Live by the sword (A look at Trinidad & Tobago in C21st)

Rebuilding A Naion

The 114 insurgents were now in the custody of the state, awaiting trial for treason. Around the world treason is a crime punishable by death.

They were now known world wide as terrorist. What they had accomplished?, you may ask.

Being the only Islamic group in the western hemisphere to raise the flag of Islam from the mud and fly it high, where it was suppose to be.

Therefore they were the envy of many, hated by most.

Our capital city of Port of Spain was basically in ruins.  Businesses were looted and vandalized. The city looked  like world war 3 had hit the city.

Trini's are a special type of people, as my grandmother would say, if you wanted a Trini not to do something, tell them to do it.

I recall seeing on TV people with stoves, refrigerators, televisions on their backs. Walking for a mile and more to their houses.

I heard a joke once that a man took a microwave thinking it was a TV, when he got home and turned it on and saw the light inside got scared unplugged it and threw it away saying the TV blew up. He had never heard of or saw a microwave before that day.

The elite which makes up the minority of the races in the country but own the majority of businesses in the country now had the task of rebuilding their businesses literally.

Most of the physical structures, that six days before were homes to thriving, successful businesses were now just empty shells looking like they were bombed.

No business was spared, as even some African Trinidadian small businesses felt the pinch as well.

Luckily for the elite they had insured their businesses. So restoration was already under way.

The "black Owned" businesses were not as lucky, most had to remain closed permanently. As the owners lost everything they had invested into their businesses.

Apart from this, martial law remained in effect, with the entire country going back to a 12 hour(6pm to 6am) curfew.

The country was still in shock, but this didn't stop Trini's from being Trini's. The parties continued with a twist. They were now called curfew parties. These parties started at 6pm and ended at 6am, with people rushing home to organize for work at 8am.

I remember driving through St James in the back seat of my grand father light blue Datsun 280c and seeing men and women drinking and dancing in the street to our own calypso, saying " God is ah Trini, we doh care bout no curfew". Then at 5:55pm would get into their cars and literally race home to see who could beat the start of the curfew and not be arrested for breaking curfew.

Trinidadians are resilient, when needed we band together and through our art forms and hero's we were able soon make light of the most darkest hour in our still young but lasting history.

One sound I remember was Hoosay which was sung by our calypso ambassador David Rudder.
 
Together We Aspire Together We Achieve.