Brinsley Samaroo

The sugar industry in Trinidad and Tobago has been considerably reduced in size and no longer dominates the landscape of central Trinidad as it had done for more than two centuries. During these gruelling years, African and Indian labourers toiled in the production of ‘brown gold’, rum, molasses, bagasse and other by-products. Many thousands of workers were engaged in this endeavour and a unique culture developed in the sugar belt.

By the middle of the twentieth century, most of the elements of the industry were undergoing significant changes as modern technology replaced older, less efficient modes of production. Tractors and trucks were replacing the ox and mule carts; expanding railway systems were making the cane traces and watering coppers obsolete; and concrete dwellings were being built in place of the tapia houses and carat-leaved ajoupas.

At this critical juncture of modernisation, Garnet Ifill, a young and visionary photographer, decided to capture the fading heritage. His unique collection of photographs is, therefore, a permanent reminder of a bygone era.

• 280 x 210 mm
• 80 pages
• Paperback