On August 31, the T&T German Association (TnTGA) celebrated the 57th anniversary of T&T’s independence in a public park in Berlin. It was a warm and sunny day and if you closed your eyes you could imagine that you were in sweet T&T on the Savannah grass, and not thousands of miles away from home in Germany.
Requesting that she be referred to only as Nicola, a Trini German said: “The T&T German Association, TnTGA, is a vibrant and energetic team comprising of young T&T and German professionals. Our backgrounds and professions are extremely diverse and includes marketing, football coaching, biomedical sciences, tax advisor, yoga instructor, entrepreneurs, risk analyst, VIP services, human resources, editorial services, hospitality and even horseback riding. But our shared passion for T&T’s heritage and culture brought us together and is exemplified by our group motto Merging cultures, uniting people.”
Nicole continued, “The best way to describe what we do would be that TnTGA represents the new generation filled with optimism and positivity to face new and existing challenges within the targeted communities.
We aim to work with everyone, establish mutually beneficial collaborations, changing and moulding the landscape to encourage positive energy and vibes.
“There are countless opportunities for both nations to benefit from each other’s diversity in culture, education, sports, travel, music and other resources just to name a few. We envision working closely with consulates, embassies, T&T government, German Embassy, T&T corporate world, universities, etc, to provide support and advice for T&T nationals in Germany and for German nationals who engage in T&T related activities.”
Last Saturday’s get together was the second held by TnTGA for T&T Independence.
Nicola said: “This was dubbed our Famalay picnic lime, and the turnout was fantastic. People made their favourite dishes to share and the picnic spread was beyond delicious, with homemade dishes like oxtail stew, macaroni pie, mango/pineapple chow, aloo pie and doubles. Drinks were flowing, and naturally soca and calypso music was playing. It was family friendly event with activities like face painting, tattoos, All Fours and dominoes. T&T nationals and their friends came from near and far (Berlin, Hamburg, Hannover, Leipzig and even Sweden) to celebrate with us. There was such an amazing feeling of togetherness and just pure good vibes.”
However, the celebrations did not end there, as the TnTGA members had planned another event that evening for everyone who wanted to continue the liming and shake a leg. The after party showcased three DJs—Sativa Sound (Trinidad); Team Thunda (Germany); and, Barney Millah (Germany)—at a local Berlin bar. Here the real soca lovers came out to play and danced until the early hours of Sunday morning.
“The picnic and after party was enjoyed by one and all,” said Nicola, “and we sincerely hope that the TnTGA family and friends group will continue to grow as together we are strong and can achieve great things.
“For the future, our plans involve making documentaries showcasing the history of both German and T&T nationals who are our ‘legendary cultural ambassadors’, hosting education programs, various exchange programs, workshops involving and showcasing sports, culture, food, travel, music, business and many more activities.”
To find out more about the TnTGermanAssociation go to Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TnTGermanAssociation/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tntgermanassociation/ Email: tntga2018@gmail.com