By Claudia Liburd
(Port-of-Spain, Trinidad) --- ‘Here every creed and race find an equal place and may God bless our nation’ was the anthem found on the lips of residents of Trinidad and Tobago as they commemorated the day the country received its independence from colonial rule.
Forty-five years ago on the date of August 31st, 1962 the islands severed colonial ties with Mother country Britain and took on the responsibility of self government.
The day was filled with a spirit of patriotism as persons lined the streets dressed in their country colors to forge solidarity. Several business places also decorated their locations with the red, black and white colors of the national flag and the coat of arms serving as symbols of their national identity.
After a street parade during the day the activities culminated in a firework display at the Queen’s Park Savannah where hundreds lined the streets dressed in their patriot colors. As the firecrackers thundered the people of Trinidad and Tobago commemorated the birth of their republic united and energized to move forward.
