Norman McNeil was born on July 3, 1821 in Tobago as an enslaved person, but rose to become a famous educator. In his 50-year career in teaching, he contributed extensively to pre-school education – especially in the area of Whim. The United Nations declared 2015-2024 the International Decade of People of African Descent. In the spirit of this decade and of family heritage, his descendants, which include the filmmaker, honour his achievements with this short tribute.
Venerable: The Pioneering Achievements of Tobago Teacher, Norman McNeil (2021) |
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Short (15mins) Documentary |
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Trinidad and Tobago |
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No Rating |
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Director(s): |
Sonja Dumas |
Sonja Dumas is a performer, choreographer, writer, filmmaker, teacher and arts development consultant who lives and works in Trinidad and Tobago. Her films include the documentary, ‘Julia and Joyce: Two Stories of Two Dance Pioneers’ (winner of the Best Local Film at the 2010 trinidad+tobago film festival), ‘Tickle Me Rich’ (nominee, 2014 Africa Movie Academy Awards), and ‘Avocado and Zaboca’ (2014), a short stop-motion/ live-action film for children. She is currently in post-production for ‘Excellent Women: 100 Years of Bishop Anstey High School’, an experimental documentary about her alma mater – one of the leading girls’ high schools in the region. Sonja is also a co-founder and co-director of COCO Dance Festival, the largest contemporary dance festival in the English-speaking Caribbean. Most recently, she founded Zum-Zum Museum, a Caribbean heritage activity space for children.
22 Jerningham Ave,
Belmont, Port of Spain,
Trinidad and Tobago, WI
Tel: 1.868.323.3228
