Government’s call for written submissions to review the placement of colonial statues, monuments and signage in Trinidad and Tobago is long overdue, scholars and activists have said. Last week, the Government placed an advertisement in the daily newspapers calling for written submissions.
The ad said that consultations are to follow, however, some activists and experts have said that the move by the Government is long overdue. In 2022, Cabinet agreed to the appointment of a committee to review and report on the placement of colonial statues, monuments and other historical signage in Trinidad and Tobago.
According to a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister at the time, the Cabinet recognised the need for issues associated with the historical placement of statues, monuments and signage to be stu¬died and for consideration to be given to determining what steps and decisions should be taken for Trinidad and Tobago.
Many historians and activists contend that action by Government in particular on the removal of Christopher Columbus’ statue, renaming of streets, and correcting offensive signage overdue? The have identified two of the most egregious being Columbus and Thomas Picton because of their cruel and egregious acts in the history of Trinidad & Tobago.
Statues in Woodbrook in particular also came into focus because the names of streets celebrated British generals were involved in running the first concentration camps in modern times that victimised native Africans and Boers, now called Afrikaners,
The Caribbean Freedom Project which included Dr Claudius Fergus, chairman of the National Committee on Reparations,Mrs Zakiya Uzoma-Mudada, Shabaka Kambon was successful in getting the name Milner Hall changed to Freedom Hall were also members of a self-constituted civil society group called together by common interests in decolonisation of public spaces in 2022.
In 2021, the Caribbean Freedom Project petitioned Parliament for the remo¬val of the Columbus statue. In 2022, Cabinet finally appointed a committee to engage public opinion in order ‘to review the placement of statues, monuments, signage, and statues in public places.