morning cricket league (with Paul Costello) in the Savannah. So yes, I know about T&T people from many backgrounds.
I have had friends from all cultures–Portuguese, French, African, Chinese–and have been part of their family traditions growing up. I did not know that I was experiencing something different, I just experienced it. As an adult now, my wife and I love to travel to places where we can immerse ourselves in new cultures and experiences.
�2 Tomorrow: Jamie Hadeed Leotaud and Adam Aboud