Utopian versus Industrial- Point Lisas

Point Lisas Industrial Estate: Kristal Maharaj

Point Lisas located in the south western coast of Trinidad has traditionally been an agro-based town in the early days. However with the discovery of oil fields in the southern part of the island, Point Lisas was visioned as the country’s determination to set up an industrial venture based on petrochemicals. Industries of various kinds came into existence on the estate. They included iron and steel, fertilizer, urea, ethanol among others that according to Maria Teresa (2012:45) “reflected the onset of rapid modernization and urban behaviour patterns to the south.” where the town’s agrarian roots were replaced by metal tanks and flames.

                Although industrial development and Point Lisas industrial estate in particular has played  an important role in Trinidad and Tobago’s economic growth, it has brought along with it major environmental problems ranging from water  pollution to air pollution.  Trinidad’s west coast is the environmental stressed coastal area where 88% of the population live and 93% are employed. Prior to the construction of the estate marginal sugar cane lands and mangrove dominated the area.  Due to unplanned industrialization, inadequate sewerage facilities, uncontrolled waste disposal and inefficient control measures major cases of contamination and environmental degradation have resulted. There is the issue of declining fish stocks due to oil spills, the abandonment of the shell fish trade, health problems suffered by residents due to dust pollution, noise pollution from the operation of the plants and other irreversible environmental damage as a consequence of the radical change brought about by industrialization.

                 This industrialization process and its effects reminds us somewhat of William Wordsworth’s poem “The World is too Much with us” Wordsworth was an 18 century poet who experienced the industrial boom. His lifestyle was based on the natural environment where he found peace and beauty in nature. He also observed the effects of industrialization on the environment and wished for a utopia; that the world would go back in time when people praise the natural elements and were not trapped in the walls of industrialization and the habit of consumerism.

Kristal.

References:

·         Maria Teresa Castilho, “The Southern Agrarians and Utopia,” (2012:45).

·         Gillian Cambers, “Point Lisas-A Case Study,” December, 1999.

·          http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174833 

http://www.greentnt.org/content/pollution-killing-fish-stocks 

               

                

Sitting on a Gold Mine: The Red House

Photo of the Red House: Kristal Maharaj

The monumental Red House of Trinidad and Tobago that sits in the capital city of Port of Spain and utilized as the seat of Parliament has been a popular target for major protest actions in the past. It was set aflame in 1903 in the most famous fire to occur in Port of Spain in which 16 people were killed. The Express Newspaper indicated that after the fire “the debris was cleared out and the skeleton of the building was not demolished but refurbished” Speaking of skeletons, recently there was a major historical find on the site during restoration of the building. Human bone fragments and other artefacts have been unearthed below the structure and experts have been able to date the remnants to the Amerindian era.

                These new developments at the Red House with its historical links to Amerindian settlements has aided in transforming the identity of urban constructs. As rightly put by Elmira Zahedian (2013:59) ”the core of every urban space in traditional historic cities were based on many years of history and human environmental interaction” as seen in the discovery stories that were revealed from the unearthed artefacts. Zahedian goes on to state that “modern patterns of city scopes show little awareness or any indication of awareness about their historical or cultural past”. With regards to the Red House its disconnection is particular visible through its Greek inspired building design and the realization of the rich historical past of these cities that go unnoticed and only praise with lip service.

 In light of these findings, more research on Trinidad and Tobago’s prehistoric ties with our Amerindian ancestors should be conducted and incorporated into our heritage studies and conservation and restoration projects that pay tribute to their contributions to our multicultural heritage. We should become a more conscious society; fully aware of our priceless historical assets that can open up more avenues for income earning in our country in the form heritage tourism and other sectors.

Kristal.

References:

·         Elmira Zahedian, “A Morphological Approach to Characterization of Urban Space in Historical Structure of Cities in Iran,” Journal of Applied Environmental and Biological Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Iran 2013.

·         Judy Raymond, “The Red House: 150 years of History,” Digital Guardian, 2013.

https://guardian.co.tt/news/2013-02-17/red-house-150-years-history 

Urban Cultural Revival- Music

Sale of Music in Port Of Spain

Picture Courtesy Kristal Maharaj

The basis of Trinidad and Tobago’s music lay in the invention of the steel pan in the 1930’s. This came about as a resistance mechanism by the ex-enslaves population who turned to playing empty oil drums and creating their own melodies to satisfy their musical yearning after being denied the opportunity to play their ancestral instruments. Colonial masters believed that by allowing them to play these instruments would afford them opportunity to communicate messages amongst themselves and result in the plotting of insurrections on the plantations. The involvement of persons playing the steel pan and generating authentic Trinidadian  music accompanied by performances has helped them to develop a sense of identity amidst oppression from the colonial masters.

                Musical genres originating from the Caribbean region include the popular Reggae, Calypso, and Soca among others, each with their own historical background and specific to a particular Caribbean island. Music forms a part of popular culture and nightlife in urban life. 

Belmont as a Point in Time

Glendon Morris at his Mas Camp

Picture Courtesy Siobhan Cumming 

The city of Belmont like any other city has its own urban history. It was included in the borough of Port of Spain in 1899 and was formerly known as “Freetown”, after becoming the first established settlement of the former enslaved Africans who worked on the cocoa and coffee estates in the area. “ In time it produced its own stick fighters, world-class cricketers, footballers and Trinidad and Tobago’s first republican president, Ellis Emmanuel Innocent Clarke” (Trinidad Express Newspaper, Feb. 24,2013)

                A tour of the area and observation of its historical form and structure revealed how it is today and helped to give an insight on how it may develop in the future. According to Charles Tilly 1981, “history is so porous a subject and writing history so various an endeavour, that almost any image anyone---historian or not---has ever held of cities appears somewhere in an historical account” this is true to Belmont; a town rich in culture and home to many of Trinidad and Tobago’s historical and meaningful attributes, ranging from its popular Carnival activities to its colonial architectural structures that have been robbed of their identities and transformed as the cities transformed through space and time.

                Belmont was once recognised as the “Mas Capital of Trinidad” and home to the steel bands, historical Mas characters and Jouvert bands, which attracted foreigners from every corner of the globe. Today the relationship between these large historical processes that have shaped the city of Belmont has been lost and the historical elements native to the area and the individual city are treated as separate entities. It is evident that they have even been transformed and transferred to the capital city; Port of Spain and according to Glendon Morris; one of the pioneers of Mas in Belmont, wishes that traditional Mas can return to Trinidad instead of the nude costumes that characterize the celebrations. The question then arises as to the issue of individuality of Port of Spain. While it is large enough to harbour its own historical character it depends upon the society outside of it: Belmont and its particular contributions to society in the arena of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival.

                Belmont as it exists today is characterized by congestion along its narrow streets and lanes that are a direct effect from its proximity to the capital city and criminal activities that has labelled the town as a “community without communities”. What can be done to revive Belmont? Revive its history? Its communities? Lampard (1963:233) suggests that “the broader scope of historical studies should thus be broadened and more systematic efforts made to relate the configuration of individual communities to on-going change that have been reshaping society” What do you think?

References:

·         Charles Tilly, The Urban Historian’s Dilemma: Faceless cities or cities without hinterlands? (university of Michigan, 1981)

·         “From Freetown to Belmont”, Trinidad and Tobago Express Newspaper, Feb 24,2013

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/From_Freetown_to_Belmont-192925731.html

                 

Every year March 8^th marks the celebration of International Women’s Day; celebrating the social, political, and economic achievements of women while focusing on areas that require improvements. The picture above depicts a homeless woman resting on the side-walks near City Gate Port of Spain. Ironically, next to her is a banner advertising International Women's Day 2014. I chose to incorporate this into a blog post on the theme of Homelessness and Women’s fundamental rights to safety while looking at the factors that account for homelessness among women. According to Hill and Stanny 1990, “the current levels of homelessness in the US can be attributed to a number of structured or societal problems that are beyond the control of the affected individual” 

THE CULTURE OF CITIES: POINT FORTIN

STORAGE TANKS FOR OIL AND GAS IN POINT FORTIN
Picture by Kristal Maharaj 

The photo above depicts one of the many oil and gas storage tanks which tower over the city of Point Fortin. These monumental structures have become a huge part of the landscape of the city and has succeeded in creating an identity for Point Fortin as a major oil and gas production centre. Furthermore, it aids in understanding how these structures are involved in establishing the foundation of  the now urban city, the dwellers and their attitudes toward the city and the events that transpired in Point Fortin.


The borough of Point Fortin is located on the south-western coast of Trinidad 96 km from the capital city and 32 km from the second city. For my discussion on the historical background of Point Fortin I will be reflecting on Lewis Mumford's "The Culture of  Cities" New York 1938 and linking his theories to the processes of urbanization in Point Fortin.

 In his article "The Culture of Cities" Mumford presents the notions that:

• "Cities are a product of earth". This is especially true to the history of Point Fortin as it is with most urban centres of today where permanent agricultural activities formed the backbone of communities thus leading the way to the construction of permanent housing structures, utilities such as dams for water storage, markets and learning centres. With regards to the area of study, Point Fortin was a flourishing agrarian type society named after a French planter "Fortune" with its major land-use being coconut and cocoa cultivation. The area was characterized by a sparse population, little employment opportunities for persons not engaged in coconut and cocoa cultivation and  limited access to roads in and out of the town.
• "Cities are a product of time". The idea of "time" as it relates to the growth and development of the city of Point Fortin is very crucial in understanding how the area transitioned from one economic activity to another and the changes that it brought along. After emancipation agricultural activities were on the decline due to issues of labour and the overall attitudes toward agriculture. Most dwellers in Point Fortin moved away and by 1931 there were less than 500  inhabitants in the town. This soon change with the discovery of oil in the area. The change from an agricultural based economy to one dominated by oil significantly changed the landscape and the overall sensory experience of the city in terms of its sight, smell, touch and sound. Point Fortin was now bustling with activity as workers from across the country came to work in Petrotrin's oil fields. To attract workers and retain employees the oil companies created facilities such as schools, a post office, banks and a police station. At present Point Fortin is no longer home to Petrotrin Operations but houses Atlantic LNG; a world renowned liquefied natural gas company with 4 trains in operation and a production capacity that has solidified the island's position as one of the largest exporter of LNG. Atlantic's operations in Point Fortin has created massive opportunities for employment of members of the community and even outside.The city's population has now grown to 23000 dwellers.
• "Cities arise out of man's social needs and multiply both their modes and their methods of expression." today Point Fortin boasts 5 banks, 5 supermarkets, a general market, a farmer's market, major fast food outlets, well developed sporting arenas, the very popular Borough day celebrations that draws thousands of party goers from across the country and the ongoing construction of the largest and most complexed highway system in the country's history, connecting Point Fortin to San Fernando; the second city. It hopes to support the creation of new economic space in the southern part of the country and to improve access to the city  in the future.

Point Fortin has transformed from a flourishing agricultural town up until the 20th century after the discovery of oil and gas in the area. This has lead to significant changes in the city and can be seen in the construction of various refineries that are still in operation, a significant increase in the population of the city, development of major utilities and infrastructure and the culmination of a highway to link the growing commercial centre to other parts of the country. In "The Culture of Cities", Mumford questions " what transforms the passive agricultural regime of the village into the active institutions of the city?" For Point Fortin the answer lays in the discovery of economic resources in the form of oil and gas. What is it for your city?

Kristal

References:
"History of Point Fortin", Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, Sunday April 27, 2008
http://www.newsday.co.tt/features/0,77832.html
Lewis Mumford: The Culture of Cities (1938)

Why "Urbanistory"?

Welcome to "Urbanistory"; an engaging blog aimed at understanding the "city as a process" by exploring the historical backgrounds of major towns and cities in Trinidad. It focuses directly on the processes by which existing populations concentrate themselves in these urban localities over time and the connections that exist between them and the events that transpired in these cities. In an attempt to understand the past, present and future of the cities and their various contributions to the landscape of Trinidad,  "Urbanistory" will be crossing boundaries into fields of Urban Geography, Social History, Architectural History and Archaeology. Enjoy!