THE death of Tobago cultural icon Rawle “Axeback” Titus on January 2 has ignited fresh discourse in some quarters about the strategies, if any, that are being taken to preserve the island’s rich heritage for future generations.
Titus, 80, in his heyday, was an avid cultural performer who thrilled audiences on the island and further afield. But in his latter years, he also was respected as a writer, historian, poet, playwright and mentor to several of Tobago’s young performers.
Titus’ book, Wake People Wake: The Sacred and the Profane, a socio-anthropological study of the wakes of yesteryear, showcases the vibrancy of Tobago’s culture and is regarded as one of his seminal works.
At the time of his passing, Titus was completing a body of work, titled Prose, Pictures and Poetry, detailing the history of Tobago.
Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, in his tribute at Titus’ funeral service on January 10, gave the assembly’s commitment to ensuring that his unfinished work is published.
For Dr Charleston Thomas, chairman of the Tobago Festivals Commission Ltd, discussions surrounding the state of Tobago’s cultural heritage and even nationally, may not have arisen, had it not been for Titus’ passing and that of stalwarts Leroy Calliste (Black Stalin) and Francine Edwards (Singing Francine).
“That is really the impetus that is giving us this moment for asking these questions in a more real way,” he said in an interview.
“Had these deaths not occurred so quickly after each-other, I am not sure that there would have been that eagerness to talk about it. That, in itself, is a statement about the state of our cultural heritage.”
A former lecturer in cultural studies, gender studies and modern languages and literature, Thomas argued that barring the efforts of some in the fraternity to retain and preserve aspects of it over the years, there is still an urgent need for deep, comprehensive research on Tobago’s cultural heritage.
He observed that attempts at preservation, thus far, have focused largely on the African influence on the island.
“We have a very rich culture in terms of our indigenous heritage. We have inherited a lot from many cultural spaces. But one of the challenges I have is that we tend to largely accentuate the African heritage, which, by and large, is what we know. But we have other cultural spaces that we have inherited.”
Thomas said he is uncertain about the extent to which Tobagonians are aware of the contributions of the Europeans and indigenous peoples.
[caption id="attachment_995874" align="alignnone" width="768"] Dr Charleston Thomas -[/caption]
“So I don’t know that we can make a statement as to what the state of the culture is as regards to that.”
He regarded culture as the variables that have been put on display for generations, such as dance, speech band and the games Tobagonians once played.
“But to really seek out precisely what the state of our culture is must be directly contingent on research as well as an analysis on what actually happened.”
Thomas added, “To talk
