Dr Rita Pemberton

The people of Tobago traditionally gave expression to their inner thoughts, fears, hopes and pains in their folk songs and the informal group discussions commonly held in their villages and communities.

However, from the last decade of the 19th century, the union of Trinidad and Tobago provided an important stimulant to more open, frequent and frank public discussion of the fate of Tobago and its welfare.

This movement was aligned with the anti-colonial sentiment which enveloped the Caribbean and gave birth to nationalist self-expression and literary movements in the region.

In Tobago, the movement was strengthened by individuals from Trinidad and other Caribbean territories who were domiciled there either as migrants or as officials who worked in various capacities on the island. This movement in Tobago, which also sought to stimulate intellectual thought and activity, was expressed in the establishment of several literary and debating clubs, the works of writers and poets whose contributions were sent to the newspapers and in public lectures and discussions which addressed topics pertaining to the island's development.

The people involved were preachers of the churches, especially the Anglican and Methodists and Moravians, teachers, administrators and politically minded individuals whose aim was to raise public knowledge of matters which were important to Tobago and its development.

In the process, these organisations provided opportunities for scrutiny of the policies of the unitary administration and the performance of officials, and platforms for the people of Tobago to air their views and for those with political ambitions to hone their oratorial and debating skills, while they served as forums for public education.

One of the earliest of these organisations was the Tobago Debating Club which was formed by the Rev Taitt of the St Andrew's Anglican Church in 1901. Its membership included the warden of the island, other curates from the Anglican and Methodist churches, a planter, a manager and the district medical officer. The discussions focused on topical issues such as migration and roads and communication in Tobago.

The literary movement spread from Scarborough to the larger communities with the 1908 Roxborough Men's Association, followed by the Scarborough Brotherhood, which was established under the auspices of the Methodist Church in 1909.

This group, which organised debates on the benefits of union to Tobago and competitions, attracted members from across the island. The brotherhood advocated for an agricultural bank for the island, promoted agricultural development and became recognised as the voice of the island's agricultural community.

But it also raised Tobago's pressing development issues and issued petitions and protests to the government on the coastal service and education for children in long-term hospitalisation in the yaws hospital. In 1918, the brotherhood formed the Agricultural Credit Society in Scarborough, addressed matters of public h