Contemporary Venezuelan Student Emigration to Trinidad

• Author: Michele N. Reis
• Pages: 36-51

~ 36 ~

FREEDOM AND CONSTRAINT IN CARIBBEAN MIGRATION AND DIASPORA

CONTEMPORARY VENEZUELAN STUDENT

EMIGRATION TO TRINIDAD

MICHELE N. REIS

33

33

3

IntroductionIntroduction

IntroductionIntroduction

Introduction

The linkages and affinities between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela

are numerous and long established. There are four principal factors that

account for this, which in some measure have contributed to migration patterns

between the two countries. These are 1) geographical proximity, 2) a shared

colonial past (Trinidad was once a Spanish colony), 3) cultural similarities

reflected in the cuisine and music of the two countries and 4) common natural

and economic resources (plantation agriculture, natural gas and petroleum).

Thus, it is not surprising that early historical accounts of Venezuelan wars,

insurrections and expeditions document migratory flows between Trinidad

and Tobago and the Venezuelan mainland, in addition to the flourishing

commercial trade and the fact that many Venezuelans sent their children to

Trinidad to acquire proficiency in English. In the 1920s, the discovery of

petroleum in both countries further fuelled migration of Trinidadians to

Venezuela in substantial numbers until the 1980s, when Venezuela’s

economic and political climate worsened dramatically, making it less

attractive to Trinidad migrants.

Within recent times there is a common perception that Venezuelan

emigration to Trinidad has become more pronounced. While indeed more

visible, this chapter will dispel the myth that Venezuelan presence is recent or

even unprecedented. By a tracing the historical antecedents of the

migratory flows between the two countries, it will become apparent that

~ 37 ~

CONTEMPORARY VENEZUELAN STUDENT EMIGRATION TO TRINIDAD

these flows have been constant, though more prominent at various times

in the history of both nations.

The chapter will first trace the historical antecedents to the migratory

flows between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago, before looking at the

socio-cultural implications of this most recent influx of Venezuelans. It

will include empirical data based on interviews conducted by the author

with Venezuelan students. The study is timely, as the linkages between

Spanish-speaking Latin America and the English-speaking Caribbean is

both important and under-researched. The present research on the

Venezuelan community is limited by the fact that there are no recent

analytical or academic studies of the phenomenon. The lack of data on

actual numbers of students makes it difficult to make a comparison with

the early period of Venezuelan student migration to Trinidad.

For the most part, in general, Venezuelan migration to the island has

been commonly linked to an upsurge in criminal activity, drug trafficking

and prostitution. The current study is meant to stimulate two possible

ideas for further research: (1) constructions of Venezuelans and Venezuelan

migration in the Trinidad media; and (2) the role of language schools in

encouraging Venezuelan-Trinidad migration and facilitating social

integration. It will also comment briefly on the more positive aspects of

the Venezuelan presence in Trinidad, as well as the benefits of the

rapprochement between the two countries.

Historical AntecedentsHistorical Antecedents

Historical AntecedentsHistorical Antecedents

Historical Antecedents

There was interaction between Venezuela and Trinidad even prior to

the ‘discovery’ of the two territories by Christopher Columbus in 1498 on

his third voyage to the New World.1 In the Orinoco Basin, the Warahoons

and the ‘Caribs’ were the first migrants, setting the pace for the more

contemporary waves of immigrants. That there were movements of people

from the early exploratory expeditions of the sixteenth century to the present

day is not difficult to imagine, given that only 10 miles of water between

Güiria in Venezuela and Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad, separate the

two countries.