- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 07/Aug 02:51

Tassa stands alone

JEROME TEELUCKSINGH In August 2024, prime minister Dr Keith Rowley at a public meeting of the PNM announced a grandiose plan to make a minor change in the coat of arms. He said that a steelpan would replace the three ships. A lecturer from UWI suggested that in addition to the steelpan, a tassa could also be included in the revised coat of arms. The UWI lecturer believed this would better represent the diversity of TT. The crude response from the former prime minister was, “Anybody saying that is either wicked, ignorant or doesn’t know the history of this country!” The divisive instinct had once again been aroused. It seemed odd that a mere suggestion from someone who possessed neither the ethnic/race base nor the parliamentary power to change the coat of arms was being condemned. The lecturer was eager to reply but decided to remain silent. He remembered a saying of Pythagoras – “A fool is known by speech and a wise man by silence.” Subsequently, the coat of arms debate generated a public dialogue that included politicians, columnists, letters to the editor, and social media. The then opposition leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar in an interview with Trinidad Guardian warned, “Many people are engrossed in debating the changes to the coat of arms and the many possible practical effects of such change. This entire political conversation, starting with the proposed changes to the coat of arms, is a tinderbox that can be ignited when emotions run high and ignorant, unscrupulous persons begin gaslighting the population.” Not surprisingly, segments of the discussion was focused not on culture but on race/ethnicity. In one instance, a misguided activist in a letter to Newsday stated, “I was further alarmed when a UWI professor made a colossal blooper and suggested that the tassa be put on the coat of arms alongside the steelpan.” A similar activist also sought to denigrate the view of the UWI lecturer and claimed, “the historian tends to flip-flop on these issues.” Linda Capildeo in a letter to Newsday bemoaned the prime minister’s biased moved, “What we have now is a government prone to tribal instincts….The coat of arms is their latest victim.” Amidst the debate, in August 2024, the Tassa Association of TT (TATT) issued a press release and noted, “…no part of the steel drum is from TT, it is a fully imported metal container that came from other countries into Trinidad,” and that “both the tassa and steelpan have seen citizens of the two main races, Africans and Indians as prolific players of both pan and tassa.” One of the best responses was from Varma Deyalsingh, a columnist in the Trinidad Guardian. He brilliantly highlighted other symbols or motifs in the coat of arms that were not indigenous to TT. Rushton Paray, then a member of Parliament for the UNC, made a valid argument in a letter to Newsday, regarding the change to the coat of arms – “Removing these symbols may sanitise history and erase the contributions of both colonisers and colonised to our national story.” Randall Mitchell, then the Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, was hesitant to acknowledge the tassa and said he did not want to be part of the “dog-whistling that some find it necessary to engage in on the issue.” Iqubal Hydal, in a letter to Newsday, in January 2025, noted, “Ships can never be a symbol of colonialism. It is the cross on the sails that epitomises Spanish colonial vestiges.” In September 2024, Hamid Ghany, a columnist in the Sunday Guardian, contended that Rowley’s decision to change the coat of arms “…will complete the cancellation of the legacy of Eric Williams in relation to national symbols.” The end of the short-lived drama was unanimous support for the National Emblems of Trinidad and Tobago (Amendment) Bill, 2025, from both the opposition and government in the Lower House. Leaders know they must quickly rewrite history to maintain control over gullible masses. Indeed, historical revisionism that creeps into public memory is a polite form of propaganda. We should be open to alternative viewpoints. And, not all differing opinions should be classified as divisive. Some believe that patriotism and nationalism is guaranteed only if there is total loyalty to leaders, national symbols or anthems. What is the status of the tassa in 2025? Does it stand alone? The tassa like the steelpan is representative of our rich cultural identity. We must embrace the tassa’s recognition and as part of our heritage. The post Tassa stands alone appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.