SDG Amazing Race Kicks Off With Competition in Chaguanas!

"YES BOY! That is it, that is it!" shouts Stephon Felmine, known locally as 'The Trini Alphabet Man' on TikTok, as Corey Warner plays the final notes of a song on the steelpan.

Before ten minutes ago, Corey couldn't play anything on pan.  

Now, he's just delivered six lines of a traditional Venezuelan folk song, after an intense coaching session from one of the young instructors at Proman Starlift Steel Orchestra.

Corey has played the chrous of a Venezuelan song on Trinidad and Tobago's national instrument. 

The significance of the cultural unity on display is not lost on another social media personality, Carlos Hernandez aka The Spanish, a Venezuelan migrant to Trinidad and Tobago who is also judging the competition.

"We cry to this song. It's about what happened when we became free in Venezuela," he says. "He played the piece with class!"

Corey and Carlos are two of the Trinidadians and Venezuelans who came out for the first round of the SDG Amazing Race at Saith Park, Chaguanas. The event, a collaboration between the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), was hosted on September 25 as the first of a series of events that will allow people to interact with the Sustainable Development Goals and what they mean for Trinidad and Tobago's progress and prosperity.

"As the Secretary General of the UN just said at this year's General Assembly, 'lofty goals need to be made real to people,' and that's why we're hosting this event," said UN Resident Coordinator a.i. for Trinidad and Tobago, Dennis Zulu.

This inaugural edition of the SDG Amazing Race focuses on SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. UNHCR and IOM champion this goal by promoting inclusion and acceptance of migrants and refugees.

To win the competition, teams had to navigate a trivia maze and a complete an amateur steelpan showdown.

The trivia maze featured questions on the United Nations, the SDGs, migrants and refugees. These questions presented an excellent opportunity to raise awareness about the meaningful contributions that migrants and refugees have made in their host communities, both in Trinidad and Tobago and globally.

In the steelpan competition that followed, we tasked these amateur pannists with learning the Venezuelan folk song, Alma Llanera. Young members of the Proman Starlift Steel Orchestra coached participants, and the contestants then performed in front of a panel of celebrity judges and diplomats from the United Nations and the European Union. 

"When we leave from here today, I want you all to remember that the purpose is to show that migrants, refugees, and people from anywhere, regardless of the circumstances, don't just come with their suitcases. They come with their passions and skills," said Jewel Ali, Head of Office at the International Organization of Migration, Port of Spain.

Her UN colleague, UNHCR Head of National Office, Miriam Aertker, added, "Can you imagine the untapped potential we can release by supporting the inclusion and integration of refugees and migrants here in Trinidad and Tobago?"

The SDG 16 challenge fit perfectly with the Inclusive Cities project in Chaguanas, an initiative financed by the European Union. Funding for this event came from the UN RCO and the Inclusive Cities Project.

"Everybody should be an Ambassador for good. Sometimes little acts by all of us can have a tremendous impact," said His Excellency Peter Cavendish, Ambassador of the European Union, as he encouraged all participants to become ambassadors for the SDGS.

The winning team of Shereen Maharaj and Anu-Nandika Bachew walked away with specially designed SDG 16 trophies, while all participants received UN tokens.

Special thanks to the European Union in Trinidad and Tobago, The Inclusive Cities Project, The Chaguanas Borough Corporation, and Proman Starlift Steel Orchestra. The event would not have been possible without them

Story by Keval Marimuthu