Photo taken by Makeela Alexander at Port of Spain.

The Voice of the Urban... 

What is beautiful TnT evolving into?

A place where love, peace and unity,

Are no longer our main virtue.

Our flag red, white and black

Tells of our story,

One of dominance, hardships and battles

No more struggles and worry…

Unity is dividing us over time and space,

Sadly, people are losing their sense of place,

Unity speaks of people working to achieve a common goal

Unity speaks of togetherness of people, ultimately one soul.

Together we are achieving and aspiring,

Yet our country’s in a state of crumbling.

The cities are deteriorating, becoming alienated,

Our culture… is slowly but surely erasing.

Crime is the focus of our youths today,

The city’s minds are leaded astray.

Put down the weapons,  pick up your pencils,

Don’t let violence be your life’s stencil.

The urban city we perceive as perfect,

Masks the underlying features.

The truth behind this fast-paced life,

Is the creation of dehumanizing creatures.

The concrete jungles and high rise buildings,

Shadows the slums, and homeless dwellings.

The urban life may become too stressful,

Rural life on the other hand is much more peaceful.

Although rural areas are not highly developed,

There is the existence of warmth, peace and love.

The community is close, like one big family,

This is the state the urban should strive to be…

There shouts a cry for help,

The urban is speaking…

But in the end, who listens...?

Who will do the answering?

-by Régene Pope and Makeela Alexander

Photo taken by Makeela Alexander, at Anna Street, Port of Spain.

“The Voice of the Urban” is an incorporation of the elegance and beauty of nature, the serenity it brings, one’s inner being, mentality and character. This piece of street art in the photograph above as a whole symbolizes what the artist wants to city to become, a place of peace and love, where nature and the people can live in a balanced environment. Graffiti always convey the voices of artists and sends a message to those who take the time to observe and try to analyse them. It was widely used during the era of hip hop evolution, especially within music videos, where graffiti was actually an inspiration to music artists and helped spread their messages across to their audience. This in some cases led to inspiration of the audience which led to even more creative graffiti. With reference to the Widewalls website[1], on the history of graffiti, it was stated that this subversive culture was extreme within the 1970’s and 1980’s and is the earliest form of street art. It was done mostly by gangs in New York in the 1920’s and 1930’s as youths responded to the changing society. Another use of graffiti that is becoming more prevalent is where it is used to create tributes or memorials to commemorate special persons such as those who played a big role in society or are public figures, as well as victims of murder or tragic accidents. The photo above has three different aspects and each one has a different meaning.

 “The Serenity of the Urban” is demonstrated by the artistic expression seen in the image which portrays a figure seated in the Padmasana position; a meditative pose. It symbolizes the coexistence of nature and people not only within rural spaces and places, but also within our urban areas. Although there may not be a lot of nature in these concrete jungles, there can still be an existing bond. The day and night background depicts that balance is needed to maintain inner peace, tranquillity and spiritual growth.

“The Nature of the Urban” is represented by a variety of colourful flowers of different captivating designs that is guaranteed to capture the attention of the everyday urban dweller. The different colours were possibly utilised as to evoke emotions of bliss and deviate from the hustle and bustle of urban life.

“The Reality of the Urban”, is associated with ideologies of development, high rise buildings, concentration of wealth, mass production, high income populations and other aspects are not really taken into account. Factors like poverty, crime, the development of slums and “ghettos” which are all underlying aspects of urban areas. This relates to the lion in the image, which normally is perceived to have a fearless, brave, and tough character, but in the image, a different side is seen, a comical and playful side, which is the total opposite of our usual perception.

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[1] Marić, Bojan. "The History of Street Art." WideWalls. Accessed February 12, 2016. http://www.widewalls.ch/the-history-of-street-art/.

Tubal Uriah Butler- " A leader born to fight"

Tubal Uriah Butler- " A leader born to fight" Statue located in Fyzabad

Every year on June 19, Labour Day is celebrated which commemorates the contributions made towards the fight for workers’ rights as they are today.Tubal Uriah ‘Buzz’ Butler (statue) played a very important role in the freedom of workers and shaping their rights. Issues within the work force such as worker abuse, underpayment for labour, racism, economic depression, an uncomfortable standard of living and even inhumane treatment of the working class were widespread at the time.

Butler Oilfield Riots took place in 1937 and was declared an annual national holiday in 1973, which is termed “Labour Day”. [1]Angry workers were in agreement with Butler’s notion, and hence helped him in his fight. There was even an attempted arrest upon Butler, by Corporal Charlie King, who was off duty at that moment, during a sit-down protest in Fyzabad where the statue can be found today. The angry workers shielded him during this attempted arrest, which was unsuccessful.

Butler was born in Grenada on the 21^st of January, 1897 and died on the 20^th of February 1977, Carnival Sunday of that year. After serving in the First World War in the British West Indian Regiment Butler migrated to Trinidad, under Captain Arthur Cipriani.[2] As he became employed in the oil industry he became involved in the labour movement. It was stated that over 25% of Fyzabad was Grenadian.

In July 1936, he formed his own political party, the British Empire Workers and Citizen Home Rule Party (BEWCHRP). In 1937 he was the leader of several protests that proved to be successful to the development of the labour movement in years to come. Because of the active trade union work done by Butler, his statue is a monument erected at the Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union Fyzabad/Forest Reserve branch office.

When this statue is viewed by the public it allows us to have greater appreciation for past heroes such as Butler and the battle he fought to afford us the privileges, and our rights we have today mainly in the workplace.

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[1] "Labour Pioneers Remembered Today." Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : Newsday.co.tt :. June 19, 2014. Accessed March 20, 2016. http://newsday.co.tt/features/0,196500.html.    

[2] Wilder, Ann Elizabeth. "Tubal Uriah 'Buzz' Butler Biography Butlera.html." Tubal Uriah 'Buzz' Butler Biography Butlera.html. Accessed March 20, 2016. http://www.thegrenadarevolutiononline.com/butlera.html.