THE RE-ENACTMENT of the Canboulay Riots made an emphatic return to the Piccadilly Greens in East Port of Spain on Carnival Friday morning as thousands of people gathered at 4 am to witness the event.
The event on Friday marked a return to Piccadilly for the first time since 2020. Last year, because of the covid19 pandemic the event was held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts and in 2021 it was not held.
[caption id="attachment_1001844" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Revellers show their unity at the Canboulay Riots re-enactment at the Piccadilly Greens, on Friday morning. - Photo by Jeff K. Mayers[/caption]
The Canboulay riots took place in 1881 in Port of Spain and later in 1884 in San Fernando and Princes Town as a result of colonial police, led by Captain Baker, attempting to prevent Carnival celebrations from happening. Many people were killed as result of the riots.
After the re-enactment, director and producer of the production Eintou Pearl Springer made a plea to the Government. She believes more effort should be made to ensure that children in TT, especially those of the African descent, understand the history of Carnival and African people in this country by finding creative ways of passing on that knowledge in schools.
Springer would have been pleased to see hundreds of children in attendance on Friday to get a taste of the Carnival history. “It don’t have to be through a boring text book,” Springer said to encourage the Government to explore innovative ways.
Springer, who was thankful for the opportunity to direct the re-enactment of the Canboulay Riots again, wants East Port of Spain to be developed more like Ariapita Avenue in Woodbrook.
[caption id="attachment_1001840" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Revellers beat a dummy of Captain Baker during the Canboulay Riots re-enactment at the Piccadilly Greens in Port of Spain on Friday morning. - Photo by Jeff K. Mayers[/caption]
MP for Port of Spain South Keith Scotland listened to the words of Springer.
Speaking to Newsday, he said, “I listened to her words about the development of East Port of Spain and there is development in East Port of Spain planned. And maybe the time is now to disseminate the information so that the nation can know that we are not only about the Santa Maria, the Pinta and the Nina but we are about developing our history, appreciating it. And that is what is happening now.”
Asked to comment specifically about the call by Springer to teach children in schools about the history, Scotland said, “That is a clarion call…just by the concept of the East Port Spain development I think that is part of the Government’s thrust to make sure the entire country, both Ariapita Avenue which falls under the constituency that I represent, and East Dry River gets part of the country’s attention.”
Keon Francis played one of the major roles in Joe Talmana, a bois man who struck Captain Baker off a horse during the riots.
[caption id="attachment_1001841" align="alignnone" width="819"] A reveller is lifted in the ai
