profiling Amilcar Sanatan

In addition to his unique name, Amilcar Sanatan is also a man with a unique perspective. He doesn’t confine himself to the “boundaries of the world” he was born into nor the ones given to him. He continues to push against these boundaries through his work with East PoS communities, art, writing and activism. For him,  it is about seeking love and justice in all things and contributing to institutions to develop long-term investments and structures that transform environments and lives. This is his MENtions story:
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I loved my younger years. They were full of adventure. I took part in cricket, football, Taekwondo and badminton. I played the piano and, for a short time, the tenor saxophone. I wrote poetry, sang and chanted in school competitions and organised open mic competitions. I enjoyed eating “fat pork” from trees and doubles in Curepe. I spent hours observing the world of taxi drivers, casino workers, Chinese food restaurants, thieves and school children living their freedom without responsibility in the streets. I can’t count the number of times I had to run away from robbers and gun men.
In the vacation before Form 3, I was diagnosed with meningitis. I did not understand why all my family members and the parish priest had visited me. I just thought I had a fever and I would be home soon. I did not understand the potential damage and disability that could happen without urgent and effective treatment. After I fully recovered, I lived every day with a sense of joy and gratitude. People die from meningitis. In fact, I have met youth who lost their hearing because of it. I was lucky in terms of health recovery and lucky to have the financial support and network that paid for my health expenses. I understand what it feels like to be a survivor and the privilege of economic class.
I never accepted the boundaries of the world I was born into or the ones given to me. I push against these boundaries to this day.
“Demanding fairness at a young age”
In Form 5, I did English A, Mathematics, French, History, Geography, Principles of Accounts, Principles of Business, Economics and Art. I dropped Physics in Form 4. I achieved one- Grade 1, five- Grade 2s, one – Grade 3, one ‘B’ and one ‘E’. I told my parents that the ‘E’ was for excellence. In Form 6, I did French, History and Management of Business. Again, I was a student with an average academic performance.
My first protest was in secondary school, demanding fairness regarding the right to grow my hair naturally at any length. I really think this is where I came into my own. Since then, the school has changed their position and young men whose hair grow in diverse textures and directions continue to contribute to the school’s success. They chose collective freedom and individual creative expression rather than tradition and control. Bishop Anstey Trinity College East (BATCE) is the school of collective freedom and individual creative expression in Trinidad and Tobago. These values are essential to the development of the leaders in our society.
I also served as President of The UWI Guild of Students, national representative for the Commonwealth Students’ Association and in the leadership of the Global Student Forum. My early university student years involved poetry, student organisation in U.WE SPEAK, public advocacy in the media, on campus and in Port-of-Spain, commissioning graffiti art on the “whisper wall,” organising with the Socialist Student Conference, winning the lobby for improved watercooler facilities on campus, and networking the Caribbean youth and student movement into the global student movement.
“I have a calling, not a career”
At University, I completed a B.Sc. degree in Psychology and an M.Phil. degree in Interdisciplinary Gender Studies. I made the decision to set standards for my academic performance in my current Ph.D. in Cultural Studies programme. I’ve received A’s in all my courses and I was the recipient of the Elsa Goveia Scholarship for Caribbean Studies at The UWI. As you can see, my areas of study do not show a clear career path. In fact, they show that I have the capacity to serve in multiple sectors and areas of development. This is why I believe that I have a calling, not a career.
I also lectured in Gender and Development and Geography. In both disciplines, I brought the work of the classroom into public space. When I teach, I exchange knowledge and affirm the spirit of students committed to a more fair, equal and just nation, Caribbean and world.
“Connect the work to ordinary people”
I seek to understand, describe and transform my world. My art, academic writing and activism are all essential to that process. Combined, they advance leadership. My mother and father were my first advisors. They both emerged from contexts of poverty and rose to the ranks of community-based, regional and international academic and civil society leadership. For leadership, you need to develop confidence and you need to be properly trained. To be a transformational leader, you need to connect the work you do to ordinary people.
I am neither a man of providence nor certainties. I do not know what my purpose is in life, if there is one. I seek love and justice in all things. I want to contribute to institutions, to develop long-term investments and structures that transform environments and lives. I do not seek fame or riches on this earth. I want to be useful to others in this brief life while loving people and places along the way.
“I serve the people of East Port-of-Spain with my heart, mind and hands.”
Currently, I am the Project Coordinator for Socio-Economic Projects at East Port of Spain Development Company. I work full time in Laventille with a mandate for social and economic transformation of communities. My everyday reality moves from Latrine Eradication Programmes to empowering women in sewing classes to reflections on inclusion in urban planning and governance. Now that I am here, I am more committed to deepening the democratic process and participation in development. What is the ladder for women and men, young and old, who may not have completed secondary school? When we provide educational opportunities, how do we match them with economic opportunities? This is hard work. Deep relationships with the people, not public relations, change lives. Mrs. Nadia Figaro-Adams first introduced me to trainees and residents at SERVOL Beetham Campus where I organised youth-led workshops on gender-based violence, student governance and spoken word open mics. My father was raised in Laventille. Commitment brought me to this place.
There is something special about workers who can do desk research, coordinate programmes, engage communities and communicate professionally in the street, over a drain, in the track and by email. Ah special?
Growth has little to do with CVs and a public profile
I am inspired by movements. At my desk, I have portraits of María Elena Moyano of Peru, Marielle Franco of Brazil, Amílcar Cabral of Guinea-Bissau and Father Michael Makhan of Trinidad and Tobago. These are leaders of movements who worked among the poor. I also have photos of my grandparents and parents on my desk. I come from a family of cocoa labourers on one side. My family is a movement. I am committed to the work of the poor and my family.
I have learnt from many professional and public leaders – close up and at a distance. Policy-makers, professors and priests influenced my vision and work in some way. However, the professional part is easiest. I think character is the hard part to build. Growth has little to do with CVs and public profile, it has to do more with attitude, care, humility and commitment. Mentors are not people to help me make the next professional step, that is on me. Mentors get my mind right.
My sixth form principal, Mrs. Joan Mason provided a model of leadership for me at a young age. She showed me how to elevate the standards of institutions while providing care for people on a one-on-one basis.
Different models of leadership
There are many examples of black male leadership in Trinidad and Tobago. What I would like to see more of are models of leadership that embrace young men and work through their vulnerabilities; a model of leadership that is accountable to women’s rights and the livelihoods of women and girls; a model of leadership that is democratic, believes in the equality of all people; a model of leadership that builds boys and men up with love for themselves, for women and girls and their communities.
If I could speak to my teenage self, I would say “You win with love” and don’t worry about losing your virginity, worry about losing your metabolism. But, to the teenager who may be confused about their career or next steps after leaving secondary school or degree programme, I want you to serve well and serve selflessly. Make every day count in your personal and professional development. Excellent work and service, create opportunity for more work and service. (Source:  MENtions,May 22, 2022)
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Amilcar is a former student of The University School, St Augustine; Combermere School, Barbados; Trinity College East, BATCE Sixth Form School and The UWI, St Augustine. Stoicism, Catholic social teaching, RastafarI livity, the ideal of moksha and the writing of Kahlil Gibran keep him centred. He walks daily for two hours to clear his mind and meditates. Watching sport, episodes of 90 day Fiancé, Catfish or Samurai X and Judge Judy with his mother, are how he spends his free time.