The Greatest of them all

Many Trinis now feel a sense of dread and despair about the state of affairs in our country, and in all honesty who can blame us? We have become mental hostages to the myriad of disturbing images and stories that play on our minds day after day. Images such as Sylona Constantine’s head split in two after being chopped to death by her jealous lover, images such as Sean Luke’s bruised and buggered body lying in a cane field, and images such as headless and decomposing body of Eddie Koury being found. These are just three of the many images and stories over the years that have helped contribute to this feeling of foreboding and resignation. It seems that many of us have forgotten what being Trinbagonian is all about. We seem to have distanced ourselves from the principles set out by our founding fathers; principles such as warmth, friendliness, courage under adversity, unity and purpose, and equality of all under the sun. The siege mentality has led to an ‘every man for himself’ doctrine and our watchwords of ‘together we aspire, together we achieve’ seem to belong to a bygone era.

Lest we forget however, Trinidad and Tobago is a land of that has produced many a talent over the years. In an attempt to reverse this cycle of negative thinking, I have embarked upon a campaign to identify through general consensus the five greatest Trinbagonians of all time. I do not know how far this will go but I am hoping for a good response and a healthy debate. After all, as Trinis, we are nothing if not very opinionated. Chances are, no two lists will be the same and there will be names and selections that appear odd to some, while making perfect sense to others. There are no restrictions and all genres are open. All I ask is that you contribute a few lines stating the rationale behind your choice. The results will be collated at the end of three months after which the greatest Trinbagonian of all time will be unveiled.

Here are my five greatest Trinbagonians of all time:

Daisy Voisin
Parang Singer

There is nothing that beats a Trini Christmas, and for the little boy in me it means that this is by far and away the most difficult period to be away from home. I miss all the sweet smells of this festive period; the savoury odours of pork, ham and fruit cake baking in the oven, or the more distinct wafts of newly painted walls, varnished furniture and polished floors. Christmas without parang however is akin to Carnival without soca and for many a Christmas, Daisy Voisin epitomised all that was good and merry about this season. No one could hold a note like Daisy and when she was on stage in full flow, with a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a chac-chac in the other, she was unstoppable. Two of her more famous songs ‘‘Hurray Hurrah’’ and ‘‘Alegria Alegria’’ continue to live on despite her death almost 18 years ago. I miss you Daisy!

Winston ‘Spree’ Simon
Inventor of the Steel Pan

Mention the place ‘‘John John’’ nowadays and people run for cover. The place is now associated with civil unrest, lockdowns, firebombing of homes and the like. People often forget that it is in this same ‘‘John John’’ that the 12-year old Spree turned what was until then only a discarded oil drum used for making ‘ole noise,’ into an instrument of sweet musical harmony. Spree’s pan, further developed by his friend Elliott Mannette became the only musical instrument to be invented in the 20th century, with its music now being enjoyed by people the world over; from cruise ships and holiday resorts, to symphony halls across the globe.

Machel Jesus Montano
Soca Artist

This man needs no great introduction. The extraordinary thing about Machel is that while he is only thirty-three, he has been in the music business for 25 years! I can vividly remember the young Machel in Skinner’s Park wearing nothing but a set of pampers singing ‘‘dey say ah too young to soca, oi oi oi dey making joke.’’ The boy is no longer, but his music has gone from strength to strength. Some of the older heads may argue that Machel doesn’t have the same pedigree of a Sparrow or a Lord Kitchener. However, in this era of mass communication, Machel has been able to reach a far wider worldwide audience that those two ever could. While his off-stage antics have been sometimes criticised, he continues to be without doubt, an international artist of the highest order.

Janelle ‘Penny’ Commissiong and Hasley Crawford
Miss Universe and Olympic Gold (grouped because of proximity of achievements)

Hasley Crawford remains the only Trinbagonian athlete to have ever won an Olympic Gold. In this day and age whereby our sportsmen and women have much greater access to international coaches, as well as fitness and training regimes, his feat continues to be insurmountable. His detractors have hinted that in the final of ’76, the field was not as strong as it might have been. You can only beat those that you’re up against and Olympic Gold is Olympic Gold-not if you’re Marion Jones of course!
By winning the Miss Universe title in 1977, Penny Commissiong not only became the first woman from our shores to do so, but also became the first black woman in history to win the coveted prize. Who would have thought that a little darkie girl from Port-of Spain could take on the might of the world and come up trumps? No disrespect to Giselle and Wendy, but Penny paved the way for you two to follow!

Brian Charles Lara
Cricketer

Wisden (cricket’s know it all book) claims that both Donald Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar were better batsmen that he was. Are they talking about the same Brian Lara who in 1994, broke the then Test Record by scoring 375 runs against England? Are they talking about the same Brian Lara who followed that up by going to England and breaking the then first class record by scoring 501? And the same Brian Lara who then reclaimed his World Record by scoring 400 runs in 2004; in the process becoming the only man to have ever scored a quadruple century? Sport is nothing if it isn’t entertaining, and the genius that was Brian Charles Lara was as entertaining as they have ever come. His critics point out that he was often selfish in the pursuit of his goals. During the tour of Sri Lanka in 2001, Brian Lara alone scored 42% of the runs accumulated by the entire Windies team during the whole series. Call that selfish? I guess any stick will do to beat a dog. The boy from Santa Cruz was in my opinion by far and away the best to have ever swung a cricket bat in the history of the game. It is this that makes him my greatest Trinbagonian of all time.

prophet