Pan to replace Columbus ships in TT Coat of Arms

The government of Trinidad and Tobago is to include the steel pan on that country’s Coat of Arms. The announcement was made on August 18, 2024, by Prime

Minister Keith Rowley, who said that the pan would replace Columbus’ infamous “three ships” on the national Coat of Arms.

The decision comes 62 years after the country achieved independence on August 3, 1962, and is part of a planned revamping of colonial names and signs being undertaken by the government aimed at removing many of the vestiges of colonial rule. A committee has been set up to organize public consultations on the placement of signs, statues, monuments and signage and is due to begin its work on August 28.

However, the announcement by PM Rowley has already stirred public comment. Opposition Leader, Kamla Bissessar has said that placing the pan on the Coat of Arms can “stir racial conflict”, and prominent spokespersons from the Indian community have also given public reaction. A spokesman for the Indian Tassa Association, (tassa is the popular Indian drum), has openly said that the tassa is more popular and more local than the pan, while a prominent Indian historian has called for both the pan and tassa to replace the “three ships”.

Additionally, local political activist and trade unionist, David Abdullah, has expressed his agreement with theproposed removal of the Columbus emblem but said that the government should first let the committee carry out its work and ascertain public opinion. A leader of the local indigenous community, Ricardo Hernandez, has also commented on the issue saying that it is important that educating people be part of the whole exercise. But the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Port of Spain wants both the ships and steel pan on the Coat of Arms.