OUTSIDE of the more known roti shops around the country such as Hosein’s, Hott Shoppe, Mona’s, Don’s, Patraj, Highway Roti Shop, Wings, Shiann’s and Parbatie’s, Newsday took a few trips around the island in search of some other special roti flavours that keep customers going back for more, over and over again.
Roti shops were selected following a poll done by Foodie Nation, an online website that focuses on local food and recipes, and as well, a subsequent Facebook poll which asked people to submit their favourite roti shops.
The restaurants surveyed all offered their own distinct curry flavours and varying textures of their roti skins. Flavours are enhanced by different mixtures of Indian spices done by the various establishments, each coming up with their specific blend.
The tour rolled out in the east with the first stop at Sheila’s Roti Shop on Pasea Main Road, Tunapuna. The crew was met by a smiling Sarita Harkoo, who is the manager, while Sheila herself was happy to play a supporting role.
Harkoo said: “As you can see everything is separate and we don’t mix spoons. That is one of the things that makes us different. Also, we serve home-made sorrel, mauby and other juices.”
And indeed, they operate in a very sanitised environment filled with cheer as workers take pleasure in getting the food prepared to be served from 9 am, Mondays to Saturdays.
The result is a taste that is just fabulous. Customers can choose from goat, chicken, shrimp roti, plus any or all of sides such as channa and aloo, bodi, mango and pumpkin. On Fridays and Saturdays, duck is added to the menu. Duck is popular weekend option which is usually sold out long before closing hour.
Juman’s Roti Shop on Jackson Street, Curepe, was another delight. Run by Nasrudeen, Shanaz, Rosena and Azrudeen Juman, it was established in 1993 and opens every day from 10 am to 4 pm, except Thursdays and Sundays.
Shanaz said: “It’s been hard at the beginning, but now, reaching where we are now and all that we have achieved at this point, this is the best thing we have done.”
She added that the customers crave their roti skins particularly the softness of the dhalpuri and the silkiness of the paratha.
Though their biggest seller is chicken roti, they also offer shrimp, beef and duck, but the duck is only served on Fridays and Saturdays here as well.
Shanaz said: “We also do a stew beef, and it is really going well, it is a difference.”
Asked about being deemed one of the best roti shops in the country, by a recent Foodie Nation survey, she was at a loss for words. Rosena offered: “It’s an overwhelming feeling placing second. We started as a small shop and it snowballed into this fantastic business and we are very grateful for it. It’s a lot of hard work, but our greatest joy at the end of the day is hearing people say, ‘I real enjoy my meal, I love my meal’.
She added: “When people come for vacation, here is their first stop and this is a wonderful feeling.”
On a daily basis 150 to 200 customers pass through the business and on Fridays and Saturdays, even more.
Nasrudeen said: “We are known for our dhalpuri. Also, this is not a boring shop. Something is always happening. And we are happy that some of our workers have been with us since we opened 25 years ago.”
Preparation of meals is done in a very spacious and clean area with lots of natural light.
After sampling some of their specialties there was no doubt that they do have a taste that is truly wonderful.
A stop at Sylvie’s Roti Shop on Back Chain Street, San Juan, saw three of Sylvie’s daughters in charge of operations. In the forefront are Anjanie and Radha Jagdeo, who boasted: “What is special about us is the taste of the curry. It is actually different and taste different from all the other roti shops in the country, because we use three different mixtures of curry to get that taste.”
The shop is open Monday-Saturday from 9 am-5 pm, and that day there was a heavy flow of customers seeking out that special rich curry flavour. 
Source:  T&T Newsday, March 17.

International Women’s Day – dedicated to honouring the achievements of women – is being observed today.
And the United National (UN) International Women’s Day Committee in Canada will honour 50 women who have made a positive social difference in the community. The awards recognise prominent Canadian women who have made a positive social difference in the community. The committee would recognise women who have excelled in their respected fields of Health, Sports, Science, Politics, Business, Arts and Entertainment, Media and Youth Empowerment.
Vashti Doorga, who has Trinidadian roots, would be among those women being honoured.
Doorga was born to Trinidadian parents and lives in Montreal, Quebec.
She single-handedly took on charity work in Canada and Trinidad and unfolded several Indo-Caribbean events internationally.
Doorga started her charity work with the help of her parents Bissundai Lalla and Bishai Doorga at the age of five dancing with diyas when she performed for a fundraiser for a children’s eye hospital in India and in the same year made the front page of the Gazette Newspapers at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. Her first television performance in Toronto, Canada was also at the age of five.
She performed at various fundraising events and temple shows, and then went on to win a scholarship to study in India at the age of nine for dance. However, she was unable to pursue the scholarship due to terror attacks in India at that time.
Doorga started teaching dance with her mom for the Hindu Devotional Society of Montreal at the age of 14. And she soon began singing as well.
Doorga graduated from Dawson College and went on to Concordia and Mcgill University, and taught English as a second language to French speaking professionals.
“But doing all of this, I still felt there was something more I could do,” she said.
Doorga was selected to perform before an audience of 20,000 at the Air Canada Center with Bollywood stars Aishwarya Rai and Anil Kapoor. She was also offered a position with Ram Mandir’s Canadian Hindu Heritage Center to teach dance where she developed a Bollywood, Chutney Soca exercise dance class for adults and seniors who never had an opportunity to dance when they were growing up, due to being married at a young age or very strict parents or some could not afford it.
“Seeing the joy and fulfilment of their souls made it all worthwhile. Seeing the little ones as young as two took patience, but experiencing their wonder and seeing them expressing themselves through movement was so satisfying,” she said.
Doorga soon became a household name and was offered radio programme at stations across the country. She moved from radio announcer to writing for a local newspaper. She was recognised for a documentary on Shakti Worship, a sect of Hinduism that was misunderstood, she said. “I travelled to India, Guyana, New York, Florida and Trinidad, to do research. I wanted there to be an understanding of these believers that were segregated from many groups and not respected for their way of worship and thought to be “crazy or possessed” and have a sense of inclusiveness. “Kali in Canada” and “Heaven on Earth” were produced privately and sold out as a fundraiser within weeks,” she said.
Doorga got the writing bug and never stopped. She became the editor of a newspaper and then started her own magazine. Together with her brother Amit Doorga, his wife Stephanie Dipnarine, and her mother she started Shuga Magazine. “It was my passion to spread knowledge and help the West Indian community, and there was nothing like it. I was able to cover the Summit of the Americas and was the only Indian women allowed in the Canadian Press conference because I was Canadian. I had artistes who sang about rum, writing about being sober, and prominent artistes talking about crime and things people were afraid to talk about, but wanted to know about,” she said.
But that project was shelved when she met Trinidadian journalist, Rene Cummings, who encouraged Doorga to return to her homeland, Trinidad. Doorga commanded the airwaves of Sangeet 106.1 FM. She also secured a job with then MP Winston Dookaran, to organize special events.
During her stint in Trinidad, Doorga developed a character called “Jalwa Rani” together with other members of the Sangeet team as she tried her hand at comedy. She was also a freelance writer with one of the daily newspaper.
Doorga became pregnant with her son, Aryan, and returned to Canada. As a single mother, Doorga focused on raising her son but it did not prevent her from realising her dreams.
“I wanted to continue in media and stay fresh in the entertainment industry, and being a single mother was challenging, especially with a child with medical conditions. Thanks to George Singh of Southex, who gave me a chance to do a live broadcast from Canada while I was six months pregnant was able to stay in the game, and three months after giving birth was back hosting shows, taking breaks to nurse my son backstage,” she said.
Doorga hosted the Chutney Soca Monarch in Trinidad on two occasions and the Divali Nagar celebrations. She was responsible for sending delegates from Canada to participate in the Divali Nagar Queen competition and the recently held Kishore Kumar competition.
Today, Doorga is working on the relaunch of Shuga Magazine which takes place this month. “It is a network of over 20 of the most powerful, influential West Indian Women in North America and the Caribbean united to empower women through their craft and knowledge, sharing personal experiences to help others grow, promotes peace and to make this world a better place, one person at a time,” she said.
Doorga, however, is well-known for her extensive charity work through Save Abee Foundation. Children from New York, Orlando, Toronto, Trinidad, Guyana and the West Indian have benefitted from this venture.
She recently launched a movement called #IamOman - #Strongyul-#DatIsOman to put together an educational video message empowering young girls and boys to respect each other for schools in the Caribbean.
Doorga recently visited Trinidad, where she assisted Members of Parliament to aid flood victims.
“I do everything to set an example for my son Aryan, and now newly born niece Veda and to be a positive influence to them. I hope to inspire others to follow their dreams, and never underestimate themselves. You can do anything, as long as you believe in yourself, the power lies within you,” she said.
​Source:  Daily Express, March 2018

​US military and local police allegedly thwarted an IS plot to attack Trinidad's famous carnival. But almost all the suspects have been freed.

PORT OF SPAIN - It was billed as an Islamic State atrocity in the making, plotted by "high-value" suspects and heroically thwarted by local police and US military. But in the fallout, doubts have been cast on whether the plot to attack a famous Caribbean carnival ever even existed.
A spokesperson for the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) told local media on 8 February that four people had been arrested for questioning after an alleged threat to the event, which was due to start on 12 February. Local media reported that the spokesperson repeatedly declined to say if the threat was terrorism-related.
The carnival, whose present-day origins date back to the early 19th-century, is a big draw in the regional calendar. The Trinidadian government estimates that carnival revenue exceeded TT$ 334m (US$50m) in 2017.
The alleged plot made headlines around the world: the US and UK governments responded by issuing travel warnings to their citizens, including mention of the carnival.
While most news outlets simply reported the travel advisories, CNN went further. An articleauthored by Ryan Browne and Barbara Starr, CNN’s Pentagon correspondent, said that the US military had helped thwart a terrorism attack.
The article, which is based on interviews with two anonymous US military officials, uses dramatic language and paints the US military in a very favourable light.


"US troops participated in anti-terror raids...  helping to capture four high-value targets," it reported, before describing those arrested as "four extremists who are believed to be part of a network engaged in plotting terror attacks."
Starr's use of such sources has often been criticised, not least by Glenn Greenwald, who once described her as the "Pentagon's reporter at CNN".
A follow-up piece, filed by Starr and Nicole Gaouette, featured the headline "US issues security alert for Trinidad and Tobago Carnival" and began "Days before the carnival on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, multiple US officials tell CNN they are aware of a terror-related threat to the popular annual event."
MEE asked Starr and Browne about the article: they had yet to respond at time of publication.
The Islamic State 'claim'The reality, however, was very different.
The suspects were not so much "captured" as arrested by local police officers in their homes in the middle of the night. Several mosques in Trinidad were also searched.
During the coming days, at least nine more people were arrested, all of them members of Trinidad’s 66,000 Muslim population.
The world’s media moved on from the story – but it continued to dominate headlines in Trinidad and Tobago, especially after an article in the Trinidad Guardian reported that Islamic State (IS) had claimed the threat to the carnival, and was planning a "mega-attack... when the Carnival was in full swing".
According to reporter Gail Alexander, IS made the claims in the February 2018 issue of Dabiq, its propaganda magazine, which the Trinidad Guardian apparently quoted from at length.
As Middle East Eye has previously reported, Trinidad and Tobago has faced problems with citizens leaving the country to join IS, as up to 100 have done in recent years. The government is currently introducing an anti-terrorism amendment bill to combat the threat of the fighters returning.  
The legislation will criminalise travel for the purpose of terrorist acts, redefine terrorism to include acts committed abroad and make it easier for the government to propose names of suspected terrorists to the UN Security Council. The legislation was referred to committee in January.
Aaron Zelin, the Richard Borrow Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, is separately editor of jihadology.net, a "clearing house for jihadi primary source material and original analysis".
He says that the IS magazine was "discontinued a while ago" and said of the Trinidad Guardian: "They have no idea what they’re talking about."
So where did the newspaper’s story come from?
The print edition of the story included a photograph of a screenshot of an article. The caption underneath reads that it is "An image of the story in Dabiq which claimed ISIS fighters plotting to disrupt carnival had been held."
But the screenshot includes a quote in which IS describes itself as "Daesh", an acronym for the group’s full Arabic name. IS considers the term to be pejorative: reports indicate that it once threatened to cut the tongue out of anyone that used it in its territory.
The screenshot is that of a story from the Voltaire Network website, run by 9/11 truther Thierry Meyssan. Indeed, the words "Voltaire Network" are clearly visible twice, including next to the dateline.

Lawyers in Trinidad and Tobago are challenging the conduct of the country’s top judge, following questions about his relationship with a man who was shot in an ambush and is now seeking asylum in the UK.
The Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago is investigating allegations involving the chief justice, Ivor Archie, after local media queried his conduct in relation to Dillian Johnson, 36, who survived a night-time shooting outside his home in December. Johnson fled Trinidad to the UK three weeks after the shooting and says he fears for his life if he is forced to return.
 Questions have been asked about whether the married judge took Johnson with him to a four-day Commonwealth law conference in Guyana in 2016, and whether he used his office to lobby for state housing for people, including Johnson. It was also alleged that he proposed to his fellow judges that they swap their state-provided personal security officers for others provided by a company that employed Johnson as a consultant.
Archie has denied the allegations and has accused the law association of being biased against him. He strongly denies any suggestion he knew about a plot to shoot Johnson, saying such claims were “ridiculous and false”.
Archie, 57, is an honorary member of the middle temple bench, one of London’s four inns of court, and is considered a liberal thinker on gay rights. He has denied having an “intimate” relationship with Johnson, a manager for the state water and sewage company who was convicted of forging job references in 2008. Archie’s lawyers declined to say whether he described himself as gay or bisexual as they said it did “not affect the chief justice’s professional conduct and concern[s] his private life”.
Johnson was shot outside his home on 3 December and arrived in the UK on 29 December. He says he fears for his life if he returns to his home country and believes he was the victim of a targeted hit.
“I fear being murdered for my sexuality if I go back,” Johnson said. “My relationship with [the chief justice] has been highly publicised.”
Johnson has complained that police have failed to bring his attacker or attackers to justice. He is being assisted in the UK by the human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who said there was “public hostility and great stigma attached to homosexuality” in Trinidad and Tobago.
“Buggery” remains punishable by up to 25 years in prison and six gay men were murdered in the first five months of 2017, according to rights campaigners. 
Last week, a legal challenge was launched to repeal the laws criminalising homosexuality in the Caribbean nation, which has a population of 1.4 million. The UK-based gay rights advocate, Jason Jones, who is leading the case, has said he has received death threats as a result.
Growing up gay in the Caribbean, I was in constant survival mode

In January, photographs emerged in the local press, apparently showing Archie and Johnson on a hotel bed at a legal conference in Guyana. Another photo showed Johnson wearing what appeared to be Archie’s conference lanyard. Archie has said he did not stay in the same room as Johnson or pay his bills, and that US forensic experts had concluded the photos had been digitally manipulated.
Archie’s lawyers said he was “alive to the clear mischief of Mr Johnson” and that two of the photos “contain images which are false representations of the subject matter of the photographs”.
Johnson has alleged to police that Archie may have known about the shooting before it happened. Archie’s lawyers said Whatsapp messages which Johnson claims show Archie plotting the attack with another man “were as false as the doctored photographs and should be forensically examined by a reputable source before any responsible person seeks to rely on them for publication”.
In December, Archie won backing from a group of supreme court judges who believe he has been the victim of “false narration” in respect of some of the allegations against him. They took out a newspaper advertisement to declare it was they, not Archie, who suggested alternative security arrangements should be explored.
“At no time did the honourable chief justice seek then or since to ‘convince’ fellow judges to change existing security arrangements,” they said in a statement signed “group of judges”.
However, last week the Trinidad and Tobago Law Association said it had appointed two QCs to take their investigation into Archie forward. They said they had a list of allegations “sufficiently substantiated as to require a response”. 
Archie responded by saying he would issue a high court claim to halt the investigation. He alleges the law association is “tainted by bias” against him and is exceeding its powers.
Before Johnson was shot in Gasparillo, 90 minutes’ drive from the capital, Port of Spain, there was growing media speculation about the nature of the relationship between Archie and Johnson. Johnson believes he had been under surveillance in the preceding days.
After the shooting, Johnson made a detailed 13-page crime report to the anti-corruption investigative bureau of the Trinidad and Tobago police, including details about how he claims to have obtained the Whatsapp messages which Archie’s lawyers said were fake.
He described how, four days before the shooting, he was followed in his car by an unidentified man to a restaurant car park, where the man photographed his vehicle. The following day a friend introduced him to a man whom he recognised as having followed him 24 hours earlier. Johnson said the man warned him that the political opposition wanted to kill him.
Johnson told the police that on the day of the shooting he was outside his home when he was approached by a man asking if there was a mechanical garage nearby.
“I saw him move his left hand and pulled up his jersey and with his right hand he pushed it down the waist of his pants. I heard him say ‘Doh make a scene’. I felt fear and immediately turned and started to run. I heard loud noises and knew it was gun fire.
“I didn’t know I was hit until I came out of the bushes,” he told the Guardian. “The adrenaline was pumping.”
He had been shot once in the hand and went to hospital for treatment.
“The police came to me and took reports,” he said. “They did nothing to find the perpetrators.”
Asked to comment, the chief of the the anti-corruption investigative bureau, William Nurse, said: “I have no interest in speaking with the press, foreign or local.”
Source:  Guardian, Feb 28, 2018

​The Hall of Residence at The University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine Campus formerly known as Milner Hall is now Freedom Hall.   
The process to review the name Milner Hall started in October 2017 having gained approval of the Finance and General Purposes Committee (F&GPC) on the recommendation of a report compiled by Pro Vice-Chancellor Alan Cobley, Professor of South African History, a statement by UWI said.
The report confirmed the association of Lord Alfred Milner, whom the Hall was named after, with crimes against humanity in Africa among other actions driven by his self-proclaimed 'British race supremacy' ideology. 
The name review process included a series of consultations with key stakeholders of The UWI St. Augustine Campus including Hall residents and a wider call to all students, staff and alumni to recommend alternative names.
The final decision was made on the recommendation of current residents of Milner Hall. 
The new name was approved by both the Campus Finance and General Purposes Committee (February 02, 2018) and the University-wide Finance and General Purposes Committee on February 20, 2018. 
Campus Principal, Professor Brian Copeland expressed his satisfaction with the process.
“I am pleased that due process was followed with transparency and that consultation was prioritised. The result is a new name and our new focus will be on helping our students, particularly the residents of Freedom Hall to adjust to the change,” he said.
Source: CNC3

With Machel Montano and Superblue winning the 2018 Road March race, here are some facts about the Road March that might interest you.
1. The late Lord Kitchener has the most Road March titles - 11. Superblue is now second with 10 and Machel Montano 3rd with 9.
2. Only four women have ever won the Road March - Calypso Rose in 1977 (Give More Tempo) & 1978 (Come Leh We Jam), Sanelle Dempster in 1999 (River), Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez in 2003 (Display), 2008 (Get On) & 2009 (Meet Superblue), and Patrice Roberts in 2006 (Band of the Year which was done together with Machel Montano).
3. The Road March was won by two bands, instead of individuals or duets, on two occasions - The Obernkirchen Children's Choir in 1955 with "The Happy Wanderer" and Ultimate Rejects with "Full Extreme" led by MX Prime in 2017. 
4. There has only ever been one tie for Road March - 2000 Superblue "Pump Up" & Iwer George "Carnival Come Back Again".
5. The Road March was won by duets on only three occasions - 2006 by Machel Montano and Patrice Roberts "Band of the Year", 2010 by JW & Blaze "Palance" & 2018 by Machel Montano & Superblue "Soca Kingdom".
6. There were two Road March competitions and two Road March winners in 1953 Vivian Comma "Madeline Oye" & Spit Fire "Bow Wow Wow" and in 1957 Lord Christo "Chicken Chest" & Nap Hepburn "Doctor Nelson".
7. Lion holds the record for most consecutive wins, winning four straight Road March titles in 1935, 1936, 1937 & 1938.
8. For 14 years, between 1963 and 1976, there were only two Road March winners - Kitchener (10) and Sparrow (4).
9. The song played the most ever to win Road March was Full Extreme with 556 plays followed by Palance with 417.
10. There were no official Road March titles between 1942 and 1945 because World War II meant no official Carnival.
Source:  CNC3

Turtle conservationist and chairman of the Grande Riviere Nature Tour Guide Association Len Peters, has been named the 1st Commonwealth Points of Light Award Recipient 2018.
The Points of Light awards is a special series of awards recognising inspiring volunteers from the 52 countries of the Commonwealth.
Peters protects 20,000 turtle nests yearly, and has even had his work featured on BBC’s ‘Blue Planet 2’ with Sir David Attenborough.
The conservationist was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday and named as the recipient of the award in honour of his exceptional voluntary service protecting endangered turtle species.
The Queen’s recognition of Peters’ work ‍‍‍‍‍‍comes as she offers her thanks to inspirational volunteers across the 52 Commonwealth nations for the difference they are making in their communities and beyond – as part of the lead-up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London April 19-20.
In making the announcement, the British High Commission said Trinidad and Tobago is now home to one of the densest leatherback nesting beaches in the world, thanks to Peters’ educational work in local communities and regular patrols of the country’s beaches.
The Commission added that the Heads of Government meeting will celebrate inspirational acts of volunteering across the Commonwealth and help inspire others to make their own contribution to tackling some of the greatest social challenges of our time, as these stories of service are shared.
Peters, on receiving the award, is quoted as saying that he was honoured to receive the prize on behalf of the dedicated members of his organisation.
He added that the award recognises many years of dedicated voluntary service performed by him and the members of his community in protecting the environment and creating sustainable livelihoods.
Peters said he hopes that his acceptance of the award would, in some small way inspire others to see the value of voluntary service.  
Source: The Loop, February 5, 2018.

Is an alternative means of transport on the Tobago airbridge over the horizon?
Well, if Raymond McMillan has his way then the answer is yes.
A trip to Tobago may cost twice as much as you pay now though.
McMillan is the chief executive officer of Sterling Tobago Airways Limited, trading as Tobago Airways, and he believes the national carrier Caribbean Airlines needed competition on the domestic airbridge.
McMillan is currently looking for investors to help fund this idea.
For investments of US$100,000 and over returns on investment are negotiated on a case-by-case basis.
McMillan believes Tobago Airways’ estimated profit after five years will be around US$19.5 million.
The initial contract for a plane will be with Airline Solutions Ltd, a company registered in the UK.
Social media was abuzz yesterday when the front page of the Tobago Airways document seeking investors was shared.
“Something new and exciting is coming soon,” the document stated.
The T&T Guardian reached out to McMillan for information on the venture but he said he was having a board meeting at the Magdalena Grand Beach & Golf Resort.
According to the Tobago Airways website “something new and exciting” is coming by March 1.
McMillan is looking for investors for what he deems a “necessary ‘shift’ in the airbridge between Trinidad and Tobago which has been a ‘sour point’ for over 30 years”.
In recent times issues surrounding the Tobago airbridge have come to the national fore, especially in light of difficulties experienced on the seabridge.
CAL recently issued a release showing that its performance on the Tobago airbridge has been 86 per cent above industry standards. The national airline also implemented a $50 change fee for passengers missing or changing their confirmed flights.
According to a recent Parliament Joint Select Committee, 52 per cent of CAL’s flights are operated on the domestic airbridge and approximately TT$41 million was allocated for CAL as the subsidy on the airbridge for 2017.
The subsidy does not cover the entire shortfall between the fare charged for flights along the airbridge, and the cost of running the air bridge, and therefore, the route is unprofitable. Return tickets on CAL for the Tobago air-bridge cost $300. Tobago Airways tickets are expected to cost around $600.
Source:  The Guardian, January 31, 2018

​..and teacher of the Prime Minister, Chief Justice and ministers of government

Tobagonian Cyril Anthony Collier, 77, is a recent retiree of the University of T&T where he was a senior instructor in drama. Collier’s career in the field of education spanned over four decades where he served in the capacity of teacher/educator.
Collier earned his diploma in drama in education at the University of Newcastle–upon-Tyne, under the stewardship of world-renowned Dorothy Heathcote. He is also the holder of a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Philosophy in drama\theatre arts, which he obtained at the University of Exeter in the UK.
Collier has been heavily involved in the cultural landscape of T&T having served as director /producer of the annual Carnival Sunday night Dimanche Gras show on numerous occasions and as an adjudicator in the Prime Minister’s Best Village competition. Collier has also served as a board member of the National Carnival Commission (NCC), a position which afforded him the opportunity to make an immense contribution to T&T Carnival. He has also served on the board of the Export Centres Company of T&T, assisting with the export of our local Carnival culture to Phoenix and Los Angeles.
Collier was born in Lambeau, Tobago and attended the Lambeau Anglican School. He later attended Scarborough RC and Bishop’s High School. His teaching career commenced in 1962. His first teaching appointment was at the Bon Accord Primary School where he served for a period of four years before entering the Port-of-Spain Teachers Training College, graduating in 1967.
Given his passion for the art form, upon his return to Tobago, Collier enrolled as a member of the Kilarney’s Dance Group and later formed the Phoenix Dance Company which outshone rivals at the Arts Festival for several years. Collier eventually returned to his alma mater when he received a teaching appointment at Bishop’s High School and taught geography and physical education. While at Bishop’s, he not only revitalised the drama club.
Among Collier’s students during his tenure at Bishop’s High School were Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, Ivor Archie, Rennie Dumas, Dennis Moses and Eudine Job-Davis. Collier’s teaching career eventually took him to St Mary’s College. Here he had the privilege of teaching public servants as government ministers Maxie Cuffie, Stuart Young and Daryl Smith.
After an extensive and prominent career in both primary and secondary education, Collier transitioned to tertiary education with his appointment as a lecturer at the Valsayn Teachers Training College. Here he taught geography and dance/drama.
In 2006, when the Valsayn Teachers’ College was appended to the University of Trinidad and Tobago, Collier was elevated to the position of senior lecturer in drama. While at UTT, he guided his students into the production of numerous weddings to showcase the traditions and cultural differences of the diverse ethnic groups in T&T.
Collier’s most recent contribution is the completion of his doctoral thesis at the age of 77. His dissertation is entitled Behind the Mask: A Phenomenological inquiry into the Meanings, Practices and Socio-political Relations of the Dimanche Gras Show from 1999-2015 in Trinidad.
Collier has expressed is deep gratitude to professor Hollis Liverpool, Dr Rita Pemberton and Dr Hazel-Ann Gibbs De Peza. He also acknowledged professor Valerie Stoute for her support and encouragement throughout this journey. As for his plans for the future, Dr Collier would like to publish certain aspects of his doctoral dissertation and is currently working towards achieving such. “I guess once an academic, always an academic,” he concluded.
Source:  Shastri Boodan. Trinidad Guardian, January 3-, 2018