Archbishop cautions against rewriting T&T’s past

In a recent interview with The Trinidad Express, Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon shared his views on proposed changes to the Coat of Arms, replacing the three ships of explorer Christopher Columbus with the steelpan as a national symbol.

The Archbishop stressed the importance of acknowledging historical facts, even when they are uncomfortable. “We can’t change our history. Our history is our history. If those three ships never arrived here, we wouldn’t be the nation that we are today.”

He cautioned against revisionist history, noting that while we may not approve of Columbus nor his motivations, his arrival remains “an integral part of our history.”

Archbishop Gordon highlighted the unique cultural importance of the steelpan. He referenced the work of Caribbean scholars Jean Besson and Barry Chevannes, who focused on “culture building within the Caribbean.”

The Archbishop noted that the steelpan represents something truly distinctive to Trinidad and Tobago: “The steelpan is that. It is unique to us as a symbol, and as a symbol of who we are out of a dustpan, a musical instrument was born in the 21st century, and that is us. We were discarded. We were not as important, but a musical instrument was born. And that musical instrument is played all over the world, and it can play every type of music.”

He further elaborated on how the steelpan transcends racial and cultural divides within the country, mentioning the success of diverse groups in steelpan competitions: “So we can’t claim that that is not this race or not that race.”

The Archbishop underscored how the steelpan embodies the nation’s diversity and resilience, describing it as “a great symbol of hybridity.”

Proposed changes and symbolism

Regarding the proposed changes, Archbishop Gordon suggested a compromise: “Left to me, I would put the ships in the ocean. They belong below where they are…And then, yes, if you want to put the steelpan there, because that is a symbol.”

While acknowledging the symbolic importance of the proposed changes, Archbishop Gordon raised significant concerns about the practical implications and costs associated with such a massive rebranding effort.

He posed a challenging question: “How do you go about spending the money it would cost to do this little change? And that’s really the vexing problem. We have poor people in this country starving. We have people in communities that are underserved. We have schools that are derelict because they have no money to fix a school. We have institutions failing because they don’t have money for this and money for that.”

The Archbishop outlined the extensive changes that would be required, including updates to passports, driver’s licenses, birth certificates, buildings, and currency.

He described this as “a huge, huge, huge cost,” questioning the justification for such an expense given the pressing social needs within the country.

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