Where do you feel Included? : Exclusivity in Port of Spain

"Despite the impression that might emerge from the media, contemporary cities tend to be overwhelmingly characterized by tolerance, rather than hostility, between different cultural groups." Tim Hall and Heather Barrett, 2012.

Exclusivity is a subtle but very real issue in the city of Port of Spain. It isn't something that is visible to the naked eye and one must be very observant in order to notice this. Similarly to the quote above, Trinidad is often publicized as being a multicultural nation where every "creed and race finds an equal place". However, I would say that this isn't entirely true due to the fact that people of different races do not openly disrespect each other but rather tolerate each other, especially in major urban spaces such as the city. Reason being because the city is home to several services and amenities that people need and simply cannot avoid solely because persons of different races use them as well. Few words are spoken but the tension is strong, even in public spaces within the city where no one is openly excluded, such as squares and parks, persons from various ethnic groups and economic backgrounds can be seen in pockets separated from each other.

Woodford Square, Port of Spain, Trinidad.

Upon entering Woodford Square one afternoon I spontaneously decided to conduct an informal interview with a random person who was walking through the square. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Do you feel welcome in Woodford Square?

Interviewee: What yuh mean by that?

Me: Well, do you feel as though you shouldn't be here because of your race or the amount of money you have?

Interviewee: NO! Woodford Square is for everybody! It have no fight down ting (discrimination) here! And if anybody try to tell me that I cya come here is me and dem! Cuz look, it have vagrants lying down all over d square, black people and Indian people moving normal normal in here so I doe see no baccanal (trouble).

Me: That's true, I've never noticed any discrimination here either. Is there anything else you would like to say?

Interviewee: Am why you ask me that? You doing some school work or something?

Me: Yes I am actually.

Interviewee: Ok well enjoy the rest of your day eh smally this sun too hot to stand up and old talk.

 I am certain that this will be the response given by most persons who pass through Woodford Square if interviewed similarly. Woodford Square is a public park located almost in the centre of the city. It is surrounded by various shopping facilities, businesses and institutions. As a result of this the square is typically used as a pathway from one street to another or as a place of rest for tired shoppers, workers etc who walk through the city on a daily basis. It also serves as a place of recreation e.g. concerts.

While walking through the square I felt in 'place' because the atmosphere was light and welcoming. For me,  it was mainly because of the green scenery and the fact that I could hear groups of people laughing as they walked by, along with seeing several old men in clusters playing chess. There didn't seem to be any harsh sense of exclusivity taking place among the people. However, I did notice that persons walking through the square were doing so in groups of their own kind (ethnicity), similarly were the men playing chess. This strengthens the point made previously whereby in POS citizens appear to be operating in harmony but in reality are simply tolerating each other in order to maintain peace. This has always been and probably will continue to be a part of Trinidadian culture for many years to come.

One Woodbrook Place, Woodbrook, Port of Spain, Trinidad.

In comparison to Woodford Square, One Woodbrook Place is a housing development that was built up just on the outskirts of POS. This housing development was designed in a manner that incorporated several aspects of the city so that residents wouldn't have to leave their homes in order to access various services and amenities e.g. banks, groceries, stores, cinemas etc. As a result of this, the cost of an apartment/ condo in the development is incredibly high and unaffordable for most. This is a blatant form of exclusivity in the city whereby persons with high economic statuses or the 'elite class' are favoured over the middle and low income classes. In Trinidad, the elite class  is associated with white persons (although incorrect because persons of various ethnic backgrounds belong to this class) while the middle and low income classes are associated with persons of African and Indian decent. Therefore, this becomes a matter of exclusivity not only with respect to economic status but ethnic status as well. 

Although the shopping and service area of One Woodbrook Place is open to the public (public space), persons of the middle and low income classes are rarely seen shopping or using the services there. In fact, when I was walking around the shopping area taking photographs, the security guards were literally following me everywhere I walked! One of the security guards even asked me if I was a resident in a tone that to me indicated that there was no way that I could be a resident so I must be a 'suspect'. That experience made me understand why the space was so empty and eerie (in comparison to Woodford Square) on the inside despite the fact that it looks so magnificent and inviting on the outside.