Historian hails Trinidad plan to remove Columbus ships from coat of arms

Trinidad and Tobago’s coat of arms on a government building in the capital, Port of Spain. Photograph: Ash Allen/AP

The government of Trinidad and Tobago wants to remove a depiction of three ships used by Christopher Columbus from its coat of arms, in a move hailed by a historian as important in addressing historical inaccuracies and shrugging off colonial identities.

The Caribbean country’s prime minister, Keith Rowley, announced a plan on 18 August to replace the ships with a representation of Trinidad and Tobago’s national instrument, the steelpan.