Machel, Kees, Muhammad Muwakil & I had the honour of spending time with these extraordinary young men, Ryan Ramoutar and Nicholas Khan, who were amongst the poets and spoken word artists from inside the Port of Spain Prison, and who shared their stories with us last Wednesday at the Bocas Lit Fest event, Voices from Inside. Ryan has published five books to date, and secured 17 CXC's, despite being held in remand for eight years without trial. Nicholas, who on Sunday won the Bocas Lit Fest open mic competition, entered the prison system illiterate at 16 and is now 27, and has not yet had a trial. He says, “In many ways as much as I want to get out, prison prevented me from becoming a memory.” #VoicesfromInside, hosted by Bocas Lit Fest and made possible by Debbie Jacobs was the first ever live feed from inside a Caribbean prison. The event afforded us the opportunity to begin sharing these stories and others with a wider public. My incredible friend, author, activist and professor, Baz Dreisinger, has successfully implemented the Prison to College Pipeline in the US and is currently establishing the same in Jamaica, Trinidad and St Lucia. #TogetherWI are determined to amplify the stories and disseminate the information that will inevitably break down the misperceptions that fuel this corrupt and destructive system. In Baz's words, “It’s not about rehabilitating people. Let’s rehabilitate a society that is producing people to come to prison.” Help us get these stories out, help us demystify the circumstances that have created and are perpetuating a system that is effectively destroying the fabric of our country. Email Together WI at [email protected] to expand the information campaign #VoicesTT and let's take these stories from Trinidad to the Caribbean to the world. #VoicesTT #TogetherWI #EndMassIncarceration (at Port of Spain Prison)
