Culture Matters

DARA E HEALY

THE RITUALS that brought us to this day are important.

The black-eye peas and rice, getting rid of useless or barely used items from our homes, cleaning, being with people that make us happy. A new year promises hope, but the passage of time offers perspective.

By 2021, we had settled into our new reality of fighting the virus. However, our language subtly moved from war to survival; instead of battling, we were now working out how to live with the disease. The emergence of new words reflected the shift. We discussed super-spreader events, where large numbers of people spread and contracted the disease. A breakthrough infection could be experienced by someone who was completely vaccinated.

And it is clearly a sign of the times that we live in when, instead of ending a conversation or a text message with 'See you later,' we are now more likely to say, 'Stay safe.'

The idea that we are collectively in peril is now at the forefront of our everyday interactions. Almost constantly we think about protecting ourselves from disease, crime or being attacked by a family member.

In spite of the constraints, artists worked at infusing joy into these tense times, hosting performances with limited seating and cautious dancing.

From soca star Voice who performed at venues across the US to parang powerhouse Los Alumnos de San Juan, who included Neval Chatelal and Baron in their Christmas show, culture was essential for soothing the mental trauma of life in a pandemic.

Through it all, the world revealed some big ideas. The first is truth. The influence of the former US president, who appeared to have a casual relationship with facts, widened the cracks in already shaky global diplomatic codes of behaviour.

Additionally, we saw the toxic influence of transnational social media organisations like Facebook, now Meta. Whistleblowers and journalists exposed profit-driven choices made under the guise of freedom of speech, while ignoring the harm being done to children and young adults.

At home, as official public interactions deteriorated before our eyes, the call for truth and moderation in the way we communicate came from the highest levels of society.

So the other big idea is empathy. Defined as 'the ability to understand and share the feelings of another,' empathy, its presence or lack, will continue to influence 2022. One of the major tests will be how we manage migration.

In TT, we have yet to come to terms with the fact that we are facing a migrant problem, in addition to our other social challenges. In the absence of a clear policy of fostering understanding, integration and adaptation, parallel social structures are developing. Not surprisingly, migrants and locals are working it out, whether legally or criminally.

Another phrase that emerged from 2021 was 'active listening,' defined as the 'action or practice of fully engaging with what a speaker is saying.'