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T&T Consul-General Held
An Exquisite Book Launch For Nationals.
There has not been an event of this caliber that one can recall
through many decades in Toronto. It remains for us, a ‘gem’ among
Caribbean diplomatic receptions.
The presentations of the Consul-General for
the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago,
Mr. Michael G-A Lashley, Mrs Erica Williams-Connell and Professor
Tony Martin at the Canadian launch of the book ‘The Economic
Future of the Caribbean’ at Sheraton Hotel in Richmond
Hill, Ontario on April 02 were astounding. These discourses
and responses in a Q&A session, can only be compared to
crash courses in history on early 20th century Caribbean scholarly
thinkers at a university seminar, in so much as they provided
- a tremendous wealth of knowledge on the book
which was written on the basis of a discussion by experts
on economic affairs in the Caribbean. It is a selection of
papers presented at a conference organized by Erica’s
father, Dr. Eric Williams at Howard University in 1943 and
a thorough awareness of the education of Dr. Eric Williams,
of his profound study into the
- history of the Caribbean from
economic, from social, from its inter-island communicative
and inter-linkage aspects and in its political development;
as also the depth of his concern and commitment to reaching
solutions, the growth of his political ambitions, dexterity
and quite separately, the domestic sensitivities of Dr. Williams
in relations to his family as never before revealed or reported
publicly.
‘The Economic Future of the Caribbean’ ISBN 0-912469-37-4 – edited
by Dr. Eric Williams and the respected black scholar, E. Franklin
Frazier, is now a re-issue of that 1944 book. “The vision
articulated in this work remains striking in its relevance
to the 21st century Caribbean” says Erica. It includes
a new Preface by Mrs Erica Williams-Connell and a new Introduction
to the book by Prof. Tony Martin, Professor of Africana Studies
at Wellesley College, Massachusetts. Published by The Majority
Press, this book is available from A Different Booklist and
Knowledge bookstore locally or on-line at www.themajoritypress.com
or Amazon.com
E. Franklin Frazier, the distinguished sociologist, was Chairman
of Howard University’s Division of Social Sciences, which
sponsored Williams’ 1943 conference. Among the several
books which he authored are ‘The Black Bourgeoisie’ and ‘The
Negro Family in the United States’
Erica’s point about the book’s relevance cannot
be taken lightly, when seen against the backdrops of such a
dearth in intellectual resolves to unification in spite of
the existence of CARICOM for some extensive period and the
need for policies to raise the average Caribbean family out
of poverty; or when seen against the recent obstructions by
members of the Opposition in Trinidad to the passage of legislation
for implementation of the Caribbean Court of Justice or to
the proposal of distractions as alternate priorities to the
need for educating and preparing the whole nation of T&T
for assuming the Hispano-lingual responsibilities of the FTAA
headquarters.
Professor Martin was also overwhelming in his details about
the atmosphere that gave rise to the positive thinking on such
a topic in the period leading up to and at the conference at
Howard University, about the academics and economists who shared
Williams passionate interest in it, favorably or with discordance,
and about their political and social ideologies. He further
painted images of how Dr Williams was regarded with high esteem
and respect by scholars, politicians and his peers of the period
but with trepidation and at instances with contempt and cunning
by the colonial administrators. Finally Martin traced the growth
of Williams political ambitions as they visibly appeared to
those who took the opportunity to note his disenchantment with
the colonial order of the day from some twelve years before
he struck his political cornerstone in Trinidad, through his
years at the Caribbean Commission and through to his retrenchment
from the Commission for motivating change at the community
level in the Caribbean.
The presenters, the organizers of the reception
including the decorators of the hall, the steel pannist, the
keyboardist, the caterer, the staff of the Sheraton Hotel and
the staff of the Consulate-General are worthy of special congratulations
for a remarkable effort on this the 7th anniversary of the
inauguration of the Eric Williams Memorial Collection. There
was no lack of magnanimity from the members of the audience
as their beaming radiance and their of swarming of the
presenters and the book kiosk attested.
- From CULTURE CHEST Newsletter 2005 SPRG Issue 1, Ed 1
Published by kenbruzual30@yahoo.ca |
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