News of the final humiliation of a project described as scandalous will be celebrated. According to newspaper reports the Tarouba multi-sport facility may be used as a detention centre for persons detained under the 2011 State of Emergency.
Originally intended to be a theatre of sporting dreams Tarouba is now a proposed theatre of broken dreams. The cruel irony will go unnoticed in the parallel reality that is life in T&T, a life where those who live in it never waver in their belief no matter how one may point out the fallacies, weaknesses or contradictions of that reality.
Six years ago off Monos Island, cocaine worth 800 million dollars was seized by the Police, Coast Guard and SAUTT; a figure no small fry from east Port of Spain could afford. Gangs need money to survive, and one area that provides that is drugs. The cruel indifference over the years since the Scott drug report to pursue Messrs.Big portends deeply sinister machinations.
The State of Emergency may well achieve intended objectives. But in the context of deep seated social issues it is a temporary solution. In the face of perceptions of racism and classism, however, all the current State of Emergency may do is delay the release of bottled up anger and resentment within humiliated communities.
In the absence of any moral authority, some use the crisis to pronounce for all to see their hypocrisy, arrogance and intolerance, even though such callous self-interest only serves to embed anger, resentment, resilience and determination.
Urgent social interventions , not public relations or spin doctoring ,are needed if we are to reap the rewards of the high risk of imposing a State of Emergency. In the absence of a social environment that will debunk the perception that the small man and people living in the ghettos are being made the scape goats for the untouchables,the curfew may well be extended for an indefinite period.
Broken bones heal more easily than a spirit that is broken by abusive words or acts. A broken spirit will strike out to prove that it is bigger, better or badder. Abuse can cloud reality, it may be perceived as normal and acceptable if you have grown up with it. No escaping the fact,only a caring individual can help a person who has been beaten down.
Crime ‘hot spots’ mirror a struggle to provide that crushes the spirit and fuels the rage and anger at the world. So, as the "little black boy” current Minister of Culture and Multiculturalism ,Winston Peters passionately and eloquently sang about some years ago, listens to his heart, and follow what it tells him, he lives his truth the way he sees it and feels it, even when it hurts- get rich or die trying.
How do we rejuvenate our hot spot communities and revive the vision and ambition of those young and old who live there?
The society, government and the business community must embrace arts, culture and sport as foundational for life, not just something that enriches and embellishes -an important part of community revitalization and renewal.
Through art, culture and sports children and young people are taught not to so much win but that greatness is measured by the impact you make on other people’s lives. Those life lessons are taught at practice, on the field and during and after games. What do they learn? They learn to deal with angry emotions and to engage the wrongs and broken dreams that lie buried within their hearts.
As a society we must allocate significant resources for arts, culture and sports as a much needed investment in human development.
Dreams aren’t broken overnight and beautiful babies do not come out of their mother’s womb hotspot criminals and gang members.
This country is being held to ransom not by criminals but by its leaders.
-Brian Lewis
Source: www.guardian.co.tt