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THE LAST
INSTITUTION ON THE HILL:
THE DESPERADOES
STEEL ORCHESTRA
“Laventille here we come….” Singing Sandra
As we celebrate the life and
contributions of the steelband arranger extraordinaire, Clive
Bradley, who passed away on November 26, 2005, it
is important to understand the community and the steelband
institution to which he gave most of his arranging talents.
Clive, who was not born in Laventille and was certainly middle
class and college educated, famously led the Desperadoes Steel
Orchestra to six of its 10 Panorama championships from 1970 to
2000. It is ironic that he chose to live in Laventille where he
died. This once livable community in the Peoples’ National
Movement (PNM) heartland (over 99% support PNM) is facing its
most important life and death challenges since the country
received its Independence from England in 1962. It has lost the
tools for repairing the fabric to hold the community together.
Its sons and daughters are under daily siege as they face death
and unemployment while their lives are sucked from them.
Today, Laventille is a community
in decline. Some would say it is dead. How did a community go
from being a livable and productive place to becoming a killing
field where its residents live in daily fear of facing death?
How did a community become a place where no one dares to venture
into because all semblance of civility seems to have broken
down? How did a community that gave the world one of its most
cherished musical institutions Desperadoes Steel Orchestra,
become a place where the future seems to be non-existent?
Finally, how did a nation of over one million citizens and so
much oil wealth and natural resources to provide every citizen a
comfortable life style, find it convenient to neglect its most
vulnerable citizens? Let’s check the records.
Laventille, or as the residents
affectionately call it Laventy to distinguish it from the other
Laventille, is the birth place of the Desperadoes Steel
Orchestra. From the inception of the steelband movement the
Desperadoes Steel Orchestra played an important role in
inspiring and motivating the people of Laventille to develop
pride in their community. Desperadoes was formed from the old
‘Spike Jones” steelband and the “Dead End Kids” which the late
Rudolph Charles led in the 1950s and the Serenaders Steelband.
It was from there that several young African men, against all
odds, developed and created a steelband institution that is a
model of steelbandship in Trinbago. Ancil Anthony Neil in his
short book (the only one so far to write about Laventille) on
Laventille stated: “The steelband was born out of the pent up
energies of the Laventille youth, crying for a place in the sun,
in a community teeming with talent. The people, the sons and
daughters of former slaves, said to be free, yet caught up in a
vicious fight for freedom and survival. A people living in
poverty, frustration and oppression.” “Voices
from the Hills” (1987) by sociologist Ancil
Anthony Neil.
The sounds of the Desperadoes
Steel Orchestra has dominated the national steelband competition
Panorama since the competition began in 1963 winning their first
Panorama championship in 1966 with the calypso “Melda” arranged
by Beverly Griffith. Since 1963, they have entered every
Panorama and hold the distinction of winning the nation’s
Panorama championship in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000 namely,
1966 under arranger Beverly Griffith, 1970, 1976, 1977, 1983,
1999 and 2000 under arranger Clive Bradley and 1991 and 1994
under arranger Robert Greenidge. Also, they won the nation’s
bi-annual classical music festival championship three times in a
row and beat all contenders in the Pan in the 21st
Century competition in 2005 with a Clive Bradley arrangement of
John Legend’s ‘Ordinary People’. While the steelpan is the only
instrument created in the 20th century many would
consider the Desperadoes Steel Orchestra to be the greatest
steel band of the 20th century. Others would say that
Clive Bradley, the band’s now deceased arranger, is the greatest
steelpan arranger of the 20th century as greatness
has tied together these two musical stalwarts. And, as
Desperadoes rose in the steelband world so too did the aims and
aspirations of the people of Laventille. In their struggle to
eliminate the poverty that permeated the community, the steel
orchestra has played an intrinsic role in that struggle. As Neil
noted correctly, “The steelband, without doubt, was the major
catalyst for the social and economic changes that relieved most
of the social ills of the people in the Laventille community.” “Voices”
The pride of Laventille has always
been its steelband, the Desperadoes Steel Orchestra, who, with
its late leader Rudolph Charles, gave the community its place in
a society that has scorned and neglected its people, especially
in a time of economic boom beginning in the 1980s. The dignity
of a people can be seen in its institutions. The Desperadoes
Steel Orchestra is the last and only institution that the
Laventille community has retained that it can call its own.
Today, in spite of the total breakdown of the community, it is
the Desperadoes Steel Orchestra that still shines as a beacon of
hope for the community. It is the last institution on the Hill.
But the present Laventille betrays the old Laventille where
there was little violence and not the sort of mayhem we see
today. The community that gave birth to the nation’s greatest
musical institution is locked down as the crime and murder rate
soars to proportions that it never saw before. Its young men and
women are dying and no one is coming to its aid as it cries out
for security for its residents from the murder machine that
takes away its young. It seems that every one has abandoned the
Laventille community. The authorities responsible for its safety
keep promising safety but instead it offers neglect and scorn as
others shy away from the community. No one dares to enter its
domain. Their government, the PNM, has forgotten them and the
Prime Minister hopes that the murder rate will decrease if the
gangs kill enough of themselves. Their political representative
offers them prayers to solve the murder rate. Some even blame
them for not assisting the police in their crime fighting
efforts accusing them of supporting those who are against ‘us’.
What’s to be done?
From 1956 through 1980, Laventille
was a community of mixed classes. It was mainly middle class,
working class and poor. And, the mix provided a safety net that
protected its young members from the avenues of crime and
banditry that exists today. The safety net was the role models
that permitted choice to the young men and women who had
ambition to seek higher heights in their lives. That was a time
when older people protected younger people from whatever dangers
abound in the community. It was also a time when the community
was safe enough for the Catholic Church to hold its Fatima annual devotions at the Laventille church. For a
few days every year Catholics would travel up the hill to
Laventille to honor one of their most sacred icons, the Virgin
Mary. Among the devotees who traveled there were young girls and
boys who attended the nation’s prestigious schools, lived in
what was considered ‘decent’ neighborhoods and came from the
local Chinese, White and Arab ‘respectable’ families. Yet, they
traveled to Laventille without fear for their safety. There were
never any reports of assaults, harassment, murders or rapes
committed against any of those Catholic patrons. Today, no one
living outside Laventille would venture to travel there. In the
1960s, a Catholic social organization called Servol attempted to
bring about social and economic changes in Laventille but could
get sufficient and necessary help from the government and the
business community. Indeed, reflecting on this nexus Neil
commented: “The steelband and Servol have brought about social
and economic changes in all areas of the Laventille community.
However, these social and economic changes have not closed the
“gap” between the establishment and the people.” “Voices”
From the beginning the odds were
against the Laventille community. Neil gives a historical point
of origin for those odds when he stated: “In 1814, the
Laventille area was made a ghetto by the ruling class and has
remained one.” “Voices”
Since that time the area has suffered from poverty,
unemployment, poor housing, violence and social stigma. Again,
Neil writes: “The people of Laventille inherited a culture of
poverty, familiar to all people from lower class stratas in a
rapidly changing society.” “Voices”
They have been called hooligans and illiterate and were
rejected by the ruling and elite classes in Trinbago who
ostracized them from the Trinbagonian society. Set against those
harsh conditions, the people of Laventille persevered by not
giving in to the low expectations from others. The forces of
discrimination, neglect and revenge led to the destruction of a
community that refused to surrender. While other sections of
Trinbago society benefited tremendously from the old PNM and the
new one the people of Laventille received tokens and a
dependency culture from a government that was supposed to look
after its constituency. One of the many hallmarks of good
government is the amount of safety it provides to all its
citizens but particularly the safety it provides to its most
vulnerable citizens. The PNM government failed Laventille in
that respect. Neil writes: “The people in the Laventille
community, in their efforts to satisfy their needs, found
themselves oppressed and neglected by the political regime in
power.” “Voices”
In spite of those odds, the forces
could not prevent Laventille from giving birth to the most
formidable steelband institution in Trinbago and the world. This
band called Desperadoes stemmed from the bowels of one of the
poorest and neglected areas of Trinbago. Its rise is one of
history’s miracles in the annals of the Trinbago steelband
movement. Not for lack of assistance from the other parts of the
country did Desperadoes persevere in their attempts to overcome
the fatalism that was their lot from the beginning. When they
chose the name “Desperadoes” for their steelband they were
sending a message to the society that they would fight against
the odds placed on them by the inequalities of Trinbago’s
society. Event though today Trinbago is a nation with vast oil
and natural gas wealth, nevertheless, Laventille remains one of
its poorest neighborhoods.
Mr. Neil described it best when he
said that “This new sound in music, originating from this
underprivileged, poverty-stricken community, was the signal of
hope for the unemployed, destitute and stigmatized population.”
“Voices”
Flashing his credentials as a Laventillian, Mr. Neil said: “As
a member of this community who had experienced the full impact
of the changes that took place, I observed that the social ills
in the community were completely ignored by the Government in
power [PNM].” “Voices”
To date, Mr. Neil’s book is the only writing that attempted to
explain the Laventille community and Desperadoes Steel Orchestra
and their relationship to the Trinbagonian society. Neil’s
observations caused him to conclude: “The poverty that existed
in Laventille resulted from the political and economic neglect
of the government,” leading him to conclude that: “In the
Laventille community poverty has remained a permanent feature.”
“Voices”
The sign of progress in any society is how those at the bottom
fare under massive wealthy conditions in the society. The fact
that Trinbago inherited massive wealth from its oil reserves and
natural gas did nothing to improve the conditions in Laventille.
Instead, conditions worsened.
Laventille has always been a
predominately African community. History tells us that it was
peopled by slaves brought by the European slave holders from the
Mandingo and Yoruba nations of Africa. From that
African tradition they assembled a committee of Elders to handle
the different problems that the residents faced on a daily basis.
Most of the people who were born in Laventille usually lived and
died there. Families were tight knit. The community, known as
“The Hill” was able to provide skills like tailoring, carpentry,
masonry, barbering, shoe-making, taxi driving and playing the
steelpan to the many youths in the area. There was also a very
good sports team called ‘Brazil’ in the community. From the
artisans and local shops, the community was able to provide a
few jobs for its young people. Laventille was known as a tightly
closed community. Some of the residents from Laventille only
came to Port of Spain to shop and play mas on carnival day
because the area provided a sense of security and sufficiency.
The shops and artisans provided the necessary glue that
harnessed the community.
The early years of the steelband
movement saw Laventlle significantly contributing to the
cultural expressions of its young people. In spite of the murder,
mayhem and nihilism that we see in Laventille today, the
community has known a peaceful and productive past. In spite of
the steelband riots that took place in the 1950s and 60s,
Laventille did not produce the almost daily murders that occur
there today during that infamous time. Yes, there was harm and
some violence committed during those steelband rioting years but
the harm and violence was limited mostly to the other steelband
members that were involved in the riots. Seldom did the riot
affect others in the community except when people had to remain
inside while the rioting occurred. Rare was it when a community
resident died as a result of the riots. If there was any dying
it was among those involved in the rioting. The most infamous
gang in Laventille was Thunderbirds which was a teenage gang
that had an ongoing rivalry with the Lawbreakers gang from the
Renegades Steelband. That rivalry often led to violence causing
the community to become fearful at times. But, not in the manner
we see today. Whatever violence there was it was seldom against
the community but mostly against outsiders. (No excuse for the
violence just stating the facts) The late Rudolph Charles and
the other Elders had a tight grip on the young people’s behavior
which allowed them to control whatever violence erupted in the
community before it erupted into a killing spree.
In 1956, when the PNM arrived on
the political scene with their charismatic and popular leader
Dr. Eric Williams, the Laventille community, although poor, was
a vibrant and mixed community of different races, classes,
laborers and professionals. Its political representative at the
time was Mr. Herman Scott. Dr. Williams decided to run for that
seat and won overwhelmingly and the PNM became the leading party
in Parliament. The first five years of the PNM governance they
promised to build housing and provide jobs to the people of
Laventille. In 1957, Dr. Williams introduced a works project
called The Project or Crash program. The program intended to
assist the uneducated, particularly the gangs, to by enlisting
the unemployed and unskilled to repair roads and drains in the
community for a stipend. Most of the members of the Desperadoes
became a part of that program. Women were also enrolled in the
program to be water carriers for the thirsty male workers on the
project. Although this program extended throughout other areas
of the poor and uneducated, nevertheless, it was the people of
Laventille who felt eternally grateful for that assistance
because they gave their total political support to the PNM
government. But, instead of giving Laventille an economic lift
it created a dependency syndrome like the infamous welfare
system in America where young men and women got
paid for doing little or no work. Again Mr. Neil noted: “This
program became the major source of economic mobility in the
community and created a marked improvement in the standard of
living among these people. However, it was nothing more than a
political gimmick to enhance the positions of the political
party in power.” “Voices”
Soon, young people were getting paid for no work. There was no
oversight to transfer job skills to them as that arrangement
made good political sense. Later, there developed ghost gangs
where people did not exist or even show up but monies were paid
out in their names.
Since 1956, the people of
Laventille have overwhelmingly supported and voted for the
Peoples’ National Movement (PNM). PNM is the major political
party which led Trinbago from 1956 to 1986 when it lost its
first election to the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR).
But, throughout the thirty years of PNM reign, governmental
benign neglect bred a community of joblessness, violence, drugs
and crime. Over the years of PNM reign, the Laventille area
suffered a state of nihilism where dreams disappeared and the
community’s life was in constant decline leading to its demise
today. I am not saying that the PNM government is totally
responsible for the decline and demise of Laventille but among
the elements that caused its decline, governmental benign
neglect was a major participant in that decline. Also, there was
high unemployment, social stigma, lack of proper housing, influx
of drugs which led to its quick (and probably permanent) demise.
Some would say that the government tried to help by providing
social programs to the community. But, The Project was not a
program with an end in sight leading to real jobs. The social
programs became an albatross of dependency around the
community’s neck and drained it of the human dignity that it had
before it received the handouts from the government. Again, Mr.
Neil stated in his book that “Another factor militating against
placing young people in jobs was the existence of “The Prime
Minister” special works program, better known as the “Crash
program”. “In realty, it was a system of dole in which an
individual was employed for ten days every two or three months.”
“Voices”
During the 1960s, the Laventille
community was a viable community comprising of teachers, dock
workers, students, bakers, civil servants, nurses, tailors and
small businessmen and businesswomen. Most of the teachers who
taught in Laventille schools lived in the community and knew the
students’ parents. That connection worked well to discipline the
students. A parent could be contacted immediately if there was a
problem. Often time the teacher would contact the parent on
their way home. The teachers at school were seen as extensions
of the parents at home and teachers were able to chastise the
children at school without fear of parental interference or
hostility. Laventille parents did not differ too much from other
parents. Many of them had middle-class values. They had great
aims and aspirations for their children and wanted to see them
progress in spite of the odds. They raised their children with
good habits and supported education as a means to move up the
social ladder. They did not tolerate disrespect and rudeness.
Many parents would arrange private lessons for their children to
assist them in their path to learning. If a young student showed
promise in the community a teacher would volunteer to give that
child private lesson to help with difficult subjects. Also, some
of the policemen who worked in the community lived in the
community and were able to talk to parents when their child or
children got into trouble with the law.
The Besson street
police station that policed the area was known to employ
residents from the area. If a child was seen doing something
illegal the police would arrest the child and then send for
their parents. At the police station the police and parent would
scold the child. That scolding was sufficient most of the times
to prevent that child from transgressing again. That was the
benefit of community policing which existed in Laventille at
that time. Another important fact was that young people were
taught to be respectful of the police and they were afraid of
the police. Most of the times, the police were seen as good
citizens who were doing their job. The community was not at war
with the police and the police was not at war with them. And,
the police had control over the gangs because many times the
police knew the gang members and were friends with some gang
members. This does not mean that the community was perfect. Mr.
Neil observed that “During the period 1955 to 1965, the people
in the Laventille community by every standard were poor. They
suffered all the hardships of poverty. It certainly did not
require a deep investigation in order to reveal the fact that
the area had not undergone the fundamental changes, necessary to
provide a better type of existence.” “Voices”
Early Laventille had the
ingredients of community building. It was comprised of African,
Indian and Chinese businesses. The sight of African businesses
gave a young person hope that he/she could become a small
businessperson someday. There were many role models from which
to choose. Most importantly, the community dollar turned over
more than once to sustain the community. You bought your bread
from the neighborhood bakery and made your clothes at the
neighborhood tailor or seamstress. You cut your hair at the
community barber and bought your food at the neighborhood’s
store. If you needed to add a room to your house or do repairs
you hired the community builder, electrician, carpenter or mason
and cook a pot of food and work began. There was a strong and
trustworthy interaction among community residents. People
borrowed from one another and repaid that debt or face being
called names. Again, most of the residents knew one another and
it was easy to cry shame against someone for bad conduct. The
adults also protected the young children as their very own. Of
course, there was suspicion of outsiders and the community was
very exclusive. It was not that they hated outsiders but since
the general society treated Laventille residents as pariahs it
was easy to develop an inclusive mentality if only to protect
your sense of self. If you were from Laventille it was assumed
that you were bad. That resulted in the exclusionary nature of
the community. So what caused the decline of Laventille?
In 1962 Trinbago received its
Independence from England and there were high
hopes among the young people for advancements. But, beginning in
the late 1960s, young African people who graduated from the
University and colleges were finding it difficult to find jobs
in the private sector due to racial discrimination. Most of the
graduates had to seek employment in the civil services
controlled by the government. As the international student
revolt around the world Trinbago was soon to see its own student
rebellion. In 1970, the Black Power movement from America came
to Trinbago. It was adopted by NJAC group in its attempt to
address the disparities in the society suffered by African men
and women and some Indians. As a result, many African young men
and women rebelled against the government demanding from the
then PNM government more inclusion in the private businesses
that discriminated against them in jobs and other social
acceptances. They claimed that the Banks discriminated against
Africans and Indians. At that time most of the local banks were
foreign owned. There was only one local bank which was the
Trinidad Cooperative Bank (known as the Penny Bank because it
accepted deposits starting from a penny) founded by a group of
Africans, among which was the late politician and labor
organizer Uriah ‘Buzz’ Butler. They also demanded a change in
the nation’s school history curriculum to reflect a more
Caribbean character that told the stories of locals and their
places of origin. At that time, most of the nation’s schools
taught European history even in its Caribbean studies. There was
no history of Africa or India from which continents originated
the two major groups in Trinbago. The only reference to Africa
and India was its slave and indentured history. Africans were
brought to the Caribbean as slaves and Indians as indentured
servants.
1n 1970, a group of University
students decided to challenge the inequalities that existed in
the Caribbean and formed the National Joint Action Committee (NJAC)
to fight racism and discrimination that they believed denied
Africans their rightful place in Trinbago. As a result of the
racism and discrimination, Banks and other private companies
refused to hire Africans and Indians even though many of them
qualified for the jobs. The leader of NJAC was Makandal Daaga (formerly
Geddess Granger) who was a resident of Laventille. Mr. Daaga was
from middle class origins whose parents owned their home and a
small shop in the community. His sister was a teacher at one of
the neighborhood’s primary schools. While many members of the
Laventille community joined NJAC there were others who, though
not joining, but nevertheless sympathized with the call for
change that sought to make Trinbago a more just and equitable
society. The people of Laventille knew more than the rest of
Trinbago that the PNM government did not live up to its social
contract of providing jobs, safety, health and housing for the
poor. But, what the people of Laventille did not know was that
the dye was cast for they would be punished for rebelling
against the horrible and deplorable conditions fostered on them.
Whatever little handouts they received from the government would
vanish in a few years. No housing or sewage schemes would be
built or done. The question of jobs for the young Laventillians
would be reduced to a question of enlarging the work subsidies
on The Project. No industries were built in the community to
employ local residents or provide them with marketable skills.
As the 1970s rebellion developed,
NJAC decided to call a march on the government (PNM) to address
the racial problems and inequalities that Laventillians and
other poor areas faced. They decided to march to
Caroni, an East Indian community in the East of the country to
show solidarity to the sugar cane workers. The cane workers were
mainly East Indians who were struggling for better working
conditions and their right to join a Union. The leaders of the
march called for jobs and changes in the social structure of
Trinbago. NJAC blamed the PNM government for failing to lift the
standards of the poor who were mostly Africans and Indians.
Later, they organized daily marches throughout Trinbago
sometimes starting from Laventille. Soon, there were riots and
chaos as the government released the police to quell the
rebellion leading to the government calling a state of emergency
and a curfew on April 24, 1970. The police were let loose in
Laventille as they searched for the leaders of the rebellion who
mostly from Laventille. At times, innocent bystanders were
searched and beaten by the police as they attempted to round up
the rebels.
From the beginning of the revolt
many poor people from Laventille joined the rebellion. There
were also people from as far as Caroni and some of the African
and Indian middle class students and professionals who joined
NJAC but Laventille played a major important roll in that
rebellion against the government. It was their rebellion. Neil
described it this way: “The powerlessness and exploitation that
had become a part of their existence, combined with the taste of
‘liberation’ experienced by the steelband, imprinted the
revolutionary struggle to share in the material products of the
larger society.” “As the social unrest in Laventille became
more apparent, this collective form of expression came to be
feared as a call to action, a subversive force threatening to
sound the death knell of the Trinidad elite, and their political
supremacy. As the masses in Laventille continued to reject their
conditions of servitude and deprivation, they were also
developing the steelband, a new musical art form.” “Voices”
In the 1980s, as Laventille
struggled to survive, the cocaine drug scene hit Trinbago and
many of its young and old people became victims to its addiction.
The affect of the drug trade impacted Laventille community the
most due to the already high poverty and unemployment rate they
faced. Many of its young people became not only became users but
started distributing drugs as a means of economic survival.
While the drug trade is not controlled by the Laventille
community, nevertheless, many of their sons and daughters are
used as sellers on every corner. Previously, the drug of choice
was marijuana because it was cheap and used mainly for
recreation. But with the oil boom dollars floating throughout
the society cocaine became affordable for most young people.
Soon, gangs developed their own drug turfs and violent wars
ensued to protect those turfs. Other surrounding areas like
Morvant, Gonzales and Belmont were among the communities that
became killing fields, but Laventille suffered the most. The
normalcy in Laventille would seize to exist as the murders
became a growing epidemic in the community. As the drug scourge
took hold of the community, a vacuum arose as people started to
leave the community for safer and securer places. The community
balance among young and old, male and female, professional and
working class parents and children quickly disappeared as the
only allegiance became survival.
History shows us that the glue
that assists a community to develop is a mixture of employment,
political power, local businesses and a middle class. As
Laventille declined, there was a major flight of its
middle-classes, businesses and the instituting of permanent
social welfare programs which created an economic vacuum
resulting in the malaise that we see today. It never had any
political power to begin with and whatever political clout it
had under the old PNM under Dr. Eric Williams withered away as
the new leader Mr. George Chambers was swept away in the 1986
elections and the new political party NAR won 33 seats from a
total of 36. Three PNM members retained their seats: Muriel
Donnawa, Patrick Manning and Morris Marshall. But, Mr. Manning
became the new PNM political leader and Prime Minister. Mr.
Manning was from another constituency in the South part of the
country and did not have the rapport with Laventille as the late
Dr. Williams. But, Mr. Manning was a smart enough politician to
know what works. So, he continued The Project among the
steelbands. No offer of real jobs was at hand. The political
rhetoric continued. Mr. Marshall who represented Laventille was
without any power to affect any meaningful changes in Laventille
due to the nature of the Parliamentary system that Trinbago
adopted after receiving the political Independence
from England in 1962. Under that system the Prime Minister
controls the budget of the party and Ministers must submit
requests for any financial ventures they may want to undertake.
If the Minister is not in good stead with the Prime Minister
then he/she gets nothing for their community. And, since
Trinbagonians vote for party and not individual Ministers, the
PNM could be assured support from Laventille in the next
elections.
Mainly, the steelband class
suffered because, in communities like Laventille where the poor
depend on government largesse instead of business opportunities
that provide jobs that can sustain their communities, they had
to wait for the annual handouts from The Project and the prize
money from the national panorama festival (which the government
sponsors) which PNM increased causing a greater dependency to
develop among the steelband communities thus cementing
Laventille’s destruction. As the steelband’s presence at parties
that used to generate a small income disappeared, the financial
incentive derived from the steelbands gave way to a drug culture
that was developing in the community. Soon, there was more money
to be made from selling drugs than playing in a steelband and
waiting to win the Panorama competition to receive any money.
Many young panists became victims to the drug scourge as drugs
became a way to earn monies. And, as the community got hooked on
the drugs whatever sense of dignity that was left soon
disappeared. The drug culture brought senseless violence as
innocent bystanders were killed. The community was left open
without any security. And the murder rate increased as
Laventille cried out for help but only received promises from
the different office holders.
Next, The Project that was created
by the old PNM became the main employer of a great many of the
young people in the Laventille community. That became threatened
as the Muslims were put in charge of running The Project. Soon,
there was a demand for religious allegiance to get a job on The
Project. This threatened the livelihood of those in the
community whose remaining legal economic source of survival
among the uneducated was The Project. As a result, there arose
gang warfare between the young Laventillians and some of the
Muslims, as Laventillians felt their very existence being
threatened and fought back, resulting in violence and death. Now,
there were two major elements that contributed to the further
destruction of the community, namely the war over The Project
work and the drug turfs. As the rich coffers of the society
expanded and the gap between the haves and have-nots widened the
fight to keep what little crumbs The Project delivered became a
way of life. This triage of community violence: poverty, drugs,
unemployment made the demise of Laventille inevitable. The
Elders in Laventille lost their control of their young people as
the instant financial gains from the drug trade and the constant
murders taking place almost weekly further divided the community.
Elders were now fearful for their safety because it became
difficult to reason with someone under the influence of drugs.
No longer could they make arguments about seeking an education
and getting a good job. That became irrelevant to the young
people in the drug trade. Now safety was demanding the Elders’
attention. No longer could the elders direct the young as they
did before this scourge descended on the community.
As Laventille declined, the
response from the larger society was avoidance and denial. If
you did not have to travel to Laventille you could ignore what
was happening to the community and only wish that the carnage
that captured Laventille would stay there. So non-Laventille
residents built their safe havens and received police protection.
The response from the government and its national security
branch was worse. One attempt from the government was to provide
the people of Laventille a homeless shelter to house the
homeless. The other governmental response was to put Muslims in
charge of the Works Project that for many years were controlled
by Laventille as one of their major legal sources of revenue.
That instigated a war between the Muslims and the non-Muslims
who competed for the meaningless jobs that The Project provided.
Rather than calling together all the parties and work out a
rotation scheme to accommodate the workers, the government did
nothing. Instead, the local Army joined with the Police and
entered Laventille like invaders to a colony. A few houses were
searched and the newspapers took pictures and in a few hours it
was business as usual. The gang war was restored putting the
community at risk and the decline continued.
But, the decline of Laventille was
much more than the cost of the loss of a part of the society. It
was a sign that the whole of Trinbago was rotting from the core,
the Hill. It was the Hill that provided the PNM government with
its almost fanatic allegiance of supporters where people put up
signs saying: “LIVE OR DIE PNM.” and “PNM FOREVER!” You could
not live on the Hill if you were against the PNM government and
made it known to other members of the community. The community,
after years of neglect and a failure to provide access to
capital to them as the society’s oil wealth grew and businesses
were booming with profits, the people of Laventille were left
out as they struggled to understand their plight only to have to
defend themselves with the gun if only to survive in their
community because they had no place to go. The community became
a wasteland leaving no child behind. The future was bleak but
there was no one to help. The other sections of society, who
though not too safe but always better than the people of
Laventille, partied. Every weekend there are parties, shows and
cultural activities with their high prices of admission. And the
mothers who were losing their sons and daughters could only ban
their belly and hope that the government would hear their cries
for help. But that was not to be.
Since the 1980s to the present
Trinbago has had two oil booms which delivered tremendous wealth
to the society. But, Laventille did not share in that wealth.
Nevertheless it held on to its only institution, Desperadoes. No
one can say how Bradley’s death will affect Desperadoes Steel
Orchestra on their road to the Panorama championship in 2006 and
beyond. But, this much I know. Desperadoes has lost four of the
band’s stalwarts, namely three of its founders Wilfred ‘Speaker’
Harrison, George Yeates and Beah, its leader emeritus Rudolph
Charles and recently the band’s arranger Clive Bradley. After
each death Desperadoes found the strength to come back. I have
no doubt that this time it will be no different. I wish them
well. I don’t know how Laventille will restore itself to a sense
of normalcy as the murder rate increases daily. The quality of
life that once held Laventille together is torn apart. Leaving
only the Desperadoes Steel Orchestra as the last institution on
the hill. In some societies an important institution as the
Desperadoes Steel Orchestra would be used as a catalyst to
enroll the young people of Laventille to in job creation
projects to effect social changes. This has not happened in
Laventille. Maybe a new government with a strong vision and a
sense of urgency can put the community back together. As the oil
and natural gas prices skyrocket filling the nation’s coffers
with billions of dollars that out proportion its 1.3 million
population, the Laventille community is being emptied of its
most valuable assets, the young people who cry out for help but
are being promised that next year will be better. To date, the
country’s murder rate is 375. Laventille bears a majority of
that number. It cannot solve its problems by itself.
The people of Laventille are
strong and have hope but that is not enough to turn back the
criminal wave that has besieged their community. Laventille
needs government, NGOs and business intervention to provide jobs
and social organizations to provide training for its youth. The
Desperadoes Steel Orchestra is the last institution on the hill.
But, the band could be a starting point to enlist the young
people in the area in job programs and the teaching of
marketable skills. The government could build a few factories in
the area to provide JOBS to many of the unemployed in the area.
Perhaps, putting one of the government’s industries in the area
could assist to employ the jobless. Also, the government could
seek out organizations like the Chamber of Commerce to contact
businesses to hire the trained personnel from the community. The
government could provide tax write for businesses that open up
in Laventille and hire residents from the community. The nation
cannot afford a next generation to be born facing the same
deplorable conditions. If the social contract that was created
in 1956 between the PNM and Laventille, where the PNM promised
jobs, proper housing, education, training, skills and most
importantly security is not adhered to, then the drug trade,
unemployment and high crime will become a way of life and
forever keep Laventille in its present condition. If that occurs,
then soon that life style will be a permanent stain on the
nation’s moral conscience and Laventille will be lost forever.
Time will tell. Laventille here we come!
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