The Story of Emancipation

Story of Emancipation - Part 1

1984-2010

Produced by the National Action Cultural Committee, the cultural arm of the National Joint Action Committee.

Broadcast on Radio i95.5 Monday to Friday, at 11.55 am and 5.55pm

Origin

Originally, a series of ten minute programmes broadcast annually on radio 610 and radio 730 in the republic of Trinidad and Tobago, now a series of five minute programmes, in observation of Emancipation day, in recognition of Emancipation as a world phenomenon and in recognition of the UN declared international  year for people of African descent.

Origin and rationale

On August 01, 1984, the world observed the 150th anniversary of Emancipation day in the English speaking Caribbean. After more than fifteen years of agitation by the National Joint Action Committee and its affiliate organisations, such as the Caribbean Institute Of Race Relations (CIRR) and the National Action Cultural Committee (NACC), Emancipation was made a public holiday in Trinidad And Tobago.

The proclamation was made without an official declaration of the importance of Emancipation in Caribbean history. Nor was there any attempt to explain that Emancipation was also an international phenomenon.

Following the government's announcement, there was a daily debate in Trinidad and Tobago's media about the relevance of Emancipation day. It was noticeable that there was much repetition of the same rhetoric that had been heard in 19th century Trinidad, when young reformers like Edgar Maresse-Smith and Muzumbo Lazare raised the question of formal recognition of Emancipation day.

Furthermore, some of the statements were reminiscent of the public discussion which took place in Jamaica when an unsuccessful proposal was made for Jamaica's independence date to coincide with Emancipation day in 1962.

The Caribbean Institute of Race Relations first compiled this series late in August, 1984, to add clarity to the debate and to get the Caribbean to see Emancipation from a new and broader perspective. The response to the original broadcasts was tremendous. Several schools requested tapes of the programme for their history and social studies programmes

The Caribbean Institute of Race Relations guided the programmes from 1984 to 1986 and thereafter, the National Action Cultural Committee resumed the story of Emancipation in association with the Caribbean Historical Society.

In 1989, the first of three books based on the series entitled “the Story of Emancipation part 1, written by Aiyegoro Ome, executive member of NJAC, was launched on 12th September by the late archbishop of Port-of-Spain, his grace Anthony Pantin.

This book is officially endorsed for use in secondary schools in trinidad and tobago.

Each year, since 1984, the content of the episodes has been altered, in order to address immediate concerns raised by the caribbean community, about the process of Emancipation.

African history has been featured to a greater degree in recent years in the context of our concerns to present the positive aspects of African civilisation. We have featured and presented a formidable body of information on African philosophy, science, technology and spirituality.

Achievements

This series of radio programmes has been able to do several things. It has used the most readily available electronic medium to alert the Caribbean people about their true history, about the nature of the Caribbean struggle for Emancipation and the implications of our Emancipation for the universal desire for freedom.

In addition, "the Story of Emancipation" has:

1. Established a sense of historical continuity for the peoples of the Caribbean.

2. Explored the philosophy, ethics and unique spirituality of all peoples now resident in the caribbean.

3. Exposed the nature of the plantation system and its myriad effects on the psyche of Caribbean peoples now resident in the Caribbean.

4. Explained the arrival of several peoples, east indian, chinese, syrian, lebanese and portuguese who came in the post-Emancipation era.

5. Established the foundation for nation-building and caribbean unity.

In 1996, the series was broadcast in barbados for the first time. Inquiries have been forthcoming from media in ghana, canada and the united states of america.

 In 1997, the series was broadcast on radio PJR in jamaica.

These have been welcome developments as we seek to develop the formal celebration of August 1st, as a day of international significance.