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Cultural activist Errol Fabian has called on citizens to help preserve Gayelle Records following the acquisition of the Banyan archive by the government of Barbados.
Fabian, who has worked with Banyan since 1985, responded to concerns raised by Trinidadians over the sale, saying that while some feel the archive was lost, the material remains intact and will now be managed by Barbados. He said the principals of Banyan Limited—Christopher Laird, Bruce Paddington, and the late Anthony Hall—had spent decades building the collection, which documents Caribbean life.
“I understand a lot of people are upset that the records have been sold. Well, I am overjoyed… because Christopher Laird, Bruce Paddington and Anthony Hall worked so very hard to create that archive, documenting so much about Caribbean life,” he said.
He explained that Banyan had sought support for years to digitise and catalogue the collection, but “nobody in Trinidad saw the value or was willing to pay for it. A foreign university saw it and they paid for it. The University of the West Indies didn’t buy it. NALIS didn’t buy it. The government didn’t buy it. National Archives didn’t see the value in it either.”
Fabian noted that without intervention, the material risked being discarded.
“The physical archives sit in a temperature-controlled vault. If Christopher had died, they would turn it off and those things would be thrown away, because nobody sees the value,” he said.
He commended the role of Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley in finalising the sale.
“I salute Mia Mottley and the government and the people of Barbados for what they’ve done. They are going to digitise it and catalogue it… and make it available to the people of the Caribbean.”
Addressing critics of the move, Fabian said, “For people who are saying that we’ve lost our own archives, that is absolutely not true. We have not lost it. We don’t have management of it, but nobody in Trinidad and Tobago put their money where their mouth is.”
He added that the only consistent outlet for the archive in Trinidad and Tobago is Gayelle.
“The only place it’s available to people in the region is through Gayelle, the TV station, because we have access to the archive. People who look at Gayelle know some of the treasures that are in there. But people who don’t have no idea.”
Fabian urged those who opposed the sale to now support Gayelle’s own collection.
“For those who are raising a ruckus about Banyan Records, they should all come together, put their money where their mouth is, and invest into the Gayelle archives. Not just make noise. When the government of Barbados makes this thing available, they should pay subscription and take a look and see. Or they could start watching Gayelle.”
He ended his remarks with a direct message to critics: “Get over it. It’s not lost. Barbados stood up and did what no Trinidad entity did.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mottley announced plans to establish a Caribbean Institute for Democracy and Political Governance at UWI Cave Hill. Speaking during a CARIFESTA panel, she said the initiative is necessary to protect regional values. Mottley said Barbados would work with the UWI Vice-Chancellor to set up the new institute.
“The government of Barbados feels so strongly about this that we want to work with the University of the West Indies to establish here at Cave Hill the Caribbean Institute for Democracy and Political Governance,” she said.
She argued that the Caribbean has long provided the world with examples of unity and coexistence, and must now institutionalise those lessons.
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