A UNIQUE ESSAY competition for final-year Caribbean secondary school students has been launched by the Eric Williams Memorial Collection (EWMC) in honour of the 2007 Bicentenary of the British Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in Africans.

The initiative takes its name School Bags Essay Competition after a famous exhortation to the children of Trinidad and Tobago by the country's late prime minister and author of Capitalism And Slavery, Dr Eric Williams.

On August 30, 1962, the eve of Trinidad and Tobago's independence from Britain, Williams in a nationwide address as first Prime Minister, had the following exhortation for the children: "You, the children, yours is the great responsibility to educate your parents, teach them to live together in harmony . . . to your tender and loving hands, the future of the nation is enshrined.

"In your innoncent hearts the pride of the nation is enshrined. On your scholastic development, the salvation of the nation is dependent . . . you carry the future of Trinidad and Tobago in your school bags . . . ."

That appeal was consistent with the special emphasis Williams had placed as scholar and politician on the importance of knowledge, often declaring "to educate is to emancipate".

Participating as patrons in the essay project, organised by the Memorial Collection based at the St Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies, in collaboration with the Jamaica National Bicentenary Committee are:

Caribbean Development Bank, University of the West Indies, Caribbean Community Secretariat; Caribbean Airlines of Trinidad and Tobago, LIAT, C.L. Financial Group; Digicel (T&T) and Trinidad Hilton.

Based on book

The competition, which started last month, and closes on December 15 this year, is restricted to final-year sixth form students in all member countries and territories of the CARICOM region.

All entries are required to be based on Dr Eric Williams' seminal scholarly work, Capitalism And Slavery and focused on two questions:

"How has Capitalism And Slavery shaped current debates on the commerce in African slaves and the abolition of slavery?" and, "What relevance, if any, do these debates have for today's student?"

According to a statement from the organisers, first prize winners will receive a four-day all-expenses paid trip for two to Trinidad and Tobago (if winners are from Trinidad and Tobago it will be to Jamaica), plus US$1 000 educational voucher; tour of the Eric Williams Memorial Collection; set of Williams' books and a framed certificate. The winning essay will be published. (RS)