CONGRATULATIONS,
ARIMA!
112 YEARS AS A
BOROUGH
Sunday Guardian
July 30, 2000
Pages 28, 29
The
year is 1887. Her Majesty Queen
Victoria has celebrated the Golden Jubilee of her reign and mass euphoria has
spread through England.
In
Trinidad, a similar frenzy is being experienced. Her Majesty's loyal subjects
in Arima, having the highest regard for their Queen and in honour of her
achievement, implored that she declare Arima a "Royal Borough' established
by "Royal Charter".
The
request had come from a number of prominent and highly respected residents in
the district, who viewed themselves as part of a distinct cultural community.
They
felt they were entitled to exercise the rights and liberties that the new
political status would guarantee.
One
year later, in August 1888, the request was granted and Arima became a Royal
Borough. The Council was later
comprised of several petitioners who had lobbied for the district to receive
increased status.
Tuesday,
August 1, 2000, will mark Arima's 112th year as a Royal Chartered
Borough.
And
to commemorate the auspicious occasion, Mayor Elvin Edwards, councilors and
members of the various committees in the Borough, have planned a six-week
programme of activities, designed to capture the rich cultural diversity that
exists in the eastern town.
Promising
that this year's events were enhanced to celebrate the new millennium, Mayor
Edwards said events will reflect an intoxicating mix of sport, culture,
pageantry and time-honoured pastimes.
The
grand launch of the Borough celebrations and the Mayor's Ball, which have
already taken place, were huge successes.
Increased emphasis, he added, has been placed on sport, so as to pay
tribute to those who had distinguished themselves on the playing field, in
recent years.
The
Mayor said in addition to the regular events (Mayor's Ball, Civic Reception and
Cannon Blast), there are also several new features to this year's extravaganza,
which, he believes, will be fully supported and appreciated by burgesses.
These
include an Emancipation concert, boxing, bingo and an open-air concert.
The Launch of Borough Fest
2000 -
The
spirit of late calypso icon, Lord Kitchener, will be celebrated in this year's
Borough activities.
This
was the overriding sentiment expressed at the launch of the celebration, which
took place at the car park of the Arima Basketball Court, Hollis avenue.
Known
to the calypso world as The Grandmaster, Kitchener (Aldwyn Roberts), who had
lived in the eastern Borough, died in February after a prolonged battle with
multiple myeloma (a rare cancer of the blood).
In
his address to the gathering, Mayor Edwards said he expected full participation
from the business community in the district for the rest of the celebration.
During
the event, which was attended by members of the Borough Council, patrons
enjoyed stirring performances by National Panorama Champions, Witco
Desperadoes, the Malabar-based Arima All Stars, parang groups Carib Santa Rosa
Serenaders and Sabor and gospel entertainer Josine Johnson.
Music
was supplied by DJ Splendid Sounds.
Arima - the way we are
Regarded
as the third major town in Trinidad and Tobago, Arima is located on the
foothills of the Northern Range.
The
district, which is inhabited by close to 40,000 people, extends over an area of
approximately four square miles.
A
deeply religious town, Arima once held the distinction of having the highest
Roman Catholic population in the nation as well as the highest density of
churches.
The
peaceful district, which is a virtual potpourri of cultures and ethnicities, is
possibly the sole town in the country where artifacts of the Amerindians can
still be found with unbelievable ease.
As
history has it, Arima is an Amerindian name meaning "water". This fact acknowledges that the village
emerged on the banks of what is known today as the Arima River.
Characterised
by smooth terrain, some 26 kilometres east of the capital, Port of Spain, Arima
served well as a hub for neighbouring areas, to destinations in east Trinidad.
Even
now, Arima is still considered, in some quarters, to be the gateway to the
east.
One
of the earliest settlements in Trinidad, Arima was founded in 1757, by Capuchin
priests from Spain, who had ventured to this country to convert the Amerindians
to Christianity.
It
was in the town that the priests constructed a church and outlined their
mission.
The
church was dedicated to Rosa, an Amerindian lass from Lima, Peru, who had been
canonized as Santa Rosa de Lima.
In
the 1780s, under then Governor Jose Maria Chacon, Amerindians were relocated
from the nearby Arouca and Tacarigua communities to Arima.
The
purpose of Chacon's action was to distribute the arable land of native peoples
to the French planters, who, at that time, had just arrived in the country.
During
that period, Arima was governed by what was referred to as a Cabildo or Town
Council, which was presided over by Manuel Sorzano.
Today,
the street named after Sorzano as a tribute to his work and contribution to the
development of the town, is also the site of the Arima Town Hall, which houses
the Mayor's office and is the official meeting place of the Council.
During
the 1780s, the Spanish authorities laid down strict rules to prevent
non-Amerindians from entering the Mission, since there was a mass emigration of
French settlers and their slaves into Trinidad.
However,
this scenario was undermined after the fall of Trinidad to the British in
1797. For a while, the restrictions
seemed to have disappeared.
Later,
when Englishman Ralph Woodford became the Governor in 1813, he was bent on
preserving Spanish laws and customs.
He
ordered non-Amerindians to leave the Mission of Arima and embarked on
reformulating the Mission on its old structure.
Governor
Woodford never failed to support the Cabildo of Arima in any move aimed at
ensuring that Arima was a designated Amerindian territory.
In
1819, he had received a complaint that Amerindians in Arima were charging
exceptionally high fees for the rent of the land in the town.
Endorsing
the move of the Amerindians, Governor Woodford stressed that "strangers
(Spaniards, Africans and French), had no rights in the area."
Earlier
in 1818, Governor Woodford had appointed a military officer to oversee law and
order in the town.
His
role, according to Woodford, was to ensure that "all strangers were
apprehended who entered the village…nor will you (the military officer) allow
any person henceforth to reside in Arima that has not my express authority for
that purpose.
MAYOR'S GREETINGS
Alderman
Elvin Edwards is the 35th Mayor of Arima. He assumed office on July 1, 1996. Mayor Edwards succeeded Alderman Rose Janneire, who served as
Mayor from 1992 to 1996.
I
wish to express sincere greetings to the Burgesses of Arima and the national
community, as we celebrate our 112th anniversary as a Royal Chartered Borough.
As
a community, we have made tremendous strides and there have been many
achievements of which we can feel extremely proud. However, as experienced in many other communities, there are a
few negative factors, which certainly hinder all the goals and objectives,
which we all strive to realise.
The
Arima Corporation continues to make a concerted effort to provide the necessary
services to residents as well as visitors in order to create a comfortable,
safe and healthy environment.
The
significant increase in the population within the Borough and its nearby
districts has a severe impact on our financial and human resources. The influx of people converging in the Town
Centre has created tangible financial benefits to large and small businesses,
as well as afforded many individuals an opportunity to socialize and develop
relationships.
Of
course, there are concerns of congestion caused by pedestrians and vehicular
traffic on the main streets of the town.
How
do we determine what's acceptable for our developing Borough? Your suggestions and input are anxiously
awaited.
The
past year has been mixed with many joyful and yet some sad moments. The "triple" successes of Arima
All Stars (National Panorama Champions) Arima Boys' RC (National U-13 Football
and Cricket Champs), Arima West Government (National U-15 Girls Cricket
Champs), Apex Club (National Women's Volleyball Champs), have brought many
moments of glory to our blessed Borough.
The
death of the Lord Kitchener (The Grand Master of Calypso) and Gerard Lewis (The
Flagman) did create some very unhappy moments for Arimians. How much have we really progressed as a
community?
There
are a few major concerns, which several interest groups need to aggressively
pursue in order to arrive at realistic solutions:
1)
The
illegal drug operations in the known districts;
2)
The
influx of socially displaced people in the Borough;
3)
The
traffic congestion in the Town Centre.
I
share the concerns of all burgesses regarding the aforementioned ills plaguing
our Borough. I am particularly
concerned about the illegal drugs circulating in the town and the damaging
effect on the youths who use these drugs.
I
wish to make a public appeal to all security forces, religious groups, the
business community and other concerned Arimians to come together to eradicate
this menace to our society. Think
carefully; please do not destroy our young minds.
We
eagerly await funding for the above projects:
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
1)
The
new Town Hall/Administrative Complex;
2)
The
new Arima Market;
3)
The
completion of the public lawn tennis court;
4)
The
Larry Gomes Pavilion.
We
request the construction of the following by:
CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
1)
The
Administrative Complex (Court House, Warden's Office, Police Station, etc;
2)
Construction
of Mt Pleasant Bridge;
3)
Paving
the Footpath (Bypass Road, Omeara Road & Tumpuna Road);
The
Arima Fest Committee has organised a host of events to celebrate our 112th
Anniversary.
I
invite all to be part of our Year 2000 celebrations.
God's Blessings,
Alderman Elvin Edwards
Mayor of Arima.
SPEECH FROM THE
PRESIDENT OF
THE CARIB
COMMUNITY
As
President of the Santa Rosa Carib Community of Arima, I believe I am truly
blessed and consider it a special honour and privilege to be given the
opportunity to bring greetings to the people of Arima on this special occasion
of the 112th birthday of our beautiful Borough.
According
to our historical data, Arima was established as a mission town by the Capuchin
missionaries who came from Spain. The
Amerindians from Tacarigua, Caura and Arouca were brought together in Arima
some time between 1784 and 1786 for quite a long period of time. Arima remained a small, quiet town.
Today,
Arima has grown not only in the land space it originally occupied but in
population and its physical development.
Although
we no longer have an ethnically pure Amerindian community, which is made up of
the descendants of the first inhabitants of this land, the Amerindian community
has made its contribution to the development of this town in many different
ways and continues to do so as we strive to preserve and maintain traditions
inherited from or forefathers, which we believe are important and adds to the
rich and diverse cultures that are part of our Royal Borough.
The
Carib Santa Rosa community has always had a good relationship with the Borough
Councils in the past and we look forward to continued good relations in the
future.
It
is with great joy I wish to extend to the Council of the Arima Municipal
Corporation and fellow Arimians on behalf of the Santa Rosa Carib community a
very happy and blessed 112th birthday and best wishes for the
future.
May
the Great Spirit (God) endow us with the ability to overcome all the negatives
in our society and proceed with newness of spirit, which can only result in a
better way of life for all of us.
Councilor
Ricardo Bharath