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A Lawrie's Wonderland

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Silence against abuse...

The Silver Lining Foundation hosted its Day of Silence event in the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus on Friday 20th April, 2012.  The silent protest was geared towards raising awareness about the abuse, harassment and discrimination of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in schools.

Despite critiques of poor advertising before the event, some of which I agree with, the days proceedings were undoubtedly a success.  If it did at least one thing, it was raise awareness about the LGBT presence on campus.  No longer is it a mythical group that people whisper about but it is now a tangible part of society, made up of your friends and family members; the people who you love and who love you.  More importantly however was that it was able to highlight that there is soon to be change in how people deal with issues such as this.  Given that many participants would not consider themselves part of the LGBT community, the support against bullying and discrimination was clearly evident.  This group of brave young men and women have taken it upon themselves to be a voice for those who are currently oppressed, challenging the social ideologies that exist in Trinidad and for far too long have gone without being questioned and challenged.  

The question now arises as to why this is even important.  For me, it is the mere public movement that makes it so.  It seems to be part of a growing local trend of utilising space disruption tactics to send messages.  This "alternative" form of message sending has proven very successful in the past as the audience can generally not avoid receiving the message.  How they receive the message is another story...  As a participant, I experienced many different reactions to the event.  People had to read small cards to get information and given the inquisitive nature Trinidadians, people came.  There was general support from the audience, with words of motivation, commendation and encouragement being offered to the participants.  The number of signatures on the banner after the even is a reflection of all the support received.

Those who were against it however, seemed to be lacking logical explanations for their feelings.  The comments, facial expressions and gestures received all came without any kind of reasoning.  I was actually looking forward to someone publicly challenging the event rather than making a comment  while they briskly walked away.  Yet again, I fail to comprehend the intelligence of some human beings.  Maybe I'm just different because I challenge what I see as wrong, as the other participants of this event, or maybe it is that those who don't are content with not having to think about anything that they believe.  There were numerous negative comments made but there seemed a lack of strength or courage to defend it, perhaps because these people don't know how to...

I put any sort of discrimination, abuse, oppression and repression under how I look at racism, which seems the simplest way to do it.  Why categorise and judge people based on characteristics that they can not control.  Should people be judged by what they are as opposed to who they are?  Categorisation causes too many problem in my opinion; it's too much to try to remember anyway.  Sometimes people are better left in ignorance... people should be ignorant of categorisation...

So with this step forward I wish the Silver Lining Foundation all the best with their future endeavours.  For those who never had a chance, here is an avenue to get support.  The road will only get rougher but perhaps there will be more positives than anyone can imagine...  Silence as the starting point to break the silence... far too many things are wrongs are aided by silence... As Rian asked at the end of the event, "When will you break the silence?"

The Silver Lining Foundation can be contacted through the following:
Email: thesilverliningfoundation@gmail.com
Facebook or YouTube

Gender, Sex, Sexuality...

It seems to me as if the educational institutions and global institutions such as the United Nations are not very clear about the differences about Gender and Sex.  The inability to comprehend that the two have related but very interdependent meanings annoys me when there is "Gender" in place of "Sex" on a form.  It's as if these people thing that putting the word "Sex" will make those answering not take it seriously or make them feel to have intercourse... or some other strange reason that I don't get... 

Here's a little cartoon I found online that helps to explain what gender is an is not.

It possibly has something to do with the UN referring to "Gender" when they talk about women, with Goal 3 of the Millennium Development Goals being "Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women". For some reason the UN believes that "women" is a gender...  This also makes me wonder why Goal 5, "Improve Maternal Health", is not part of Goal 3...  But whatever, me believing that "women" should be a "Sex" category and "feminine" should be a "Gender" category is surpassed by me believing that there should be no categories to divide, separate and classify people.  After all, as is a statement used in Anti-Discrimination campaigns, "labels are for clothes".

I was very much annoyed when people were saying that my friend Wesley was an unsuitable candidate for the Faculty of Humanities Representative at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus because he was gay.  I fail to realise how being gay takes away from one's ability to do their job efficiently and effectively.  There was little question as to his capabilities though, which include much experience in the arts and management.  What I believe is that these people are so threatened by how open he is with his sexuality that they they react in this homophobic manner.

"Latent homosexuality can be defined as homosexual arousal which the individual is either unaware of or dent. Psychoanalysts use the concept of repressed or latent homosexuality to explain the emotional malaise and irrational attitudes displayed by some individuals who feel guilty about their erotic interests and struggle to deny and repress homosexual impulses. In fact, West stated, 'when placed in a situation that threatens to excite their own unwanted homosexual thoughts, they overreact with panic or anger.""

PBS.com "Putting Freud to the Test" by Henry E. Adams et al.

So if they people still seem intent on making "men" and "women" into "Gender" categories... we'll play along with it.  If they want to change meanings, then so can we...  Here's another wonderful little cartoon that shows, above all, that people should be not categorised by things that do not necessarily affect the quality of human being that they would are.

Maxine applied to Trinidad an Tobago

So I think that Maxine go it right in this cartoon here.  Even though she's talking about America, it's the same thing in Trinidad and Tobago.  People only talking about other people's business, family life and social life in Parliament!

Now it may not be so much of those "huge corporations" here in Trinidad and Tobago, but the association that state official have with the private sector is not really a secret.  Granted that these affiliations are not generally known, it does raise concern as to the legitimacy of contacts and media representation.

Still toating over the Undercroft... UWI Cultural Heritage GONE...

The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus sent a message from the Marketing and Communications department on Tuesday 2nd February, 2012 at 12:09p.m.  The message stated: 

"The UWI Campus Projects Office has advised of the following construction work on Campus:

·   Work on the Undercroft Enclosure at the Faculty of Humanities will begin tomorrow, Wednesday 8^th February, 2012.

The works will be executed by a Main Contractor and will run for a period of approximately 16 weeks.

The site will be properly hoarded-off during the execution of the works.

Please note that contractors will be transporting materials, equipment and refuse from the site through the passage way alongside Trinity Hall. Students and staff are asked to proceed with caution around these areas."

Thank you for a well detailed letter explaining your plans to destroy a part of the University that is unique and irreplaceable for countless thousands of past and present students.   If  there are plans that will affect students, it is only fair that they are not notified of all the details.  Why should they?  Their only purpose is to give the University millions of dollars, most of which comes from the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and then waste time.  Go to class, pass exams, get a degree... Not like they need or use the undercroft for anything productive...

The "Update on Construction at FHE Undercroft" came as follows on Tuesday 28th February, 2012 at 12:57p.m.  This is 11 days after destruction has started and STUDENTS were not notified of this move.

"On Friday 17^th February, 2012, the Campus Projects Office, together with the Construction Team (Architect and Contractor) met with the Guild President Mr. Amilcar Sanatan to discuss the way forward with respect to the construction at the Faculty of Humanities and Education’s Undercroft.

This discussion was held to fully inform the student population about the details of the project, and a decision was made to commence the construction of the Undercroft Enclosure.

The Contractor, Rio Claro Construction Company Limited, has since re-mobilized on site and utilized the Carnival weekend to carry out critical construction activities. At this time those are proceeding  on schedule and should last for only four months. Currently the site has been boarded off for the safety of all staff, students and visitors of the University. Every effort is being made to minimize the disruption during the construction period."

Clearly someone dropped the or their balls because the student population DID NOT KNOW about the work to be done during the Carnival weekend.  It went like this: Go for Saturday evening walk on campus... SURPRISE!!! The most diversely used undercroft gone!  Whatever, students only lime and waste time there anyway... No one will miss it.

I hope that after this semster has passed that people have realised the value of the now deceased Undercroft.  Rest in Peace my dear friend, clearly your purpose in this world could not have been tolerated or allowed... We'll wait for the promised replacement... someday... maybe after I get my PhD... for the second time?

More comments about the Undercroft's destruction can be found here: UWIs students talk about destruction of Undercroft on Facebook

Parking problems in Town

This year has been seeing much uproar from individuals of the public concerning the towing of cars from streets in Port-of-Spain.  There is talk on television talk shows, on celebrity blogs and now the newspapers are publishing letters of concern from the public.  As highlighted in one particular letter in the Daily Express on Saturday 17th March 2012, there appears to be a flaw in the systems that exist within the city currently.  Parking is usually available between 7:00a.m. and 5:00p.m. at most car parks.  The city however, continues to function outside of these hours.  The centralisation of commercial and recreational activities within the focal point for most of the island draws persons to Port-of-Spain for various reasons at varying hours of the day.  Port-of-Spain and environs provides a fully comprehensive range of facilities so that those from around the area seldom have to leave to access necessary or leisure activities.  One would assume that in the nation’s capital, there would be well structured transportation systems and routes, as well and adequate parking for city goers.

The increase in the quantity of vehicle being towed is a move by the Mayor of Port-of-Spain and the City Corporation to reduce the traffic that afflicts the capital city.  As such, many motorists are being towed during the day and night.  Granted that the abundance of vehicles parked on the streets at any given time, there is this problem because of a lack of designated parking spaces.  If there is no space in which motorists can safely park their vehicles, one would then assume that the best place would be an available space closest to where they are headed in the city.

This problem can possibly be linked to the underdeveloped ways in which urban systems overlap and connect with each other.  Car parks close early because there is no confidence and no reliance on the ability of the police service to keep these areas secured.   Security for car parks, if any at all, is privately funded.  Police patrols along the side streets of the city is relatively non-existent and if there is any police presence on the streets, they are usually there at high traffic time, ready to issue tickets rather that secure and guide.  These perceptions though lacking statistical evidence, is a reflection of what is ethnographically experienced during city visits and appear to have some sense of plausibility when related to the problem.  Again, this letter in the newspaper highlights the failure of the existing urban systems to address the needs of the public.  Rather than addressing the underlying issues that result in persons parking at the side of the road, city officials resort to removing what is seen at the surface level.  Everything is connected and failure to understand how they are within the nation’s capital city will continue to result in the city not functioning on a sustainable and beneficial level to all who use it.

“SAVANNAH PARKING WOES” – BY A. AUGUSTE - DAILY EXPRESS – SATURDAY 17TH MARCH, 2012

Flea infestation and chemicals at DCFA; Hostility and treatment refusal at Mt. Hope

Tuesday 3rd April, 2012

The Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education 

Senator the Honourable Fazal Karim 

The Minister of Health 

The Honourable Fuad Khan 

Campus Principal 

The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine 

Professor Clement Sankat 

Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Education 

The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine

Professor Funso Aiyejina

President

UWI Guild of Students, St. Augustine

Mr. Amilcar Sanatan

Re: Flea infestation and chemicals at DCFA; Hostility and treatment refusal at Mt. Hope

Good day,

This is an open letter to those officials mentioned above, to the students of the University of the West Indies and to the public of Trinidad and Tobago.

My first concern is focused around a flea infestation at the Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA) of the University of the West Indies, Agostini Street, St. Augustine. After numerous students were bitten by fleas, a petition was signed to be sent to the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Education, Professor Funso Aiyejina. I have no evidence that the petition was actually delivered to Professor Aiyejina but a crew was hired to spray the site over the weekend and yesterday. Students returned to classes today after DCFA opened for operations as usual.

It was during classes this afternoon that students started to complain about burning of the eyes, nose and face. Some left the compound because of this but others remained for classes and rehearsals which ran their usual courses. Among those affected was the librarian on the compound who also had a swollen lip. My friend Candice called me at almost 7:00p.m. crying and complaining about the burning. After washing her face a few times we carried her to Mt. Hope Medical Sciences Complex as the burning continued and campus Health Services Unit was closed.

I am sure that the DCFA and the Faculty of Humanities and Education will now undergo exercises to clean up the chemical residue from the flea removal process. Student health, safety and well-being should be a prime concern at the University. It is startling though that these clean up exercises were not seen as necessary before. One would assume that reactions to chemicals would be considered before the reopening of the site. The fleas have now been removed and students are thankful, however, DCFA students continue to be adversely affected due to a lack of proper planning and a lack of proactive, well thought out tactics. The decision for operations to resume a day after chemicals were sprayed without proper clean up still perplexes me. My friend crying because of the pain from a burning face, eyes, nose and mouth is evidence of this. I am aware that other letters about this situation are being written as well calling for an enquiry into what has happened.

The other concern arises from our visit to the Eric Williams Medical Science Complex. We completed registration at the Accident and Emergency Department and waited for her to see the nurse. While seeing the nurse, a doctor told her that he sees nothing wrong with her and that she could not be treated in the Accident and Emergency Department. Without performing any tests he told her that she should visit a Health Centre. At this time her eyes are swollen, red, burning and filled with tears; she is not seeing very clearly. The Ministry of Health’s website states that “You should go to the Accident and Emergency Department of the Hospital only when you have a life threatening accident/incident or emergency such as… Allergic reactions.” 

Attempting to get her quickly to a facility capable of treating her, seeing that Mt. Hope lacks the capabilities, I asked the assistance of an ambulance driver and the driver of a Ministry of Health van that were both outside the entrance. I asked them both for a lift to the St. Joseph Health Centre which is on the outskirts of the Mt. Hope compound. The ambulance driver who was leaving at the time said that they could not give her a lift there. The driver of the van said that it was not policy to give persons rides and that we can walk to the Health Centre. Granted that the health centre is not that far for a healthy person, a person in pain with problem seeing apparently is not legible for an ambulance ride out of the compound, the direction that the ambulance was heading, or a ride in a Ministry vehicle.

Realising that as citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, assistance in this public health facility seemed relatively non-existent, I knocked on the office door of the Patient Custodian (I can not recall if this is the actual title but the office is located on the left when you enter the Accident and Emergency Department. They are supposed to address patient complaints and concerns. This I know as I have has to interact with the office before).

She opens the door but before I can ask anything she begins to quarrel with me. She says that she is trying to leave work and that I should not be bothering her. She states that she told everyone that already and that I should speak to the security guards. I learned tonight that the security guards are hired by the Ministry of Health to attend to the needs and complaints of patients. She then goes back into her office. I understand that people have designated work hours but the manner in which she dealt with the situation was very disgusting.

I ask the security guard if there will be another custodian on duty, assuming than one should always be there. He says that they can never tell when one is on duty as they seldom know when one is in the office. At this time there are three security guards in the corridor along with other people who came in from the waiting room after the custodian raised her voice at me. I then begin to question the operations of the institution during which the custodian comes out of her office and barges through the group. One security guard starts making weird clicking noises at me; I assume that he has some speech impediment. Another security guard asks me to explain the situation to him, directing me away from the crowd. When I explain the situation he advises me that getting transport will take a long time. Thoroughly annoyed and disappointed at the way in which persons paid by the taxes of the patients treat the same patients, Candice and I left and walked across to St. Joseph Enhanced Health Centre. The pain became so unbearable that I had to help her walk part of the way. Despite the long wait at St. Joseph, she was at least able to examined by a doctor and get medical treatment. At least taxes are working for the people in one health facility.

This is not the first time that DCFA students have had issues around their educational space. They had to defend it at the start of the academic year and now it seems that they have to defend themselves in it. The treatment received at the Mt. Hope Medical Sciences Complex Accident and Emergency Department was absolutely disgusting. This field revolves around people but there seems to be very little respect or concern from people within the department. If the persons responsible for ensuring that patients receive the care that they deserve show no care for the patients, how can we then expect any care in the Health Care sector? Accountability seems to be lacking in the country. Perhaps social change will occur as people are made more accountable in whatever fields they may be in.


Sincerely,
LAWRENCE ARJOON