Dr. Julius Garvey, son of Marcus Garvey said,
“We have gone through the trials and tribulations of the last 500 years…. We have that, and we are not going to look at all of that suffering but what we are going to say, is that like iron that was put into the fire, it comes out as steel”.
Ladies and gentlemen, really it is an honour to share in tonight’s launch of the 2016 Pan African Festival of the Emancipation Support Committee of Trinidad and Tobago. Today is also of great significance as we commemorate African Liberation Day.
We are celebrating the resilience of a people…the steel which the fire produced.
It was on this day in 1963, that the Organisation of African Unity was founded to celebrate the victories in the fight for freedom, the progress of Africans, and solidarity.
This year, Trinidad and Tobago celebrates the 178th anniversary of the Emancipation of Enslaved Africans.
I would like to take this opportunity to commend Emancipation Support Committee of Trinidad and Tobago. For 24 years, you have successfully taken up the mantle for the Pan African Festival in commemoration of Emancipation – an event which constituted a major positive turning point for all of humanity.
As we celebrate our resilience of a people, we celebrate their rise from submission to the fight for freedom, dignity, and for their legacy.
Today, in Trinidad and Tobago, we can proudly say that every creed and race finds an equal place. Freedom is enshrined in our constitution and we stand together in the affirmation that we are not limited by our history.
Resilient people form resilient communities. Resilient communities form a resilient Trinidad and Tobago. It is when we stand as one to emancipate ourselves, as Bob Marley so famously sang, from mental slavery. Our culture empowers us. It makes us unique. It empowers our development as a people. It binds us a people.
Our country is home to an integral part of the Pan-African movement as we stand in solidarity and uplift each other as well as African brothers and sisters around the world. Our history did not begin with slavery. Our ancestry link back to a continent with extensive resources and a spirited people.
Slavery has never defined us.
We are defined by our legacy, the rhythms of our music, the vibrancy of our culture, the boldness of our art, the savoury richness of our cuisine, the inspiring tales of our literature, the majesty of our drumming and yes, the strength of our people.
The Pan African Festival at the Lidj Yasu Omowale Emancipation Village is a multidimensional commemoration of our African and Trinbagonian heritage and culture. It brings together members of the African Disapora – our brothers and sisters from Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Senegal, other Caribbean territories, Latin America, and North America. It inspires and exalts the essence of emancipation with a forum for communion, entertainment, education and awareness, entrepreneurship, cultural exchange, and freedom.
The festival creates opportunity for awareness for our citizens. It bolsters cultural tourism. It involves members of the creative industries in communities across the nation. These include individual artistes, groups, steel orchestras, community performers, youth performers, members of the fashion industry, fine artists, and craftsmen.
The Pan African Festival brings communities together in a display of talent, discipline, and organisation.
At the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts, we are proud to join with the Emancipation Support Committee as we enhance the cultural products and positively transform these communities at economic, social and psychological levels.
To my African brothers and sisters, resilience is key. Remember the path laid by of our forefathers. They were strong, hardworking, and creative.
Remember who we are…the iron which when placed in fire, came out as steel. Ours is a resilience with which to be reckoned.