Reporter
matthew.chin@guardian.co.tt
Mixed-media artist Shalini Seereeram is using her creative talents to help the people of Carriacou recover from the ravages of Hurricane Beryl.
For the artist, who lives in Chaguanas, the island’s recent devastation evoked memories of what happened in Grand Bahama in 2019 when Hurricane Dorian uprooted lives and she felt a strong need to help. This desire to help others in their most trying times was inspired by a difficult experience many years ago when she and her family faced homelessness.
“When I was around eight years old, my home burnt down. That’s why I have that compassion and empathy for when people lose everything because we knew what it was like to lose,” she said.
“If that did not happen, I may not have been the compassionate person that I am today.”
On a flight back home from a recent trip, Seereeram and other passengers were directed by the pilot to look at Beryl. What she saw terrified her.
“It was late and yet I saw this red glow that was coming from the heart of the storm . . . frightening as hell itself,” Seereeram confessed.
She is convinced that the reality of climate change was proven by the speed at which Beryl developed into a Category 4 hurricane before it reached the Caribbean.
“You see and hear people talk about the oceans warming causing a lot of things to perish. You could see the tropical storm was a little lower than it normally starts. Then you hear warnings for Tobago, for north Trinidad, then you start to get really worried,” she noted.
Seereeram, 52, believes T&T would have could have suffered devastation like Carriacou and other islands had the hurricane changed course.
She has participated in past hurricane relief efforts in her recent efforts she has so far raised $10,000 through sales of her paintings.
However, while some have praised the artist’s initiative, one man criticised her online for not helping T&T nationals instead. There was also the assumption by some that she was using the hurricane relief efforts to boost her brand. Seereeram vehemently denies this.
“There was this one person who was actually being mean and saying, ‘You don’t contribute to anything. Why are you going to help other people, it has plenty of people down south.’”
In response to these criticisms, she said: “It is important that no matter how many people protest at times when we reach out to help a fellow nation we realise we are fortunate. I am grateful that it was not us.”
Seereeram is pleased about the number of persons and organisations who are supporting hurricane relief efforts. However, over the years she has noticed a slight shift in the degree of compassion citizens show to others, including their own.
“I cannot call myself a Trinbagonian and not help because before we were such compassionate people and we would help anybody. We would stop and help anybody!” she said.
Seereeram hopes more people will offer to help in times of natural disaster as this “shows our neighbours that this is what it truly means to be a Trinbagonian.”
“I believe in helping here, and helping on the outside, which is an extension of who we are.”
Seereeram is currently preparing for a mixed-media solo exhibition of three-dimensional artwork in September. The date is still being finalised.
