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scudjoe@wellesley.edu
THE
SPANISH CONNECTION
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It seems worthwhile to determine when T&T became
a unique entity.
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Moors of South Africa re-sponsible for much of Spain’s
development.
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Spain owned Trinidad until Abercromby took it for the
British in 1797.
I
spent the first 12 days of August in London seeking to discover
when T&T became a political and social entity—our
signs of becoming—and the necessary corollary: what
does it mean to be a Trinbagonian.
In the same way that Spain became a united country when
it drove the Moors out of Granada in 1492 and ultimately
created a “Spanish lifestyle,” it seemed worthwhile
to determine when T&T became a unique entity and what
specific events marked its social and cultural beginnings.
After London, I explored Spain for another ten days. I had
to meet with the Spanish translator of one of my books so
I decided to take advantage of that opening to see a little
of Spain.
For most of my adult life I wanted to see Guernica, Picasso’s
monumental mural he painted during the Spanish Civil War
after Hitler bombed the Basque village of the same name.
Located at the Reina Sophia Museum, Guernica remains the
apogee of Picasso’s works.
Ever since I encountered Picasso in the mid seventies, I
became one of his fans. Together with Wilfredo Lam and Le
Roi Clarke, I consider Picasso one of the most important
painters in the world. Whenever I go to Paris, I visit the
Picasso Museum.
In Madrid, I was underwhelmed by the Ruebens, Goyas or Veláz-quezes,
the pride of Spanish paintings that are housed in the Prado
Museum. I prefer the Afri-can motifs of Picasso, Lam and
Clarke (or even the cubism of Fernand Leger), their distortions
and spiritual integrity of their work. When I look at Picasso,
Lam and Clarke I see reflections of my struggle for wholeness
in a world that tries continuously to distort my identity.
Columbus made several voyages to the Indies and came upon
Tri-nidad in 1498. Isabella, the Spanish queen, invested
in Columbus’ enterprise because of the souls it could
win and the gold it could bring. Ferdinand and Isabella’s
defeat of Islam made them the Catholic monarchs. In an age
when there was no refrigeration, Eastern spices were prized
for preserving and flavouring meats.
In 1492 when Columbus reached San Salvador, he was looking
for the wealthy cities of Marco Polo in the East. However,
the fabulous riches of the New World set the stage for the
rise of Europe and Spain’s Golden Age. Within a century,
most of America was speaking Spanish and a unique culture
was being created. This encounter changed our conception
of men and women and the course of history for all times.
Prior to this glorious achievement, the Moors of North African
who streamed across the Strait of Gibraltar were responsible
for much of Spain’s development. They brought advanced
irrigation techniques that allowed the Spanish to grow crops
such as rice, cotton, sugar cane, almonds, oranges and peaches.
When the Europeans decided to import Africans to work on
the New World plantations they knew Africans already had
the experience of planting sugar cane in the Canary Islands,
African islands off Spain that are now part Spain.
Granada was the last place in Spain in which the Moors flourished
before they were defeated in 1492. As the Moors were being
expelled, the Europeans were beginning their conquest of
the New World.
In 1492 Nebjira published Gramartica del Castellano, the
first grammar text of a modern language. When the queen
asked why he was writing such a book, he responded: “Your
majesty, language is the perfect instrument of empire.”
The Moors ushered into Spain a great cultural flowering
and revived an interest in philosophy, medicine, mathematics
and literature. Architecture flourished and some of the
most splendid mosques were built during that period.
The philosopher Averroes, emblematic of the heights of Moorish
learning, translated the works of Aristotle into Arabic,
thereby preserving them for the western world. Much of what
we call the European Renaissance was a discovery of what
the Moors kept alive during Europe’s Dark Age.
After the Moors’ defeat, the Arabic language was outlawed;
they were forbidden to wear traditional dress and were expelled
from Spain in 1611. Yet they left their cultural imprint
upon the country.
Alhambra, the last standing monument of the Moors, remains
a magnificent reflection of their scientific knowledge,
cultural achievements and religious convictions. Thanks
to Washington Irving’s “rambling expedition”
to Granada. His Tales of the Alhambra (1832) introduced
the world to this splendid city that sits atop the “Hill
of Gold.”
Spain owned Trinidad until Abercromby took it for the British
in 1797. Its administrative headquarters was located in
Venezuela. By then, Spain was in its dotage and had exhausted
all of the riches its conquest of the New World had brought
it.
Poor Appadocca, the Spanish captain when Abercromby arrived,
could do nothing but give up the island without a fight.
Thereafter, we have had to melt our Spanish, French, British,
Indian, American Indian and African inheritances into a
unique fusion called Trinbagonianism.
As we ponder who we are, it might be wise to remember that
Spain still lingers in our memory; its rich history is a
part of our heritage.
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