4: Basdeo Panday | An Epic Trinidadian Adventure from Radical Outsider to Prime Minister, Part 3
01/04/19 • 79 min
The Audacity of Basdeo Panday, Part 3: Staying for the Struggle, Radical Trade Unionism, the Heartbreaking Death of Bhadase Maraj, Black Power, the Army Mutiny, Bloody Tuesday
We continue our discussion with former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Basdeo Panday, radical trade unionist and first PM from the country's very large Indiian community.
Panday's life is entwined with the most important global issues of the 20th and 21st century: colonialism, decolonisation, socialism vs. capitalism and the Cold War, the rise and fall of trade unionism, race relations, poverty and development, Black Power, African-Indian relations, the nature of political power
He overcame the disadvantages of his poor village background, faced his personal fears, and took strong stands on these major issues for his whole life, ready to pay the price when necessary.
His personal story is important for the world.
In Episodes 2 and 3, we spoke about his background in the poor, agricultural village of St. Julien in Trinidad, his going to London to become a lawyer and his subsequent acting career in major films and television in the 1950s and 1960s, and how he gave up his Commonwealth scholarship in Law to dive into politics for the first time, in a radical new party that was challenging the neo-colonial status quo that was emerging in Trinidad and Tobago just three years after Independence from Britain.
We re-join the interview when Panday takes the stage in a small village meeting in Trinidad with the world renowned intellectual and writer, CLR James, his first unsuccessful stint in politics, joining the radical trade union movement, and confronting neo-colonialism, anti-unionism, and racial division in newly independent Trinidad and Tobago.
The Audacity of Basdeo Panday, Part 3: Staying for the Struggle, Radical Trade Unionism, the Heartbreaking Death of Bhadase Maraj, Black Power, the Army Mutiny, Bloody Tuesday
We continue our discussion with former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Basdeo Panday, radical trade unionist and first PM from the country's very large Indiian community.
Panday's life is entwined with the most important global issues of the 20th and 21st century: colonialism, decolonisation, socialism vs. capitalism and the Cold War, the rise and fall of trade unionism, race relations, poverty and development, Black Power, African-Indian relations, the nature of political power
He overcame the disadvantages of his poor village background, faced his personal fears, and took strong stands on these major issues for his whole life, ready to pay the price when necessary.
His personal story is important for the world.
In Episodes 2 and 3, we spoke about his background in the poor, agricultural village of St. Julien in Trinidad, his going to London to become a lawyer and his subsequent acting career in major films and television in the 1950s and 1960s, and how he gave up his Commonwealth scholarship in Law to dive into politics for the first time, in a radical new party that was challenging the neo-colonial status quo that was emerging in Trinidad and Tobago just three years after Independence from Britain.
We re-join the interview when Panday takes the stage in a small village meeting in Trinidad with the world renowned intellectual and writer, CLR James, his first unsuccessful stint in politics, joining the radical trade union movement, and confronting neo-colonialism, anti-unionism, and racial division in newly independent Trinidad and Tobago.
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3: Farrukh Dhondy | 2 London-Trinis and 1 London-Indian Take on the World
Farrukh Dhondy, VS Naipaul, and CLR James Shape the World after the End of Colonialism
The pioneering British-Parsi writer and political activist, Farrukh Dhondy, speaks about his political and writing career, the impact of the Trinidadian Marxist activist and writer CLR James, Nobel Laureate VS Naipaul, and working at the highest levels of the very different British and Indian arts and film industry. In this context, the extent and limits of globalisation, nationalism, and capitalism are also discussed.
A great discussion with some genuinely new information about Naipaul's view of his controversial biography, and CLR James's role in helping Dhondy find his calling as a writer of international importance.
Next Episode
5: Michael Rectenwald | Fighting "Social Justice Warriors" at NYU and Silicon Valley
Prof. Michael Rectenwald vs. Left Authoritarianism and the New Conformism
Universities and the world's biggest Corporations are pushing a new conformity and "Social Justice Warriors" -- on and off campus -- are their shock troops. They have ushered in a Left Authoritarianism that intensively polices both public and private thoughts, opinions, and language, to weed out dissent, publicly shame and, sometimes, personally destroy.
Professor Michael Rectenwald is one of the few courageous voices taking on the SJWs in the University faculty, administration and even student body, and taking his "philosophical whistelblowing" to the biggest companies in the world, which are supporting this agenda: Google, Facebook, and Big Tech.
Join us for this fascinating and entertaining discussion, as we unveil the absurdity, surrealism and danger in this pivotal political moment.
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