Syrian Lebanese in Trinidad

7/27/2019 Syrian Lebanese in Trinidad

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Syrian/Lebanese Presence in Trinidad and Tobago

Syrian/Lebanese Presence in Trinidad andTobago|The First Century|Bibliography

INTRODUCTION

The last group of immigrants to venture to

colonial Trinidad originated in the regionpreviously known as Greater Syria, whichcomprises of present day Iraq, Syria,Palestine and Lebanon. Many of the

Lebanese hailed from the villages of Buhandoun andAmyoun while the Syrians came from villages in the

Valley of the Christians. These Arabs emigrated to theCaribbean from as early as 1904 in an attempt toescape religious persecution and economic hardship intheir native countries.

Trinidads thriving economy, political stability andpristine environment proved to be the ideal locationwhere these displaced Arabs could establish new lives.They brought with them vestiges of their culture and akeen business acumen which proved to be the ideal

tools for success in the colony. At their arrival theywere virtually penniless; however, they have

managed to achieve phenomenal economic success.

CIRCUMSTANCES OF ARRIVAL

Initially, the first Arab settlers in Trinidadwere men. They resided in boarding housesalong Marine Square and George, Duke,Duncan and Charlotte Streets. GeorgeHabib and Amin Abraham were among the

first to land, arriving in 1904 and 1905 respectively.The Syrian-Lebanese men would then work toaccumulate money to pay off their credit at businessplaces; maintain families back home and provide forpersonal living expenses. Some money would be saved

and some would also be used to pay the fares forrelatives to travel to the colony. Albert Hadeed, anArab-Trinidadian explains, [First] A few men camebecause of the oppression and after they establishedthemselves, they sent for their brothers or theircousins.

Members of a family cameto Trinidad following theirrelatives. The Nahousfamily is a fitting example.Joseph Nahous followed hiselder sister Faridi to thecolony, arriving in 1937,

sixteen years after she (Faridi) left Greater Syria.

Fourteen years after his arrival, Nahous sent for his wifeand children. The men who had left their spousesbehind would arrange for them to come to Trinidad andby the 1920s and 1930s many young women of Arabicdescent had arrived in Port-of-Spain to raise familiesand lend support to their husbands. Usually the menwho came did not envision a future for themselves ingreater Syria. Most had operated wool and silk factorieswhich were rendered obsolete with the creation ofartificial silk. They travelled to the Americas fuelled withthe hope that greater opportunities would be available
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to them there. These early immigrants usually remittedbeautiful descriptions of the Caribbean which served tomotivate their relatives to journey to the West Indies.

SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

The eagerness and haste with which the earlyemigrants facilitated the immigration of their immediate

and extended families is indicative of the greatsignificance of the family unit in the Syrian-Lebanesecommunity. Family seemed to be the nucleus of theirsociety and is credited as being one of the contributingfactors of their entrepreneurial success. Traditionally,

the males assumed the tasks of foundingbusinesses.

With the exception of Rahme Sabga andSusane Kousa (two female peddlers of the1920s), it was only men who would peddledry goods throughout the country sides of

Trinidad to acquire an income to support their families.Women were expected to care for the children andperform household chores, in addition to providingmerchandise for their husbands to peddle. Arabicwomen were competent seamstresses. Ramza Hadeedasserts that Shirt making was the industry of theimmigrant women. Anna Haddaway started her factoryas did Miriam Sabga. Furthermore, Arab women alsomade an assortment of lingerie. In the eighties, severalSyrian-Lebanese women were entering the official workforce, with most employed in the areas of banking andteaching.

The family was also central to Syrian social life which ismaintained by regular and frequent family gatherings.Socialization is primarily restricted exclusively to themembers of the community although recently, someSyrians, such as the Mighty Trini(Robert Elias), arebecoming more socially integrated with the wider

society through participation in national culturalactivities. Previously, Syrian-Lebanese children wereprohibited from socializing outside of the community.Young women, particularly those of marriageable age,were very sheltered and whenever social excursionswere necessary they were chaperoned by elderbrothers.

In an attempt to shelter their youth, the Arabsestablished an exclusive club on Dundonald Hill in 1944.There, weekends and evening would be spentconducting theatre and concerts in addition to playingtennis, billiards and bingo. In the 1950s, charity andvoluntary work became an important aspect of thesocial life of the Syrian- Lebanese women.

Organizations such as the Syrian Lebanese WomensOrganization and TriSly (a youth group) have beenactively involved in the preservation of Syrian-Lebaneseculture in addition to raising funds to assist lessfortunate Trinidadians.

RELIGION

The Arabs are very religious and quickly assimilatedinto the Roman Catholic Community. Although theSyrian-Lebanese were either Maronite, Antiochian


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Orthodox or Orthodox, they preferred to join theCatholic faith because, according to Rose Abraham,

[the Catholic Church] is the highest, the strongestchurchthe only church Arabs felt is a good church. Itcan also be inferred that the similarity in rituals andteachings between the Orthodox and Roman CatholicChurches would have been comforting to the Syrian-Lebanese immigrants.

ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

In addition to Trinidads beautyand agreeable climate, the islandat the turn of the century was awealthy, thriving British Colony.The colony was in close touch

with all parts of the globe. As a result, it was conduciveto lucrative trade. This was encouraging for the Syriansand Lebanese since trade and commerce were ingrainedin their culture.

In Trinidad, Syrian-Lebanese business usually took theform of a sole trader or partnership (with anothermember of their family). They are primarily involved inthe haberdashery trade which is evident by the largenumber of Syrian owned fabric firms located throughoutTrinidad. Syrian-Lebanese are also involved in real-estate development; the manufacturing sector and thefast food

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Syrian Lebanese in Trinidad