All across T&T today, with joyous bell ringing, singing and dancing, Spiritual Baptists will celebrate their hard-won freedom to worship.
Defined by a distinctive liturgy and beliefs rich with sounds and movements inspired by the rhythms of Africa and Christian traditions, this syncretic indigenous Caribbean religion was once misunderstood and subjected to stigma and discrimination.
It was only through the efforts of early leaders of the faith, who courageously lobbied the authorities to regain their right to worship, that Spiritual Baptists now freely practise their religion without fear of harassment and prosecution.
In the 73 years since the repeal of the Shouters’ Prohibition Ordinance, Spiritual Baptists have impacted T&T culture, social development and politics. Members of the faith have attained positions of leadership and influence in various spheres and their places of worship are part of the T&T landscape.
A landmark moment for the faith occurred 28 years ago when, spearheaded by the late Basdeo Panday, Shouter Baptist Liberation Day became a public holiday, allowing for the celebrations that are taking place all across the country today.
Given the history that makes this day and the nationwide commemorations possible, it is important to maintain the prominence of Liberation Day and ensure that generations to come are aware of the struggles to gain religious freedoms.
November 28, 1917, marked the beginning of dark days of repression and prosecution when the Shouters’ Prohibition Ordinance was passed against the faith by the British colonial authority.
For the next 34 years, their distinctive style of worship, with bell ringing, stamping of feet, shouting, dancing and singing loudly and “catching power”. regarded as “too noisy” and “too African” by the powers that be, was illegal. Spiritual Baptists were prohibited from holding meetings, baptising new members in the rivers or seasides, or participating in any of the rituals associated with their faith.
Anyone caught in any of these activities was liable, upon conviction, to a hefty fine or imprisonment with hard labour.
It took persistent lobbying by some leaders of the faith, among them Elton Griffith, Granville Williams, Philip Granger, Andrew Balfour and others, to convince the authorities to repeal the ordinance.
And so it was, on March 30, 1951, that Minister of Education and Social Services Roy Joseph piloted the motion in the Legislative Council to give Spiritual Baptists their freedom of worship.
Among those speaking in support of the motion was Ashford Sinanan, the member for Naparima, who said, “It was important for every man to be allowed to worship God as he pleases.”
Also contributing to the debate was labour hero Tubal Uriah Butler, then the member for St Patrick West, who declared, “I will vote heart and soul for the repeal of the ordinance.”
It was fitting that on that historic day, members of the West Indian Evangelical Spiritual Baptist Faith celebrated the repeal of the ordinance by holding a worship meeting outside the Legislative Council Chamber.
However, decriminalisation did not mean automatic acceptance. The religion has still struggled for years with a stigma that has not yet been completely erased.
The bells being rung in Spiritual Baptist churches and public spaces today are sounds of freedom that should not only be celebrated but protected.
A blessed Liberation Day to the Spiritual Baptist community.