The death of cultural and political stalwart George Stanley Beard one month ago has sparked renewed concern about preserving Tobago’s history.
As many of the island’s stories and traditions remain undocumented, the THA’s Department of Antiquities is now launching a project called ‘Pillars of Our Community’ aimed at capturing the memories of elders before they are lost forever.
Director of the Department of Antiquities Abby Taylor explained why she moved ahead with a project to document stories of Tobago’s past before more elders are lost.
“Memory for me is very important because it plays such an integral role to our culture and it is the most rich thing that we have as Tobagonians and as Caribbean people is our memory, and I think that Tobago has done a really poor job in documenting, having stuff written down.”
‘Pillars of Our Community’ seeks to record and publish the memories of elders aged 70 years and older.
“We will be doing interviews, we will be waiting and watching and listening to hear what our elders have been through.”
Ms Taylor stressed that the initiative is not solely focused on elders who made significant contributions to society but is equally committed to capturing the experiences and personal histories of ordinary individuals.
“We are asking them to look for the categories that they think that they would fit into, whether it be nursing, whether you were a market vendor, everybody, to me, has an important role in the development of Tobago. There is no person too small or anybody too big that could fit.”
The department has already begun capturing some elders’ stories. They are being published on social media platforms, but Ms Taylor wants to archive them more permanently through websites and online repositories.
“I also want students to use this as a catalyst for their research and stuff like that.”
Elders wishing to participate in this project can fill out a form online through the Department of Antiquities’ social media pages. Ms Taylor is also encouraging family members to recommend elders within their families to share their stories.