NEW YORK-Hundreds turned out yesterday at the Trinidad and Tobago Consulate in downtown Manhattan to mark Spiritual/Shouter Baptist Liberation Day. Hymnal tones and tolling bells reverberated through the upscale office building as the main floor was transformed into a house of worship.
The faithful-wearing white, red and blue dresses with complementary head ties-stomped, chanted, clapped, sang, swayed and even convulsed to a collection of familiar church renditions, backed by relentless drumming. Believed to be the biggest celebration to date, the two-hour-long ceremony attracted a diverse audience from the five boroughs, indicating that the consulate's outreach initiative was proving successful.
Consul General Rudrawatee Nan Ramgoolam delivered the keynote address, in which she praised the tenacity, dedication and will of "a people who have passed the test of fire and brimstone." She recalled the group's origins and the discriminatory laws and physical abuse it had endured.
"We salute you, our Baptist brethren," she said, referring to the faith as the only indigenous religion of Trinidad and Tobago-a designation publicised by the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS). It was Ramgoolam's striking political tone that drew the most applause, and potentially the most controversy.
She lauded former political leader of the United National Congress Basdeo Panday for "restoring the dignity of Spiritual Baptists with the stroke of a pen," referring to the Spiritual Shouter Baptist Liberation Day, which he signed into law. "It was the government of the United National Congress, which is now part of our current government, that recognised the trials and challenges of this important group of nationals and granted them a national holiday," said Ramgoolam.
She praised the People's Partnership for continuing in the same vein, making mention of land and other resources given to the once beleaguered faith to construct schools, churches and a spiritual park. She added that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is a Spiritual Baptist.
"I urge you to go brave, preach your gospel," she said, "so that your message will help nurture productive citizens who respect the beliefs and rights of others and will contribute positively to the development of your respective homelands, the United States of America and Trinidad and Tobago"