I am an ex Fatima College graduate who resides in Germany for some 20 years now.
I am involved in various charities which directly promote T&T culture in Europe.
Every year I sink into a depression when I see Germans and Europeans come out in their hundreds of thousands to take part in what they consider a dream—to have a T&T Carnival experience—and every year the Government of T&T grants their European reps (AVIA REPS) millions of Euros of which not one cent is channelled into actually representing T&T’s interests in Germany.
If the situation was reversed, Germans would not entrust such a budget or duties to our locals; they would have a German supervising any and everything. But our nation does exactly the opposite, ie they give those who have no knowledge of our culture, heritage or customs all the authority, leaving ex-pats like myself and others to fund and organise our ventures. Proudly, we still do.
Does the Gov't of T&T really want to promote culture and boost tourism, or is colonialism still rooted in us to the extent that we still have no faith in ourselves?
I would whole heartedly like to open this discussion, share material, footage and reports that I have collected over the past decade exposing this waste of local resources.
Is anyone interested?
Preston Walters