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By Rubadiri Victor
rubadiri@hotmail.com

Horace Ove, the first black filmmaker in Britain, and premiere ethnic director there for two decades, travelled the world in the early 1960s. In that period many cities were said to be having their golden ages-San Francisco, London, Paris, Rome, New York. Having seen them all, and many since, Horace concluded, “The greatest city on the face of the earth was Belmont in the ‘50s and the ‘60s. Hands down.”

Horace describes Belmont not as a village or a town, but a city. A metropolis. A metropolis of spirit and creativity. He describes its streets on any day as churning with life, activity and colour, all tribes were in their energy, Chinese, East Indians, Syrians, Africans. Ralph Dyette, the champion King Sailor, who was the memory of this article says, “Najib Elias knew Belmont and the hills like the back of his hand- he walked those hills for more than twenty years. Belmont was its own world. The most beautiful.”

A modern day person would be hard pressed to find the evidence of this in today’s Belmont. Likewise in any of the Mother Communities that suckled this country into existence. Couva, Arima, Point Fortin, Tobago (as village), St. James, Woodbrook, Belmont, Laventille; there is no Trinidad without these communities. Yet they’re the most under-resourced and under-developed. There are no institutions and shrines to commemorate or continue their legacies. They have either been overtaken by middle class business or the ‘ghetto.’

Belmont covers the arc from Belmont Circular, including ‘behind de bridge’ to Tokyo and Fascinators panyards. Belmont was one of the seats of Trinidad’s Golden Age; its verb was Carnival and it was known principally for sailor mas and pan. It’s champion panside sailor bands included Dem Boys, Dem Fortunates, D Jackers, Casablanca and Syncopators. The famous pansides included Hill 60, Bar 20, Pandemonium and Highlanders. Many of these have vivid mythical stories stretching back to the 1940s. Where are their panyard museums? Their panyards?

Belmont was the home of great bandleaders like William Shepherd (father of TNT Mirror’s Keith Shepherd); the legendary Harold Saldenah and his epics like ‘Imperial Rome’, ‘The Cree of Canada’ and ‘The Glory that was Greece’. There was Oaksville led by Ralph Hoyte and the Dennis brothers; The Merry Darceuils from Darceuil Lane; Rabs Immortelle and of course the magnificent Burrokeets of Belle Eau Road. Where are the schools and museums built around their expanded mas camps? Where are their mas camps? Burrokeets does not even own the building it occupies! Why no Belmont Carnival Museum? No statues commemorate the thousands of costumes Belmont has given this nation.

This is the home of great sailor band designers like ‘Diamond’ Jim Harding, Jason Griffith, Carrington and “Boss” who still keeps the flame of traditional Carnival alive today. Where are the forges of metal men like the late great Ken Morris? Where can we see the wizardry of great wirebenders like “Baby” Grant? Where to read of the exploits of the infamous Badjohns like ‘Ozzie,’ Baron Arrietas, Oscar Pile and Big Barker?

Among the hundreds of tribes that would pour out of the small houses come carnival time would be champion King Sailor dancers like Carl ‘Stretch Cox’ (“There was never a King Sailor dancer such as he!”), Bill Trotman (yes that Bill Trotman) and Ralph Sargent. Then there were fireman dancers like Percy Serrano, Desmond ‘Jim Bill’ Sobers, ‘Rock’ and the flagman Arthur ‘Tramcar.’

Never was the community without colour. All ages participated. Belmont was known for some of the biggest rings for pitching marbles-enjoyed by men of all ages. The best kite makers and flyers were said to come from there- especially from ‘d quarry’. They were masters of chicki-chong, mad bull, coffin kites and more. The savannah was open arena. Everywhere children and community created their own toys as children played in the open: roller skates, ‘canal carts’ (box carts), scooters...

On evenings, weekends and holidays, teams of young boys ran 100-yard dashes on the roads- one part of Belmont against another. Many of this country’s Independence generation of doctors, politicians, scientists, lawyers, athletes, principals, old school headmasters, civic and corporate leaders came from Belmont. Teachers like Pete Simon who is referred to as the first teacher to sing calypso: “He used to play old mas when playing old mas was a crime!” Where is the hall of fame for this pantheon of greats? Where is the honouring of the old families like the De Fours, Shepherds and Clarkes?

Belmont was home to the iconic Colts, one of the great football clubs. One hears about the epic battles of Malvern and Colts that used to fill the Savannah. Colts, the boys in blue, with the Harding Brothers, Len Laggard, Che Seymour, Len Leon Munroe (Samba Dancer) and Horace Lovelace (Pepper Wine), the latter two had pioneering international careers. Where is the evidence of the great runners and athletes of all types that Belmont begat?

David Rudder is the purest distillation of Belmont. He is her muse and in his generation, her purest son and gift.

Walking its streets today one sees traces of its old craftsmen, the old artisan class, visible now in the husks of old shops with classic old tailors, men who fix fans and televisions. Save for some with spirit like Christine Pantin who has set up her book shop Paper Tigers on Norfolk Street, few have committed to stay. Belmont is a ghost town abandoned by its upwardly mobile, but moreso neglected by this country’s leaders who failed to consecrate the community. Where is the re-investment by the brightest sons? The time has come to re-invest in legacy. The winding tiny streets of Belmont, its small elegant houses are full of history. Consecrate it.