• Lately, it seems like every nation under the sun has something to say about Black Americans. But let’s be real—many of you came chasing a dream that was built off the backs of our struggle. Wake up. That dream was marketed, but the truth is: we all got on the same boats—just dropped off in different places by the same hands.

  Let's  be clear

Colonialism may have “officially ended” in Trinidad and Tobago in 1962, but its structures, systems, and mindset still affect development today. Colonizers—and the systems they left behind—continue to prevent progress in the following five key ways:

1. Economic Dependency and Foreign Ownership

• Multinational companies (many with roots in colonial-era trading empires) still control key industries:

  • Oil and gas (e.g. Shell, bpTT) take huge profits out of the country.

  • Imported goods dominate the market, stifling local manufacturing and food sovereignty.

• Trinidad exports raw materials and imports finished goods, a classic colonial model that keeps wealth flowing outward.

This leaves Trinidad “rich in resources, poor in power.”

2. Colonial Education System

• The school system is still rooted in British models:

  • Emphasizes memorization over innovation.

  • Prioritizes European history and literature, often ignoring Caribbean knowledge, resistance, and Black excellence.

  • Neglects vocational training, entrepreneurship, and cultural identity.

• Students are trained to become workers, not owners or builders.

“We’re taught how to take exams, not how to take control.”

3. Land Ownership & Elitism

• Land is still unequally distributed, often tied to colonial families or foreign developers.

• Indigenous people and descendants of enslaved Africans have limited access to land ownership.

• Urban real estate is dominated by legacy elites, blocking upward mobility.

• Government often sells or leases prime land to foreign investors instead of empowering citizens.

This keeps wealth in the hands of the few, while locals struggle with generational poverty.

4. ⚖️ Legal and Institutional Colonial Holdovers

• The legal system is still based on British common law:

  • Expensive, slow, and often inaccessible to regular people.

  • Fails to address modern Caribbean realities (like environmental justice, land reform, or reparations).

• Corruption thrives in top-down systems with little accountability—left over from colonial rule that discouraged transparency.

⚠️ Colonial institutions were designed to control people, not serve them.

5. Mental Colonization (Colonial Mindset)

• Many people still believe “foreign is better”—a direct result of colonial conditioning:

  • Foreign accents are seen as more intelligent.

  • Local products are undervalued.

  • Foreign businesses are trusted more than Black- or Indo-Trini-owned ones.

• This internalized inferiority complex blocks cultural pride and innovation.

Mental slavery keeps the chains on, even after the ship has sailed.

Bonus: IMF, World Bank & Neocolonialism

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (largely controlled by Western powers) pressure Trinidad into:

  • Privatizing public services.

  • Cutting social programs.

  • Opening markets to foreign exploitation.

• These “structural adjustment policies” often hurt the poor and trap countries in debt.

Summary: How Colonizers Still Block Progress

Area	Colonial Impact
Economy	Foreign-owned industries, export-first system
Education	British-based curriculum, limited innovation
Land	Elitist ownership, foreign development
Law	Colonial laws, systemic inequality
Mindset	“Foreign is better” thinking, cultural erasure

✊ What Can Be Done?

• Land reform and support for local farming.

• Decolonizing education to center Caribbean history, Black pride, and entrepreneurship.

• Supporting local industries and creatives with capital and visibility.

• Changing the narrative: Teach pride in African, Indian, and Indigenous heritage.

• Demanding accountability from government and foreign companies alike.