The National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago joins in the

Commemoration of the 45th anniversary of the Black Power Uprising

On 19-21 April 2015 the National Archives joined the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago in its commemoration of the 45th anniversary of the 1970 Black Power uprising in Trinidad and Tobago. The Trust hosted the event titled “1970 Revisited: The Nelson Island Experience” and provided public access to the island which once incarcerated 50 political detainees of the 1970 uprising, and reexamined the transformative events of that period through exhibitions, testimonies from detainees, spoken word and drama.

The National Archives’ exhibition allowed schoolchildren and members of the public an opportunity to witness the unfolding of events of the 1970s through the eyes of newspaper reporters of the day. The newspaper articles explored the pre-1970 era, civil unrest during 1970, its aftermath and some of the critical players. 

Former political detainee, Apoesho Mutope, also exhibited his collection of photographs covering the era.