Richard Acosta’s “Dancing Cocoa, Running Rails”

“This unique exhibition is a tribute to those who came before us and lived in a time where people seldom wore shoes and the best salary you could have earned around that time was $30 a month. These nonagenarians (over 90) and centenarians (over 100) that are featured in this exhibition; their youth and early adult life was a period of economic and cultural growth — and with the passing of time became at risk of being completely forgotten as a result of subsequent technological advancements,” Acosta said.

In celebration of International Day of Older Persons, October 1, Acosta alongside the United Nations Information Centre, the Coterie of Social Workers, Division of Ageing and the Ministry of the People and Social Development Project Memory/Year of Memory will pay homage to people like Dame Louise Horne, Beryl Patrick Doyle, Augustine Fournillier, Emma Watson, Father Arthur Lai Fook, Boochoon Samaroo and many others whose photographs and memories paint a picture of what life was like in Trinidad and Tobago before we gained independence.

Acosta said, “The concept for the exhibition started 12 years ago. I was president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cultural Association at the University of Miami. At that time the International Day of Older Persons was approaching so I came up with the idea since everyone in the room was of different ethnicities; I thought why not tell the history of Trinidad and Tobago through its people.”

Excerpt taken from The Trinidad Express
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sunday-mix/Memories_On_Film-171887551.html?fb_action_ids=493470470678336&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=246965925417366