“Happy Emancipation”: Now who was the brain behind this in Trinidad?
August 7, 2008
Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe notes in his blog that “The Airports Authority’s emancipation exhibit in its atrium proudly proclaims, “Happy Emancipation” and informs us that “in 1985, Trinidad and Tobago became the first country in the world to declare a national holiday, Emancipation Day, to commemorate the abolition of slavery on August 1, 1834.”
Cudjoe’s point to all of this was why the use of the word “happy” to identity such a disturbing stint of our human history. He questions the implication of the use of such a word to identify a part of history that many of us who are the descendants of those who were taken many years ago, are still experiencing some the psychological and psychosocial limitations that our forefathers had to endure at that hands of colonial masters.
To echo Cudjoe’s point, I would ask then should we say “Happy Pearl harbor Day,” “Happy Memorial Day,” and “Happy Martin Luther King Day”…You get my point! Should I walk up to the descendant of my once enslaved neighbor and say “Joe, happy emancipation day” and Joe would reply “Same to you Bob”
I just want to know who the genius that rationalized this theme. Maybe Christmas or Easter was around the corner or may be it was a birthday. Cool! Let us just stick “happy,” that should work! Man! Can someone with any information on the subject let us know who the Cannonball or Cannonballs’ were that got this approved? When you find the individual/s behind this, tell them “Recent studies have deduced that Crack is no good anymore”.
Andrew
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Every holiday has been diluted to serve some kind of commercial purpose. Insert “happy” and we’ve got a winner! And don’t forget you need to be politically correct as well, it’s not “merry christmas” it’s “happy holidays”!!!