50

as we celebrate the milestone of 50years we must also look to the future; to guide our direction here and now, we must ask: where do we see ourselves going? what do we see ourselves becoming, and is that who we want to be?
are we a self-sufficient nation that recognises and treats citizens as its best natural resource? are we supporting and developing our communities to that end? do we see ourselves a people that builds on our history of overcoming adversity through creativity? the hardships of existence triggered inspiration for the jab molassie, dame lorraine, sweet pan…but only we can do so. only we can choose to push forward together, choose to invest in a truly independent trinidad+tobago built on the cooperation of all and not the backs of some, a trinidad+tobago built on the realities of this place to benefit we of this place, where our self-expression is expansive enough to include midnight robbers, bikinis+beads+feathers, tantan+sagaboy, pan, calypso, chutney, rapso and all in-between, where we don’t look to outside trends to shape our self-image, where we see ourselves in our diversity in the media, and that diversity reflected in social policy, and every person feels represented and valued in the functioning of the nation.
let us celebrate 50 years by moving closer to our dreams with the next 50; let us assert our independence by being our best selves and creating the trinidad+tobago we want for ourselves. we are people of great spirit; let us not stifle+cheapen that chasing the almighty dollar but become a trinidad+tobago where everybody is somebody, nobody is nobody, and each of we contribute to the resilience and innovation that make this tiny twin-island nation a force to be reckoned with.
happy independence t+t! 50 years…50/50 love!
walk good.