snapshots from Trinidad #2: context & culture

Trinidad is an amazingly diverse country that yields a rich cultural context, seen in everything from the food, music, & accents to religion.  This diversity can be traced back to the impact of colonization by various European nations: originally discovered by Columbus in 1498, it remained under Spanish control for 300 years but was largely settled by French colonists before becoming a British colony in the 1800s.  As was (sadly) the case in most European colonies, slave labor was brought in from elsewhere; in Trinidad, the labor came predominantly from India and Africa.  The result today is a country that views diversity as normal (which was quite refreshing!):

• about 40% of the population is of East Indian descent
• about 40% African descent
• 11% mixed
• 1% Chinese
• less than 1% white

Clearly quite different from the US!  Evidence of these cultures is readily apparent in daily life - from the various types of music (soca, calypso, steelpan) to the amazing kinds of food we got to eat (bake & shark at Richard's - pictured to the left - apparently world-renowned!; roti - Indian bread that you use as a wrap for meat, beans, & other yummy items; doubles - fried bread full of curried chickpeas - available at pop-up stands, the Trini equivalent of food trucks!)

Religious diversity is, not surprisingly, the norm as well:

• 29% Catholic
• 23% Hindu
• 28% Protestant affiliation
• 7% Muslim
• 1.5% Jehovah's Witnesses
• 2% no religious affiliation

One thing I found interesting was how evident the religious/spiritual was: most cars & buses had phrases/maxims painted on them - some religious, some more in the self-help/positive thinking category.  Hindu flags are a common sight in front of homes.  This felt like such a stark contrast to DC, where it often seems that religion & the spiritual are more "private" - it's acceptable, but not really something you advertise.  On the one hand, it was refreshing to be somewhere in which the spiritual is so visible; on the other hand, there are the challenges of the cultural ties to religion and the prevalence of a "mix & match" spirituality, in which people adhere to pieces of different traditions/faiths.

MCO has conducted SMIs in Trinidad 4-5 times now and their primary partner is Pastor Ricky Gosyne, who leads a Reformed Evangelical Church in the Port of Spain area.  Pastor Ricky was able to provide our team with helpful context of the religious landscape - including the challenges that exist when having conversations about faith with Trinidadians.

Trinidad is one of the wealthiest economies in the Caribbean, but context is important here: their per capita GDP is $20,000 (in contrast with the US: almost $50K).  Trinidad was removed from the category of a developing country in 2011 and is considered to have a stable economy.  However, there are clearly still challenges for much of the population when it comes to employment/income.

And of course I can't leave out the topic of education!  Trinidad has a 98% literacy rate (impressive!), which is largely credited to their free access to education from kindergarten through university (to students who qualify).  High school students who do well on standardized exams can attend public universities for free - an amazing opportunity!