UTT’s academic mandate

The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) is redefining its academic mission under the leadership of Executive Chairman Kamla Persad-Bissessar. The university is prioritizing educating young people about their nation's culture and history, alongside a strong focus on financial recovery.

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Go and educate the young men and women of Trinidad and Tobago about their culture and their history and put UTT’s financial house in order.

Within a year, UTT has made significant strides in its financial turnaround. The operating deficit has been reduced from $21.2 million to $6 million, and the university has recovered $36.2 million in outstanding student receivables. This financial stabilization supports the strengthening of UTT's research and commercialization agenda.

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Freedom is often told through a single story, but the UTT wants audiences to see a much bigger picture...We can recognise and acknowledge that there are certain common sufferings that took place in slavery and indentureship. Rather than focusing solely on African Emancipation, Cudjoe said the university wanted to present a broader national conversation.

A key initiative has been UTT's public engagement with Emancipation Day commemorations. The university anchored discussions around Canon Philip Henry Douglin’s 1888 address, "Jubilee of Emancipation." However, UTT aims to broaden the narrative beyond a "single story," as warned by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The university seeks to acknowledge common sufferings during slavery and indentureship, fostering a national conversation that recognizes diverse experiences.

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the danger of a single story

UTT's approach challenges traditional narratives, particularly regarding the role of white humanitarians in emancipation. Citing scholar José Lingna Nafafé, the university highlights earlier abolitionist movements, such as Lourenco da Silva de Mendonca's 1684 case before the Vatican court accusing nations of crimes against humanity for Atlantic slavery. This historical perspective underscores UTT's commitment to a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the past.

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In 1684, Lourenco da Silva de Mendonca from the kingdom of Kongo in the Indies arrived in Rome to take up an important role for Black peoples. That role was to bring an ethical and criminal case before the Vatican court. He accused the nations involved in Atlantic slavery, including the Vatican, Italy, Spain and Portugal, of committing crimes against humanity. It detailed the ‘tyrannical sale of human beings...the diabolical abuse of this kind of slavery...which they committed against any Divine or Human Law’.