Laventille

Laventille is a Ward of Trinidad and Tobago.

The name Laventille hearkens back to colonial times, especially when the French dominated the cultural traditions of the island. One etymological derivation of the name is due to the fact that the northeast trade winds come to this part of the Island of Trinidad before it reached any other part of colonial Port of Spain. Hence the metaphorical name La Ventaille ("The Vent"). Geographically, it is the source of Orographic precipitation for the capital city.

One of the wards of the city, it is bordered by St. Ann's River (commonly called the Dry River) to the west, The Lady Young Road to the east, from the lowlands along the Eastern Main Road which includes the actual port of Port of Spain, a dump called La Basse, and a mangrove swamp ("the Mang") in the south, into the hills of the Northern Range to the north.

Laventille has poor communities (slums) covered with squatter settlements, tenement yards and apartments with most of the population being Afro-Trinidadian.

Laventille is home to Desperados Steel Orchestra, one the world greatest and oldest steel band existing today. It is also the place where Steel Pan was born, and now it is the birthplace of innovators and world renowned tuners like the late Rudolph Charles (former leader of Desperadoes, and also one of it’s tuners), Bertie Marshall and Roland Harrigin, to name a few. It is the heart-place of the Steel Pan world, where pioneer Winston "Spree" Simon lived and created one of the century’s new acoustical musical instrument. It currently houses several other bands such as Laventille Hilanders, Courts Laventille Sound Specialists, etc.

Laventille is also the home, birth-place and otherwise of many people, involved in community work and other types of cultural activity. Destra Garcia, a soca artiste was born at Desperlie crescent in Laventille.

Laventille has some of they highest crime rates in Trinidad and Tobago, with drugs, gangs, and murders the main problem in this community.

The name has also been used as a general term for the poor neighbourhoods of eastern Port of Spain including not only Laventille "proper" (Success Village, Trou Macaque, Never Dirty) but also Belmont, Gonzales , East Dry River, John-John, Sea lots, Beetham Estate Garden, Caledonia, Maryland, Mon Repos, Chinapoo, Morvant and UWI SAC.

Legacy

Laventille has achieved notoriety as one of the most murderous wards in the Caribbean. As a result, many internationally known 'tough guys' have been dared to spend a night in Laventille. The following people have followed through with the dare:

• Che Guevara
• Jason Statham
• Adam West
• Chuck Norris
• Bruce Campbell

References

• Laventille is also mentioned in the song "Boyz" by M.I.A. on her second album, Kala.

"Hey now lemme go hey now can we go riding up a dirty track up to Laventille".

• Laventille was the subject of a song by the same name sung by David Rudder.
• Laventille was the subject of a song by the same name sung by Mr. King.
• Laventille is the common nickname for the SAC section of the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago, because of the class of people SAC is usually associated with.