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Prof Tony Martin Dies at 70
By Camille Bethel [email protected]
Prof Tony Martin has died.
One of this country's celebrated intellectuals, who authored many scholarly articles on African history, died last week at the West Shore Medical Hospital.
Martin, who leaves to mourn his wife Paloma and his son Shabaka, received a BSc honours degree in Economics at the University of Hull in the United Kingdom and a Master's and a PhD in History from Michigan State University began lecturing at Wellesley College in 1973.
He became a professor in 1979 and retired in 2007.
Last year Martin announced his newly completed book 'Caribbean History: From Pre-Colonial Origins to the present'.
In a brief interview on the works and life of Martin the head of the Emancipation Support Committee Kafra Kambon, who said Martin helped to liberate minds, yesterday called for Martin's newest book 'Caribbean History: From Pre-Colonial Origins to the present', which he said has been praised by scholars, to be used in schools.
"I think that he was one of our major intellectuals not just in Trinidad and Tobago but in the Caribbean and in the wider African world. The in-depth knowledge of Marcus Garvey has come from the publishing of Dr Tony Martin. He is considered the world's foremost authority on Marcus Garvey.
"He has also just last year produced a very, very significant book on Caribbean history it is one of those omnibus types of texts that we have been saying since it was published we think it is a text that needs to be in the schools. I would recommend that the senior level given the nature of the book and I believe that it is one of the books that will stand out for a long time," he said.
Martin's other academic accomplishments included a law degree from Gray's Inn, London, and a lifelong devotion to and monumental research on the life and legacy of Marcus Garvey.
He traveled the world during his life time lecturing on Garvey and published several books, including Race First, Marcus Garvey Hero, Message to the People, A Course in African Philosophy, Literary Garveyism, the Poetic works of Marcus Garvey, African Fundamentalism and The Pan-African Connection.
He was heavily involved in the activities of the Pan-African Congress, in Manchester and was hosted by the Pan-African Congress Movement (PACM) on several occasions where he was even invited to speak at their annual Africa Liberation Day.
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