UNESCO includes Indian indentured labourers to T&T in World International register

A copy of the inscription (click on image to see it in a new, larger window)

The National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago (NATT) hosted a ceremony on Tuesday to mark the inclusion of documentary heritage of Indian indentured labourers in the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register.

A media release from the Multicultural Ministry has noted that while the inscription on the International Register took place in July 2011, NATT, as custodians of the records, has opted to commemorate the achievement within the context of Trinidad and Tobago’s 50th anniversary of Independence celebrations.

These are the only documents for ancestral and lineage research by descendants of indentured labourers. The records were first submitted for inclusion on the Register in 2010 by Fiji in collaboration with Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Suriname.

Government Archivist, Avril Belfon said she feels strongly that the general public needs to become more aware of events of this nature, given the critical role archiving plays in preserving a country’s documentary heritage for the benefit of current and future generations.

“It is appropriate, in this our 50th year of Independence, that we as a nation take the time to reflect and arm ourselves with the knowledge and the experience of the past as we forge ahead into the future,” she stated.

The records highlighting the system of Indian Indentureship in Trinidad will remain on display, free of charge to the public, at the National Archives Search Room, 105 St. Vincent Street, Port of Spain until June 15, 2012.

A copy of an original emigration document. (Click on image to see document in  a new, larger window)