00:00Internationally recognized for their contribution to the field of sport, beauty, religion and community service,
00:08names and faces of people from across Trinidad, including right here in La Romaine, San Fernando,
00:15were plastered across the front wall of St. Benedict's College.
00:19Unveiled on African Emancipation Day, the people chosen by the Pinal Debe Regional Corporation
00:26for this wall of inspiration meant for the youth of La Romaine a role of African descent.
00:33Today we remove all stigmas that have been associated with communities like these and we see a bright future.
00:40Let me just challenge the government, put a trade school there, put something there that our youth will be able to make meaningful use of their time.
00:49Let this inspirational wall, every time you pass this wall, may you look at it, may you be motivated to excellence, motivated to higher heights.
01:02The hope is that the community's youth looks at the faces and see themselves.
01:08When they look at La Romaine-born basketball player Adrian Joseph, they understand that they too can make it on the world stage.
01:18Speaking at the ceremony, one former councillor condemned the actions of far too many young people who gravitate toward a life of crime,
01:27even though sport and other programs exist to better occupy their time.
01:33It had touched me to see the road that some of the youths went down, and I had stress on the African youth,
01:41because a lot of people hide these things under, but it's not a time to hide these things.
01:46The African youth is sort of embarrassing us, right?
01:49Whilst we have lots of African people that has rised to a certain level, what is happening in this country today, the African youth are embarrassing them.
01:58He says while many want to celebrate emancipation, in some ways the population remains enslaved.
02:06What message are those who with the home invasion, every time you look at them,
02:11it's the dragon slippers and falling pants that are creating this home invasion.
02:15African youth, and I send it out, we send a signal here today that there should be no more of it.
02:21We're out of emancipation, we are liberated, but what is happening here with the invasion and things, it keeps us enslaved.
02:29It appears that we're back in shackles and we cannot come out and enjoy this beautiful country, Trinidad and Tobago.
02:36Sindhi Raghuba Tika Singh, TV6 News.
Comments