‘My people!’ A Trinidadian’s love letter to his island, just before its 1962 independence

The Trinidadian-born musician, actor and filmmaker Edric Connor (1913-68) moved to England in 1944, where he became a successful and influential entertainer. In 1959, Connor, a proud ambassador of Trinidadian culture and advocate for East Indian nationalism, travelled to the Caribbean to shoot a series of short films documenting the cultural vitality of these islands just before they became independent from the United Kingdom. In Caribbean Honeymoon No 1 (1960), Connor returns to his hometown of Mayaro to offer an enthusiastic tour of its scenic beaches, cuisine and thriving fishing, pottery and sugarcane industries. More than just a charming island visit, Connor’s film establishes Trinidad as a place of vibrancy and ingenuity, very much distinct from that of its coloniser.