TRINIDADIAN Anthony Coryatt wants to take local culture to Australia, where he has migrated with his family.
Coryatt is in talks to establish "down under" the Junior Bisnath Kaisokah School for the Arts. Here he plans to teach the art of stilt-walking and other aspects of Trinidad and Tobago culture.
Bisnath started the School of the Arts, Sports, and Culture, popularly known as Kaisokah School of the Arts, at his home at Henry Street, San Fernando, where he specialises in stilt-walking, drumming and woodwork. He's excited about this new prospect.
He said he has taken stilt-walking to Cuba, England, Panama, Zimbabwe, Germany, the US and other countries, but is yet to establish links with Australia.
In an interview with Newsday, Coryatt who was in Trinidad for a month to do business and vacation, said he has made his home in the coastal city of Gladstone, Queensland. The population there numbers approximately 35,000.
Originally from Tabaquite, Coryatt moved to Australia to work with Score Group Ltd, an international company providing engineering technology services in the oil and gas industry. After working there on two occasions for a few months each time, he developed a love for the country and persuaded his employer to relocate him, his wife and their two daughters.
“It’s been a year since we have been across there as a family, and we like it.”
One area of attraction which helped him fit in was the richness of Gladstone’s culture. Each year, he explained, there is a cultural festival in which immigrants are invited to showcase some aspects of their indigenous culture.
“I went there and was impressed with (what) the different cultures’ other immigrants, from China, India, Brazil, had to offer. (But) there was nothing from Trinidad, which has such a rich culture.
“People asked me where I was from and when I told them TT, they had never heard about my country. When I told them it is part of the Caribbean, they immediately identified me with Jamaica and reggae music.
“I tried to explain we are the inventors of soca and calypso, but they never heard about our music, pan or Carnival.”
Proud of TT’s culture exported around the globe and which attracts tourists to its shores annually, Coryatt said he was a bit disappointed TT was not well known in that region.
It sparked a yearning to have TT’s culture represented there by way of its food, fashion and music.
“I thought about all the information I could pass on to spark an interest in them to know more about TT to the extent that they would want to visit. I mean, their style of living is different, they love to travel and are always looking for new places to explore."
Specialising in Latin dancing, even entering competitions and taking to the professional stage, Coryatt said he also dabbled a bit in soca. While he can carry a note, he is not a great singer.
Based on his dance background, he joined a Latin dance class.
“It was the closest thing I found to music back home. This is a Brazilian outfit, they teach Latin dances and when they ar
