“I left Trinidad in 1948, went to London and made my first recording. I was a big hit in England. I used to sing at the Churchill where Princess Margaret used to visit very often. Well the people went crazy over the song (Ah Bernice). They thought it was very sexy and thing like that. They started coming to the club in the hundreds.” –
Lord Kitchener
IN OUR ritualistic way, we remembered Brother Resistance with musical tributes, full-page advertisements and a public viewing of his body.
But I am curious. How will we really remember him?
As we plan for the regeneration of East Port of Spain, what role will his memory play in enriching the place he loved? How may we nurture cultural memory in other communities and build a stronger national identity through art in public spaces?
The year was 1948 and an impoverished but talented young calypsonian called Lord Kitchener joined scores of other hopeful Caribbean people on a ship headed to England called the MV Empire Windrush. It was before independence, “so they believed they were British citizens.”
For over 20 years, thousands of people left this region seeking a better life. Some, like Lord Kitchener, were successful, but many filled ordinary roles – in the postal service, public transport, manufacturing, or in the health sector as nurses. In the immediate post-WWII reality, Britain needed to rebuild its economy; the Windrush generation served the goals of the "mother country" well.
[caption id="attachment_902991" align="alignnone" width="892"] A monument in Arima of calypsonian Lord Kitchener, who drew upon East Port of Spain as his inspiration for many of his songs especially those on the pan. -[/caption]
Decades later, with her economy prospering, Britain forgot about the contributions of Lord Kitchener and others.
It is now common knowledge that proper records were not kept of those who arrived. Worse, many were deported for lack of paperwork proving their residency rights. Today, after a scandal, a report and an apology, a monument will be built to honour the Windrush Generation and their descendants.
The piece will be mounted in London as a permanent reminder of the contribution made by Caribbean people to British society. Not surprisingly, one of the finalists in the competition to create this piece of art is of TT heritage.
The lessons of the Windrush Generation resonate at home.
Lord Kitchener, who travelled around the world as a calypsonian, created winning music for the steelpan and transformed the Carnival industry, was inspired by his life in East Port Spain. Legend tells of how he slept in La Cou Harpe, associated with thr famous steelband Renegades. He virtually lived in a steelband called Bar 20, now known as Casablanca.
“I lived there among the players, so it’s only obvious that if I had to compose, I’ll be composing something about the pan. That’s where I got my inspiration to compose about the pan because I lived right in the yard with the panmen there.”
Yet the memory of Lord Kitchener has not been used to uplift the com
