Caricom perspective, no 56 & 57, july december 1992

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NO. s6 & s7 JULY. DECEMBER - 1992

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:.:iiii >1 .1-, / 1 \'. ./

A celebration of the Regiorls survival despite Columbus and the positive achievements of the Survivors.

Performance of "Ancestral Echoes" by the Jamaica Dance and -Dance Theatre for Carifesta.. [See p. 27).

,r* a'or.

No.56 & 57 July - December 1992

GONTENTS

FEATURES a a a a a a a

Within the Boundary .................... l8 Voices yet Unheard ......................23 ...............25 Bedspread.

Cross Caribbean Productions. ...... 26 Peiro Alonzo Nino ....................... 40 Comment from the Diaspora ........42 Poverty and Violence ................... 63

o Survival Foods ............................. 65 o Warfare without Weapons..... .......76 o Caribbean Forces on Reform........85 Reviews An Island Experience ................... 20 ..............21 Caspandora

SPECIAT FEATURES Cover Page - Dance Sequence by National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica at CANFESTA V (photograph by Jefrey Chocl<, Trinidad & Tobago) - setting out to explore the "shenanigans over the past halfa nillennium of Uncle Sam, John Bull and the Bishop of Rome," (story on page 28).

o

. .

Crisis in Cuba's Economy

8

CARIFESTA V:..

27

Revisiting the Scene Roderick Rainford .................... 44

ABOUT THE REGION Social Dimensions of the

Report WIC

WIC a a a

.........12

................. 15 Catalyst for Implementation ....... 17 The CET Concerns of the Social

The

Partners

.......... 49-51

Order of the Caribbean

Community

The flag of the Caribbean Community features a

part being of a blue background - the upper light blue represcnting the sky and the lower part of a dark blue representing the Caribbean Sea. The yellow circle in the centre of the flag repres-

a a

Programme

a a a

Chips...........

Bio-diversity

o The White Robed Army ............. 89 o Saint Lucia Music School ............ 90 . Dubaretta ..................91

. Caribbean Architecture............. 73 . CARICAD ...............74 . CNIRD ....................75 r Lethal Cargo................................. 78 . WINFA Points the Way...............80 . Air Transport Opportunities........ 82 r Rendezvous of Victory ................ 84 . The Butch Initiative ..................... 87 . AIDS Update................................ 93 . Development News ...................... 94 o Meetings. ............... 100 . New Titles...........

101-102

..........58

International Affairs

Caribbean's Bargaining

ents the sun.

lE ,tn black is the logo of The interlockin, the Caribbean Community.

The narrow ring of green around the sun represents the vegetation of the Region.

.........56

Declaration on Haiti ..................... 57 Iwokrama Rain Forest

Guest Column r Nature's Idiot - Derek Walcott 52-55

........ 59 ........... 6l

Bahamas Vote for Change ...........67 Elections in Guyana ..................... 68

. NAFIA and the Caribbean ............ 5

Caribbean Emancipators ...............

I8

Articles may be reproduced in part or wholly, with due credit given to the publication.

CARICOM PERSPECTIvE is published four times each year and reports on the work, achievements and problems of the Caribbean Community, and is issued free of charge to readers in the Community.

Published by: the CARICOM Secretariat Com-

munications Unit, Bank of Guyana Building, P.O. Box 10827, Georgetown, Guyana, S.A. Printed by: Colc's Printery Limited, Wildey, St. Michacl, Barbados, W.I..

Pege2

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER,1992

1c,:7q7L=

MAKINtr OUR

voltrE5 HFARD Edwin Carringtotr

Edwin Carrington assurned the post

of Secretary-Generol of CANCOM inJuly 1992.

In a keynote address to participants at

the Fifrh Europe/Caribbean Conftrence, held at the International Trade Centre in Curacao, on Noventber 10, I 992, Secretary-General Carringtort outlined some of the challenges facing the Caribbean Re gion in its effo rts on "Making the Caribbean voice heard in Europe".

Mr. Carrington touched on recent inte

rnati

onaI

d eve

lopil

t

e

nts in Eu ro p e -

The Single European Market, the changingface of Europe and the Caribbean and the implications of these developnents, and outlined what he saw as the "ntessage we seek to send. to Europe".

Followittg is an excerpt from his address:

How can we make our voices lreard over the strident den.rands being made from all sides? How can we ensure that

between the Community on tlreone hand, and the countries ofthe Caribbean, on the other; with emphasis on developing the

our small voices are not drowned out at this critical juncture of our development by the loudness of the rapid changes

necessary entrepreneurial skills which help us improveourcompetitiveness; and on full implementation of the new chapter in Lomd IV on enterprise development with all the provisions it has for tech'rlcal assistarrce and increased levels of risk capital for small and medium-sized businesses in particular.

The decline in European investment in the Region, notwithstanding the provisions of the Lome by the EIB is of particular concem to us.. I exhort the European

taking place within and outside of Europe. How can we with the relative economic "unimportance" of our Region persuade investors in Europe that we are worthy of their attention? The issue is not just one of resources but of competing agendas. What is the message we seek to send to Europe? What is the content of that voice we wish to have heard?

First, we must define the message we want to send witlrin the context of the current economic realities, namely that one of the priorities for the entire Region, is developing our conrpetitiveness withirr the context of the global trend in trade

liberalization and the development of economic blocs. Our path to sustained, export-led growth can no longer be built on the uncertainties ofretaining guaranteed markets for traditional products bttt on finding products that will meet new market needs. This is an undertaking that will call for time, patience, cooperation, support and constant dialogue between the public and private sectors as well as

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY . DECEMBER, 1992

Comnrunity to work with govemments and the private sector in finding innovative ways to improving our attractiveness to European and other foreign investors.

Secondly, we must in light of tlre new Europe, and indeed the beginnings of

a

new Caribbean, purposely set our joint horizot.snot with regard to ourtraditional partners within the European Conununity, but also with regard to the countries of the new European Community area, which includes EFTA, as well as the (rew capitalist nrarliets emerging in Eaitem Europe.

(Cont'd on page 4) Page 3

The Nordic countries for example, of EFTA, have some of the

bean has been strcngthened in its resolve

performance, the Region is now intgnt on

members

to deepen the integration process. The

highest per capita income in Europe, and indeed in the world, yet we of the Caribbean have made little effort to tap these markets. Our current trade with EFTA is still very minimal and not strong even in the well-developed area of tourism - the

rapid geo-political shifts and realignments

moving forward as a single market. We appeal to the private sector to join in helping to achieve that historic initiative

rcgion's leading economic activity.

As regards the existence of potential markets in the countries within the former Soviet network, especially Hungary, at least one expoft promotion office in the

Caribbean is seeking a region-wide approach to developing these markets, particularly in acquiring market information and accessing and developing appropriate intermediaries.

Thirdly, we in the Caribbean must be relentless in our domestic efforts to improve our competitiveness and ourstanding in the global economy. Action speaks louder than words! And it is what we do, more than what we say, which would be the real message and which will have the loudest voice. The CARICOM Region, which has embarked not only on the deepening but also on the widening of ourown integration process, must not only embark, but must travel and arrive at the destination. We have woken up to the reality that in today's world an economic grouping of 5.5 million people could easily get lost among the cracks of the new economic blocs.

Fourthly, we must exploit every avenue for Caribbean cooperation and de-

have made regional integration an imperative and no longer simply a desirable option. Notwithstanding the past slow

Pege 4

that it will offer.

NEW MAN ATTHE HELM Edwin

W. Caruingtott

Date of Birth:

23 June 1938

Nationality: Marital Status:

Trinidad and Tobago Manied. Three children B.Sc. Economics, London Upper Second Class

Education:

Honours

(including Accounting and Business Administra-

196/.

lion, Monetary Economics, International Economics).

M.Sc. Economics, UWI, Jamaica (including Ad-

1965

vanced Economic Theory, International Trade, Development Economics and Public Policy).

1965-1968

Post Graduate Research (in Advanced Economic

Theory, Economic Planning and Development, McGill University, Canada.

Doctor of Laws (Honoris causa) UWI.

1989

IIain

Positions IIeld

t964

Administrative Cadet, Government of T.&T. Economic Planning Unit, O.P.M.

1965-1968

Teaching Assistant, McGill University

1969-1970

JuniorResearch Fellow, Institute of Social and Economic Research, UWI St. Augustine.

t970-1972

Chief of Economics and Statistics (including Regional Agricultural and Industrial Sector CARCOM

velopment. For example, Lom6 IV through the establishment of the Caribbean Forum which include the new ACP countries of The Dominican Republic and Haiti as well as Suriname and CARICOM has within it the seeds of a framework for facilitating Caribbean-wide cooperation.

Already there are suggestions that the scope of this Forum should go beyond mere programming development and implementation of projects but should seek to develop a coherent policy with Europe.

This should be pursued to its fullness.

Fifthly, and this is the message which emerged from the recent Conference of Heads of Govemment of CARICOM and which I wish to convey to you, the Carib-

and to take advantage ofthe opportunities

Secretariat.

r973-r976

Sep. 76 - Feb. 85

Directorof Trade and Integration Division, (including Economics, Statistics, Agricultural and Industrial Sectors) CARICOM Secretariat.

Deputy Secretary-General, ACP Secretariat, Brussels

March - Oct. 1985

Interim Secretary-General, ACP Secretariat

Oct. 85 - Feb. 90

Secretary-General, ACP Secretariat

l99l

High Commissioner of Trinidad and Tobago Guyana.

UAKICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER, 1992

NAFTA &THEtrARIBBEAN= WEIEHINETHE OPTIONIi * Anthony Gonzales

Possibilit

The debate about North American Free

Trade Area recently heated up with the signing of the proposed NAFTA agreement. Its central focus is how is recover ground now lost by the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) as a result of the concessions made to Mexico. Even though there is a broad consensus on the negative im-

pact in terms of existing and potential trade and investment dimensions, there is

corniderable divergence on the way of proceeding.

On a precondition, all participants in the discussion basically agree that NAFTA depreciates the status of CBI in so far as it offers Mexico quota and tariff reductions or eliminations (phased or immediate) in product areas which are regarded as sensitive underCBI, and therefore, subject to

exclusions or restrictive exceptional clauses: more favourable rules of origin; fairer dispute settlement mechanism that offers more security as compared to the present arbitrariness in CBI. As a consequence of the above provisions, Mexican competition with the CBI countries will be felt strongly in textiles a

and garments, tuna, rum, certain fruits and vegetables, etc. In the area ofsensitive items which invitenon-tariff barriers, a significant portion of Caribbean exports to the US is presently restricted. In this category, Mexico has received concessions which would allow Mexican exports to displace Caribbean goods overtime.

rr:s

lattercould be in areas suclr

as

investment

and intellectual property.

Briefly, there are roughly about three

In general, the first and tlrird options

possibilities facing tlre Region as regards approaching NAFTA. The.,frsr is to negotiate a free-trade agreement based on phased reciprocity (longer phase-in periods and even switch-backs for sensitive

are considered thereal ones around

products).

The secondoption can be described as

tainly rrot prevent trade and investment diversions. Its proponents tend to per-

a damage-control operation. It involves the use of lobbying to block and circum-

ceive its main advantage as keeping nonreciprocity and giving the Region time to work out its relationship with the EEC.

scribed concessions presently given, to

which

the debate is centered. The damage con-

trol option even if it still preserves some new CBI concessions, will still not prevent preference erosion. It would cer-

Mexico when the proposed agreement comes up for passage in the US Congress.

The main aim of this approach is to achieve some limited sectoral gains particularly in

textiles and garments. Some reciprocal action on the part of the Caribbean may be necessary for the achievement ofthis goal .

Thethirdapproach is to seekto revitalIII by obtaining similar favourable concessions granted to Mexico without touching tlre acquired rights. This modified CBI could theoretically be even more advanlageous than NAFTA for Mexico. In return for such concessions, the Caribbean would undertake market oriented reforms, give some reciprocity and commit itself to a transitional period at the end of which it will become a full member of NAFTA. This strategy is usually referred to as the parity approach. A wider version of this position is for the Caribbean to offer limited trade and non-trade reciprocity. The

ize the CBI or negotiate a CBI

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER, 1992

I)arity Argunrent Parity and phased reciprocity are generally considered superioroptions, in that entry into NAFTA is regarded as imperative. In addition, they trace a path of entry that will provide terms and conditions as

well as a time frame under which the Region will be able to properly adjust.

However, they differ fundamentally with respect to the length of time and tlrc pace for phasing in concessions. In tlre parity

position there is explicitly the position that the Region needs to go througlr a transitional phase and thus slart free trade negotiations. It is not clear whether at the end of this transitional period whether a process of phased reciprocity will begin.

The latter, however, is suspected and, if this assumption is correct, then the length of time is too long to be able to benefit (Conr'd on page 6)

Pege 5

significantly from free trade, especially

more, the US can extract such conces-

chances of arresting trade and investment

it is also suspected that a long transi-

sions by other means. As an example, the

tional phase will be sought.

The second and more important concern is that transitional 'non-reciprocal' parity is not realistic. The historical experience on trade negotiations clearly demonstrates that countries which have been granted reciprocity will not accept that

US has attained Tax Information and

diversion. It would also allow the Region to gain the benefits ofearlier entry insofar as NAFTA benefits diminish over time and the Region would wish to avoid picking up the crumbs. Present arrangements with Canada and Israel as well as those in the proposed agreement with Mexico allow for l0 to l5 years phase-ins as well as even switch-backs in the event that market disruption is excessive. Why should the Region need more than l0 or l5 years for import-substituting industries which have in any case to be phased out or become competitive in this reasonable timeframe? Furthermore, the movenrent of technology and capital in today's world is such that once locational conditions are right, the Region needs few, if any protec-

as

concessions obtained can be given to other

countries not offering the same condientire process of constructing a free trade movement in the hemisphere. Countries belonging to the Andean Initiative as well as GSP countries in Latin America will make similardemands out of proportion to normal considerations related to size and levels of development.

Another reservation about the parity argument is that, even under the most

tions. This will undermine the

optimistic assumptions, the most critical provisions of NAFTA would not be conceded. These relate to its contractual nature and dispute settlement which provide the basis of secure market access.

The bottom line is that investment is tied into larger market space and a necessary condition for putting the Region on to the investment map is to clearly establish that

it is part

these non-trade concessions.

The main pillarof the parity argument,

however, lies in its assumption of the length of time needed to undertake struc-

tural reforms. While not clearly specifying a timeframe, there is implicitly in the approach the belief that the Region is very far from being ready for free trade.

Caribbean countries however, have been involved in structural adjustment, on average, about five years. The speed with

which many Latin American countries reduced their tariffs and undertook re-

tive walls to build industry for export.

forms is testimony to the fact that the

tial development of compelitive export

parity position is overestimating the time

industries in this wider market space.

In view of size and level of development considerations, there is every reason to belief that the Caribbean can surpass Canada, Mexico and Israel in terms of longer phase-ins and switch-backs.

Furthermore, issues of migration, drugs,

required to become ready for greater competition. Furthermore, it is a nristake in present circumstance for snrall countries to view the search for conrpetitiveness as not integral with participation in a large

market space.

The focus must therefore be on the poten-

and parcel of a large secure

market space. In this respect it should be recalled that investment, not trade, is now

the name of the game. Trade is now following investment and investors will not proceed an unstable transitional 'nonreciprocal'parity arrangement as equal to entry into NAFTA. Another myth surrounding the superconcessionary parity position is that parity can be achieved by sweetening the package with some non-trade reciprocal concessions especially in investment, intellectual property, etc. Quite apart from the fact that reciprocity is generally specific to the particular arena of negotiations for well-defined reasons, it is difficult to conceive how the US could be induced to grant such large asymmetrical trade concessions in retum for concessions on investment and intellectual property which generally have their own reciprocal basis of negotiation. FurtherPege 6

Exchange Agreements by tagging them to access to 936 funds. In addition, the general leverage ofthe US through bilateral and multilateral channels gives them sufficient negotiating strength to obtain

While

not clearly specifying a

timefrante, there

is implicity irt the

approach, the belief that the Regiort is

very -fo,

from being ready -fo, free

trade.

The upfront negotiation ofphased reciprocity, through longer phase-ins for the Caribbean could provide the renraining time needed for structural adjustment.

Above all, its major advantage is, that, psychologically it would send tlre riglrt signal to the market and hence increase

etc. should assist the Region in obtaining such concessions in this post-cold-war world where tlre strategic basis of the CBI has been eroded.

The US has clearly indicated thar it is

not amenable to asymntetrical reciDrocity wlrich, in a fundamental sense, is a

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY . DECEMBER, 1992

coded term for non-reciprocity. The Region should not continue with this ap-

The Missing Link

proach but rather focus more on the time needed for certain potentially competitive industries to restructure, and the extent to which this is attainable in phased

Intheend, themissing link isthe future US attitude to extending NAFTA. This unknownwill unravel itself in the coming months as the NAFTA Bill makes its passage through the US Congress. The

reciprocity negotiations.

At the

same time it is useful to bear in mind that the US

itself will be interested in phased reciprocity to protect some of its own industry.

Region could make maximum use of this breathing space to get its act together.

Dr. Anthony Gonzales Lecturer, IIR, UWI,

St.

is

Senior

Attgttstinel

o

THE ROLE OF

AtrRItrULTURE

)iegotiatin g Platfornrs

Of course, an over arching issue is whether the Region has sufficient bar-

gaining power to gain from free trade

In our own Caribbean relations - Agri-

negotiations. Its market size is miniscule and unattractive. There is thus the need to create maximum market potential by building a CBI negotiating platform. In spite of the recent efforts, the diplomacy required to put in place this platform is yet to be designed, far more mounted and

culture, especially sugar and bananas, continues to dominate major aspects of our intemational relations. Caribbean/ EEC relationships, historically built on

implemented.

It is true that some countries consider the creation ofsuch a platform as unrealistic in as much as there are differences in the pace of macro-economic and struc-

tural reforms. Countries that are behind are regarded as not being in a position to be ready for negotiations for a very long time. This situation has led some countries in the Region to jump ahead of the pack and start selling themselves as mod-

els of reform ready for NAFTA entrY negotiations. While the difficulties must not be over looked, it is clear that today, the majority of Caribbean countries have been undertaking market-oriented reforms and are in a much better position to seek

a common framework for negotiations with the US. , The present marginalisation of the Region provides sufficient grounds for seeking an earlier timetable for phased reciprocity in NAFTA negotiations. An

preferential conditions for our exports of these commodities, seem set to undergo fundamental changes as world pressures seekto bring to a forceful end, this centuries-old pattem of Caribbean/European relationship.

This development, painful as it may be inthe shortrun, may well openthe way for a more sustainable and rational organisation of the economies of the countries of the wider Caribbean Basin to meet the new common challenges facing these countries as the Twenty First Century approaches. If any mutual benefits are to result from such a con"lmon Caribbean Basin approach, both sides would need to be sensitive to and accommodating of the

interests of each other. Central America, for example, in seeking to develop worldwide its banana exports, cannot afford to be unmindful of the concerns of the small Caribbean Windward Islands banana producers to maintain their minority share in their traditional markets.

We in the Caribbean also have another special concern about the role ofagricul-

early opportunity will be available to put

ture in our small corner of the world.

the Region's concems on the NAFTA

importance as

agenda and broaden the present NAFTA debate to include development financing

and other arrangements for small developing countries. The occasion should therefore be seized to shape

NAFIA.

Indeed, given agriculture's regards its contribution to our Gross Do-

mestic Product, to our employment, to our foreign exchange eamings, it remains a critical part of the backbone of our economies and societies. In a society of

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY. DECEMBER' 1992

five and a half million, importing some one billion US dollars worth of food annually, the motive for and the orientation of its further development is most evident.

The motive is however not enough.

International support - bilateral and multilateral - including the removal of international obstacles, whether these be access to markets or unfair competition by subsidised production, is still very much in need. With this support plus a sustained regional effort, and reinforced by appropriate research training and extension work, and land tenure reform, the Region can reinvigorate its approach to building and exploiting the significant' contribution which agriculture, including fislreries development, must make it our escape

from under-development.

IICA's prowess in cooperation and research could make an important contri-

bution to the development of efficient Caribbean Basin agriculture production and cooperation. Indeed spanning as it does the entire Caribbean Basin, IICA cannot stand aloof or be indifferent to these vital concems which can represent vital pillars in future Caribbean basin cooperation.

IExcerpr frotn "The Role of Agriculntre in the New International Setting, deliv'

ered by Secretary-General Edwin Carrington, at. the symPosiunt itt coumenoratiott of IICA's Fifiieth Anniversary, Georgetown, Club, l8 SePtember 1e921 Page 7

trRIsIsINtrUBA'5 EtrONOMY tr. POLItrIES TO trONFRONT IT -*Carmela Mesa-Lago

Introduction Cuba is a unique case of economic counter-reform in the midst of a socialist world which is or introducing market-oriented reforms. Toward the end of the 1980s Cuba was the most economically dependent country within the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) in terms of trade and aid.

The collapse of the Soviet bloc has resulted in thetermination of all economic aid and a sharp reduction in trade. The combination of domestic anti-marfet pbticies and end of extemal aid has provoked the worst crisis under the RJvolution.

But still the Cuban leadership continued to defend orthodox Marxism-Leninism and attack market reform.

The Rectifi cation Process In 1976-85 Cuban leaders gradually introduced a modest program of market economic reform (the System of DirectionandPlariningof theEconomy: SDpE) which resembled the Soviet reform of the mid-l960s. Characteristics of the SDpE were: some dencentralisation in decision making (giving more powerto managers of enterprises), use of some market mechanisms (such as profit as a major indicator

of managerial performance, free peasant markets, privateself-employment particu-

larly in services), self-financing ofenterprises based on bank credit, and expansion of economic incentives (e.g., wage differentials, production bomnes, prizes).

Although the SPDE had serious flaws and was never fully implemented, the Cuban economy vigorously grew in this period. However, the deficit in the trade balance rapidly expanded and had to be Page E

covered with huge Soviet credits, while

recentralisattion of decision making un-

some inequality, bureaucratism and corruption increased. These problems, combined with the change in leadership and

der Castro and his inner group who essentially rely on subjective criteria to govern

growing economic limitations

in

the

USSR, as well as Fidel Castro's politicoideological objections to the SDPE, as the scene fora dramatic change in economic

policy. kr 1986 Castro launched

the

Rectifica-

tion hocess (RP) which involved several measures. A group of RP policies have further restrained private property and the market.

A second cluster of RP measures was enacted to increase control oflabour productivity and wages and to fight corrup-

tion.

A third set of politics

pursued

macroeconomic stabilisation, i.e., reduction of trade and budgetary deficits.

A summary of the RP economic features include:-

(a) Planning (b) Decision Making (c) Directive indicators, Prices and Financing (d) Integral System of Enterprise Improvement (e) Uncertainty in Planning but Increase in Centralisation (f) Unsuitable State Substitutes for the Market.

In summary, the RP and the SDpE launched policies that resemble those applied in'the 1966-70 idealistic antimarket period of the Revolution. There is neither a real central plan nor clearly integratedmechanisms to measune managerial performance; rather there has been

the economy. Some of the institutions, disqedited in the 1970s, have been re-

introduced, such as construction

minibrigades, with equally inefficient outcomes. The partial militarisation of production (MINFAR enterprises, labour bridges and contingencies), the massive transfer oflabour to agriculture under the Food Program, and the excessively optimistic economic strategias and goals (to be discussed in Section 5) echo some of the doomed parctices of 1 966-70. The 4th Congress ratified the RP and its programs butfailedtodesignaneweconomicmodel; the Congress rejected the reintroduction of free peasant markets but allowed selfemployment although crippled by severe restrictions.

Termination and Reduction of Trade and Aid with Eastern Europe and the USSR

In 1985, 83% of Cuban trade was with the Council for Mutlral Economic Assistance (CMEA): 7 0.5% with the USSR and

12.6% withEastern Europe. Cuban trade

with the USSR systematically ended in deficitand the latterrapidly grew. The Rp external policy has aimed at reducing the external disequilibrium with their socialist partners through export promotion (es-

tablishing investment priorities), import cuts, and increase in domestic production

of foodstuffs. kr 1960-90 Cuba received an estimated $65 billion in Soviet economic aid aline, without counting Soviet military aid and Eastem European economic

aid.

More

CARICOM PERSPECTTVE -JULY. DECEMBER, T992

than60% of Soviet aid was innon-repayable prices subsidies and less than 40% in repayable loans. At the end of 1989 the Soviets disclosed that the Cuban debt was 15.5 billion rubles or $27.5 billion at the Soviet official exchange rate in 1990. I have conservatively estimated the Cuban debt with Eastern Europe at $ 2.5 billion in 1990; and the debt is hard cunency was $ 7.3 billion thatyear. Therefore, in 1990 Cuba's total external debt was $37.6 bil-

possibly by another5O% inl992. Cuba's trade deficit with the USSR increased by 144% rn 1985-89; no data are available

decentralized, competitive and profitmaximizing Soviet counterparts.

Until 1991 Cuban sugar exports were handled by one central Soviet institution which, in turn, contracted with numerous enterprises inside the USSR for key supplies to the island; the rest of foreign trade

thereafter. The USSR terminated two special concessions to Cuba in 1990; "reexporting" in hard cunency of crude oil supplies exceeding the island's needs and GULF ME

=-9

OF

XICO

)\

.,*,r'

J

economy.

of l99l maintained a Soviet preferential price for import of The trade pact

Cuban sugar but left all other commodities to be set at world prices and in hard currency (U.S. dollars) starting on April l; since 1992 sugar prices are set at world

market levels. The value of Soviet imports in Cuba fellby 7O% in 1989-91 and

t*"

hb^d'<A

lion, the highest per capita in Latin

America and the Caribbean.

The collapse of socialism in Eastem Europe and the USSR has resulted in eliminatiory'dramatic reductions in trade and aid. No five-year trade agreement was signed with the USSR for 1991-95, and Cuba confronts medium-term uncertainty on placing island exports, securing key imports and determining process of both. A trade pact signed for 1991, although making some concessions to Cuba, left for contract negotiation the determination of specific quantities and prices of most commodities, hence adding uncertainty in the short run as well.

The disappearance of the USSR has forced Cuba to negotiate individually with CIS independent republics. By April 1992 trade agreements had been signed with half of the republics only and the pact with Russia was for the first quarter of the year, optionally renewable in the remaining quarters. The CMEA was dissolved at the beginning of 199 l, and there was a radical shift from mutually agreed subsidised prices, payment in transferable rubles to world prices and payments in hard curren cy . As 83% of Cuban trade was with CMEA92% wa in non-convertible currency or barter, such a shift has had an enornous impact on the island's

4t.

/'\de

s{j$o

d'--

'*J A,TLANTIC OCEAN

dtultr

CARIEBEAN SEA

(1,'' ,)!

#

iT a guarantee

of Cuban debt with a French

firm that provided credit to buy sugar in the world market to meet the island's export commitments.

Although not enough data are available, Cuba's terms of trade with the USSR must have severely deteriorated in 199192, particularly because the Soviet prices paid for sugar was cut to one-fifth of the 1990 level. The amount of total Soviet aid granted to Cuba declined only slightly in

1986-90 (compared to the previous quinquennium), but its composition shifted from29% in repayable loans and 7l7o in non-repayable subsidies to 547o and,46Vo respectively. All Soviet economic aid to Cuba was terminated in' 1992. Cuba's debt with the USSR kept growing in 1990-91; the USSR apparently has requested that the debt be repaid at an exchange rate to be mutually agreed upon or with exports. Cuban centralised

enterprises must deal with increasingly

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER,1992

was conducted with thousands of decentralized enterprises. Since 1992 the central buying/selling mechanisms have virtually disappeared. These problems com-

bined with the complexity of the new contracts (to be set at world prices and in hard currency) take considerably more time to negotiate and have been one cause in the delays of Soviet deliveries. Additional limitations to Cuban trade with the USSR are: a dramatic decrease in the number of Soviet merchant ships to carry that trade (since 1992 virtually none) and insufficient capacity of Cuban docks.

In

1989-91 Cuba reported imports

delays and cuts in numerous Soviet supplies; in the last year close to half of the planned imports were not delivered. The most important cut has been crude oil and

oil

products which decreased 36% in 1987-91 and were expected to further decline by another53% toTO% in 1992.

Information for 1992 is fragmentary but Page 9

indicates that Cuba would export about two million tons of sugar to CIS, one-half of what it used to export before, and import amaximum of 4 million tons of oil and oil products less than one-third of what was imported in 1987. Cuba will probably sell less nickel and citrus than before, and an expansion of biotechnology . expoils cannot compensate for the huge losses from other exports. Cuba's trade relationship with the CIS will probably continue in the immediate future but at drastically reduced levels andwithout the previous advantages and facing increasing difficultias and challenges.

Cuban trade with the former GDR and Czechoslovakia (thetwo majortrade partners in Eastern Europe), as well as with Hungary and Poland has either stopped or

been reduced to a trickle. Trade with Bulgaria and Romania countries but at a very low level.

In 1986 Cuba suspended payments on the service of its hard-currency debt. The

Cuba

of Paris immediately

suspended

new credits a situation that still prevailed in mid- 1992. Tradehad declinedexports.

The island's official position is that fresh credit is needed to rqstart paying the debt service; but debtors request that servicing ofthe debt preceded the granting ofnew credits, hence, there is a statement.

n

(a) the national product grew at4l.6% 198 1 -85 but declnedby 6.3 % in 1986-90 (in percapita terms there was an increase

of 36% and a decline of l0%

râ&#x201A;Źspectively); (b) labour productivity grew at 4l.l% and declined 10.3% n each period; (c) the average annual nominal wage in 1989 was at the same level as in 1985 (no data are available in constant price.s);

had included, until early 1992, three

tion increased 17.8% but declined 6% in each period; (f) total merchandise trade increased 63% and declined 6.6%;(gt)the

a. cuts in the use ofenergy, b. a massive use of bicycles for urban

growth rate in the trade deficit slowed down significantly in 1986-89, but the deficit level remained above 2 million

c.

pe.sos; (h) the trade

the introduction of the RP) with that in 1986-90 shows a dramatic deterioration : Page 10

the work week has been decreased from 51.2 to 5 days, d. rationing of 28 food products and 180 consumer goods has been re-

Market-oriented reform is the only realistic alternative Cuba has to overcome the crisis because the old command-economy has proven to be ineffective...

intemational reserves declined 13.2% but decreased further, by 74.8% in each period, and (k) the hard currency debt inctease 1416 and 101.6% respectively.

None of the annual planning targets set in 1986-90 were met (on growth, productivity, average wages, imports and exports, housing construction); actually real performancewas half of the target. Specific objectives ofthe RP. such as reduction of the budget and trade deficits have not

Effects

transportation,

deficit with the USSR in l98l-85 to

socialism in USSRi/Eastem Europe. However, the negative economic performance began in 1986 when the RP was launched and long before thecollapse of socialism.

Economic In^dicators of the Crisis Effects. A comparison of Cuba's economic performance in 1981-85 (prior to

rounds of adjustment measures. Many factories have been either shut down or drastically reduced production: -

increased from 44.2%

144.5% in 1986-89; (i) thetradedeficit in hardcunency worsenedby 148% in 198 l85 to 144.5% but only by 18.3% in t98689, this was achieved not by increasing exports (which were stagnant but by reducing hard currency imports and shift-

a.

hence, it is not possible to accurately calculate the impact of the collapse of socialism in USSR/East Europe on the Cuban eronomy. b. Adjustment Policies.In August 1990 the Cuban leadership launched the 'special Period in Time of Peace', which

(d) there was a cumulative budgetary l98l-85 but a cumulative deficit of 5.5 billion pesos in 1986-90; (e) housing construcsurplus of 287 million pesos in

Effects on the Cuban economy and Society In 1986-92 the Cuban economy deteriorated and entered the worst crisis under the Revolution. There is no doubt that, since 1990, such deterioration has been principally the result of the collapse of

Evaluation of its Socio-Economic

Cuba has not released any data on macroeconomic indicators after 1990,

ing the trade deficit to the USSR;

been realized either.

o

introduced and social consumption of food (in state enterprises, school, etc.) have been cut down.

In 1990 one ofthe top Cuban economists pinpointed the domestic financial disequilibrium as among the most serious problem faced by Cuba.

Its claim that the RP would reduce crime and comrption has not materialized; conversely, the growing scarcity of consumer goods has become a fertile ground for robbery, black-marketing of goods and exchange ofpesos for foreign cunency, even prostitution.

Policies to Confront the Crisis Cuban Policies. These policies

a.

involve diversification of trade partners

CARICOM PERSPECTWE - JI,'LY - DECEMBER, 1992

and exports, opening to foreign investment, search for altemative energy source,

and the Food Program (RP).

The prospects of Cuba's substituting its former trade with Eastern Europe and theUSSRby expanding trade with China,

as well as developed and developing market economies are not promising, at least in the medium range. China cannot export to Cuba most of thecapital goods, manufactures and spare parts that Eastem

Europe and the former USSR used to send. The increase in sugar buying by China is small, limited by that nation's growing self-sufficiency and other factors, and it has filled only a tiny fraction of thesugarsurplus left by Cuba's former buyers on the vanished CMEA. Trade with Western Europe, Canada and Japan steadily declined through the 1980s and particularly since 1986, due to'lack of Cuba's saleable exports and fresh credit; in addition, the European Community is a growing net exporter of sugar. In Asia, competition by Australia, Thailand and

other more efficient sugar producers, which also offer cheaper freights, is presenting

a

serious challenge to Cuba. Trade

with Latin America is very small and has resulted in a deficit difficult to finance as many potential partners are either sugar exporters or self-sufficient. Cuba's expansion of trade in the region is also obstructed by U.S. dominance, poor com-

medium range. Natual and technical barrien impede a substantial increase in sugar output well beyond the 1986-91 average output of 7.5 million tons and the 1992 harvest was expectedtobe5.8 to6.5 million tons (compared with usual crops of 8 million) due to domestic and extemal constraint. The grandiose plans to triple nickel output have not materialized, and after a modest increase in output in 198889, there has been a decline due to the shutdown of a large new plant and the fuel shortage. The lack of advanced technology and the poor quality of Cuban nickel ore combined with the fuel shortage are serious obstacles. Output oftobacco leaf has oscillated with a tendency to decline and production of the famous Havana cigars has halved, this before the major

internation in quality. "Re-exports" of Soviet oil, the main source of hard currency in the 1980s, ended in 1990.

The most promising sources are citrus, fi sh-seafood and biotechnological-medical exports as well as tourism. In spite of dramatic increase in domestic output and export shares (ten and seven times), citrus and fish-seafood face limitations: the low quality of citrus and strong competition in

A necessary condition for Cuba's reinsertion into the capitalist market is export diversification, a frustrated dream for almost 100 years of the Cuban Repub-

the world market, and the universalization of the maritime zone combined with an aging fleet and fuel shortages for fishing. Both products suffered a significant decline in output in 1989. Reportedly' biotechnical and medical exports are rapidly increasing and appear to be most promising. However, we lack solid data on the profitability of this industry, quality ofproducts and value oftotal exports.

Although biotechnical exports to the USSR were expanding fast, fierce competition in the world market will have to be overcome to make this a successful source of hard currency. Finally, tourism has the potential to become a dynamic source of revenue, but in 1990, onlY yielded 0.6% of GSP; optimistic plans project a four to five-fold increase of tourists and revenue in 199 1-95, but Cuba

lic. But Cuba's potential for significantly

will have to substantially improve

petitiveness

of

Cuban exports, and

U.S. free trade agreements with Canada and Mexico. Foreign investment has been recently growing in Cuba, lured by more attractive conditions, but we lack data to measure its overall magnitude and economic impact. Finally, the U.S. is tightening the embargo on the island and it is possible that U.S. subsidiaries abroad be prohibited from trading and investing in Cuba.

expanding traditional and non-traditional expofts is quite limited, at least in the

the quality of services to increase the rate of return of tourists, keep attracting foreign

CARICOM PERSPECTTVE - JIJLY. DECEMBER' 1992

investors and expand its world marketing to make that dream come true. The combination ofadditional annual revenue from new non-traditional exports plus tourism

($1.5 billion at bast) is grossly insufficient collapse of socialism (more than $6

billion). The

island must develop an "export culture" to improve the quality, assortment, quality and stability of its exports. But to achieve that end, it needs to transform domestic management making it more responsive to world demand and prices.

The probabilities that in the medium range Cuba finds either domestic or external sources ofoil to substituteforthe45%

to 7O% cut in Soviet supply are poor.

Domestic oil outputdeclined

9l

3I%

in 1986-

and Cuba crude is of poor quality.

Despite various oil exploratiory'production contracts signed with intemational petroleum corporations, actual results are disappointing so far, and if good quality

oil in large quantities is found, it would take from 4 to 6 years to have oil produced. Cuba's nuclear plant in Juragua is

either paralyzed or progressing very slowly; it is doubtful that the fint unit will start operating in the next four years.

Production of alcohol out of three major oil exporting countries in Latin America have already statedthatthey donot intend to export oil to Cuba at subsidized pricas.

The Food Programme (FP) attempts to make the provinces of Havana and San-

tiago self-sufficient in the production of tubers, vegetables, rice, plantains, bananas, beef, milk, poultry, eggs and fish, as well as to increase the output ofexports crops (mainly sugar and citrus). The FP makes food sense, and is urgently needed.

What is questioned is thehugesize of this

it

program and its cost, the way in which it was designed and is being implemented, its unrealistic targets, and the underestimation of the severe limitations imposed by the worst crisis endured by the Revo-

lution.

The Other Alternative: Market-Oriented Reform Faced with the island's desperate need to (Cont'd on pege 19) Pege I 1

sotrlAt DIMENSIONS OF THE

W.I.C. REPORT Neville C. Duncan & June C. Soorner

The N.G.O. perception

of

develop-

ment and regional integration is peoplecentred and insists that these processes comrnence with the increasing of human

dignity as its focus. A pertinent definition of this was postulated in the N.G.O. Challenges in Caribbean Developntent.

It noted that: "the measure of development is to be

found in the level of increasing human dignity to be found in a society, not decreasing social alienation, increasing cultural strength and the extent of balance and harmony that exists in human rela-

tions with each other and the environment.

Appropriately, these ideas are incorporated into the concept of social integration which can be considered one of the most imperative yet most ignored facet of regional integration. According to this concept, the benefits of integration must be enjoyed by all classes and must begin with the involvement ofthe peoples of the region at all,levels. The process of social

transformation can occur only through the empowerment of the people who can then tackle the serious social issues of poverty and social dislocation, and therefore, themselves, raise their own dignity.

It is a moral and ethical imperative that such issues be explicitly encompassed within theunification agenda. The differentiation should not be made between the social well-being of the citizens of the

region and the economic and political of the region. With the

advancement

various structural adjustment programmes

being adopted by ilocal govemments,

emphasis must be placed on the afore-

mentioned issues. These I.M.F./World Bank induced policies place tremendous pressure on the "social sector" as massive entrenchment, devalgation, inflation and Page 12 I

liberalisation reduce the availability of already insufficient social services. The Caribbean integration movement must therefore focus on the formulation of polices whichwill socially empower Caribbean citizens to redress the imbalance

created by the implementation of lopsided models of development, to enable them to cope, survive and reverse the curtent crisis. [Soomerand Duncan, 1992].

Whilepapers were commissioned on a wide range of issues, which should form

an integral part of any regional integration scheme, the importance of these issues were emphasized only in relation to the prescriptions of development which the Commission supported. The core of this development strategy can be found in the Chapter IV entitled "New Emphasis on Development". In this chapter the Report identified new global trends in trade (i.e., the move to liberalisation and trading blocs) and the clranging of pattems of financial aid (i.e., the move towards the Eastem bloc countries and the former Soviet Union). Consequently the Commission proceeds to list ways in which the Caribbean must adopt to survive these changes.

The following is a synopsis of this proposal:

l.

CARICOMcountriesmust increase

their attractiveness to overseas lenders and inveslors; 2. Self-sustaincd growth to be achieved through emphasis on the export ofgoods and services; 3. Efforts must be nrade to develop human resources to aid the progress

of this export-oriented economy; 4. Capital, labour and skills should be

mobilised throughout the Region; and

5.

Development of natural resources of the Region.

When these are achieved then full employment of the labour force would follow. Further, "the export-oriented development strategy will be complemented by the evolution of domestic goods and services that are ancillary to the export activities". [p.96] In other words, if emphasis is placed on the export market, the

region's economic woes will be resolved since the success will spur the growth of small firms.

Disappointingly, this is the same economic policy implemented in the region for decades and which has proven incapable of leading the region out of poverty.

In fact, it has reinforced social imbalances and encouraged human indignity. This attempt to disguise this unacceptable de-

velopment strategy, blanketed in lofty words conceming human development and redressing imbalances in wealth and income, is made even more disconcerting

by the suggestion that "...Govemments have a major and dynamic role to play in this new policy situation". [p.l0l] Additionally, the concessions made to the role of the Labour Movement and other Social Partners are almost condescending . The Report suggests that emphasis will continue to be placed on governance, arrd the

paranretersfor the role ofsocial partners will be set by the governnrcnt. In other words, the govemments would set up the operations and consult with the social partners when it is deemed necessary.

The "new" model of development put

forward by the W.LC. alienates the N.G.O.s from the outset since they have in part totally rejected rftis model of development. This new/old proposal of the W.I.C. will continue to ensure "exploita-

tion and the marginalization of the majorCARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER, T992

ity", [N.G.O. Report, p.20] as itcontinues to envisage Caribbean citizens as small farmers and small business persons catering to an export sector. Incidentally, designated ownership of this latter sector is ill-defined and vague.

The W.I.C. sought to capture in its Report the range of issues brought to the fore in the Caribbean Community, in the wider Caribbean and in the metropoles.

While many of these were treated in a paragraph ortwo, and some attempts were made at achieving coherence, nevertheless, this laudable effort produced "a mix

and match" of notions and promissory statements empty of real implementational content.

The submissions of the N.G.O.s and

the other social partners were used as hortatory devices to support sonorous concepts such as a social charter, a West Indian Family and a community of interests but no institutions of an evolving charactertowards power-sharing was proposed. So, yes, a number of concems, failures and weaknesses were identified:

vulnerability [p.69], separateness [p.70], economies in the doldrums [p.70], social discords 1p.72'j, women bearing the most strain [p.73], environmental stress [p.74], the education shortfall [p.74],the loss of

values good [p.75], govemance under threat [p.76], the implementation problem [p.77], and the Community contradicted [p.79]; but it was the implententation problent which was singled out for extra-special attention. Everything else was alright orsecondary in the realm save this.

There is the privileging assumption, which the W.I.C. Report refers to as a West Indian Model, that the institutions of govemment, intervening as little as possible in the process of wealth generation -- how did this IFI model ever become this ! -- must be alert and efficient in ensuring that people at every level share in the basic goods, essential services, and educational and employment opportunities which the economy produces.

All the right commitments were made concerning an export-propelled strategy,

small business development and self-

employment, economic growth and human development, and correcting imbalances in wealth and income [pp.96-98].

Yet, there was only a very limited sense that development was people centred rather that simply based on bringing in more persons into the established process. The distinction is critical but has not been appreciated in the Report, so the strong impression is of intensification of welfarism under liberalisation processes

rather than fundamental social reform because, of course, there is a smugness about past achievements in social policy.

What we get is a theory of development which emphasizes a single market and economy, cooperating in production, transport and marketing, introducing ap-

propriate technology shaped to market size, developing certain key services and professions and developing genuine Caribbean franchise-type operations. There was hardly any talk, in the same breath, about asset transfer and empowerment.

These were discussed, to be sure, but primarily as after effects of the economic process or as distant support for economic sustainability.

The CARICOM Assenrbly

.

In terms of the structures of Unity recommended by the W.I.C., two in particular are of direct interest to N.G.O.s -the CARICOM Assembly and the CARICOM Charter of Civil Society. The Commissioners envisaged the need for a regional forum which can deliberate on Community matters and prefer to see it develop as a Assembly of the People of

CARICOM -- essentially as a forum of CARICOM Social Partners.

Inadequate and unsatisfactory is the proposal that parliaments should be required to elect to the Assembly a mix of parliamentarians and non-parliamentarians, and for conventions of consultation to be inaugurated whereby the involvenrent of social partners in the A.ssembly can be assured. The social partners are to be there by created conventions of consultation and not as an integral part ofthe

deliberative process, even although executive authority isnot anticipated forthe

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER' 1992

"Assembly". Confining N.G.O. and other Social Partners involvement in this Assembly, in the ways suggested by the Report, would only therefore further marginalise them.

If the N.G.O.s are not formally consulted by this Assembly, they would have another opportunity, through public hearings hosted by the Assembly, to be invited to provide views and advice This would be essentially anotlrer exercise in frustration since no executive authority is envisaged -- not even in terms of an evolving process.

A CARICOM Charterof CivilSociety The Report is replete with concerns for the normative aspects of Community life and the quality of governance. The Re-

port perceives that such a Charter should elevate some of these concerns to the level of principles and precepts. These would include such matters as: a free press, a fair and open democratic process, the effective functioning of the parliamentary system, the absence of women and children, the right of association, freedom from political victimisation, respect for religious and cuitural di versity, greater accountability and transparency in Govemment, greater public access to information ..[matters which] do not tum on the state onteconomic development. [p.495] Here is noted further confirmation of the inherent bias of the W.I.C. view on development which can so easily separate out the economic from these concems -partof theanswerto which would involve growth with equity simultaneously and the eradication of intergenerational poverty. The Commission, in tlrese and other areas such as the'goal ofhealth, education and eniployment for all, and the refornt of prison conditions, as examples, has restricted itself primarily to enunciating the need for nomral and commitment to them by govenrments and peoples. The (lltarter is envisaged as becoming the lcyalty of the people of CARICOM. Seen in this light the Charter becomes crucial only by (Cont'd on poge l4)

Page

13

additional and not by addition and not by its inherency to the development model.

N.G.O. response would weight these issues quite differently as the ensuring argument indicates.

The Regional Integration Movement must focus on the development of policies which would lead to the establishment of institutions to ensure that the benefits of unification would be enjoyed

by all classes. This is crucial

because

involvement of the peoples of the region, at all levels, would establish the movement on a strong foundation and ensure its survival. Therefore, any attempt at regional integration must take into consideration social reform in order not only

to alleviate the poverty of the people through acts at the regional level but also to begin the process of social transforma-

tion.

The social pillar of integration is intricately intertwined with the political and economic facets, however, even with increasing economic dislocation of the majority of Caribbean peoples, it has remained an invisible distant relation. One plausible explanation for this imbalance in focus is the fact that,local govemments in the region have not recongised that to combat economic crisis locally, emphasis must be placed on the social aspects of development. This shortsightedness has therefore prevented social considerations to filter into the integration movement.

The result is that the social inequalities

which exist locally are re-emphasized regionally. Therefore, the majority of Caribbean peoples have not envisaged any fundamental benefits to them, and consider present unification attempts as just another political device, best left to idealists and political elites.

Yet, it is a moral and ethical imperative that such issues be encompassed within the unification agenda. No differentiation should be made between the social well-being of citizens of the Caribbean and the economic and political ad-

vancement

of the Region.

Precedence

must be given to this consideration at the

juncture in our history, particularly in view ofthe various structural adjustment Pege 14

programmes being adopted by governments throughout the region.

The Caribbean Integration Movement must therefore focus onpolicy which will socially empower West Indians to redress the imbalances created by the implemen-

tation of lopsided models of development, to enable them to cope, survive and reverse the current crisis. Efforts have to be made to redress this situation and raise the standard of living of all West Indians.

Everything must be done to prevent poverty from being transferred from one generation to the next.

The late Sir Arthur Lewis in ?i e Agotty of the Eight complained that:

They make federation a question of customs union, freedom of movement, exclusion list, concurrent list and the like.

All this is secondary.

other functional areas of cooperation are added up the total falls far short of a

comprehensive well-thought out and regionally conceived and discussed programme. Yet it is the argument that this aspect must be there and present in the nascent stages if a real and sustainable Community is to emerge.

A Charter for a Social Caribbean

aims to do a number of things. Among these tasks are the following:

l.

to minimize the proportion of persons and households whose living

conditions are below those which society considered applicablc, not only economically but also socially and politically. the development of latent skills existing in all groups of

2. to promote

He had stated that: The fundamental issues are law and order, control ofthe police, the independence of the civil service, the magistrates and judiciary, fi nancial integrity, the abil-

the society, progressively doing

ity to recruit and hold good

those associated with social, ethnic or geographical origin or gender. to ensure that neither power, wealth, nor the fruits of progress are concentrated in such a manner as to

technical staff, and the ability to attract external grants, loans and investments. [p.20] The difficulty is that today he is both wrong and right. The deficiency is that good govemment is not the only fundamental reason for integrating, in the sense which Sir Arthur meant but is in the absence of a proper agenda for a Social Caribbean.

So far the focus in the regional integration movement has been to build a commonmarket. Functional cooperation in a numberof areas and agreement on collective diplomacy were all conceived of primarily as ancillary to that basic objective.

Indeed, the notion of a common market and community was designed almost ex-

clusively by economists. As a consequence only marginal attention has been directed to shaping a "Social Caribbean" in the contemporary period (1962- 1992).

To be sure, there have been CARIFESTA, a Labour Desk at the CARICOM Secre-

tariat, a Communications Division which produces the very interesting CANCOM PERSPECTIVE, tbe University of the West Indies, and so on. when these and

away with legally established privileges and forms of discrimination, as well as any other forms of in-

equality of opportunity, including

3.

restrict the freedom of present or

llture generations, harming

the en-

vironment in which they must live and develop. IECLAC, 1992:l] As Kathy Mc Afee

[99]:187] would

probably agree, a social Caribbean agenda is about development-promoting growth, which is ecologically, economically, psychologically and socially sustainable; in which women play a central, active and guiding role; which rescues and revitalises Caribbean culture and identity; which permits a spectrum of political and economic options and experiments; and which empowers the region's poor majority and, in so doing, builds a basis for more genuine democracy.

A basic argument of ECLAC 19921, is that

[1991,

it is not possible to pursue

growth with equity unless both are objectives both of economic and social policy.

By the same token it is not possible to CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY. DECEMBER. T992

THE achieve successful regional integration unless a social agenda is accorded, at least, co-equal status with economic growth. Two of the impodant objectives of social policy are to attain full producrive employment whereby the majority of the population can contribute to development and share in its fruits IECLAC, 1992:4l,and action to facilitate the accumulation of human capital (training, education, nutrition of children and expectant mothers, and health, including drinking water and sanitation infrastructure.

In the past, these objectives have been pursued more as basic social services, as welfare, ratherthan as one of the pillars of technical progress (knowledge and education). Also, these objectives were seen as being based in the achievement of economic growth. A social Caribbean approach directly confronts such assump-

ing integration.

w.l.E.

If governments are not

capable of doing this, they must carry on the work of the W.I.C. through national consultations using the Time for Actiott Report as the basis for discussion and refinement and to set urgent time frames on such consultations. This process may actually produce a set of acceptable mechanisms and procedures to ensure success.

Dr. Neville Duncanis Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Govt. UWI, Cave Hill.

June Soomer is a part-titne lecntrer, Departnrcnt of Government, UWI, Cave Hill

The proposal to establish the West Indian Commission was adopted by CARICOM Heads of Govemment at theirmeeting in July 1989 and embodied in the Grand Anse Resolution on 'Preparing the People of the West Indies for the 2lst Century'. The regional leaders specifically mandated that:

(i)

the Commission should be an independent body;

(ii)

the Commission should report to Heads of Govemment prior to their meeting in (July) 1992;

(iii)

the Commission should fonnulate proposals of advancing the

goals of the Treaty of

tions.

How paltry and inadequate then is the approach of the W.I.C. Report on the Social Charter question. Obviously what is needed is a Social Agenda approach which is built in to the development model as a whole from the very conception of a

Chaguaramas which established

the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM)

in

(iv)

the work of the Commission should be on the basis ofa proc-

development path.

Postsc

ess

of public consultation with,

and involvement of, the peoples

riltl

of CARICOM, and particular

Since these conntetfis were nmde, a najor disaster has occurred. CANCOM leaders, concerned about the implica-

tions of adopting the proposal

1973;

for

emphasis should be placed by the Commission on the section

of the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago's proposals

a

CANCOM Commission, decided in favour ofestablishing a Bureau, headed by the Chairman of CANCOM Heads of Governnrent Conference, the outgoing Chainnan and the incoming Chairman,

which suggests that: "...

a

process of meaningful consulta-

along with the Secretary-General of

tion with the govemments, political parties, trade unions, the private sector, reli-

CANCOM. This device meets no important criterion about a real connection with the political process and it is hard to imagine how "busy" Prime Ministers

demics, the average West Indian, be held on the future of the West Indies. In that process, let all ideas contend - political,

aided by a seriously under-funded Secre-

tariat can successfully carry out the implementation function assigned to the Bureau.

Unless CARICOM Govemments create an appropriate alternative to the

W.I.C.'s Commission, there will be no progress towards widening and deepenCARICOM PERSPECTIVE . JULY - DECEMBER, 1992

gious bodies, professional groups, aca-

economic,social and cultural; let unity of all kinds be appraised, no less that the prospects ofdisunity. Let the outpouring of the creative talent of our people in tlre region ... stimulate ... a process by which ourregion becomes a public forum on the future".

(Cont'd on page l6)

Page

15

TIME FOR AETION (Cont'dfrom page I5) The West Indian Commission began working in April, 1990, and thereafter undertook over two years, a full programme of work which included, most importantly, consulting the people in their representative organizations and at public

sessions in all thirteen countries of CARICOM as well as West Indians in the United Kingdom, in Canada and in the United States. The Commission also visited the CARICOM AssociatgMembers of the British Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands. In all these visists every effort was made to adhere to the process envisaged for the Commission at the Grande Anse Summit.

The Commission held 40 public sessions and received over 350 written submissions.

Visits were also made by the Commission to Cuba, Curacao, the Dominican

Republic, Martinique, Puerto Rico,

During a Sessiorr at tlte Caricortt Secretariat.

Statements by the Prime Ministers of Barbados, Jamaica and Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines;

Occasional Paper No. 3 To be a Canoe - Presentation by the Chair-

man of the West Indian Comn.rission to the Twelfth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Govemment of the Caribbean Community, Basseterre, 2 July l99l ;

Suriname, the US Virgin Islands and Ven-

ezuela. The Commission also held discussions with President Aristide of Haiti.

The Commission engaged the professional expertise and creative ability of a wide range of West Indians by commissioning 20 studies on subjects requiring special analysis. In addition, the Commission published Occasional Papers on a number of important issues. These were widely distributed to stimulate interest and discussion.

I

'

t

rirIi

t

:

i

t i,,I:

'

The Commission published an information booklet, six Occasional Papers and an Interim Report, These are:

Occasional Paper No. 4 A Common Currency for the Caribbean A Study by Dr. Delisle Worrell Occasional Paper No. 5

Whither Caribbean Health - A Study by Professor Sir George Alleyne and Miss Karen Sealy Occasional Paper No. 6

Compulsions of Integration by Dr. Vaughan Lewis, Director-General, Organisation

of Eastenr Caribbean

Towards a Vision of the Future - Progress Report on the Work of the Independent

West Indian Commission.

Occasional Paper No. L Towards West Indian Survival - An Essay

by William G. Demas;

Guyana,

ogy Page 16

States

Secretariat, St. Lucia.

Let All Ideas Contend: A Framework for the Participation of the West Indian People in the work of the West Indian Commission

Occasional Paper No. 2 Reaching for the Future - A Timely Tril-

-

\ll \.!lit '.:Shridath Ramphal,Chancellor, Univer-

sity of the West Indies; University of Alister Mc Intyre, Vice-Chancellor, University of West Indies, Leonard Archer, Secretary-General, Commonwealth of The Baharnas Trade Union Congress,

Willianr Demas, Governor, Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, Howard Fergus, Writer, Senior Lecturer/Resident Tutor, University of the West Indies, Montserrat, Marshall Hall, Group Managing Director, Jamaica Banana Producers; F. Allan Kirton, Minister of Religion, International Church Person in Residence,

Mission Resource Center, Emory University, Altanta, General Secretary, Caribbean Conference of Churches (1983-

r99l), Vaughan Lewis, Director-General, Organisation of Eastem Caribbean States, Sandra Mason, Senior Magistrate with Additional Responsibility for Juveni le and Family Courts, Barbados, Gillian Nanton, Senior Econonrist;

Government

of St. Vincent

Grenadines

983- I 989),

(I

and the

Phillip Nassief, Chairman, Chief Executive, Dominica Coconut Products, Rex Nettleford, Professor, Director School of Continuing Studies, University of the West Indies, Roderick Rainford, Secretary-General, Caribbean Comnrunity & Common Mar-

ket (CARICOM), Frank Ranrpersad, Coordinator, University Centre Project; Chairman University of the West Indies Advisory Committee,

Neville Trotz, Science Advisor to Commonwealth Secretary General.

c

CARICON{ PERSPECTIVE - JULY. DECEMBER, I992

CATALYST FOII IMPLEM ENTATION -

EARIEOM BUREAU man of the CARICOM Heads of eonference when The Bahamas hosts the next

regular Heads

of Govemment

Confer-

ence).

The newly-formed Bureau of the Conference of Heads of Govemment of the Caribbean Community began its work at the inaugural meeting at the CARICOM Secretariat in Gerogetown from December l5- 16. The Bureau had before it wideranging proposals to re-structure key institutions and organs of the Community and speed up the implementasiton of a large number of past decisions taken by Conference.

The Bureau is moving with dispatch, to communicate to the US administration, CARICOM concems on a number of issues.

A document prepared by the CARICOM Secretariat highlighting

Bureau: Left to right: Outgoing CaricontChainnan Dr. Kennedy Sirnnrcnds, Inconing Chairman Hon. Hubert Ingraham; Present Chainnan, Hon. Patrick Manning; Chief Ex. Officer, Edwin Carrington.

The current

Implementation of CARICOM decisions has long been seen as a major problem in the integration movement. In examining the problem, the West Indian Commission had proposed a CARICOM Commission to serve as a catalyst in this area.

At their Special Heads of Govemment

Meeting held in Trinidad and Tobago from 28-31 October, CARICOM Heads decidedthat,to succeed, such a body must have political clout. They therefore agreed to establish a Bureau of the Heads of Govemment.

The Leaders decided that the Bureau should comprise - the current Chairman of Conference, the outgoing Chairman and the incoming Chairman as well as the Secretary-General of CARICOM, whose role will be that of Chief Executive Officer.

And in order to facilate the smooth and effective running of the Bureau, it was agreed that the role of Chairman be rotated every six months.

The establishment of the Bureau was therefore the result of the perceived need

to strengthen the Community's institu-

implicaitons of the North America Fiee trade Agreement for CARICOM, and a letter on the Haitian situation and other matters will be forwarded to Presidentelect clinton and his transition team. The document on NAFTA also points to issues relating to the future of garment exports to the US and the seucrity of the Region's vital banana industry.

The Bureau has also dispatched to a meeting in session of the European Community Agriculture Council, a communication on the critical issue of continued

tional structure and implementaiton process.

The Bureau will have the competence to initiate proposals, update consensus, mobilise action and secure the imple-

mentation of CARICOM decisions in an expeditious manner, according to the Communique issued at the conclusion of the Special Meeting of Conference.

The Bureau is currently comprised of the Hon. Patrick Manning, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago as Chairman, the Hon. Dr.Kennedy Simmonds, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis as outgoing Chairman, the Hon. Hubert Ingraham, Prime Minister of The Bahamas as in-

preferential access for Caribbean bananas in the European Single Market.

Caribbean producers who now supply less tlr:.n 20% of the EEC banana market are worriedthat theirbanana will beedged

out of the European Community, their

coming Chairman and Mr. Edwin Carrington, Secretary-General of

traditional and only export market. by the Central american 'dollar banana' prc'ducers who are already supplying about 60% of that market. with regard to the cARICoM/Ven-

CARICOM as Chief Executive Officer.

An intportant aspect of the Bureau structure is the provision for continuity in

its work programme tlrrough the Chair-

ezuelan Trade and Investment Agreement,

manship.

Present Chairman, Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Patripk Manning

the Bureau

will function in this capacity until July

ary,1993.

The Bureau has also examined the

force of the Agreement, schedule in Janu-

1993 when The Bahamas Prime Minister

Hubert Ingrahamwill succeedhim. (Prime

Ministerlngraham will becometheChair-

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER' 1992

will mobilise diplomatic and

other initiative to ensure the entry into

.

(Conr'd on page l9)

Page

l7

WITHINI THE BOUNDARY *Hilary Beckles When I encountered Richards for the first time in 1976, a number of circumstances had positioned themselves at the

centre of my consciousness. The West Indies cricket team had not long retumed from Australia where they received the kind of whipping that only old headmasters know how to administer.

They arrived in England, still bruised and sore, to face those whose colonising yoke ourfore parents had recently thrown offin a firm but silent revolutionary fashion. I hadjust completed an undergraduate programme at Hull University in Yorkshire where those like myself who God had blessed with an adequate quantum of melanin were disenfranchised with respect to the local cricket culture.

As a student of history I knew that it was not very long ago that the same had applied in the West Indies, and so when Lloyd's men arrived in England, the moment for me was charged with concern about past injustices, current anxieties, and future expectations. It was a time when my mind was still trying to evaluate references to the loss of Martin Luther King and MalcolmX on the onehand, and observations of the carnage that was taking place in Angola, Mozambique and Zimbabwe - not to mention the brutality of the English cops with respect to our people in the inner cities.

he was reaping that which those who went before him had sown. But, that is how the struggle evolves everywhere. I understood the meaning of many things that summer.

From the beginning, Richards was business-like in his destruction. His pow-

ers

of concentration and above all his

haste made me wonder

if

he possessed a

hidden agenda. It did not matter in the least; his was a level of mastery I had neverseen before, and wished to see in all of our people's endeavors. That summer,

I

placed him along with Malcolm X,

Franz Fanon and others in my personal pantheon - and he has remained there. I believed that he understood the urgency

many pretenders. Time was running out on us; we were about to be dismissed as the volatile, calypso sunshine boys who enterlained on a good day but packed up and went honre wlren the clouds came over. I tlrerefore examined his metlrod, his concepts, and his sense of purpose. I concluded that the struggle for West Indian cricket excellence and hegemony was placed at a lrigher level.

Sir Gairy, it seemed to me, had enter-

tained the in-crowd at Lords with his genius; Richards intimidated, mocked, and humiliated them. It was political;and he said so, and I

knew it. The score had to

be settled. He wore the colours of the Rastas, so tlrey said he was sent by the

Nothing Agricultural

It was a wonderful West Indian summer in England in 1976. There was a drought and waterrations in some places, and before Dr Richards was fully unpacked he started scoring hundreds. I watched him closely. I remembered my grandfather who was forced to make a living cutting the white man's cane on the whiteman's plantations in the whiteman's island of Barbados (home!). There was something in Richard's manner that rerrtinded me of my grandfather; perhaps it wasmy grandfather's slow, graceful walk to the canefield, the rolling of the sleeves, and the precise but unpredictable swinging of the cutlass. But, there was nothing agricultural about Richards, except that Page 18

(Right: Dr. Beckles wirh riu Hector (left) Ediror "Struggle within the Bouttdary".

ofour condition and was prepared to act

with all nteans necessary. We, the

wretched of the inner cities, had never of it. Frank Worrell had signalled that an enrissary would conre from the Leewards;and we waited as only believers know how. seen the likes

of "outler", at a

syttrposittttr ort

Conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah the Redeenrer frotn Etlriopia. With us, tlrere is always religion within the politics; I felt tlrat we were seeing what some said was tlre beginning of the glory.

Willis, Old, Hendricks,

Greig,

Underwood and others, knew not wlrat had befallen tlrenr. Riclrards broke all tlre .\ Scort. 'l o St t t lt ntles, and lore rrp lhe Lords Treaty whiclr I exantined lrinr with all ihe skills said tltat lrittirrg across the line was arr available to me at tlrat tirne. There have offerrce purrishable by the witlrdrawal of been nrany false prollhets in tlre past, and approving adjectives. By the encl of thc CARICO}I PERSPECTIVE - Jt]LY - DECEI\IBER, I992

surnmer, John Arlott was describing him as the Lord of Lords. For us, he was the king of the Oval, Lords, and all vicinities

in which Cricket was played that summer.

How can we forget Arlott's coining of the term, "intimidatory batting"? You had to see afraid to

it to believe it; fast bowlers

was taken through a steep leaming curve, and decided to return to university for

graduate research. I could not separate these things in my mind. Richards, you see, was an icon for those in my condi-

tion, and we were inspired by his selfconfidence, ideological firmness, and determination. He delivered the goods, and this made us recognize the meaning

follow through in fear of losing their ears;

of productivity and quality in new

infi elders preferring outfi elding; umpires standing well back; and the proliferation ofelectronic scoreboards. It was all new

different ways; and here we were again.

Those were sensitive times for us as a'

to me; everywhere

I

sat, the university graduate from the canefields of Barbados, witnessing the unfolding of excellence and the beginning of West Indian

and

people, and forme as a youth. As always, one has a choice: to betray one's mission or to fulfill it. We can all give Viv a round

of applause.

hegemony.

It is rare indeed that great men locate

(Excerpt of a presentation deLivered at the "Struggle Within tlrc Boundary Syut-

their genius within the social circum-

posiunt onViv Richards", July, 1992 at

stances of their humble origins. It is also

rare for great men to humble themselves before movements that surround them

and which they could ignore to much profit. We felt then, that Richards was doing it for us. Each century, each double-century scored peeled away the optic scales accumulated over 400 years of inhuman subjection. The English were thrown into panic not because of the aggregates - they had seen them before -

the U.W.l. Cave Hill Cantpus).

[Dr. Hilary Beckles is Head of rhe

Departntent of History, U.W.I. Cave

Hiill

o

sponses. This worsened their condition,

and

I understood then the strategic rel-

evance and importance of solidarity at the

frontier.

\lissjlrr I i,iiilit'rl In the course of that summer, we ..1

thanked our Antiguan brothers and'sisters for sending Richards and we begged their forgiveness for not being allowed to send more of his kind in the past. For me, it was the beginning. I felt compelled to

do for my generation in my chosen endeavor what Richards was doing for

reintroduction of free peasant markets, production bonuses and othermechanisms

abolished or greatly reduced under the RP. Such technicians, however, did not want a global market reform but small gradual changes to avoid further eco-

nomic decline and promote some improvement.

Since 1990 Castro's speeches increasingly include on individuals and groups of people inside Cuba. The Party's 4th Congress laid to rest any illusion that there could be a market-oriented reform in Cuba, not even of the Chinese variant

that has managed to combine political

repression with economic progress.

Castro's speeches in 1990-92 unequivocally show his aversion to die entrenched in his ideas, taking the whole nation with him.

And yet, such reform is the only realistic altemative Cuba has to overcome the crisis because the old command-economy

but because they sensed that with Richards it was more than sport; it was the business of history and politics - the struggle against injustice and inequality. We assisted them

to understand these things by our re-

re-inseit itself in the worldcapitalist market, raise domestic efficiency and improve consumption, in 1990 a few Cuban economists began to look at economic reform as the lesser of two evils. There was an ongoing non-publicized discussion on the mechanisms -- which the Cubans rushed to clarify are not exclusive of capitalism. In the Fall of 1990, midlevel technicians were calling for privatisation of personal services which the state is unable to provide, and the

model has proved to be ineffective all over the world and in Cuba specifically.

Furthermore, without the enormous aid provided by the former USSR and CMEA, question of concluding agreements between CARICOM and other interested Latin American countries similar to that signed with Venezuela.

Also agreed at the Bureau Meeting is the composition of an Inter-Governmen-

tal Task Force which should begin its work in the first quarter of 1993. The Task Force agreed on by CARICOM Heads at their Special Meeting in Trirri-

dad and Tobago would work towards development of a Charter of Civil Society, among other areas.

them on the cricket field. The articulation

was clear, and the need was pressing. I CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER, 1992

theprobability of survival of such a model is virtually nil, even with the current economic strategy. Hence, the forthcoming scenario is gloomy: gradual economic deterioration and increasing frustration and discontent of the people. The wors-

ening situation could eventually create on this island the conditions for the type ofchange that occurred in the USSR and Eastern Europe.

[Carmelo Mesa-Lago is Distirtguished Service Professor, of Econonics & l-atin

Anterican Studies, Universiry burghl.

of

Pitts-

o Page

19

..AN TSLAND EXPERIENEE'' In October of 1992, the Immortelle Theatre Company from Trinidad and Tobago opened their original production of

"Waves of Hope.. an Island Story". The venue was the historical Old Fire Station building in Port of Spain, home of the Trinidad Theatre Workshop.

"Waves Of Hope" is a magical voyage through the history and traditions of this island, that is the Caribbean. It was conceived and directed by Bemard Hazell and Ricardo Nanton. For the past four years, the duo had been working on this project, which came alive through workshops and perfornances combined to create a story. It is an Island Story narrated

Upon theirretum to Trinidad and Tobago

which coincided with the controversial Year of Columbus, Nanton and Hazell decided to upscale the project "Waves Of

Hope" to voice out their views on this subject. The idea was to line the perfgrmances in the ghost. The Navigator speaks

of dreams. He guides us from the extinction of the Amerindians. The importation and exploitation of slaves from Africa comes alive through the haunting melodies of the song "Lament of an African Princess".

(Cont'd on page 22)

w A

by Columbus's ghost who takes us through

time and space. An ambitious man sent by the Spanish Court to discover a short route to China, landing unknowingly in

V

the New World, changing forever the course of istory and destroying the traditions of an earthly paradise.

Waves Of Hope was first staged at Fort Charlotte, in the outskirts of Kingston, in 1989, to commemorate the lOth Anniversary of Independence of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Immortelle Theatre Company was

E

founded by Nanton and Hazell. Their first production "From The Sublime To The Profane" opened in 1984 under the patronage of the Embassy of Venezuela.

It was granted the Judy Stone Critics Award as Newcomer of the year among In 1988, with the of the Venezuelan Ambassador, Maria Clemencia LopezJimenez, Immortelle staged "La other two mentions.

encouragement

Revolucion" by Isaac Chocron. The Venezuelan author who was present of the opening night, promptly invited the group to the 7th Festival Intemacional de Teatro in Caracas, Venezuela. This was the first time that a Caribbean nation was presented at this prestigious festival.

Shortly after, the Company moved to St. Vincent and the Grenadines where the theatrical movement continued with the presentation of Waves Of Hope.

Page 20

f HOPE CARICOM PERSPECTIVE . JULY . DECEMBER, 1992

trASHPANDORA -

Vision of the Tirnes *Robert Lee

The scenes with Ida, Leah, Apo and Jonah are central to understanding how the lives of these ordinary human surviyors are buffeted by the national circumstances introduced by Madison and Cashpandora. Their scenes were among the most powerful. It is in the confrontations ofthese characters, at the basic level

Kendel Hippolyte's new play powerful parable that speaks in stark, apocalyptic terms to our times. A Prime Minister and his cabinet are about to hand themselves over to the structural'adjustments of the IMF, when a stranger, Madison appears with a magic coffin-shaped box which reproduces money, and saves the economy.

The cost of satisfying this insatiable figure of Mammon increases with time, and all the terrors of Kafka-esque fantasies and Revelation's great tribulation follow in the wake of Cashpandora. Those who accept the 'mark of the beast', the tickets given out at distribution centres, prosper. Rebelsjoin the dispossessed poor in the catacombs of the city to live a very dangerous and uncertain existence.

CASHPANDORA,

is a

of gritty mental and spiritual survival, that the fundamental issues are fought.

Credit must, of course, be given to those who supported Prospere's talent by the way they played these fast, complex, ideo-filled sequences. Hazell, Regis and Emmanuel's characterizations were full, sincere, theatrically proficient, believable.

Lighthouse Theater has succeeded in achieving an ensemble style of playing, built of its actors' strengths. To focus on a few actors, those placed at the play's centre, is not to deny praise to the whole cast. Geraldine Monroque (the PM's Secretary) and Sello, veteran Roby Yorke in a cameo performance as the lone female government minister, the commanding

Through his female figures and the music of flute and drum, Hippolyte suggests that art and the special gifts of our strong women can resist and defeat the evil power of Mammon to which everyone else has succumbed.

presence of Tony Paul, along with the others of this twenty-plus cast, gave a well

In the first weekend's performance, Madison, the owner of magical Cashpandora, is played by Kennedy

wrought completion to a well-written script.

'Boots' Samuel. Samuel,whoseroleshave included characters from Derek Walcott and the South African Athol Fugard, retums to the stage after an absence.

His Madison is sinister, amoral, Mephistophelean, leading the Prime Min-

ister and his colleagues fronr horror to horror, persuading them with irrefutable logic towards the terrible inevitability of their country's disasters. Samuel's Madison is unscrupulous, totally manipulative, yet caught himself, like the others, in the inexhaustible demands of the magic

box. His is servant and victim of Cashpandora.

The discovery in this production is Juliana Prospere, as Ida. In her, local theater has found a strong, confident talent, an intelligent interpreter of her dramatic roles. Ida has resisted the souldestroying seductions ofthe system created by Cashpandora and lives as a beg-

Kendal Hippolyte gar somewhere in the bowels of the city with Leah, a dumb girl (well played by Yvette Regis), Apo (Eddie Hazell) and

Jonah (Royston Emnranuel). Jonah and Apo are rebel dancers and musicians. It is not clear where Leah, Hippolyte's mute symbol) of hope, has come from They all seem to represent the derelicts who have found themselves thrown together by their resistance to the evil system.

Prospere's portrayal of the no-nonsense Ida is articulate, coherent, wellbalanced, and convincing. Hippolyte's writing works out his ideas and Ida is the mouthpiece for many of his central concerns. That we pay attention and follow the playwright's arguments is due in large measure to the excellence with which this

part is played.

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER, 1992

The play shows the degradation of the

human personality through the compromises demanded by the lust for money and materialism. As life deteriorates so does language. The language ofsurvivors

in the bowels of capitalism's Mammon/ Cashpandora is not polite and nice. At the edge of hysteria, etiquette has no meaning., Many will find some of the play's language too strong and offensive. Without destroying the realistic atmosphere of his play, Hoppolute will be challenged to find a way to balance audience sensitivity (in a conservative community) and the apocalyptic reality of CASHPANDORA.

Though Hippolyte has described his play as a 'fantasy', Madison and his box remind us forcibly of the financial scandals that have made regional and intemational headlines in recent years. Money (Cont'd on pagc 22) Page

2l

embarrassed by the conuption of its leaders and a youth grown cynical too early.

Even though women's movements in The story continues through the present

in the form of an 'ex-tempo' inspired piece. It takes the form of a confrontation between a Spiril of the Old World and the Goddess of the New World.

Immortelle has traditionally recruited

undiscovered talent for its productions and through intense and professional workshops, then forms them in all technical and artistic areas of theatrical perfomrance opening the doors to self development and expression. Glenda Thomas, one of Trinidad's greatest operatic voices and actresses, leads the cast of thirteen and conducted all musical aspects of the

Production. They encouraged artistfriend, Beat Rettenmund, to research and write a text for Columbus, which culminated with the powerful and controversial "Monologue of the Lost Sailor". Another great voice, Leah Brown, wrote the song and 'extempo' piece for Waves Of Hope.

Immortelle was approached by Albert Laveau, Artistic Director of The Trinidad

Theatre Workshop, to join forces to preserve, maintain and seek support to keep the Old Fire Station building as a home for the arts. The TTW, founded by Noel Laurate Derek Walcott in 1959, has been running the historical building for the past two years as a School for the Arts.

Waves Of Hope, the first major theatrical

production at the venue, and moving play.

is an

entertaining

"It could have been staged the way we know the fomrat of a play usually goes. It would have been easy to have taken the route of building a set, scenery, backdrops that could be taken on and off. But we feel that the story could best be depicted if the scenery played by actors, actually aided in the telling of the story" said Nanton, who designed the lavish costumes for the play.

Waves Of Hope - an Island Story ran from October 28th through November 15th 1992.

the Caribbean face the dangers of the extremes of their sisters in larger countries, the historical models of 'mother who fathered me' have much to guide women today In this play, the women are rooted and strong, are seen as the bearers of artistic vision and offer the only salvation possible in the conupt world of their experience.

The dollar sign is the major symbol, a kind of swastika, in evidence. The coffinshaped box is the black hole into which the people's bodies and soul disappear.

The mute Leah, the flute player, shows a way beyond the words which have lost all power and truth in the hands of politics and business. Madison's name evokes American Madison Avenue with itsharCsell packaging of anything. Jonah, the troubled prophet dancer, eventually re-

tums to this Nenevah to offer himself a victin.r. It is the women who save him.

Kendal Hippolyte is an accomplished Saint Lucian poet and playright whose work is better known abroad than it is in his home country. One of the unfortunate effects of being blessed with the towering talents of the Walcott brothers, is that other writers can find themselves overshadowed at home.

Hippolyte has published one play, The Drum Maker, in a Caribbean anthology, two volumes of poetry, Island in the sun, side two, (1980), Bearings (1986) and is now preparing a third collection, (Labyrinth for appearance this year

(Robert Lee is

a

Saint Lucian poet,

librarian, Christian teacher, a regular cortrributor to nev)spaper and journals).

o

The Cast

launderers, offshore banking scams, the BCCIs, all those fly-by-night investors

that plague our Caribbean like rainflies.

Page 22

They tempt politicians and local business into the kinds of compromises seen in this play. The social impact leaves a people CARICOM PERSPECTIVE. JULY - DECEMBER, T992

VOItrEs YET UNHEARD 'Peepal Tree Press' - helping to Cross the Diwide *-Pat Cumper .

What makes a mild marnered Englishman decide to become a publisherof West

Indian poetry and prose? Dr. Jeremy Poynting, founder of the Peepal Tree Press will tell you that his involvement with West Indian literature began twenty five years ago during his undergraduate years. Although the English degree for

which he was studying covered 'from Anglo Saxon to T. S. Elliot', he began to take an interest in writers in English from otherparts of the world through his friendship with Kenyan novelist, James Ngugi.

Ngugi wasthenbeing supervised by John Heame, the Jamaican novelist and though the relationship was not always an easy one, it lit a small fire in Jeremy Poynting.

into a second printing. PeepalTree Press was bom.

In those early years, Dr. Poynting not

only edited the books, but he was involved injust about every step ofphysically making the books. It begun by collating the text, then printing and finally binding the books himself. Working fromhome, the operation spread until it occupied not only the garage and the spare room, but began to overflow into other areas of the house.

readership. Instead he sought to make the work, irr his own words,'more like itself'.

Editing therefore became a partnership between himself and the writers. Ratlrer than seeking to explain the text, he provided guideposts to help the reader himselfunderstand it, providing a glossary if and where he felt it to be necessary. His

aim was to provide works of integrity when the language was concl'se and expressive, free of explanation or redundancies.

He decided to do his graduate work in African and Caribbean literature.

Very mucha product of the sixties and at the time a committed member of the Communist party, Dr. Poynting admits that his reading was as much for political as for literary reasons. During the sixties he came to know the work of such writers as C. L. R James, George Innrming, Samuel S e lvon and Andrew Salkey among others. Gradually his interest focussed more and more specifically on the issues of race. He established close contact with Trinidad and Guyana and focussed much of his interest on Indo Caribbean writers and their work. What was to have been a Master's thesis changed direction several times and ended up, twelve years later as a doctoral thesis covering a wide range of social and political issues in Caribbean

writing. . It was never Jeremy Poynting's intention to become a publisher. When he met a young Guyanese writer whose collection of short stories written in dialect had obvious literary worth, but could not be published in Guyana because of a shortage of paper and which would not be accepted by British or American publishers, he decided to publish the collection himself. This first publication was typeset on computer and looked like what is was: a first attempt. But it's first printing of five hundred copies sold and it went

Earl McKenzie, Hazel Catnpbell, Jeretny Poynting, Vehna Pollard at launching.

This method of printing meant that small runs of a thousand copies could still

be sold at competitive prices. Peepal Tree Press began printing two or three books each year making the works of such writers and Isbit Khan and Janice Shineboume available to the British and Caribbean public.

Editing Caribbean literature, Dr. Poynting freely admits, is a skill learnt as the Peepal Tree Press grew. Because he was very aware of the intrusion of British

editing in the published works of the writers of the fifties and sixties, he deliberately did not edit the works for British

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER' 1992

When asked what he saw as the role

of

PeepalTree Press, Dr. Poynting first set the press in context. For him, British publishing to date had operated in the British interest. In the fifties and sixties, many rrf the works published then, he said, were a manifestation of an immediate post colonial awareness. Today, he said, publishing had changed as there were fewer and fewer independent pub-

lishers and the number of black writers that the large publishers were willing to handle was small and made up mostly of black British writers.

(Cont'd on page 24)

Pege 23

He hopes that Peepal Tree will work as if it were a Caribbean press, rather than as a

part of the British publishing establishment. Acknowledging the myriad difficulties of publishing for a small market, he feels that ifPeepal Tree could continue to keep its overheads low and could link

up with such Caribbean distributors

as

Ian Randle Publishing, it could begin to make inroads into the only major Caribbean market, the schools market.

Beyond the practical aspects of the business of publishing which he freely admits he is leaming as he goes along, Dr. Poynting feels verystrongly thatthe work he publishes must be brave in attempting to expose and explore the issues facing

the Caribbean today. He agrees with George Lamrning that Caribbean literature must write about the things that the people in the Caribbean need to know: themselves. Helping to cross the divides that rend many Caribbean societies and creating areas of understanding between neighbours, the works he is interested in

publishing will, he hopes, bring attitudes to the surface and look at them honestly.

He cited what he calls Guyana's painful amnesia where racial violence is concemed, as a good example.

He is committed to maintaining a catholic perspective in the choice of works he published, giving a voice to everyone: to those who write in dialect and patios, those who writefroma particularracial or ethnic Caribbean perspective, to those who write from the British literary tradition, wherever there is a voice unheard.

Equally important is his commitment to bringing existing works to light, restoring the missing works in the Caribbean literary tradition. One such publication is a collection of the poems of Tobagonian, Eric Roache, whom he describes as the most important Caribbean poet before Walcott and Brathwaite. Written in the forties and fifties, Roache's poetry provides a through line from the past and the collection makes permanently available a part of the region's literary history.

At present, Peepal Tree operates with development funding from the British Page24

Arts Council. Though many of the publications are paying for their own printing, they do not meet many of the overheads publications incur. Poynting's aim therefore is to transform what he calls 'a serious hobby' into a business. The press, he admits, has developed unevenly with production far outstripping marketing, with texts chosen for their quality rather than on any assessment of their market potential.

In an effort to increase public awareness of the titles published by the press,

Dr. Poynting now also publishes the Review. The review in-

Peepal Tree

Ian Randle, Ian Randle Publishing, reps. of Peepal Tree.

cludes extensive extracts from new pub-

lications, provides detailed information on the authors and assists reviewers by providing objective comments on the material. The Review is also the foundation of a growing mail order network and

provides a useful way for writers and their readers to come into closer contact.

On October 27th, Peepal Tree Press launched five new publications at a function at Devon House in Kingston. These include fourcollectionsof poetry and one

of short stories. These five publications

certainly confirms Peepal Press's corirmitment to catholic variety. The writers are all Jamaican, but each differs considerably one from theother in style, content

and presentations.

Ve lnw P o llard b volume " Shame Trees don't grow herebut Poincianas bloom" is

described by Dr. Poynting as 'an integrated collection anchored around these

two statements' and explores the moments at which as awareness of moral consciousness (shame trees) come into being and personal experiences which dramatise altruism and generosity including 'men who offer but don't demand'.

Rachel Manley's work, "A Light left on" explores more universal themes but is rooted in the Jamaican physical environment in a sensual way. It explores the theme of death, particularly the effect of the death of her grandmother Edna Manley on Rachel herself, and moves towards an understanding ofdeath as a part of life.

Earl Mc Kenzie in his collection enti-

tled "Against Linearity" explores aspects of life in Jamaica, higblighting the sense of dichotomy so many Jamaicans feel about a country that sinrultaneously inspires awe at its beauty and terror at its brutality.

John Figueroa's work "The Chase" consists of previously published material which has been ordered and organized thematically. Although Poynting describes it as 'predominantly European in

its aesthetic', one very witty poem in which he exhorts Derek Walcott to aban-

don the pentameter in favour of native rhythnrs, pokes fun at all those who criticized the Nobel Prize winner's poetry for being not Caribbean enough.

"The Denting of the Wave" by Ralph Thontpson is described by Dr. Poynting

of a fine wordsmith end a collection which powerfully holds toas the work

gether images of contemporary Kingston

and nremories of a more innocent part without bowing to sentimentality. This collection was launched separately at the Creative Arts Centre the week before.

The one collection of short stories in the bunch launched at Devon House is the

work of Haze I Campbell. Entitled "singer man", the collection explores with wit and objectivity many of the problenrs facing contemporary Caribbean society including the vexed questions of male/ female relationships and the causes and of poverty, ignorance and vio-

effects lence.

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE. JULY. DECEMBER, T992

BENSIIRHAN Sometimes in the still unchanging aftemoons when the memories crowded hot and hopeless against her brow she would seek its cool colours and signal him to lie down

in his cell.

It is three in the afternoon Nelson let us rest here together upon this bank draped in freedom colour.

It was woven by women with slender

Lonn Goodison

capable hands accustomed to binding wounds hands that closed the eyes of dead children,

that fought for the right to speak in their own tongues

in their own Land in their own schools.

They wove the bedspread and knotted notes ofhope in each strand and selvedged the edgas with ancient blessings older than any white man's coming.

So in the aftemoons lying on this bright bank of blessing Nelson my husband I meet you in dreams my beloved much of the world too is asleep blind to the tyranny and evil devouring our people.

But Mandela, you are rock on this sand harder than any metal mined in the bowels of this land you arâ&#x201A;Ź purer than any gold tempered by fire shall we lie here wrapped in the colours of our free Azania?

They arrested the bedspread.

They and their friends are working to arrest the dreams in our heads and the women, accustomed to closing the eyes of the dead

[Lorna Goodison is a Jamaicah PoetJ

are weaving cloths still brighter to drape us in glory in a Free

Azania.

[From'f am Becoming mY Mother"

by Lorna Goodison, New BeaconBooks, 19861 CARICOM PER,SPECTIVE . JULY - DECEMBER' 1992

Though not officially launched in Jamaica, Peepal Tree has also recently published a novel by Jamaican Clyde Knight "Woman, hold your head and cry". The story is set in the seventies and explores a range ofclass, gender and cultural issues.

Jeremy Poynting and the Peepal Tree

Press

is part of a slowly but steadily

growing number df publishers dedicated

to bringing the work of contemporary Caribbean poets, short story writers, novelists, academics and historians to light.

Obviously there are limitations to the market they serve and the publications will need aggressivemarketing and sound management if they are to succeed finan-

cially. What seems clear however is that there is a growing regional commitment to work that helps to make us 'more like ourselves', ears that are beginning to listen out for 'the voice yet unheard'.

o Page 25

trROss trARIBBEAN PRODUtrTIONs *Cicely Cross C ross C aribbean P roductions was created by the synthesis of an accumulated 50 years oftheatre experiences ofCicely and Thom Cross.The couples' work and study in Jamaica, Scotland and in Barbados convinced them that one of the next steps Barbados needed to take in order to extend the already growing theatre scene

was a production company which would produce on a continuing seasonal scale.

To do that, a theatre company would have

to have almost full control of its theatre space.

As a first step they were lucky to find a progressivehotel management which was

willing to endorse and help implement the Coral Garden Theatre in the previous piano lounge of the Grand Barbados Beach

Resort,and

to initiate a special Dinner

Theatre Package.

Their immediate plan was to run at least four plays in a row, with a new play each month until September. The first was

cally from the accustomed and well es-

* Their Cross-Caribbean side is the vision they have to tour not only in the Caribbean, but perhaps also at intemational festivals like the Edinburgh and

and best, set their sights on interpretive roles. Our Govemment primary schools fail our children by restricting their creative potential to interpreting other peoples ideas and thoughts. The illuminating irwtinct to create is stiJled, snuffed out on the ahar of the Common Entrance, an instruntent of social engineering whose tinte has surely gone. Creativity must not merely be encouraged within the hidden curriculum as good teaching practice; the development of creativity must surely be a strategic educational focus as we approach the 2lst century. At serondary level, curriculum options need to be explored that will put alternative vocational

others. And, of course, to host other Caribbean groups or personnel who can help them grow and develop both as a Barbados theatre and as a Caribbean people.

They are talking here the integration and

skills like the performing art onto the syllabus. Can any one help us measure the gross eamings of the Jamaican music industry or the Jamaican theatre and art industry? That entrepreneurial surge into

tablished tourist product, and the couple feel there is a small but significant group of visitors who would be interested in experiencing "Dinner theatre" as is currently packaged by Grand Barbados.

* Th"y hope that eventually they will be another avenue for the young people to leam and to perform in theatre through workshops, school performances, etc.

cross-fertilization

of

ideas, skills, per-

the arts did not happen by chance. Ja-

ceptions, cultures.

maica has had a college of music and art for over 40 years and college for performing artists in theatre and dance for almost

Jamaican Trevor Rhone's "Smile Orange", a comedy about the tourist and hotel trade - both an artistic and box-

* They wish to eventually do some work in radio and television drama.

office success.The second production was Englishman Peter Shaffer's famous Psycho-drama "Equus".

There are many long-term plans and hopes for Cross Caribbean Productions,

lished and hope to extend

consciousness, where national economies

particularly worthy projects. Winston Farrell received the first grant for the recording of his "riddim poetry".

Thom and Cicely outline what they

arestruggling to find employment opportunities for young people, why are the performing arts not on every school curriculum? That is part of the dream.

Arts as business is a dream that too often becomes the impossible dream or a

including: * The establishment of

a

cultural industry

for the performing arts in which more skilled personal could work with some consistency.

*

of the widest possible of styles of plays and perform-

Introduction

choice

ances to the local audiences - comedies, satires, tragedies, romances, high-drama.

* A profi table and commercially successful company which offers both aesthetic and popular fare.

* Creating working links with the vibrant tourist industry, andofferinganothertype of entertainment which would differ radiPege26

*

20 years In a tourist focused economic region, in a region that needs to design and build a road from colony to regional

And almost finally they have estab-

a special development fund which will offer direct assistance to outstanding theatre talent for

perceived as the there major channels of genuine potential for arts activity in a programme note to "Smile Orange" :'We see a significant role for the arts in personal and social development, enabling ouryoung people to challenge soci-

bad dream.

We believe the business of art is art.

Art as hobby, as personal impulse, industries can be developed

ety through the arts, channelling their

in

our

Region. We have the talent, the raw material, carr we produce it here for export or is that the divine right of the metropole?

creative energies into healthy social expression. If we don't.... read tomorrow's headlines. "Unfulfilled dream is night-

Offer our Caribbean artists a life and a living in the Caribbean, that is part of our

mare".

Creativity must be encouraged in the school systenr. We train too nnny of our yottttg people to be servants, civil, legal or otherwise. Too many of our brightest

as

community development and art as enterprise realized through business. Cultural

dream. '

[Thont and Cicely Cross are founders of " C ross.Caribbean Productiotts " J.

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER, T992

Scenes frorrr: a,: I

I

i r ii ,i ii '* l'; l; -a\"

r:

'"d"l

i'$ll

pages

28

391

{

66A

contribution to the on-going discourse about our myths of origins and of our relations" The intemationally acclaimed National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica was never one to shirk the challenge ofsocial and political cornment even while forging a vocabulary, technique and style unique to the aesthetics ofCaribbean artistic cul-

ture.

The year 1992, otherwise know as the

Quincentennial Year, of so-called "Discovery" provided artistic director Professor Rex Nettleford with grist for his choreographic mill. The NDTC's 30th anniversary Season in Kingston and its still talked about appearance at Carifesta V in Port of Spain in August had as a centrepiece a new masterwork entitled "Ancestral Echoes." The scenario, with wicked wit, insists that the dance-work sets out to explore "the shenanigans over the past half a millennium of Uncle Sam, John Bull and the Bishop of Rome," meaning the influence and impact on the world since 1492 of Catholicism, the British Empire and the later the United States of America.

Jannica - National Dance Theatre Company.

ANCE5TRAL EtrHOEs - Cornrnentarg on the Qulncentennial So at the centre of the cast is the Narratorwhoportrays all three with the world (an inflated globe) in his hands signifying the breakthrough in European thought that those who became conquistadors, explorers, settlers and imperialist rulers

could actually hold the entire world in their hands.

The globe is literally passed in a playful manner first between the Papal Person and his acolytes. The State enters the game and in time an alliance is formed.

(The Church is here all-male the state is all-female. The symbolism is pregnant

with possibilities for speculation). The State, after all, did do the "discovering" and the "conquering" in the name of the Lord whose terrestrial Messenger the Pege 28

Pope, by a series of Papal Bulls, legitimised the juridical notion of prior discovery and effective occupation of lands and people's whose subjugatioJr was the price

paid for being "pagans", "primitives" beyond God's grace. The union proves fertile and productive! It is Handel's "Water Music" which provides the melody for this opening sequente in the dance-work. Bur ..Iettleford gives it an impish twist by using a Steelpan version

of the Encounter as it were.

He further makes the Church, in seal-

was not lost on the choreographer whose

knowledge of history took him back to both Isabella and Elizabeth I. The feminisation of the Godhead brings the dancework into sharp focus, what with the present concems tuming on gender analysis and the perceived powerlessness

of women in contemporary tife. A religious believer actually walked out of the performance in Kingston when he heard the lyrics "Sie makes me to lie down in green nreadows .... The Bible, he pronounced, had not taught that. The audience at Carifesta V was less persnickety.

But the dance-workdoes not lingeron

ing the alljance, worship the State in a version ofthe 23rd Psalm sung by Bobby Mc Ferrin who portrays God as Woman.

the alliance between Church and State.

The historical correspondenceof thereigning queens in periods ofgreat expansion

proceeds to the encounters by the collaborators with the "Other" side of the

It

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE. JULY - DECEMBER, 1992

world where they meet resistance from the Native pagans to MC Ferrin's "Medicine Man". This musical gem invokes the metaphysical powers of the Native Ameri-

cans, at least to the choreographer. He reads this to mean the claims by the great

Native American civilizations to an indigenous ontology, epistemology and cosmology that are independent of, and anterior to, the arrival of Derek Walcott's "Genoan Wanderer".

In the aftermath the Caribbean creole soon discovers that freedom from the ravages of such structured violence is minimal, that material growth is increnrental and that immiseration proceeds despite the political advances. A new imperium (Uncle Sam?) sprouts on the global landscape to claimthe Hemisphere.

The Narrator (the majestic veteran dancer Barry Moncrieffe) enters all starred-and-

ing Superpower with the whole world in his hands.

What does this mean? Nettleford says that "issues of race, justice, independence, cultural certitude, and the great freedonrs from hunger, from disease, fronr ignorance and from fear are very much still on our agenda of concems".

striped, having divested himself of both the union-jack red-white- and -blue before the sequence depicting war and the Death Shroud scene signifying destruc-

" An cestra I Ec ho es ", he concludes with a mischievous glirrt in his eyes "is designed as a contribution to the on:going discourse about our 'myths' of origins and of our relations. Specifically it seeks to be a celebration ofthe region's survival

tion and desolation.

despite Columbus and the positive

ricans-in-exile who arrived as forcibly

The mood is picked up by three strong dancers mouming their unimproved lot.

"Lord How Come Me Here?" is the black

transplanted slaves to toil. They continued the fight against oppression as did the later Asians who, as indentured servants, joined in the struggle against psychological and cultural subjugation.

One important consequence of this is

spiritual moving the dancers who sink into the floor as if in foetal escape to the punchline "I wish I never was bom". The dance-work here utilises the strong Modemesque vocabulary of American dance depicting the underlying unity of

achievenrents of the survivors".

Once nrore Professor Nettleford draws on his intellectual concems to infomr his creative artistic inragination; and through the NDTC of Jamaica he makes yet another bold statement about Caribbean re-

the creolization of the migrant culture

certain peoples in all of the Americas who share in the English.

It is this resistance or the claims to an indigenous cultural certitude that is the basis of the mythic connections many feel to exist between Native America and Af-

through cross-fertilisation - a Caribbean/ American phenomenon which Nettleford, the scholar as much as the cultural activist, sees as central to an understanding of

But

as

if not to lose

a

ality.

o

Caribbean focus,

the Americas. The movenrent quality

the choreographer turns to the healing

here changes as does the music composed in this segment by the Jamaican nrusician Grubb Cooperfor instruments and voices provided by the NDTC Singers led by the NDTC's talented Musical Director and

powers of the metaphysics of both irrdigenous and creole America, to restore faith, to reassure fading hopes, and to revitalise.

musicologist Marjorie Whylie. The music is un-mistakably Caribbean signifying a new sense of "space" - of selfdetermination, of Independence even!

But no soonerhad these "new" peoples of the Americas begun to enjoy their own "space", there comes the realisations of the region being part of a global scenario involving the fight against want, perhaps, but also, the ideological combats supported by the violence and otrtrage of global war and devastation. The music is hi{ech sounding, signalling the noise and din of 20th century technology-dominated existence. The entire world-population is involved. Could this be World War II? Clearly no one escapes.

to Jamaicans) provides the choreographer

The Bush Spirit (Pierrot Grenade to Trinidadians and Grenadians and Pitchy with the appropriate iconic symbol. A strong group dance in ritual fashion, as if to exorcise the loss of faith, ensues. There

is nothing like organic healing from

a

protected environment! The sequence is

vigorous and acrobatic but

it

stops

abruptly: themore things change, themore they remain the same.

In comes Uncle San.r with a bigger, firmer inflated globe. The Bush spirits half-stripped (despite the dominance of technology, the natural environment remains critical)raise their amrs clutching the air still in search of what is still within the total grasp of this Caribbean, despite the triumphalist posture of the Conquer-

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER' 1992

Balmtttas

Junkanoo

Pzge 29

The artist does not seek monuments but he recognizes them, there is a famous statue of Christopher Colombus in Barcelona,

the capital of Catalonia, the industrial centre of 20th Century Spain. He stands high on a column, down by the sea, his hand pointing out into the distance, into the future.

Five hundred years ago, those ships set sail from Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. They discovered the other side - Trinidad.

There is the artist who falls to his knees who lives in a world of angels, a world of beautiful music and dreams and awe, in fear and rapture that just maybe, for one precious monrent, a ntiraculous moment, his vision may evoke deliglrt, may bring a srnile to the faces of millions of people of all ages and colours, religions and cultures everywhere, millions of people, everywhere.

In any one lifetime such a move is sacred beyond understanding, no man, no artist could ask for more. Yet, there is more, the greatest responsibility of all - there is the artist who holds his hands in his heart,in his being, the hopes,the aspirations the love and the trust of his people. The greatest of all his responsibilities is the island which made him, the island which gave him his rvork - the

Mas.

Having gradually overcome the fears and insecurities of

a

small place, not without difficulty, sometimes pain. I have worked on the island for 15 years now.

My work is the Mas. I believe in my work, I am a Mas man. It is

not that

I

am special,it is

the

island that is special. It has a rich soil which produces strange, rare highways. It causes a different

kind of growth, by its very nature it causes a different way of

looking, a different way of seeing things, a different point of view. A point of view that can only have been formed there.

The rules are broken and made over,ideas ofscale and function change,pattems of speech and thought change,basic concepts are gradually shifted and tumed

lt

rs.

I find it difficult to explain the work of the Mas-man. I, nryselfdo not completely understand being so close I suppose, in tlre very nridst of tlre thing. There are no text books on it, no analysis and theories, no guideline,no context for it, no precedence, no naming for it but the Mas. The word Canrival is way off the mark. In Barcelona tlre Mas will lrave crossed a great bridge,in being able to leave the land, in being able lo becotne universal in its expression. with colors faulting its essential vigour. There will be no Camival in Barcelona, there will be Mas. For warrt of

words

to five years. More would be too tnuclr. Art is con-rrrrtrnicatiorr of hunran beings at llre lrighest level.

In the Mas of Trinidad, conrnnrnicatiorr is condensed into explosive monrerrts of sensual transcendence.

strument of music,a costume is no longer a costume, the costume becomes a sculptor,a hu-

er)ce

tion ofthe highest level. The senses reel, al I thi ngs conte togelher,clraos nreets order, tlre chasm that separates audience front perfonner is crossed with ease. The gulf rvlrich non'nally divides the ordinary fronr the elite is instantly closed.

The appeal of the Mas is -1'orr willr rrs, fleslr and blood powers tlre Mas, ordinary people are its foundation. Wilhout lasers or cornput-

man being wears the sculptor and dances the sculptor, performs

it. A human being brings

the sculptor to life. Equally the sculptor brings to life a human being. . Human energy is released on

the standing scale,the heart pounds and thrills, you see the

-10

it works, you will experiall intensity of comnrrrrrica-

When

An oil drum becomes an in-

Page

proper setting all the

rnaking of dancing rnobiles.

But it is not that sinrple. Tlre work deals prinrary with tlre inrnrediate release of htrnran energy on a huge seentirrgly inrprobable scale irr an open space, be it a city street or a stadium. Its effect is instantaneorrs, u,lrich is largely its strengtlr and power, it must rrot linger,it must go as quickly as it cornes a force of nature - a sunsel, a bolt of ligiltening,a slrooting star.

It is not a painting tlrat you conternplate, you grab it as it passes.

You see the moving shape of the form and you feel the energy, a kinetic explosion. The energy passes from performer to spectator like an electrical charge, an extraordinary, exciting exclrange of pure comnrunicalion.

It can be a thrilling montent, the lnonrel)t cannot, will not last. It passes quickly leavirrg the rlind singed, do not prolorrg it, less its irrrpact fades. The vigorous inrrrrediacy of tlre Mas exists in the nromerrt. Its power is diluted willr too nuch contenrplation. No worrder the Trinidad cantival occurs only once every year, and its significant higlrlights in the Mas within tlrat frarnework, only once every four

around.

music, you hear the dance. This is the Mas. There is nothing to compare it to, or rneasure it by, outside its natural environment of the island. It is to itself, what

a

I lrave sotnetinres sin'rply described my work as tlre

ers or even a plug

*Peter Milrslrall

in the wall, ordinary huntan energy tlrrives in tlre Mas. It is the art of every lnan.

C CARICOI\T PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEI\IBER. I992

MOST SACRED OF

HUMAN trIIEATION5 *George Lamming

Conting, cotning, conting home (dedicated to the late Gordon Lewis).

We in the Caribbean are already integrated. It b only the Governntents who didn't know it (George Beckford).

The donkey works, btrt the ass is promote

d (Haitian proverb).

It should be expected that a speaker whose contribution to the cultural history

of his region has taken the form of language might invite you to consider the meaning of this process of exchange which we take for granted in all our daily activi-

ties.

Everyone uses words and is dependent on them in every aspect of social inter-

course. But I do not think that the discourse on regional integration would require a special emphasis on the function and process of language.

Yet it is in precisely this area of regional debate, dominated almost entirely by economists, ministers of govemment and technocrats from the social sciences, that attention must be called to the violence that is done to language by those who are chosen to be our specialists agents

of commuirications about the destiny of our region.

I speak now as a novelist and teacher, and I do so without any trace of rancour.

The literature ofthe social sciences often forces one to cornider a distinction to be madebetweenthe statistical mind and the creative imagination.

The first seeks evidence everywhere except through the direct observation of people intheactof living: Men and women who never think of themselves as a percentage of anything. The creative imagination is always made aware that language is not just a tool or instrument for measuring the statistics of scarcity.

Language is at the heart and horizon of every human consciousness. It is the process which enables us to conceive of continuity in human experience; the verbal memory which reconstructs our past, offers it back as the only spiritual possession which allows us to reflect on who we

George Lantnrittg (lefi) and friend. are and what we nriglrt become. But it is not inherited. Every child in every culture has to learn it as their necessary initiation into society. It is perhaps, the most sacred of all hunran creatiorrs, we abuse it at our peril.

I make this insistence because the debate on regional integration has been conducted by men and wornen who are largely

innocent of these fundamental truths. My first example concems the word 'development' which has become an insepara-

ble component of every prescription for our survival and progress. It is, perhaps,

the most dangerously toxic word in our vocabulary. It encourages a wide range of distortions about the nreaninl of human personality, and the material base that would allow for the cultivation of a critical and reflective self-consciousness which is, ultimately, the raison d'etre of a human existence.

This word, developnrent, is related to the assumption of hierarchical distance between what are called prinritive socie-

ties, and their transition to a state of material advancenrent which enrulates the

dubious comfort and conveniences of modem industrial societies. But the human content of these societies, and the dynamics of social relations within each, often escape the attention of the specialists. It is sometimes a vocabulary which defies all reality. Take the notion of per capita income.

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY . DECEMBER, T992

To tell a man in downtown Kingston, out of work for five years, that he represents an income of five thousand dollars a year is to run the risk of losing your own head. To expect him to listen and be tranquil is to put an impossible strain on human patierrce. But it is normal language among those who advise us on dealing with the problems of scarcity? It is a language which does not only insult the poor, but also encourages a fantasy of expectations among tlrose who have decided that they will never be poor again.

There isa prevailing conviction among political directorates, as well as tlreir rivals in Opposition, that the intelligence of

ordinary people can be anaesthetised of living. I was very struck some years ago by the public address of a Trinidad Minister of Government in the 1970's who said: 'In 1956 you had 40 to 50 thousand

cars. Today you have over

220,000.

Sooner or later we shall have a motorcar

demociacy'.

This phrase, standards of living, has fertilised the appetite of a new professional and business class whose enlrepreneurial ambilion sees wealttr as the rrnly country they recognise and are comn ritted

to serve.

And the uncritical enrbrace of 'the of privatisation' as the motor force of developnrent, now threatens to

strategy

converl every Caribbean sociely irrto a service station. Q Page 3l

$

* Dorbrene E. O'Marde

The social conflicts between the upper classes of society and the urban proletariat in each country are mirror images of each other. Govemment in Antigua passed

laws allowing police to confiscate pans from people. A Steelband Association was formed and argued that if Govemment was going to ban the steelpan which the Association considered an instrument, then it would have to ban organs, pianos, guitars and trumpets too.

The Antigua movement found championsinthemiddleand upperclasses. The names of Bertha Higgins and Commander

Griffith

are

with this musical support for the movement. Support also came from British Govemor Baldwin - a white official who seemed to have won the admiration of Antiguan folk and who seemed to have constantly irritated the aristocratic elements of society. Baldwin passed a bill that allowed steelbands to play on the road anytime. Writers in Antigua purport that this act of Baldwin helped to ease similar pressures off the pan movement in Trinidad and Tobago at the time. e associated

The Antigua Steelband Association predated the Government Steelband Committee formed in Trinidad in 1949. The

Antigua national steelband competition of 1949 with test-piece 'Peanut Vendor' predated the Trinidad national competition. The Antigua steelband 'Brute Force' is the first steelband to be recorded commercially and produced on wax/records.

Of interest is the fact that the singeron the record was Miss Dot Evans, a Trinidadian.

Antigua also claims the first all female steelband when in 1952 'uptown girls' - as they were referred to in those days, formed

a band called 'Pastel Intruders'. They won acclaim with a rendition of 'Bells of St Mary's', the same tune 'Casablanca' played to win the first national competition in Trinidad.

What I am doing here is identifying parallel developments in two Caribbean countries - dissimilar in size and ethnic compositions but both with conrmon African hereitage. I wish to suggest that there are important lessons for us Caribbean people to leam from this experience, lessons about our similarities, our

unlqueness, our common roots, or common struggles, our common cultural crea-

tions and therefore our imperative integrated future - 'even though Governments do not yet know sociological movement in these two countries, Trinidad and

Antigua, we can identify and highlight the natural affinity between us as a Caribbean people shaped by the same forces

of

forced dislocation, slavery, colonialism and present day capitalism. It is this affinity and similarity of peoples and nothing else that will form the basis for future Caribbean integration. No CET, no Common Crrrrency now whateverelse is going to provide it.

Let me get to the point by quoting J.D.Elder from his study, 'From Corrgo Drum to Steelband' where in paraplrrasing W. Austin Simmons, he has this ro say about the steelband;

'..... steelband as the latest link in a cttltural chain stretching backwards for cetrturies into the dittr past of prhnitive rnusic, rich with the voices of African drutns in the night, stntched up along with unntspectittg natives frotn the Gold Coast, the lvory Coast, the Slave Coast, front Atrgola atrd the Cottgo littoralswanrps.

But the nusical

insfruiltents retained their basic perc ussi o tn I c hara cter though changing irtfontr - skin drwn, starnpittg lube, tam-

bour bontboo, biscuit drun. lrom Congo drum to steel drum - in unbroken coiltinuit! through cetrturies of huntatr stnqglesforfreedon ... to sittg, dance and play nasque.'

'Ole Mas' - Trinidod Page 32

&

The steelband therefore can be seen as Tobago.

a

manifestation of a cultural continuum.

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE. JULY - DECEMBER, I992

European sense, creates the only acoustic musical instrument for this century. What else lies dormant among us? What other

immense possibilities and potential lie

'Claiming' Ihave no problem wit. We are too sophisticated a people today to have this creation stolen from us like so many often African creations. Efforts like these seminars and the writings/recordings of our historians, cultural activists, intellectuals, musicians themselves and joumalists will strengthen and protect the claim regardless of what other developments are happening in the movement anywhere else in the world.

'Preserving'.

I

am not too sure

what we are preserving - as a nratter of fact, the use ofthe term suggests that the development of pan, the musical instrument - is over; that pan has reached its physical limits and therefore has reached the zenith of its instrumental and musical capability. But we do not know that.And although I am one who calls for the stand-

ardization of the pan, as instrument, I am also wary of the possibilities that standardization may lead to an end of experimentation with steel and fire and hammer and that rigid standardization may be, in a way a limiting factor placed on our creativity. Maybe it is not time for the museum yet! Yes, the Antiguan 'black pan'

and the double bar tone pan and the 'growler' pans that are no longer in use, can be preserved. 'Cherished' might be a more appropriate term.

If the ancestral links remain as I have claimed, and the cultural continuum i.s not breached, then our history as a people is much older that five hundred years and should be in no way bound up too tightly with the vagaries of Columbus and other European manifestations of that ilk. This is one of the lessons I want marketed - the one that uses pan and the pan movement to demonstrate in tangible ways that we

from a long line of civilizations, with history, with culture, and that as a people, our history did not begin in the indignity of slavery. Panproves that point tome and I want to market that proof, make it well known to all and sundry and politicians too for;they do not Yet know it'.

It is important tfrat through 'pan' we

are

explore the endurance ofcreativity ofthe 'lower social classes', which - without money, without musical training in the

somewhere - hemmed in by dubious political leadership and the retarding technical and bureaucratic systems that dominate our lives.How come our leaders cannot find a colnmon currency for the Region and the lady outside the Jamaica airport can negotiate with George Lamming in the currency of his choice? The point is clear. The developments in cul-

ture and 'people economics' and many other fields indicate to me that we do have the potential and ability to solve many of the socio-economic problems facing the Caribbean if we only search for solutions in the right places, utilizing fully the resourcefulness of our Caribbean masses.

Are there no lessons for us from the pan movement in the way tunes are trans-

mitted from one person to another in the panyard? - the teachingflearning interface. No lessons to inform the way we teach art; the way we teach drama or dance or piano or guitar? I doubt that there must be. Is there nothing to learn from the social organization of the steelband with its arranger and sponsor and captains and trainers and part-time musicians who could be doctor-lawyersbeggarman{hief, dockworker, clerk, male or female, young or old? No lessons for our social workers, our organization and management specialists, our psychiatrists,

our politicians? Panwomen suggest that they are afforded unqualified-respect and equality in the panyard, something that certainly does not occur in the wider society. We should know why.

I say yes to 'claiming'. There are so many other lessons to be drawn from the movement. What human character traits make this possible? What is the source spirituality and confidence which inspires people who are not 'musically trained' to approach Kitchenerand Bach, on the same day, in the same clothes, on the same

instruments, with the same facility and creativity as they do Marley or Coltrane or Hancock?

I say 'marketing' Yes, - but for ourselves, for our regional and total human developmpnt - not to satisfy the mundane needs of individuals bored with their own countries and life styles, who come here calling themselves tourists, certainly not for the fickle industry which supports and

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY . DECEMBER' 1992

Dorbrene O'Marde encourages the movement of these bored vagrants, certainly not for the satisfaction

of the world's ethnomusicologists who refer to our trtusic as primitive or lump it into a weird category called ' world music' a music different and therefore inferior to 'theirs'.I have seen what 'marketing' has done to calypso - how it has tumed a most valued and valid art form into one that now has 'gone intemational' - whatever that means, and how this 'internationalizing' of the art form has reduced the lyrical content of the music to the lowest and perhaps most base common denominator of all - 'jam and wine and party and wave'. Perhaps we do have some time, although not much to protect pan from similar marketing ravages.

The role of the artist and I quote Laz

Ekwerne from his pamphlet 'Alrican Sources in New World Black Music' '...is to continue to preserve the herit-

age and perpetuatethose lasting bonds that take him back to the original horneland ... must seek out and capture that power that lies in the knowledge of his art and culture, his religion, his history and music, so that the extraordinary strength of his cultural genius will - in spite of the demeaning influences of extemal forces,

triumphantly continue to endure.'

Pan as icon, as image and realitY of heritage has an important role to play in the unification of these Caribbean lands.

Yes, it must continue to make music but that music must encourage common move-

ments of a Common dance and united future.

o

{ie

FOCUS ON THE STEELPAN It

began with the congo dnul. Irr 1883, the Act of Emancipatiolr becarne effective in Trinidad. Witlr this Acl, rhe once silent drurns of Africa, rose agaill to express the joy of freedorn felt by the

black man. The first bands were fonned for the purpose of celebratirrg entarrcipation and the nrusic of these bancls u'as

orrly appreciated by one sector of Trinidadian society - the ex African slaves. l'his celebration was known as llre Carrrre s Brulees whiclr translaled rrrealts 'cane fi re'

.

For the African tlre fomtation of these

trands heralded the re-introcluction of social structure and fonn. Tltis is becarrse the Canrres Brulees barrds had a slnrctrrre .

Caturcs Bnrlccs be lreld orr N.larrli (lras. ;r * hite rrppcr rrri clcllt, clrrss li'tc. Thc ri hi tcs

Ils instntrrrents - the girr [roIlc and

s1;oorr

varvirrg lerretlrs arrrl sizes of barntrt>o.

-l'lris barril *as lrerrel-icial, sirrce it rras clrcape r to prorluce arrd therc were lto lccal rt-straints.

I-alcr tlte u,lr ilts agaitr userl t lreir pori, er to suprr'ss its dcveloprrrcnt. Ilrrt, as u,e lrave scr'lt *lrcrr tlte congo clntnt uas barrrred, tlre passirrg of law's coulcl rrot spot tl)e tarnboo banrboo bands. Instca<l tlrt lau,s forced tlre barrtls to clrarrgr- tlrrir illslnll))()l)ls. Tlrc alierrated lorverrrrrtlrlle class necclcd tlte contirrrred nrrrsical srrpport to s:rtisfy arrd acld substarrce to tlreir Itrrrnatt cxistcnce. atrcl

dicl rrot apprcciatc tlris irrlnrsiorr ancl rctaliatcd by passirrg even lrarslrcr la*s.

But tlrc- first rnove lracl bccrr rrradc to* arrls a Trinidadiarr societl, ulriclr vuorrlrl takc note of tlte black rrran arrrl tlre A1'ricarr <lid not give up tl)e ntusic * lriclr allo* t'cl Irirrr to do so.

T'lre Kalinda barrcls cotrtirrue<l to prosper as an urrrlergrorurcl art outsiclc of'Pclrl of Spain, irr areas like Turraprrrra Arinra, Freeport atrrl Brasso far front rigirl eor enlnle ltt cotrtrol. l'lrc whitcs thouglrt tlrlrt once lcft alorre, tht arl *orrld dir; brrt it

There rvas a royal lrain at tlre head of rvhich was both a king and a rlrreen. The band also had a bodygrrard whc.r usrrally carried a lethal lookirrg five foot trat and a flantbeau, both significant syrnbols for the newly freed slave.

These bands also rccrealerl tlre ltrrrrran idea of territory and jrrrisdictiorr, figlrtirrg atrd rules. Wlren borrndaries werc rrot observed, figlrting would invariably lead to a stickfight in whiclr one represclttative fronr eaclr band would figlrt to tlre backgroulrd chants arrd Kalirrda sorrgs of tlrese bands. If blood vu,as drau,rr frorrr tlre lrcad of either opponerrl, the olher uas declared winner. No marr corrld strike arrother rvhen he was ol) the ground arrd llo one could intercedc.

The structure

of fonrrs uithirr

the

Carrnes Brulees celebrations practiscrl by

llre Kalirrda barrds, rerrrained as crrllrrral fonns practised by thc Africarr onl1.. and

just as "whites" proseculed tlre Afiicarr, so too did they prosectrte his art fonns.

l-he "whites" lreld both political ancl ecorrornic clout and they rrsed tlreir po$'cr to proSecLrte Cannes Bnrlces bv passing lari's rvhich restrained and sornetirnes prolribited the celebration.

The taste of freedorrr and tlre c-xperietrce of lrolding sonle of power, lrou,e ver, prontpted the Africarr to voice his opiniorr in a society whiclr had alrrrost ncver lreard his voice. He srrgeestcd that tlre Page -lJ

l'lrr stt-tlb:tnd tlrrrr etncrqccl frorn the lrrirrrrck yarrls of Porl of Spirirr as llrc rr:pllrcc_ lllcl)l \\ lt.rc rre itltcr tlrc Kalirrdlr lranrls ltrr tlrc tarnlroo barrriroo barrrl corrl<l rxist rvt,rr srcrclly rrs tlrey did in NI:rravalancl Arirrra.

grer', ancl bcgal) l() altcolltl)ilss trot otrlr tlre African brrt all trrt'rnircrs of tlrr lou rr c la

ss.

Il prospcrccl rrntiltltt'lau totlrllv

corr-

detnlrt'd tlrc Afric:rrr drrrrn. Tlrc loucr class ltouevcr corrlcl not lrt go of tlrc tnrrsic arrd art fonn rllriclr gavc llretrr sut slance. 1'his prorrIptt-rl frrrtlrt-r gro* tlr tori,arcl tlrc steelbarrtl arrcl a rnore inte, gratrd socit:ly as tlrc turlboo Lrarllroo u lrs fonrrt:d. l-hl: stnrclrrre of' tlrt' tarrlboo lritrnboo Lrancl u as tlrr sarnt' :rs lltc K;rlin<l:r banrl.

Tlrt' bcaline of tirrs tlrrrr flosrcl orrt of artas likc I-a Corr IIa4rc, E,astr'nr, porl of Sp:rin, Jolrrr Jolrrr, I Iell Yarcl arrcl Neu.tow.rr.

-l'lriscrrrcrgerrcctregarr

irrtlre llte I910's antl e:rrlv -10's (1938-19,1-5). Tar;boo

trrrnboo b:rrrds ri cre srrprrceclccl by. lrottlr, lrtrcl spoorr [rarrrls wlriclr ltroclLrcetl rrrclo_ ]

tlir's [)) .trikinp Irrrllv l'il]crl

1rrr111,..,,1-

CARI('O\I PT-RSP}-(.I'IvE - JT.:L\'- DEC]I'TII]EK. I99]

DRIJMS frotrr water with spoons - steel bars and tubes were introducedto add even more variely.

Some bands began to steal steel away from each other. This led to steelband clashes and this violence to a ban on steelband music. The middle and upper class members of the society denounced the music as uncivilized and a pastime for vagabonds.

Againthe lowerclass individual lrad to find a way to produce his band. He forrnd a way through the East Indian festival of Hoosay. Since there were no restrictions on Indian cultural forms, the African joined the Hoosay and played the tops of paint pans and other drums from the waist instead of using steel bars.

The steelband had already succeeded

instrument on whiclr tlre insecurilies and frustrations of the lower class corrld be played out. Now tlre ltealing effect of steelband music is felt by every pannist.

Tlris rrrrrsical therapy contirtues evett furtlrer as steelband tttusic serves to discipline and regularise tlte comnrunily.

o .:

..::.:::i.::: :

::f:.::::j'..

.:.::::::::.::::::::::..1:

::

:

, .:.ii:iiiiiiii:iiiiiii:iiiiiiiiii:i:,',.,:,:,;i.,

::.,...:.:i..

Guvatru

in drawing two fractions of the society together: the Africans and East Indians.

The instrument grew and develoPed increasing its range ofnotes. A steelband association was formed in 1949 and began lobbying forthe properacceptance of pan as a social phenorr.renon. Gradually it was accepted and so a parl ofthe alienated lower classes of the society was accepted into the general flow.

Today the steelband and its art fonn continues to affect the lives of the society since its slatus has been greatly upgraded.

One of the most important effects of pan is that is has brouglrt tlte racial elements of the society together evell though the instrument is of the African percussion strain, for it has integrated the char-

The Bolnrtros

acteristics of the European orchestra in order to perform classical pieces, jazz pieces and calypsos. The Asian strains have also been adopted from the inception of pan when pan was used in Hoosay, as the beating of the tin with sticks like an

Indian drum introduced.

Pan through the eyes of Trinidadians and Tobagonians and the wider Caribbean is seen as geographic conrmunities, not talked about in ethnic terms' One talks of Despers of Laventille, Fonclaire from South, Angel Harps from Central, the steelband from Guyana that played in the Festival.

Pan now also serves as a fomr of musical therapy. Previously it served as an CARICOM PERSPECTIVE . JULY - DECEI\IBER' 1992

Page

-15

$

IDENTITY rh

eir

=,

&

s,..,fr:::'J

INTEtrRATION

*1;:?'"lffr

M Re s i o n

*Joseph Palacio

The mindset that we are all creole or cosmopolitan glosses over the serious conceptual issues that we need to ferret out. Ultimately Identity is a subjective self-ascription. The onus therefore is on the state and the society at large to main-

tain an environment of equity so that anyone can self-identify without being ashamed to do so. Among those who have the most reasons not to self-identify are

Aboriginal People for they have

been

kept in the colonial setting closely resembling that which the independent States of this Region shook off decades ago. Despite this many hold their heads high and publicly proclaim themselves as Caribs, Maya, Garifuna and Arawaks.

With respect to integration, the first

lesson forthcoming is not to overlook what little known people are doing toward their own coming together, notwithstanding their exclusion from the fonnal negotiation table. It is said that the makers of the United States federal government

constitution were influenced by the Iroquois Confederacy. The fledgling ef-

forts of the COIP may also hold some lessons for our senior level technocrats.

At the very least lhey cannot afford any longer to overlook the Region's Aboriginal Peoples.

The refrain coming from a well known

Punta Rock song

in Belize by pen

Cayetanosays "Uwala Busiganu". In English it translates as "Let there be noshanre".

It is worth emulation by other not well known minorities in the Caribbean. It would be interesting to nrake conrparisons with the Maroons of Jamaica and Srrriname and pockets of East Indians in Belize. I am sure there are many others.

The exanrple is also worth entulation by tlre Caribbean Region as it braces itself I'age

-16

Dr. Joseph Palocio for the world of lrigh level give-arrd-take among ntore powerfrrl stales. When yorr are smallyour identity becontes even lnore a sanctuary from which you could strike.

Secondly, the concept ofpatrintony so

essential to Aboriginal People, slrould form a comerstone of the integratiorr debate. The same way that tlre Region's Aboriginal People lrave direct affirrity to members of tlreir nalion wlro happen to find themselves on the otlrer side of an intemational border, the shapers of tlte Region's integration will have lo rrrake strong

overlones

rrr rreighbours in the

Anrericas. It is a point well ntade try tlre West Indian Contrnission Report.

Finally, lhe ilrtegralioll movelnent needs its spiritual force i.e. its coslnology or world view rrot ne cessarily in arr icorroclastic manner but, irr ways witlr which the small Inan can identify. For too long the discussion on irrlegratiorr has beerr so

exclrrsive llrat ntost people would be hard 1;ressed to explairr wlrat it really is. It rnaybe prelltature to hold as a nrodel the strorrg spiritual but existential force wlriclr I described earlier for Aboriginal peoples. Brrt you will agree witlr nre that any integration has to have a soul arrd al l of us need to work on one for tlre Caribbean inlegration ntoventellt. We could tun) to tlre Aboriginal Peoples for their experierrce ancl advice.

Irr a rrrrtshell lhe Caribbearr is blessccl

lo have as part of its owrr citizeirry

a

people wlro calr be of so nrrrch ltelp, and it only rerrrains a rentote poterrtial so far.

IDr. Joseph O. Palacio is Resitlerrt Tutor, Sclrool of Contirruirrg Sttrdit:s Llrriversity of tlre Wesl Inclies, Belizcj.

c

CARICOl\t PERSP}-(]TIVE -.II.JLY . DECEI\tBER. I99Z

l

Cnrifesra Staff.

C

ri c k Ca

]'

rack Vil lage

tt c

rto

-Sro

Rica t t Da

t

n

Te

I

ling.

tc e rs

I ffi

I'ltillip llochford & Le Rcti (-larke

w

[)attt rrs CARICON'I PERSPECTIVE .

JIII,\' - I)T]CE}IIII'R

Pagc

-17

CUSTODIAN OF

trARIBBEAN trULTURE Lisa Wickhan-Brotrche

As Caribbean people and rvltat we may wish to term our "Caribbean Identity", we need not be challenged by ncrv art fonns

coming out

of the Euro-Anterican

Metropole.

Instead of extending all r-aeer ann to tlte glamorous, we in the Cari blx'arr should

be cltannelling our energles to conrlrirre our diverse and unique talcrrls to present

to the world. The richness of orrr Caribbean culture cannot be dclried, our col-

ourful foods, folklore arrd liestivals Hosay, Divali, Pagwa, Crop Over, Reggae Sunsplash and of course rrot forgetting Carnival,llre excitenrent of Zouk and Cadance, the pulsating rhythnrs of Soca,

Duband Rapso, the wild sensation of Ska, the rhythmic moventent of our bodies in step to the bele, piquet, clrutney, jig and even thecallof Colin Lucasand Lt. Stichie all combine to present a brilliant kaleidoscopic package compared with any in tlre

world.

However, by our very nature we attenrpt to deny this heritage and in its place

hold on firmly to imposed values

arrd

tradilions transmitted by Opralr Winfrey,

Beverely Hills 90210 and Wheel of Fortune.Instead of putting orrr cullure on tlrings we allow the world to put its nrark on ortr crrllure and we lrave no sigrratrrre.

Our dance styles belong to M.C. HarnPoge

-18

mer, ourclothes have been decided by En Vogue, and our hairslyles are a conrbination of Amold Schwarzenegger and Bart Sinrpson.

Since our culture is detenlined in es-

sence by who we are, tlren

of

cotrrse

having been exposed to art fomrs conring from elsewhere will influence our fonna-

tion of "selfl. There is notlring wrong

with that, we need to be exposed... in order to grow, we nrust experiment witlr extenral influences, cultural cross-overs and the like, pulling llre positive elenrents from nrusic, filnr productiorrs, lheatre productions and distribution. Tlre contribution of music videos to Caribbean nrusic is significant when we think of lrow nrarketable the works of Slrabba Ranks and David Rudder becanre when enhanced with their very own videos. But, in fihering of what comes tlrrouglr, we lrave to be nrindful of allowing these extenral cultures to don-rinate our exislence to tlre extent that what we in facl become as "nrimic nren" hollow on the inside, perfectly aping the TLCs, Michael Jacksons and Boyz II Men of this world.

The media and the upconting cable conrpanies have to take heed of their social responsibility in fashioning the nrinds of our young people and reject the cultural excreta err.rifled from both within

and outside llre Region. The DJs and nraxi

taxi drivers need to stop clinging to the lanre excuse of "its the young people who

want it" and refuse to play downright snrut. Please, let us not insult and underestimate the intelligence of our young people.

The reality is that the Caribbean actively participates in the global nrarket.

We are tlrere, however, to a large extent as merely buyers, what we now require is the sales pitch. The ability to sell what is ours

to the rest of the world. And there is

a

glinrnrer of hope, if we faclor in the success of our Janraican brothers on the intenrational scene.

In perpetuating our owrr, we could start sinrple willr newspaper cartoons on folklore characlers, which could then be conrpiled and converled into comic books

for distribulion to sclrools and retail oullets.

I wish to recornntend thal we

set up a

regional nrarketing conrnrillee ainred at aggressively prornoting the Caribbearr, abroad; its valuable diversity and sinrilarities, its peoples, custorns and rich lreritage. In otherwords, a comrnittee focussed on inrproving the visibility of all tlre Caribbearr irr the global nrarket.

o

CARICOTT PERSPECTIVE . JULY . DECEMBER. I992

Rags

ts

Riches *Mighty

Pep

Do you remember the old story We all learnt it in infancy About this girl in the fairy tale Named Cinderella so poor and frail was she, real poverty Then her god mother came to town And she really turned things around Took Cinderella out of the ditch and in a flash she Became so rich, real rich.

Rags to riches

These humble refugees from the ....

Are now the Kings of our main streets Though times are hard for you and rne Their business shows prosperity, strangely Like a Cinderella they transform from a refugee to big barons Just like a sudden flight

Now these things are happening right

There was a time when we used to say Don't try crime it doesn't pay But from our experience It seems the truth is quite different today Crime really pays

here Characters without a dime to spare And in a sudden flash They acquire endless cash No one knows from where it came like Cinderella again.

It happens just overnight That is why we must suppose They're selling ntuch more than clothes.

Think about it just for a while Bobol is now the latest style Our financial companies and banks

(Chorus) Can you tell a.. A - A Cinderella No longer a fairy tale Flesh and blood on a hunnn scale

Cinderellas...A-A Mystery Fellers In a sudden dranratic clintb Rags to riches in record tinte.

But benveen nte and you We're all jealous tillwe blue Cause if we were in them shoe Its the sanre thing we would do ... oh l,ord We

playing lottery, we playing

poob We all trying hard to be Cinderellas too.

You know its tnte.

Have been ripped and stripped and snrely spanked in style From the inside And the crooks are hardly ever caught They just start a new life in New York I'm sure you know a few Who were poor like me and you

But after their embezzling they're living

big like a king They appear once every five years Politicians sounding so sincere They pledge to serve, they pledge to work They'rehumble simple but sonre are broke and scrunting They swear they live to serve our needs But in their heart is concealed greed So they get the vote and in they go but

They anive with just one suitcase Selling cheap clothes from place to place But before you can say Jack....

They're buying buildings they're buying

before too long We see we were mistaken That is when the transforntation conies From a hunrble son to Master Don They give the voters a slap Build a palace from their shack Living rich sipping champagne. Cinderella

land, with space......

again.

Exclusive taste CAR,ICOM PERSPECTIVE .

JULY. DECEMBER,

1992

Page 39

Fa

PEDRO ALONZ:TT NINO l4g|? r t 99?

This year 1992, marks the 500th Anniversary or the Quincentennial of the arrival of ChristopherColurnbusto the "New

world" - the Caribbean of today. Although he sighted the coast of South America and traded with the original inhabitants for pearl, gold and dye wood, Columbus did not discover a "New

World". It is one of the myths of

Eurocentric historians and writers.

Furthermore, the vision of Columbus as "navigator extraordinaire" and explorer par-excellence, is also one of the myths that must be debunked in the interest of historical accuracy and the developing of a proper perspective of the history of our country and our Region. Africans were sailing to this part of the world long before the arrival of that Genoese Navigator. The most important of these were, Africans, Afro-Arab traders and Malians.

These African traders and visitors left their cultural footprints in the pre-Caribbean and pre-Columbian era as evidence of the Africans' presence in the Amerin-

first voyage. Pedro Alonzo Nino obtained permission to undertake a private exhibition to the new world in Jurre 1499. He sailed to the new world proceeding as far as the Gulf of Paria where he traded with the natives and retumed to Spain with gold arrd pearls.

It was African people who rediscovered the Caribbean and Americas long before Columbus and wlro were to guide Colunrbus to the new lands in the Westem Hemisphere.

One question may be asked, why is it that the African name has remained prac-

tically in obscurity for more that four centuries? The answer is not difficult to find. Until recently historians were nol careful to note with any degree of accuracy and with due credit tlre useful and

noble deeds of tlre African companions of

Spanislr conquerors, because Africans were slaves, the property of masters who were supposed to be entitled to the credit for whatever they accomplished.

Welconte rennrks by tlrc Chairnan of COAATT Mr. Patrick Edwards at the Fourtlt Etttortcipatiotr Distittgttislrcd Leclure to,,tark the celebratiorr of the l50tlt futniversary of Etnancipatiotr and the Quincentennial of the Arrival of tlrc African Diaspora in tlrc new world frotn Pedro Alottzo Nino to 1992).

(Below): Reproduction by CarybdHector Bernabo, Argentitreau paiilter and designer appearitry in Iconography of tlte African God's itt Baltia's Cortdornble, which fortned part of att e.rltibitiotr bv COAATTfoT CANFESTA V.

o

dian pantheon. Among those pemranently

enshrined were the Black God Ixtlilton referred to as the "one with theblack face"

-

the Mexican's god of medicine

and

likewise Ekaluah, the black God of travelling merchants.

in

When Columbus arrived in these parts 1492, on his first voyage, one of his

three ships, the Pinta, was piloted by Pedro Alonzo Nino of Mayaguez, Spain.

He was an expert pilot and a conrpanion of Columbus on all his voyages. He was the main pilot with expert knowledge of the

waters and currents which brought preColumbian trades from Spain along the Azores across the Atlantic and down to the Caribbean and Americas.

The chief pilot and principal partners of Columbus in {he "Enterprise of tlte Indies" were the "Negro Pinzons". Not only did they provide expertise for the voyage but made a substantial monetary investment to enable Columbus to make the first voyage to the "New World".

Apart from being a pilot on Columbus' Pege 40

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY . DECEMBER, T992

,",.*;#*

Rejecriorr

Helttt 192

Trortbla on Iltc Hori:.on.

Ev'ettitt.q

Co lrr

ttr

brts

U

Roid

trrrrosked

An exhibition of u'orks by Jartlaicatr artists wlrich debunked Colttntbus attrl reveals his true identify - tlrat of an adventrrrer in relentless ptlrstlit of gold, who brotrght to the irtcligenorts pcople of the Caribbean, death attcl destrttctioll olat tlrt: their ancient culture - was lrelcl Four Comers Gallery, Kitrgston last October, 1992. The exhibitiott also tttetnorializes the victints oftlre Spartislt Ittvasiotr which began ott October 12, 1'192 rvlren tlre Spaniards landed ott an islattd christened by Coluntbus Satr Salvador, in The Rahanras.

The exhibition was cttrated by Andre*' Hope arrd Fitz llanack.

Jolrtt \\'altcr' E,r't'ltitrg Raid realistically depicts al) orgy of rape attd tttttrtlcr visitcd trpott a pcace fttl Ara* ak villagc by' licerrtious solrlierr'.

Andreu Jcl'fersort's Coltttttbtts does ltis ou rr rrnnraskir rg as if lrt kttorl s lltat sool l('r or later sol)).one is borrttcl to it for lrirrr.

Jefferson clcpicts ltittt ;rs atr clegatttll lttirctl Spanislr sratttlt't'riitlr a tall lr:rt tlral sprouts a clrtt'kr' fcrrtltcr. Respectabilitl' persorrified; trut itt ;rtt ittset irr tlre b:rckgrorrnd, Clrrilt on lltt'Cross lootrts atttitlst

crlr)er)1, slrorvs a \\'oll)an *'ltose elrrpltatic

gcslure ol-rejectiorr sigrrals her lratred of arrd corrtcrnpt for Colunrbtts and cvcrytlring hc slands for.

Fitz Ilarrack's relief. rlotte itt reinforced gypsunr plaster, are ltrcid altcl frec of affcctation. Harrack locttses nraittly ott li:clrng arrd it is tlris enrplrasis otr l-r:elirrg tlrat brirrgs lris trr o "sceltcs" an uttlirreet-

table inttrrsit;'.

(Conrpiled front att arlicle opp('ttrittg

itt rlte "Gleorter", Octobar 18, 19921.

snroke and fire risirrg frotrt a scettc of canlaSe as r\rawaks are treittg pttt to llrr' srvord.

CARICONT PERSPECTIvE - JUL\' . DECE]\IBER.

Colin FcrgLrsott, uorkittg itr trclrtctl

i) I'age

.ll

Cornrnent frorn the Diasprrra

CARICOM= THE ROAD BETWEEN -*Fauzya CARICOM, the regional community defined by the Treaty of Chaguaramas, was created at a time when no one wanted to try again a federal experiment, but all regional leaders saw, felt and advocated

the need for closer cooperation. The 13

CARICOM States

of the'smallest independent countries in the world, for I I of them have populations of less than one million people. They are situated in a semi-enclosed sea bordered by large and complex countries, among whom are at least two middle powers and one super power. Existing cooperation arrangements - the University of the West Indies, the Caribbean Development Bank and the Caribbean Free Trade Area (CARIFIA) - were working reasonably well; and many regional politicians and technocrats saw the nbed for a Community to expand and continue the good work.

Cooperation was further facilitated by common historical, cultural, and indeed are some

geopolitical experience of the West Indies.

There is an assumption of similarity that runs right through the technical proposals of CARICOM, an assumption wel l-rooted in shared Caribbean experience. The strength of the commonality is perhaps what sets CARICOM apart from regional groups in Latin America and indeed permits the almost invariable and unique cohesion of CARICOM countries in intemational fora.

When one looks at regional integration in the last l0 years, one is struck by three factors: the impact of the extemal environment on the regional integration processes; the multitude of regional organizations carrying out extensive technical work primarily on regional issues but not always on regional integratiotr issues; and the apparent agnosticism of the peoples of the Region toward the work of the regional institution.

CARICOM was created not so much as a political entity, norreally even merely a comnron market, but as a workittg dePage.l2

Moore

velopnrent syste,il, to further the wellbe-

ing of the peoples of the Region. There

were three tenets to the Treaty of Chaguaramas: market integration, with

production integration as a subsidiary theme; functional cooperation, and coordination of foreign creation. With almost all production in CARICOM countries geared for export to developed countries, there was a need to encourage regional import substitution and a regional market to help redress the unpredictability of intemational commodity process and the vagaries of developed country protectionism. The common market would enable CARICOM producers to take advantage ofeconomies ofscale and encourage

exports of manufactures and processed agricultural products.

The two "ancillary" aspects of the Treaty, functional cooperation and coor-

dinated foreign policies, require some explanation. Both were introduced partly because they were happening anyway.

The first Lome Convention, for example, was being negotiated around the time of the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas, and there was a healthy tradition of cooperation in the social sectors begun by the

British and continued by the West Irrdi-

ans. In fact, the functional cooperation aspects of the Treaty have always

contributed a weahh of political capital to the movement, even when the record of the

economic arrangenents proved disap-

pointing. As suclr, CARICOM was created to further regional cooperation and regional development, and with an expectation that the functionalism enshrined in the Treaty would perhaps lead tothespill-

over effect of closer integration, both sectoral and political.

However, CARICOM the organization was created with no implementing n.rachinery. Inrplenrentation of regional decisiorrs renrained entirely the responsibility of the member govenrments, many of whiclr did not have llre necessary capa-

bilities or financial resources. As the

interim report of the West Indian Comnrission notes, it was like creating the European Economic Community without the European Commission orthe European Court of Justic. Furthermore, there was in nrany instances no overriding incentive to implement CARICOM decisions. For example, the LDCs slow to adhere to the CET (Contmon Extemal had legitimate concems about the loss of revenue from tariffs. Implementation of many CARICOM decisions also required legislative instruments in a corrtext of a region-wide shortage of legisla-

Tariff

tive draughtsmen. And, in the face of pressing national issues, regional qrrestions were often given low priority. One of the net results of the failure to irritiate implementation was to divorce regional policy fronr parlianrentary debate and therefore from nati onal consensus.

CARICOM was also created during one of the most turbulent periods in recent economic history - created just in time for the first oil crisis and attendant instability in the international financial system. CARICOM cooperation did help to address to crises of the l97Os. The role of Trinidad and Tobago in assisting mem-

ber states in the alleviation of their balance-of-payments difficulties and in financing some of the integration experiments is known. Intra-regional trade grew fronr aboul 5 percent in 1970 to l0 percent by the mid-1970s and remained at that level until tlre early 1980s. Several rnember states could attribute an increase

irr exports of nranufactured products to

regional preferences. However, by the early | 980s, along with declining export eaming intra-CARICOM exports also fell

I I percent below 1975 levels, creating sonretlring of a crisis within the movemenl.

By tlre early I980s CARICOM countries were experiencing an increasing debt

burden, balance-of-paymenls problems and declining intenrational markets for nrany tradiliolral exports. Coupled witlr

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE. JULY. DECEMBER, T992

this was increasing bilateralism of donor countries and increasing pressure from bilateral donors and international lending

agencies for structural liberalization.

CARICOM countries were expected to consider as priority extemal solutions to development problems, and the economic policy agenda became intemationalized to an almost unprecedented degree.

Along with a deepening development crisis, tlrc leadership of the regional movement also faltered. CARICOM Heads of

Govemment did not meet in formal session between 1975 and 1982. Thus the secretariats continued their technical work; many regional schemes were proposed, and a few were implemented, but the movement lacked political direction, and indeed political consolidation. It had also begun a process where the secretariats talked to the representatives of govemments, the govemments talked back to the

secretariats but there was little dialogue with Caribbean peoples, except through official communiqu6s and occasional debates in the media. In the words of the folk-poet Paul -Douglas: "Cari come and

Cari gone."

What had CARICOM become during this period? CARICOM had developed a legitimate utility in providing technical studies and expertise to member govemments and, in fact, in coordinating positions in intemational fora on a wide range

of issues. The network of CARICOM institutions had been expanded and many were taking independent initiatives in the area

of development. But the ground-

work had not been laid for regional consolidation in the event of a threat to regional solidarity and the Secretariat, searching for development finance for its projects, tended tobecome involved more in the functional rather that diplonraticpolitical aspectsof integration. Apopular regional consensus on integration had not emerged and therefore the 'deepening;

of

the Community could not take place.

CARICOM was a valuable tool for intergovemmental coordination and cooperation; but irrtegration itself was on hold.

Orcnatla atrrl Rotralrl Regnn

Indians. Clive Thomas, the Guyanese

And then came the 1979 coup in Grenada, which brought into power Maurice

economist, argues that adjustment policies marginalised the role of the State in the Caribbean. They may also have compromised the autonomy of the regional

Bishop's New Jewel Movement, and which was closely followed by U.S. President Ronald Regan's proposed Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI). TIre two events re-

introduced the Cold War to the Region.

CARICOM Heads of Govemment, who began to meet again in 1982, attempted responses to both issues: informally to persuade the govemment of Grenada to hold elections, and to mitigate the quali-

fying criteria of the United States' CBI, knowing incidentally that market access offered was impossible to refuse. They also attempted to protect the common market arrangenrents from the bilateral nature of the CBI, and to safeguard the unity of the Community through the doctrine of ideological pluralism'.

The attempts to modify the CBI and to neutralize its political impact led simply to a contradiction between the declara-

tions of CARICOM in the regional communiques and the resulting intraCARICOM furor. Surprisingly to ob-

servers, the political breaclr created by the

intervention was apparently quickly healed through negotiation at the Commonwealth Summit in Delhi and then at CARICOM's Nassau Sunrmit on 1984.

At that meeting CARICOM re-established its identity more finnly than ever before and appeared to be once again in control of a regional developnrent agenda and indeed of the regional movement.

movement.

Few would argue that adjustment was not necessary. What was at issue was the nature and methodology of adjustment.

Offi cial CARICOM, in hastening to prove its willingness to cooperate with intemational prescriptions for development, drew fire from labour and NGOs over its apparent acceptance ofadjustment and export-

led developnrent. For example, they argued that the Region should concentrate not on cheap labour but on high labour productivity; that production should first be rooted in the needs ofthe Region and then for export; and that social services should not be compromised for the sake of adjustment. These are criticisms very near to the spirit of the Treaty. While

CARICOM

at Nassau preserved its cohe-

sion, it may have done so at the expense of its raison d'etre.

However, two positive developments flowed from the Grenada crisis and its aftermath. The first was the realization that the expectations of CARICOM were not generally matched by the implement-

ing abilities of regional organizations.

The second was the renewed public debale on CARICOM, all the more lively

following Nassau. Thus, in the years which followed, there has been a regeneration of regional urgency all the nrore enhanced by developments in the inlr:ma-

tional environment and the inability of

\\'hat harl huppenerl arrrl rrhr'l

the CBI to redress the declining balance of trade between the U.S. and the Conr-

At the Nassau Sunrnrit CARICOM reasserted its existence as a vehicle ofconflict resolution among its Member States and of development policy. That said, the developnrent policy adopted was less that

monwealth Caribbean and ils declining credibility as a serious development option.

Intra-regional trade is finally beginning to grow again, and the creation ofthe Caribbean Enterprise Regime and the Caribbean Investnrent Facility point to a renewed cornnritment to regional production. There have also been attempts at unity witlrirr tlre OECS countries, includ'ing creation of a Regional Constitrrent

of regional integration and more of

a

coordinated approach to structural adjustment, trade liberalizalion and, of course, the policies necessary to accede to the CBI. CARICOM becarne further divorced fronr the social concenrs of ordinary West

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY. DECEMBER, T992

Page 43

REVISITINtr THE strENE Former Secretary

G

eneral

of CA RI C O M,

Roderick Rainford, tall<s with' P erspective'

Q:

You have been

a regiotnl civil

servant, interfacing at several levels with the political directorate,by virtue of that j o b, y ou were an inte r natio nal te c hnocra t interfacing with internationa I a gen cies, mu

lti late ral and

co

op

e

rativ e.

How easy is life afier CANCOM in this sense?

A.

would not say that it has been particularly different. It has been a change ofscene, a change in the level ofoperation, a change in the network ofactors and agencies and institutions for which one relates directly.I say directly because I consider that one will continue to relate to them indirectly, in many cases in my new assignment.

So it is essentially a change ofscene but

the process is just as intense. one that involves the samemeticulous attention to detail, the same careful attention to the designing of policies and measures, careful attention to their implementation - so, a change ofscene, but no great lessening of intensity of operations.

In

1983,

at the celebrariotr of l0

years of CANCOM,yott wrote a serttinal piece and have beeninvolved in o nunrber ofexercises done on behalfofthe Secretariat, on the implementation aspects of re gio na I d e cisi o n-t naki n g.

Page 44

A:

Well, as far as the styte of the

professional personality in the regional

Interms of what has developed, I

Q:

Revisiting the scene, what kind of bureaucracy do we need around us now which we can innovate and implement?

public service

- I think that there are

certain abiding truths.

There must be a professional posture with dedication to excellence in technical preparation. I see the whole process of

decision-making and implementation as proceeding in three phases.

There is the preparatory stage,that is what is going to inform the decision. Bad preparation will lead to bad decisions, and once people become conscious that decisions are bad, they don't implement them.

As a matter of fact I would say that it would be a disservice to the Region to implement bad decisions. So, tlre first challenge is technocracy that is committed to excellence in meticulous technical

preparation. This preparation would inform decisions and fit into the objective situation that can lead from the objective situation that obtains, to the one that you are trying to achieve or attain.

Then there is the next stage - the crafting and the structuritry of the decisiotr.

That, too,is critical because it is quite

possible to make bad decisions even

though youmight have hadexcellent teclrnical preparation. Although the decision is going to be taken by the decision makers, the political directorate, the way the work has been prepared and presenled, the way it is elaborated can itself help in the process of arriving at well ordered, well stnrctured and appropriately desi gned decisiorrs.A decision, in a sense, is a design for aclion. Of course the next stage after tlrat is tlre question of itnplententatiou.

We can have fine or excellent decisions, thal are well conceived,and adrnirable in concept; bLrt tlre practical corrsiderations of efe c ti ve in p I er r e ntatio n night defeat the errd process, if they are not taken into account. Decisions are always irlplenrented witlrirr a certain setting.One t

has to bear tlris in nrind, both in the process of preparing for a decision, as

well as in the act of the decision itself, Itow the decision is designed, having your eye on the question of facilitation of implementation. In temrs of basic outlook, this how I see it for the future.

These nratters contain fundamental and abiding truths which apply not only to the regional situation, but at the national level and indeed at the intenrational level, in all circurrrstatrces where human actors lrave to take actiotr lo inrpact on tlreir situation, in the real world, whetlrer the social setling is national,regional or intemational.

Acconrpanying this, one will have to

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE. JULY. DECEMBER, T992

movedfrom a position of doubts engendered by the sobering developments of 1983 to a position offairly positive expectations of the integration movement at the present time.

We have

build the processes and structures through which real people in the real world will work to do these three things As you are aware, very important thinking was addressed to this in the West Indian Commission, which has crystallized in its own recommendations, the establishment of a CARICOM commission. The CARICOM Commission has a very close bearing on these three points in terms of decision making and implementation in the future.

to get out more basic, concrete informa-

tion and communication to the public.

There is still some extra mileage to go here. I trust and hope that that momentum will be maintained.

Perhaps, one of my own personal obsessions was that I wanted us as a Secre-

tariat to speak to the public about things

I

By the tinte we publish this inter-

view the decisions of October nny have taken the lead over us.

At another level, there are several levels at which the Comnrunity has to bring its decisions into the open and there have

ofcriticisms about the lack of transparency of the Conununity's work in the Regiota What are your reacbeen several kinds

tiotts?

A:

I

think that there is a certain amount

ofjustification in this criticism. Looking back over the years as Secretary General, there was probably a time when we at the

I myself, was so with achieving technical

Secretariat, or at least

obsessed

that were substantive, that were concrete,

that were happening. I didn't want to get

into the mode of communicating all frothiness,to the public, nothing with sub-

stance

meaningfully.

There is the betief that people and

the leadcrship night have a vision of where the organization slrculd go, but the structures that are in place and the ideas and personnel around these structures really beconte the systents for the organizatiort.Looking at those two, tlrc nrctch and the uisnntch do you have a sense of reflectiott on the organization during your tenure?

excellence,that we did not, perhaps, put as much stress as was warranted, or address as much attention as was warranted on the question of communicating with the regional public about what we were

A:

doing.

organization.

I think that in later years, we, and certainly I myself became obsessed with

There are many goals upon which we had embarked, many things onto which we had set our hands that were frustrated

correcting that imbalance and being able to speakmore concretely and in intelligi-

ble terms to.the public about what is happening in terms of the work of the Secretariat, which we must always see not just as Secretariat, but as the adminis-

trative instrumentof theCommunity, carrying out the Community's work.

So, it was really talking to the public about whattheCommunity isdoing, where it is trying to go, by what means it is trying to go in the directions it is trying to go. We started with obviously limited resources, and as far as those limited resources will permit to conect that imbalance, we started

Q:

Youassuntedofice in

1983

inwhat

might be called the grim times of

the

regional integration movement just alter the Grenada crisis. You left on a high point, where, through the work of the West lndia Conunission, there was regional policy being initiatedthrough public consuhation. Do you have a sense of satisfa.ction of that interregnum ber'veen say, Grenada, and 1992?

A:

I can say that I have an enorrnous

sense of satisfaction about

themovement,

very positive movement,. between what obtained in what might be called the dark a

In general terms, and as o rganiza-

tions go, regional or otherwise, the Secretariat has been a reasonably successful

in the process of pursuing, or did not come into fruition. Many things had to be aborted. On various occasions we encountered many intemal hiccoughs. But, judging from the broad spectrurn of organizations to which I have been exposed, Iwouldsay that the Secretariat has really had a decent average success in what it has tried to do. It has certainly come under considerable strain in temrs of what is required of it,particularly inthe current mood of the integration process and in light of the resources at its disposal.

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JT'LY - DECEMBER. T992

sonable degree ofsuccess in pursuing the goals.

in it. I think that we have now

reached the stage where we can advance

Q:

With regard to vision, the leadership viz-a-viz the structures, there has always been that challenge, before any leadership in any organization to communicate to the people working in the organization, who are going to be the instruments for achieving goals,and to engage in shared goal setting,and thereby bring the personnel and the structures into the kind of state shape and form that will facilitate a rea-

days of October 1983 shortly after I assumed office as Secretary General, and what is obtaining now at the present time, between the last two to three years in

CARICOM.

I have no doubt,that there have been very many critical questions, in many cases quite

justifiable about CARICOM,IT

is good that this has been so because it is out of the impetus that you get from the background of critical analysis and persistent questions and probing that you can hone your collective vision as to what we should be doing,where we should be go-

ing with the integration movement, aid indeed sharpening and improving our ef-

forts.

Nevertheless, when you look at the movement as a whole, one cansaythat we (Cont'd on page 46)

Page 45

have moved in the Region in terms of the

overall public outlook as well as in terms of govemment and the outlook of all the technocrats and officials and experts working in the integration movement We have moved from a situation of doubts which were engendered by the tragedies and the very sobering developmen[ of October 1983, and doubts as to where the movement was going, from the vision in the leadership - as you might recall, during those days there was talk of CARICOM 2 - to a position offairly positive expectations of the integration movement at the present time. That positive expectation is however still,in a sense anchored in continued critical appraisal of what we should be doing in the integration movement.

In general, the atmosphere in which we are now operating in recent years in CARICOM is one that is much more conducive to integration than that which prevailed in the early 1980s.

i

Whatwortld you say have been the instnnt e nts of in teg ratio n thnt yo u r tenure of adninistration have given practical actiott and direction to? m

aj o r

A:

Wehaveofcoursebeenconcemed

with practical movement in all of the three dimensions of integration as sketched out in the Treaty of Chaguaramas, namely in the'area of economic integration, mainly

Roderick Rainford

of the rights of establishment of a Common Extemal Tariff, integration in monetary arrangements, the free movement of labour, freemovement of capital - all of these are concrete elements of tl.re process of creating a true Single Market.

We did in fact make substantial progress

in the area of the removal of barriers to free ntoventent of goods, to the liberalization of trade. At the time of my departure I can say that free trade, or intra CARICOM trade was substantially more liberalized than was the case at the commencement

of

functional cooperation under which so many important things have been pur-

my tenure. There are,of course,still some measure of restriction of trade, for one reason or other, and when I left there was a programne addressed to dismantling these remaining measures. But this is in a sense a mopping up kind of action. Trade has been substantially liberalized, and, hopefully nothing will happen to put that

sued.

in reverse.

through the Common Market arangements; secondly, the area of political cooperation, sometimes referred to as coor-

dination

of foreign policy. Thirdly,the

area of

Some

of our most important efforts

had gone into strengthening ihe Conunon Market. Specifically I would refer to freer

trade, greater liberalization

of intra-

CARICOM trade as we pursued our efforts to move towards achieving a true Common Market, sometimes called a Si ngleMarket. We are all pursuing this very conscious ofthe fact that there are a number of very concrete elements that have to be put in place in order to have a really true Single Market. To name some of them there are trade liberalization, the removal of barriers against free movement of goods, there is a question of removal of barriers against free trade in services, the question Page 46

In other important aspects of the Cornmon Market we have done sonre substantial workintheconstruction of a Conunon External Tanf - an issue of continuing negotiation and sometimes very serious

controversy, being plagued with problems of implementation in some of the Member States. But,I want to point to the fact that the whole Region became the reason for having a Common External Tariff and, notwithstanding the travail that we have gone tlrrough in addressing this subject, it is recognized as important and that one must go through the negotiations however tough they are, to arrive at a consensus,to a workable Conrmon Ex-

temal Tariff, that will form part of the framework for creating a Single Market.

In relation to the importantfree movement of capita[ we have our feet on the first rurrg of tlre ladder, in terms of commencement of the stocks existing against the three exchanges in CARICOM. That

effort is being maintained in terms of broadening

it

and developing other in-

struments and other frameworks of other regimes that will facilitate the free movement of capital. We also have our feet on the first rung of the ladder on the free

movemenl

of skills of labour. But,of

course,other critical developments are also

taking place in other areas.

In the area of foreign po licy coordhntion, we had long reached the point in CARICOM wherr the functioning of the Standing Committee of Foreign Ministers became well honed and, indeed, became a very successful integration instrument for the purpose of achieving politi-

cal coordination in tlre pursuit of our objectiveswith the rest of the world, and in many other practical matters relating to how we achieve joinl representation of our interest in the rest of the world around us.

In the area of firnctional cooperation I was gratified to see that we were able to strengthen or contribute to the support of a number of integration movements some

of them in the form of regional institutions that were in existence before, as well as bringing some critical new ones into existence. One can talk about the reactivation and revival of CARIFESTA which

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE . JULY - DECEMBER. T992

things in terms of integration instruments were in the pipeline many of which were incorporated in the recommendations of

the West Indian

Commission

Caribbean Assembly of Parliamentarians,a Caribbean Court of Appeal, a regime for freer movement of skills and freer travel in the Region, the very important idea of a common curency allangements to buttress the advance to a Single Market.

These are some of the critically important and ioncrete integration movements and

report,matters like the concept of

is very important in the dimension of people-to-people integration.

New programmes are, for example,the Caribbean Interctltural Music Institute, addressing all the dimensions of culture in the integration of cultural cooperation in CARICOM. There is the Ca ribbean Environmental Heahh Institute where we are creating a regional institutional capacity to pursue our collective interests in vital aspects of the environmental situation in our Region in terms of mountirig collective response

to

disasters.

The creation of CEDEM -the Caribbean Emergency Disaster Response Agency - was a matter of particular satisfaction to many of us who had seen the need for this and had laboured long and hard after the initial inspired initiation of the idea by the Prime Minister of Barbados. It is of enormous gratification to us that it came into being as an important regional institution.

Then there is the Caribbean Exanination Council whose work is of so much practical signifi cance through integration forexamination systems. It will have enormous impact through its common syllabuses and the overall process of integration quite beyond the immediate functional importance of having examinations.

Last,one might mention the initiation

a

are proceeding along parallel tracks, either oblivious of each other, or if they are conscious ofeach other not extending any particular effort to establish any linkagbs.

What I am saying is that the integrity of the people process should be maintained,

should not be co-opted by governmental or inter govemmental bureaucracies and,at

and in some cases, implement during my

thesametime,a linkshouldbe established

tenure.

Referring to the link with the social partners and one area of the social netvvorking annng the grass root NGOs, what we in the Caribbean call the work of the informal econonty - what is your view as to how the Secretariat, as an itutrunrent of bureaucracy, can be a realistic

so that they could feed and stimulate each other without the one co-opting the other or managihg the other.

This is how I see the particular mission.

A body like the Secretariat should be catalyst, should be supportive, always be seeking and finding ways ofbroadening the areas of freedom of movement and freedom for widening the scope for these processes, so that these processes can

intenn ediary between these dynantic p roc esses of integratiou otr the ground with

setting.

Q:

people on the one hand, and the nornts and nuanc es of ltow we o ught to be have as

work themselves out in an integration

!

a bureaucracy.

Fornnnyyears people have talked of nnny intpulses and pushesfor the wid-

A:

ening of CANCOM, and we had in the Regional Economic Conference in l99l a very explicit statentent front you in this regard. What do you think we should do ttow?

A body like the Secretariat should have a role in terms of being a catalyst, being supportive ofgreater interplay, and interchange between these bodies and the

govemmental structures.

I do not think

that the Secretariat should assume a management role,that it should come in and

try to be something in the nature of

a

command centre, managing the process.

I've always felt very strongly that there

the first Regional Econornic Conference that was held in early l99l in Trinidad and Tobago. The agreement to institutionalize that as a periodic tripartite consultative conference among the social parties I think will contribute enormously to the involvement of wider range of actors in the integration process,in forming a consensus of policy options and setting a policy atmosphere or framework against which the various actors in their respective fields will be pursuing specific and concrete things for action and implementation with which they are charged.

My sojoum in CARICOM came to an

people which must have its own momentum and must take off and proceed according to its owlr dictates without being micro-managed in a sense by bureaucratic structures.

If anything, I would probably subscribe to the view that bureaucracies and gov-

of very important

a process of integration or coming together at the inter governmental level. At times it appears as if these two processes

regimes that I recall we sought to advance

of what was dubbed the ripartite consultative reginrc among the partners of CARICOM, an idea that emerged out of

end when a number

is that sqmetimes there have been two parallel processes going,a process ofpeople-to-people contact and integration and

is a dimension in integration involving

emments' roles should be basically to clear the decks to give th&e impulses for coming together in the non governmental sector; give these impulses their head to clear the decks, be it an enabling atmosphere for them and,indeed,follow them as might be appropriate, rather than seeking to micro manage them.

What has been happening in CARICOM

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE . JULY - DECEMBER. 1992

(Cont'd on page 48)

A:

I consider that that very explicit statement that I made in l99l met with very large measure of endorsement. I

have found that, working as a member

of

the West Indian Commission, when we

went around CARICOM countries, visited non Caribbean countries, a large measure of favourable sentiments in favour of the idea of integration of Caribbean integration being broadened out from the present CARICOM. No one whom

the West Indian Commission encountered, was in serious opposition to that idea. And, that has emerged as one of the specifi c, concrete, positive recommendations in the West Indian Commission.

The idea of the creation of an Association of Caribbean States.

But, generally, we are at the stage now where the sentiment is in favour of broad-

ening integration beyond CARICOM.

What we specifically have to face now if we are to go ahead is the specific path that we will be identifying and upon which we will be embarking towards that broadening integration beyond CARICOM. Very often people think of widening integration through the paths of others taking on membership in CARICOM. But,that is only one possible path towards integration. There are other paths and, in fact, I think that the West Indian Commission recommendation points to anothbr altemative. That is a path in which everybody could have open to them, the possithe Association of Caribbean States That is something that could proceed parallel to, or witho'ut prejudice to some countries who at present are not members. There can be a combination of these two processes or two alternative paths through which one can achieve a broadening ofthe integration process in the Caribbean.

bility of entering

o

Smiles

[of reliefl as Roderick Rainfurd, hands over

Assembly. Foreign policy aspecrs of the Community, including renegotiation of a fourth Lome Convention and coordination of activities to combat the international drug trade, addstrength tothe movement. But these developments take place against a backdrop of far too many unresolved development problems and increas-

ing criticism of the inported development ethos.

'l rr ruot - or'ltt' rottlt'rl As well, there is an emerging consciottsness among regional politicians of the need to root both adj ustment and the Community in the concems of the people - or lose political credibility altogether. In 1989 Heads of Govemment agreed to create the West Indian Comntission, to

inspire regional economic conferences with representatives of all sectors of govemment and to include business and labour in Common Market Council deliberations. At l*t official policy appears to have recognized the need to bring together the non-official and highly cohesive Caribbean conmunity (both in the

Caribbean and in its diaspora) with CARICOM the organization.

The West Indian Conrnrission.

In time-honoured CARICOM style, much Page 48

his chair

to

his successor E,]win

Carringtott.

of what has been proposed by the West Indian Commission has been proposed before. The difference is that the Commission itself has become a political catalyst for further integration, popularizing regional issues, bringing hometo govem-

ments their peoples' frustration at the

elitist and far too closed nature of CARICOM activity - in effect, creating at last a public consensus on the importance of integration. The report of the Comnrission was due in July 1992 and it will be a test of official CARICOM's resoh'e to how much of it is adopted and, more importantly, how quickly it is implemented. It has, above all, highlighted the importance of taking a political risk well before any new confederal experiment the risk of putting the three agenda of development, integration and adjustment back where they have always belonged: in the parliaments of the Caribbean - and perhaps even in a regional parliament. see

[Excerpt

of a paper presented at a

Senrinar Organized by the North-South

Institute in Ottawa on April 24,

1992.1

Fauzya Moore is ,,{ssistant Director the It$tinfie atrd afonner staffnenrber

of of

the CANCOM Secretariatl

o

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE. JULY. DECEMBER, T992

THE trOMMON EXTERNALTARTFF -Concerns "Issues which might be usefully taken

of the Social Partners *Edwin Carrington

demonstrated, that the interests

of

the

into account and which would be ex-

productive and distributive sectors are

pected to flow from other elements in the

not always identical.

There is need for the distributive sector to be at least as willirrg to promote regional production as they are ready to encourage the buying public of the Region to utilise production coming to us

society are the distributive sector, the consumers, the Government.

It needs always to be recognised that while Governments are the parties to the arrangements binding States, it however behoves Governments to pay due regard to the interests and views of the several, not always non-confl icting, constituents of the body politic. Even as the Govemment seeks to hold the balance and to provide the most propitious environment for investment and production, and encourages the achievement and promotion of economic growth in the States, all the other needs and interests must also influence the stance to be adopted.

In the final analysis, the promolion of the general well-being of the people and

provision ofan enhanced life-style for the populace must be among the critical targets to be sought after, and in this the

respect, the Government cannot be

of the revenue yield which flows from collections made on the basis of the Tariff.

Marutfacturers and producers are also sensitive to the role and functions of the distributive sector. Few manufaclurers have the facility, or for that matter the time to involve themselves in marketing, promotion and sale of theirproducts to tlre consumer. The task of ensuring that the product is available in the market place and that the consumer is alerted to its efficacy and worlh is a function which falls to your private sector colleagues in the distributive sector. Our exchanges over tlre years on tlre appropriate lrealnrent under the Tariff witlr respect to itelns which are inrported as well as in production in the Conrnton Markel have unmindful

from outside of the Conrmon Market. The issue of fair pricing, the regularity of the supply ofthe product and response to the needs and demands of the consumer must all be in the forefront of the interests of our colleagues in the distributive sector.

The regional consumers have increasingly in recent years faced the bombardment of higlr pressure pronrotion by way of the electronic media, over and above their general awareness of brand name

products, the majority

of which

sourced extra-regionally. The dentands of the consumers are understandably for the highest standards, their call for competitive pricing cannot be avoided, but it is equally important that our consumers

give a fair opporturrity to regional producers, while these regional producers are encouraged, indeed required to rneet the highest standards. You will be aware

of the ongoing work of tlre Caribbean Common Market Standards Council as it seeks to promote excellence on lhe part of

regional manufacturers. Tlre Slarrdards Council continues to propose various items for approval by tlre Comnron Market Counci I of Ministers. The CARICOM Export Development Project has had endorsement from the Common Market Council for a CARICOM Logo wlrich is to be displayed on regionalprodr.rcls wlrich aclrieve tlre level of excellence demanded by tlre Standards Counci l. It is only wlrere tlte cotrsurner can be assured of a product of acceptable quality, at a fair price, tlre

CI\RICOII PERSPECTIVE - JttLY - DECEI\{BER, 1992

Edwin Carritrgtott

are

consunrer will be prepared to support the

regiotral producer. Also tlre consutner nrust never forgel lrowever, that the only true arrd lasting consunter is a fully ernployed and productive worker.

So now what of the interest of tlre productive sector? There is the anxiety to secure equiprnent and materials at tlre lowest cost. Tlrere is the effort to seek a level ofpricing for lhe final product that will provide adequate relunrs on investnrer)l - llre enlrepreneur lras to address debt-servicilrg, barrkers fees and spiralling productiorr costs. At tlre same tinre,

bureaucratic bottle-necks need

to

be

avoidcd and adnrilristrative complexilies

nrust be removed. One benefit in the Comnron Market which is increasingly available is tlre assurance of the market of the twelve Menrber States as the dorrrestic

for prrxluction su bsra

n

ti

a

l/y undertaken

anywh.:rc in tlre Cornmon Market.

IExccrptfrottt a Sytttposittu held recetttly itt GuyotrnJ

E.E.T

(Concerns of the Social Partners) rl) THE TRADE UNION Dr. Karl Theodore

The CET is part of our tax-syitem that links us with the rest of the world. So,in a sense, the tax could work both ways, as a factor in our cost ofproduction, it could also act as an incentive or, if it is too high, as a dis-incentive. So that, in theory, if you lower the CET say on your inputs, one of the factors of your cost of production would go down and, presumably that should make yourexport production more price competitive.

By the same token, if you lower the CET on your final products what you are doing is making foreign goods relatively cheaper as compared to how they were before. One of the things you hope that will do is to put pressure on yourdomestic producers to be better in terms of quality and terms of price.

Now I said in theory these things should

I think the bottom line honestly is that not one of us really knows what will happen. You have to make happen but

assumptions about how people are going to respond as the price in the final goods come down. And. you will have to make

assumptions on how the business men will respond to both ..when the price of the competitive goods comes down, as well as when the price of the inputs comes down,

People must not over-estimate wlrat the positive impact of lowering the CET will be. It can give us an opportunity, but I think there are a number of other things we need to do if lowering the rate is going to benefit us.

On the one hand we need to look at our

private sector very carefully and nrake sure that it is notjust low prices people out there are looking for.They are looking for

quality goods which depend on the kind Page 50

for us to expose fully to the pressures of intemational competition.

Even if we have to move to some unifonuity at the CET level, I think the govemnents still have to realize that the fiscal regimes must upgrade in a way to foster and protect some of our key sectors.

Dr. Karl Tlteodore

of skilled labour that is applied to

the

production.

I know that the ILO has developed a small fund, of approxirnately $4 to $5 million which they are willing lo put at the disposal of different business groups inthe Region to upgrade theirtechnological andnranagement skills in orderto deal witlr what is in fact a more competitive kind of arrangement. I think we need that kind of support both from international agencies and from orlr goventntents lo ensure that we are supporting our business sectors now.

As far as the public sector is concemed what we clearly need now are tax systents that are more responsive to the openness of our econonry. We rreed to have tax

inslrumenls lhat are flexible enouglr to

Another sector too which has to undergo some kind of reform is the Trades Unions. What has to be done has been dealt with in lhe Compton Bourne Report - tlre tirne has come when we have to develop a domestic factor pricing policy.

The trades unions have to see it in their interest to participate in whatever decisions that lrave to do with how the whole economy is running. Interestingly, the CCL since 1988 put this on the table for

the regional govemments. As far as I know it has never been taken up. CCL offerecl lo be part ofnational and regional discussions towards developing regarding an incomes policy.

In a nutshell, I would say that there is a high level of uncertainty and as to rvhat will happen to us. This means two thllrgs: I don't think we slrould rush to any major changes fronr what people call a high top rate of 45 to what they regard a low rate of say 25.I dorr't think we should go to that in one feld swoop at all. I think that we have to accepl that, given the way the world is changing that is the direction we have to go over a period.

What we have to work out now is (a) what the length that period must be and

of

(b) what kinds of things we must do

the systen.r is affected. We also need a donrestic tax systenr tlrat is nrore supportive of the nreasures you are taking orr the CET. I do rrot think it worrld rrrake sense

nreanwhile to nrake sure that when reach tltere we are in a position and can survive.

take up the slack when some other part

o

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE. JULY. DECEIITBER, I992

C.E.T. E Pressures to take decisions on the

tariff

with respect to reducing it are largely the result of lhe movenrent globally to the creation of bilateral and nrultilateral free trading arrangements, between individual countries and between groups of countries.

There are also pressures resulting from

conditionalities and structural adjustment programmes adopted by some Member States and some counlrles, generally with international fi nancial institutions. These are the two principal sources of pressure.

There are also otlrer sources ofconcem

tzf BUstNEss

r

r

tb

i\& tnt-

among other nrember countries, about lhe stagnant pace of developnrent of nontraditional exports in the Region, particularly in light of the declining performance of theRegion'stradilional exports - sugar, bananas, bauxite,

oil,

etc.

What we need to do is to stimulate productive activity in the Region now, particularly in tradeable sectors - that is export, primarily. We need to address a wide range of policy issues of which tariff protection is but one. Countries have to

look at the exchange rate policy, at their labour legislation,, their infrastructure,

i.e. their port handling facilities, port charges, the quality of electricity etc. Most

importantly and increasingly, they have to look at the quality and range of hunran resources which they have, and tlre degree of literacy in their countries. They also have to look at the incomes policy and trade policy is an integral policy of that.

Moving on any one aspect of these things would not slimulate production. It requires what some people call a sustainable environment, because lhe private sector has to have predictable incentives.

The private sector must be able to make investments with a certain amount of certainty about the policy reginre and investCARICOM PERSPECTIVE . JULY . DECEITTBER, 1992

Dr. Arnold Mclnryre ment environnrent. You cannot have these ad hoc shifts and changes.

What we are seeking to do with the

tariff is, I suspect, to rationalize a lot of what exists and to compliment policy directions that have been taken in the Region irr tlre otlrer areas wlriclr are rlecessary for export. Now this is why the work on llre Single Market and the ecor)orry is so critical. It is necessary to cornplinrent tlre decisions that are taken on tlre tariff. Reduction of the tariff is not goirrg to slintulate production per se, but it willcontribrrte once tlre necessary envi-

ronnrenl in respect to the other policies is

irnproved.

o

Prqt 5l

NATURE'5

West Indian poet/playwright, Derek Walcott, was awarded the (US$1.2 million Nobel Prize in

Literature recently.

"In him, West Indian culture has found its great poet " , said the Swedish cademy in awarding the prize to Walcott, 62.

In selecting Walcott, the academy cited the "great luminosity" of his writings, inc luding the I 990 "Omeros", a 64-chapter Caribbean epic it praised as "majestic ".

The cornmittee of the Swedish Acadenty sified his worl<s front antong 250 prospective candidates and awarded him the prize for his

lyrical poetry evoking the cultural mix of his Caribbean homeland.

Walcott, better known for his poetry than his plays, appeared onstage atthe Central BankAuditorium only inJuly thisyear along

with Guyanese poet, Martin Carter, when they both readfrom their worl<s.

He is at present Professor of Creative Writing at'Boston Universiry.

The Swedish Acadenry

awarded

to Walcottfor his "historical vision, the outcome of a nrulti -c ultural c o ntnit me nt. " "Three loyalties are centralfor

the prize

him, the Caribbeanwhere he lives, the English language and his Afri-

can origin, " the Swedish Acadenry of Letters said in its citation.

The choice of Derek Walcott as the first West Indian writer to receive this highest literary honour is one that will be celebrated worldwide by those who know his workand especially by Caribbean nrcn and wonrcn, whont he hintself has celebrated in his poems and plays.

'Perspective' reprints, with pennission fronr tlre UWI, St. Augustine, excerpls frorrr "The Irigrrrt- of Crusoe" atrd also sonte reflections of C-arilrbt'arr rvrilr'rs orr Walcott's wrilirrgs.

I'agt

52

*Derek Walcott "

I was entitled to the feast of Hosein, nirrors and crepe paper tenples of

to the

the Muslin epic, to the Chinese Dragon

Dance, to the rites of that Sephardic Jewishsynagogue thatwas once on Something Street. I am only one-eighth of the

writer

I night have really been had I

cotrtinued

all

the

fragrnented languages

of Trinidad and Tobago.

Break a vase, and the love that reassentbles thefragntents is stronger tlmn

the love which took its synrnretry for

gratnedwhett it was whole. Tlrc glue that fits the pieces is the sealing of its original shape.

It is such a love that re-assembles our Afr icart and Asiatic fragn e nts, the c rac ked heirlooms whose restoration shows its white scars. The gathering of broken pieces is the care attd pain of the Antilles, and if the pieces are disparat, illfittitrg, they contain nrore pain than their origi-

nal sculpture, those icons and sacred vesse/s takenfor gratfted in their atrces-

tral places. Antillean art is tlis restoraio n of our shattered histo r ies, our slnrds of vocabulary, or archipelago becotttitrg a synonymfor pieces broken offfrom tlrc t

original continent".

IExcerpt

frou a Speech delivered at a

'

banquet held in his hortour, in SwedetrJ.

Poets are in one way, nature's idiots.

They are inarticulate. They are capable only of speaking in poetry, for the poetic process, in every nroming of the poet's life is an agonizing hunriliation of trying to pronounce every word as ifhe hadjust learnt it, and was repeating it for the first tinre. Behind lrinr, of course, is a nrorphology that conres to life when the word is set down, and when it is pronounced, but all that dead bush of tradition, of

nanring things anew can only conre to life through sonre spark. It is now unfasltionable phases ofour evolution, frenzy, inragi nation, inspiration, or the subconscious or unconscious. Whatever it is, and wherever il corrres frorr, il exisls.

An inrage tnay clo bctter. It is thal of a lorrely nran otr a beach wlro has heaped a pile of cleacl lruslr, twigs, etc., to ntake a

bonfire. The bonfire nray be purposeless.

Or it nray be a signal of lris loneliness, lris desperation, his isolation, his synrbol of need for another. Or the bonfire nray be lit frorn sonre atavistic need, for contenrplation. Fire rnesnrerizes us. We dissolve in burnirrg. The ruan sits before the fire, its glow warnring his face, watching it leap, g,'sticrrlate, and lessen, and he keeps throwi rrg twigs, ilead thorrghts, fragrrrcrrts

CARICON{ PERSPEC'TIVE - JULY - DECEI\{BEII. !992

IDIOT

lighting fires for food, for warmth, for contemplation, for light, repossess their primitive, original use. Each object around him, every texture becomes a household god. Herntits, however, are monotheists, not pantheists. The terror of loneliness is so intense, so wide, that it cannot fragment itself into small presences.

I have used that image of the hermit and the bonfire because I have found that it has a parallel for the poet. The n.retaphor of the bonfire, in the case of the West Indian poet, may be the metaPhor of tradition and the colonial talent. More profoundly than this, however, is that it is the daily ritual action of the poet creating a new poem. He bunls what he has made

anguish ofauthority, of the consciencc of enrpire, rule, benign power, The nteta-

far. There is now a fashionable, Marxist-evolved phor can be stretched too

method of analysing figures from literature as if they were guilty. These analyses, we have seen thenr happen in

brilliant

self.

What am I to say then? I am trYing to make a heretical reconciliation between

does in Defoe as a novelist, not a poet, and a novelist deals with the human condition

flame. All becomes Pure flame, all is combustible, and by that light, which is separate from him, he contenrplates him-

the outer world, and the world of the hermit, between, if yott wish, the poet and the objects surrounding him tl.rat are called society. By objects I mean everything that can be loved, person, animal or thing, because a poet has no more respect for one noun, the thing by which an object is called, than he has for another, whether this is fish, stone, wife, cloud or insect, all areholy ashenames thent, although in his other life he cannot love them all equally, since he is not a saint. Now that I have said this, I realise what I meant by a poem of mine which I will read.

The epigraph is from "Robinson

Crusoe":

"I looked now uPon the world as a thing remote, which I had nothing to do with, no expectation fronl, and, indeed no desires about. In a word, I had nothing indeed to do with it, nor was ever likely to have; so I thought it looked as we may perhaps look upon it hereafter, viz.; as a place I had lived in but was come out of it; and well mightlsay,asFatherAbraham to Dives, "Between nre and thee is a great

tation, the suntmoning of spirits. I mean only that for him, sttch sinlple chores as

Indian novel. The exhilaration that still carries across, like a gust of salt air, from the most putrid West Indian writing owes its healtlr to this. Besides, it is the figure of Crusoe, as certain critics have found in the figure of Prospero, that supplies the

re-creations, to Prospero as the white imperialist, and to Caliban as the ugly savage. If, as I shall, I draw a similar parallel to Crusoe and Friday, it is because all such dialectic is there in the text.

It exists in Defoe the pamphleteer as it

the day before by adding new wood to the

of memory, all the used parts of his life to keep his contenrplation pure and bright.

WhLn he is tired and retums into hinrself, then he has performed some kind of sacrifice, some ritual.

The hermit is thrown back on magic' By magic I do not mean forms of incan-

these utterances, these words, when written, are as fresh, as truly textured, as when Crusoe sets them down in the first West

am claiming, then, that Poet

and

prose writers who are West Indians, despite the contanrinations around us, are in the position of Crusoe, the namer. Like

him, they have behind him, borne from England, fr6m lndia, or fronr Africa, that dead bush, that morphology I mentioned earlier. But what is more important is that

.

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY DECEMBER , t992

vival.

I am clainring nothing exaggerated when I state that Crusoe, through Defoe's nrultiple combination of adventure story, religious Protestant tract oftrust and selfreliance, and Christian zeal for converting brutish tribes, not with the belligerence of Kipling, but with honest, tender belief in the superiority of his kind, has given us a more real symbol than critics

claim for Prospero and Caliban. Crusoe is no lord of magic, duke, prince. He does not possess the island he inhabits. He is alone, he is a craftsman, his beginnings are humble. He acts, not by authority, but by conscience.

It is his and Friday's children who have generated this disturbing society.

Disturbing to others, because on one hand there is resolution in landscape and in faith on God, and on the other a desperate longing to leave these island prisons forever and to survive on nostalgia.

Mr. Lamming on "The

Pleasurc's

of

Exile":

gulf fixed."

I

under pressure. In "Robinson Crusoe" the pressure is that of isolation and sur-

"So we come back to the origrnal

question of the West Indian novelists ln a state of chosen exile. Their names make tenrporary noise in the right West Indies circles. Their books have become handy

broomsticks which the new nationalist

will wave at the foreigner who

asks the

(Cont'd on page 54) Page 53

rude question; "What have your people ever done?" Why don't they return?

There are more reasons that I can state now, but one is fear. They are afraid of retuming because they feel that sooner or

later they

will be ignored in and by s

society about which they have been at once articulate and authentic. You may say that a sinrilar thing happens to the young English writer in England. There is the intportant difference that you cannot enjoy anonynrity in a small island. In spite ofall that has happened in the last ten

years,

I doubt that any one of the West Itr

Indian writers could truly say that he

his lrctne country, Saitrt Lucia, with adntiring students,

would be happy to go back. Some have tried; some would like to try. But no one could feel secure in his decision to retum.

It would be worse that arriving in England from the first time."

To each his own terror, to each his own isolation. We evidently become more

These lines of Shabine can be seen as expressing Walcott's own feelings about the islands of the Caribbean: there is the fierce, alnrost corrosive love forthe physi-

cal beauty, for the fanriliar streets and

frightening, more vulgar every day to these writers, and

I myself tend to

agree

with that judgement. But I have tried to show that Crusoe's survival is not purely physical, not a question of the desolation of his environment, but a triunrph of will.

He is for us, today, the 20th century of artistic isolation and breakdown of withdrawal of the hermetic exercise that poetry has become. Even in the New World, heis theembodiment of the schizophrenic

Muse whose children are of all races.

Crusoe's triumph lies in that despairing cry which he utters when a current takes his dugout canoe further and further away from the island that, like all ofus uprooted

figures, he had nrade his honre, and it is the cynical answer that we must nrake to those critics who contplain that there is

nothing lrere, no art, no civilization, it is 'O happy desert.' We live not only on huppy, but on fertile deserts, and we draw our strength, like Adanr, like all hernrits, all dedicated craftsnren fronr what riclr irony of our history.

It is what feeds the bonfire. We contenrplate our spirit by the detritrrs of the past.

[E.rcerpt fron 'Tlte Figurc of Crusoc": on thc thcnrc of isolatiott itt Wcst Indiott v,ritirtg, tvitlt a rcading of his pocttts", bt Derck Walcott. IJWI Sr. Attgustittc. Rrprintcd fitlt the author,s pcrrnissiottl

Pagr 5J

Walcott has a special relationship to the Caribbean; to the islands and the sea,

to the sense of people and place

that

awakened and forged his talent, to the social and educational environnlent in which it ntatured.

Part of our response to Walcott involves a complex dynanric of self-recognition, where we reciprocate his own sense of writing for his people by seeing ourselves in his personae and characters as well as in the "schizophrenic" author behind them.

In the opening sections of the

houses; the donrestic attachment to honte and woman and yet the nrovement away, and the tears of frustration and betrayal caused by this wrenching.

The paradox of the ntonrent's entotions isalsoconveyed in thesplit between the observing self and image in the ntirror, and the sense ofdoubleness proliferates in the sinrultaneity of tears and bravado, the fineness of sensibility and the coarseness of language - the explelive and the breaking heart.

-a

t

d

y,

it

I r fe I I ov, o r t is t a

St Ortrer (r).

t t

dfr

ie

n

d, D

u t t.: ta t r

poern

The Schooner Flight, we find the redt

nigger persona, Shabine, stealing away at

dawn fronr his honte, his sleeping nrislress and his island: as he gets into his departing ship, the driver recognises hinr: "This tinre, Sabine, like you really gone!

"

I ain't answer the ass, I sinrply pile in the back seat and watch the sky burn above Laventille piltk as the gown in which the wontan I left was sleeping, and

I look in the rearview and see a nlan exactly like nre, and tlte lllan wns weeping for the houses, the streets, that wlrole fucking island".

CARICO}T PERSPEC'I'IVE - JT]I,\' pECElrBER.

S

I'

All of these dualities powerfully entbody the familiar (and eternally real) problems of West Indian identity as well as the particular relationship between the writer and his home.

Walcott's great sensitivity to the literature he read at school - which included a sense of its power and the significance

it bestowed on people and place - filled him from the beginning with the urge to recreate his island honre; as a painter he tried to capture it on canvas, as a poet he longed to summon it to the kind of lifeand power he discerned in the poetry he read.

Walcott's poetry was "too acadenric."

It used too many big words to be truly

last of the Debaters fell by the wayside and theirattacks deconstructed under their

own dead weight.

After that it was apparent - what sonte readers had always known - that the Debate had been spuriotrs

all along,

tlrat

"academic" hadbeen nrerely a mean syno-

nym for "intelligent," and the Big

Words(which ones, really?) had just as nruch right to be there as the small ones, since comprehension increases with vocabulary. That we nreasure a writer, actually, by the range and ardour ofhis early engagements, the extent to which, like Whitnran, he "contains nrultitudes;" and

that the "cultural

nrulatto"

business(today's nrulticulturalisnt") was really the fornrulation of a way of staying true lo the hunran heart in these polarisecl tinres, so often ungenerous, self-nrutilating ancl rnean. Lastly we learned that Graves lrad been riglrt all along, and that was perhaps Waclott's defining excellence. A poet, he understood "the inner nragic" of English; none since Eliot has understood it so well.

Fanre, as he ntused in a poenr five years ago - Fante is "Sundays,/ an enrptiness/.. a bl rre without bells/ ... The choir's/ sky-high praise/ tumed off. A boo( of prints that turns/ by itself. The tick-tocld of high heels on a sidewalk./ A crawling clock./ A craving for work."

A craving for work.

There are rnany lessons we nray take

fronr Derek Walcott's Nobel. Brrt that one is at tlre he:arl of all the rest.

o Itt Trirtidod, left, with actors front

tltc

Trittirlod Thcatre Worksltop, atrd betov,, ponicipaling itt a reodittgfrorrt /tis x,orAs.

Black-and-Proud, and in any case it was too riddled with "influences" to be viewecl

as n)ore than a virtuoso perforntance.

The posture of the "cultural ntulatto" which Walcott had hintself - perhaps too rhetorically - declared, was really a way of denying his Blackness - which was tantanrount to espousing Whiteness.

Robert Graves's blttrb, that Walcott "handles English with a closer understanding of its inner magic than nrost(if not any) of his English-born contenrl)oraries," was itself a cause for suspicion; Graves was English. It took 20 years - virtually the whole of the poet's sojotrrn in Triniclad and five more colleclions of verse, in which the poetry went front strengtlr to strength(and award to awarcl) before the CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECE]\{BER' I992

r'i'llt,

a,,'l',,,:;.. !:;i::-:.

i1

1:;.1

. ..i,: -_i:

!;

William Detttos

L}

*..i $ $ h,

f,

.

$â&#x201A;Ź

,'ra *'d * ;..

;.

':-'

&,.$

$' $ !i"{

*:

ffi ** *: ;& "*;

,: ,'t-:t

$,

't,

Confernrent of the first Orders of lhe Caritrbean Conrnrunity rvas nracle at tlre Thirteenth Meeting of the Conferr.nce of Heads of Govemnrent of the Caribbean Conrntunity, in Trinidad ancl Tobago last

July, 1992.

In announcing the conferrnerrl of the

Order on the three very accorrrplished CARICOM nationals, the Heacls of Gor,ernl)lent were confiderrt that lheir aclion was fully in tune with the sentirnent of tlre people of the Caribbean Cornnrrrnity and with the appreciation felt throrrghout tlre Region for the outstanding work that these first three recipients of tlre honorrr have done in and for the Region.

The three enrinent West Indians were: M r. Wi I I i an G i I be rt D ert r as. Governor of the Central Bank of l'rinidacl ancl To-

bago, fornrer Secretary-General of the Caribbean Contnrunity, and fonuer Presi-

Slt r i rlo

t

lr

Rrirr ltlt t I

Mr. Willianr Dcrrras and Sir Shridath Rarrrplr:rl \\'erc l)rcscltt ilr l)r'rs()l) lo re-

ceive the honour, wlrilc N{rs. l\largaret Walcott rece ived tlre Orrler orr trehalf of Mr. Derek Walcott.

The lrolding of tlris firsl ccrernon) of cotrfs1111e'r1 of thc C)rrlcr *as facilitatt-rl by valtrable assist:rrrcr l'rorn llrr ot'f iccs of tlre President of (irr,r'arra arrrl tlre sul)l)ort

dent of the Caribbean Developrrrent; Sir Shridotlt Surettdrattatlt Ratrtphal, Clrainnan of the West Indian Conrrnission and fornter Secretary-General of the

tion; a quantitl, of golcl for strikirrg a first

Conrnronwealth; and Mr. Derek Walcott, distinguished and intemationally acclainred West Iltdian Poet and Playwright.

set of ntedals for the Orck r * as clonated

by Peters Mining Cornpanl,, \laxcla l.td., N. Oslrran Dredging O1x-ratiorr arrd Patrick Pereira Drerlgirrg OIrt'rrrl irrrr.

Page 56

of Kennetlr Bancnrf't of llrc (irrr.lrra Golrl Board and Antlrorn, Slriclrls of tlrt- Grrr alra Golcl alrd Di:rnrorrtl \lirr,,rs Associlr-

Darek lVrtlcoil et o lt()tlte cotttitrg itt .jttitrt

Lrtcitt, irr ltis ltortottr ott raceipr

r..,/

tlra

Nobcl I'ri:.e.

'l'lrc ilL'sigrr lirr tlrc insigrria of Orrlt'r

rr lrs

tlrr.

tlrtr'rrrrirrt'rl tlrrorrglr il cOl)ll)r'-

tiliorr ctrrrtlrrctt.tl irr llre Itt'giorr, arrrl tlrt, rr irrrrirrg rlcsigrr u.:rs srrbnriltcrl [rr Sl:rttl 1,,1', \\'i I I i;rrrrs.'l lrc rrretlr I it-.'l | * :rs

crlftcrl lrv llrc jcri,eller Gaskin

alrtl

Jacksorr, :rrrrl r';rlrrlrblc arlistic inputs rvcrt, lrrovitlc<l ;rs r.icll bv lhe Artist lvlarjoric

Ilrootllr:rgcrr ;rntl

(\rllirr IIrllr'rs.

Ilrt lclllter

cARICOIt t'l.Rst,lt(.t IVE - .It

Ll

-

cr:rl'lstrurrr.

I)ECElIBltR.

t9e2

DEtrLARATION ON HAITT (From the Declaration on Haiti issued on conclusion of the Heads of Govemment Conference, July, 1992, in Trinidad and Tobago); The CARICOM Heads of Government "... deplored the fact that the return of the

democratically elected Govemment of Haiti had not yet been realised despite the several resolutions passed at the level of the OAS General Assembly on initiatives aimed at isolating the illegal regime in

Haiti and restoring democracy in that country. They noted with regret that these

Resolutions, including that contained in the Nassau Agreement had not been fully implemented by all OAS Member States and urged countries parties to these Reso-

lutionsto introduceas a matterof priority, legislation which would enable the provisions of the Nassau Agreement to be upheld.

In doing so they also called on the international community to continue to support the principle of the evolution of democracy in Haiti. They reiterated their support for the Protocol signed in Washington under the auspices of the OAS as the basis of resolving the conflict.

Heads of Govemment reiterated the special concern of the people of the Car-

ibbean Community for the people of Haiti and looked forward to the day when Haitian people would once more enjoy

President Aristide with Printe Minister Patrick Manning of Trinidad

&

Tobago'

i tI -:

i r

t

T

q

their democratic rights. In this regard they expressed the concem over the plight of the Haitian refugees and welcomed the assistance granted by UNHCR. They reiterated the call made upon the Intema-

tional Financial Institutions as well

as

donor countries, by their Foreign Ministers, to make available the necessary resources to assist in the development of Haiti once agreement has been reached for the rebtoration of constitutional Govemment.

Heads of Govemment decided to Pursue a new initiative by seeking to mobilise the resources of the United Nations to assist in resolving the Haitian crisis, and agreed to pursue this objective through the OAS."

.#.

tr

Voters in Port-au-Prince at the first report ofvictory of Fr' Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

"Haiti" UNDP/CANCOM

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY. DECEMBER, 1992

Supplernent,'91.

Phoro:

MTLT9NGRAN1

Page 57

;'-

"-,i

VENEZUEIA

"The slcy is held up by the trees. If tlrc forest disoppears, tlrc sky which is the

ATTANTIC OCEAN

SURINAM

roof of tlrc world collapses. Nature and t,nn tlrcn perish together".

(Amerindiatt Legend)

TO GEORGETOII'N

The Iwokrama Rain Forest Prograntnte

was created in 1989 by the Comnronwealth. The progranrme will lead to an inrprovement in the understanding and sustainable managenrent of tropical rain forest. There are as yet remarkably few examples of tropical rain forest whose ecology and bio-dynamics are sufficiently known that their manager.nent for sus-

tainable developnrent can be contentplated with any degree of assurance.

The Iwokrama Reserve, lying in southcentral Guyana between the Essequibo, Siparuni and Takutu Rivers, covers sonle

360,000 hectares

of pristine

forest,

scarcely touched by nran.

The influence of man in the Iwokranta Reserve has been slight and apparently limited to hunting and gathering. To the

soulh in the drier lands, however, are scattered senri-pernranent hanrlets of Amerindians where subsistence cultivation is practiced and where cattle are nraintained on the savannah grasslands by ranchers.

The Rain Forest Progranrnre lras been

given support of g3 million of funding fronr the Global Environnrent Facility, and a nucleus of expert personnel fronr the Contntonwealth Frlnd for Technical Cooperation.

Page 58

The rain forests ltave been called the lungs of the planet and, through the experinrents in Iwokranra and its International Centre for Research and Training in Sustainable Managenrent of Rainforests which will be set up on the Univer-

sity of Guyana

the Conrnronwealth will have "ornp,ri, a great deal to offer the world. Roughly a quarter of all Conrnronwealth nrentber states have tropical forests.

Increasingly detailed planning has gone on involving the Guyana Natural Resources Agency - tlre lead agency in Guyana - and the Conrnronwealth secre-

tariat. Surveys have started of a little known and uninhabited area with the collection of infornration on the ground and renrote sensing by plane and satellite from the sky. .Britain's Overseas Devel-

opnrent Adnrinistration has paid for the early surveys work, being carried out by

NatLrraI Resources Institute, Chatlrant. In addition to Guyanese corrnterparts, three Caribbean scientists have been involvecl witlr this teanr.

Furl llernrore, the Conrntonwealth Secretariat conrrlissioned Dr. George Nagle, a Canadian resorlrce econonrist who u as part of Dr. Swanrinathan's Expert Group in 1 990, to exanrine institutional arraligenrents and budgets. He suggested a two phase buildup forlwokrama. First woulcl conle a two-year phase until 1994 under an interirn Board of Trustees, which woulcl carry out nrore detailed work closely with

the Guyana Govemnrent on n"..r.ory

legislation. This would be followed after 1994 by an operational phase involving an Irrternational Centre with at least 24 scientists and a Site Management Agency to protect the progranrnte area ancl to carry out necessary works there.

(Cont'd on pagc 60)

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE. JULY - DECEMBER, I992

CARIBBEAN' 5 BARtrAININ tr trHIP5 -*Carol

James

based upon the Sustainable

-Development use of the Caribbean's Natural Resources

The dch biodiversity of the Region must be used for the development of the Caribbean, by the people and forthe people; and the current interqpt by the developed world in biodiversity of developing countries must be used as leverage to gain benefits for the Region. The flora and

fauna of the Caribbean and our unique' and diverse tropical ecosystems are important bargaining chips in this process.

Let us not be fooled by the seemingly altruistic interest of the past few years in saving tropical rainforests and other tropical ecosystems. It is akin to the so called

altruistic motives expressed by proponents of the argument for the abolition

of

slavery during the colonial eras in the Caribbean. Is this interest in tropical biodiversity altruism, guilt or economics?. My perception is that it is a mixture

of all three but, with a greater focus on economics. Future survival of the developed world has as one ofits cornerstones, maintenance of tropical ecosystems and harnessing of tropical biodiversity.

The search for disease resistant food crops among wild plants of the tropics is a major enterprise of the scientific community of the developed world as is the search for pharmaceuticals and other ben-

eficial chemicals from plants and animals.

Dr. CarolJames is Headof the WildIife Section, Forestry Division, Government of Trinidad & Tobago. cARrcoM PERSPECTTVE

-

Consider these simple statistics to understand why economic factors far outweigh any altruistic reasons for conservation of tropical biodiversity. Seventy percent of commercial wheat in the United States today was developed from wild

wheat plants collected iri Mexico, from which Mexico has received little or no real benefits. The cacao bean for which most of the value-addedbenefits are realised by developed countries is a rainforest product which has contributed immeasurable benefits to these countries as

opposed to the minimal benefits from manipulated raw material prices received by producer countries. The list is endless ranging from panots which fetch one or two hundred US dollars each in the Region but which are sold for upwards of US $15,000 each in developed countries to

tropical fish and tropical orchids which are cloned and sold at very attractive commercial prices in Europe and North America.

Entrepreneurs are funding bio-technology research to harness and market the best of the Region's biodiversity.

This is not inherently bad. Indeed it can and should be encouraged, but we in the Region must be sufficiently aware of the potential commercial and financial benefits, and negotiate an equitable share of these benefits for our Region.

The last 500 years have not of course been all bad for the Caribbean. The socio-cultural enrichment of the Region embodied in the vibrant racial and ethnic mixes of its population is a positive outcome of the Columbian and PostColumbianera. Thesesocio-cultural benefits would have been explored by other panels, but as far as environmental im-

JtiLY - DECEMBER'

19e2

pacts and the impacts upon wildlife are concerned, there havebeen some definite

negative situations.

Past Mistakes -

A

Learning

Experience Unfortunately, these cultural human streams may have also brought into the Region, flora and fauna which may have wreaked havoc upon native populations of wild plants and animals, unable to withstand the ecological completion from these introduced species. Thus, apart from impacts on wildlife wrought by physical clearing oflands for single crop agriculture, introduced species may have caused pest and disease problems among

indigenous flora and fauna,and we may never know which species from the preColumbian era were lost forever. The intricate web of life and interdependence

of species were affected.

Limited evidence from historical accounts by travellers and colonial admin-

istrators indicate that many species of

flora and fauna were introduced to the Caribbean by Europeans, Africans and East Indians. Thus, the wildlife picture has been changed drastically by the introduction of the Indian mongoose by colo-

nial administrators to control rats and snakes throughout the islands [but which also ate native nesting birds, birds' eggs,

lizards and small animalsl; monkeys brought by African slaves now dominate the Barbadian faunal spectrum, and wild donkeys populate the islands of Barbados. Insects and rodents brought from Africa and Europe on shiPs maY have caused pest problems in agriculture' The Natural Carrying CaPacitY (Cont'd on Page 60) Pege 59

Stretched to the Limits Also, human population numbers induced artificially into an environmenl years ago where indigenous peoples lived

within the carrying capacity of the environntent, were the precursors for unnatural, unsustainable population growth evident today. Population volumes in re-

gional countries such as Trinidad and Tobago, Janraica, Barbados and Saint Lucia nray already be above the natural carrying capacities of these countries.

What is the future likely to hold for the Region? Tremendous promise remains if natural resources are utilised wisely and if econonric benefi ts can be maximised without destroying the natural resource bases

required for generating con{inued benefits. Such vehicles of development in-

Most Amerindians living near - itself an Anrerindian word

Iwokranta

which is thought to nrean "a big spiritually powerful fox" in a Carib language Macuxi (pronounced Makushi), ntenrbers of a tribe that straddles the border with the state of Brazil. They are people who traditionally occupy thatched houses, have cassava bread as a staple food, and place a high value on a modern education.

A second people, the Patanrona, also live nearby.

Small contmunities of the Macuxi and Patamona people live about 40 knr to the south-west of the area, where the foresl becomes savannalr. They are accrrlturated and English-speaking and have already been helpful to scientists entering Iwokranra.

The Swaminathan Report of I 990 foresaw a particular role for local Anrerindiare

ans

in that their own ethno-botanical

knowledge could be recorded to provicle a base for sonre of the scientific work Page 60

of

the international cenlre.

The notions of respect and participation underlying this approach have deepened as planning for Iwokranra has developed. Draft legislation for the programme, of course, guaranlees lraditional Anrerindian rights within tlre area. It is probable that, in addition, Amerindian intellectual property righls to discoveries of conrmercial importance which are based on their knowledge, will also be written.

Consultancy and other work has nrade it clear tlrat enrployntent, education and training will all be part of the input and benefit fronr and for Anrerindians.

It is likely that they will play inrportanr parts as forest rangers, working with the proposed site nranagenrent agency, and as tree and plant identifiers, working with tlre Intemational Centre. '

clude agro-forestry, eco-tourism and use of biotechnology to harness economic benefits from the Region's biodiversity.

Traditional economic policy nrust be replaced by more visionary economic policies which cost environmental danrage and which value natural resources al non-discounted prices. A holistic approach ntust be taken by regional Govemments whereby planning and fi nance ntinistries need to include the skills of ecologists, biologists and other environnrental

scientists

in a participatory

planning

franreu,ork, if tlre Region is to survive the next 500 years witlr dignity.

[Dr Carol Janres is Head of the Wi I d I ife Se ct i o t r, Fo rest r y^

Govertrtnettt

Divis io t t,

of Trinidad and 'I'tt-

bagol I Excerpt from a presetfiatiott ttrade duritrg tlte Itttertntional Celebratiotts 1992: Ettcoutrter between

Worlds, U.W.l.,

St.

Augustinel.

o

Comtnonwealth Cu rretrrs' June/July

1992, and Guyarm Resources Agettcy',

o

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER, 1992

BIODIVERSITY Use and Eontrol

-

fsr Whorn?

*Rashleigh Jackson

The issue of biodiversity is extren'rely important for the world as a whole, especially for Latin America and the Caribbean - one ofthe richest areas ofthe globe in tern'rs of biological diversity.

A wealth of biodiversity exists, both in land and marine environments. The dense tropical forests, while consisting of only 7 percent of the surface of the Earth, is

to contain 90 percent of its biological diversity. Latin America and the Caribbean account for 56.51 percent of those forests: It has been shown as well estimated

that the biodiversity of coastal and marine environments, such as coral reefs, ntangroves etc., also contain highly diverse biological populations.

The indigenous peoples of the Region have from time inrmemorial made extensive use of the area's biodiversity. Much was learnt from the ways in which such peoples, and those who joined them later as fellow citizens, used the biodiversity of their environments for agricultural and medicinal purposes and other forms of human activity. The relationship between those communities and the environntent were by and large harmonious. Scientific and technological intrusions into those communities, especially extra-regional ones, added exploitative conrnrercial aspects to the use ofthe natural resources of

the Region.

The knowledge and practices of indigenous peoples have thus been tapped to produce new products for general use in both developed and developing countries' The pharmaceutical and chenlical indusCARICOM PERSPECTIVE .

tries have been principal, but not the only beneficiaries ofsuch kriowledge and practices.

The exploitation of biodiversity has been enomrously profitable for many Northern enterprises. In this regard, it has been estimated that "the world market for drugs derived from medicinal plants used by indigenous peoples amounts to an an-

nual total of over US$40 billion". However, there have been no corresponding economic resource or otlrer transfers eitherto the conrmunities or to the countries to which they belong - countries often in great need ofthe benefits ofthese nredications.

The cunent practices regarding the economic use of biodiversity have not therefore yielded synrmetric benefits between those possessing the biodiversity and those applying scientific and finan-

cial capital to beneficiation. There has also been increasing global realisations of the value of biodiversity and the need to protect and preserve it for future generations.

This recognition naturally intposes a responsibility on those who own the natu-

ral resources in question. The lack of current benefits to them is contpounded by two sets of not unrelated activities.

The lirst is the attenrpt to define and impose conditionalities on countries with high levels of biodiversity for its conservation. The disruption of trade is sonretinres entployed as a form of pressttre for conservation. The-second is export ttnder patent, to biodiversity-owning countries,

JULY. DECEMBER'

T992

of products developed fronr their own biodiversity, as well as of the old factories which produced the products which have been supplanted by pharnracological and other improvements deriving fronr the scientific and technological exploitation of biodiversity.

-l- -t- -t-

There is a crrltural dintension to the question of biodiversity. The knowledge and practices of indigenous peoples have in the past been used as free goods. This should be changed and those assets valued and protected by the rules regarding intellectrml property. Biodiversity is, however, but one facet of the wider question

of the environnrent; and the environnrenl is but one link in the chain of issues, which, if properly responded to, can deterrnine nran's capacity to live in reasonable comfort in a receptive environment.

Clearly what is needed is a global agenda for enhancing intemational econonric cooperation. Such an agenda will enconrpass the environnrent and development, debt and poverty, trade and finance. The intenrational consensus which can bebuilt

around a nrutually beneficial reginre for the use and protection of biodiversity can bea baronreterof hunran detemrination to succeed in achieving agreeable solutions to the issues on the wider global agencla.

[Excerpt frorn "Focus", Vol.,l3, No.4,

l99l l

[Rashleigh Jackson was fonner Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gtryanal.

Page 6l

DISCOUNTTNtr THE FUTURE -The Threats of Povertg and Affluence *Byron Blake

It has been argued convincingly, both

with respect to the Caribbean

and

globally,that "poverty and affluence" are thegreatest threats to thesustainability of our present approach to the development.

Globally, one-fifth of the world's popu-

lation consumes three-quarters of its resources. The distribution between rich and poor in Caribbean countries is roughly similar. To the extent that overall growth

to ensure sustainability, there is a major distribution of resources among the various groups in society. The current dominant view to distribution is to shift resources from the poor to the rich.

At the global level, this has been sysmust now be constrained

tematically effected since the 1980s mainly through the ternrs of trade (commodity vs. manufactured goods and serv-

ices) and the interest

countries

it

of debt. Within

has been acconrplished

through policies which favour profits over labour, and policies which tax the poor dis- proportionately vis-a-vis the rich (indirect taxation over direct taxation). Put differently, our current policies facil itate what Ramphal has described as the "excessive consumption of resources by the rich and intolerable destitution among the poor".

A redistribution will lead to a reduction, perceived or real, in the quality of

life for one of the groups in the shortterm. Ramphal has argued.that any such reduction would be "trawnatic for the

rich, catastrophic for the poor".Given

current trends the more likely direction is to catastrophic which is manifestly and fundamentally unsustainable.

The challenge to public policy glo-

The strength of the intemational lobby ofthe rich can be gauged fronr the fact that the United States has not only steadfastly refused to have the global comnrunity

place any explicit constraint on the

confront and reverse or appropriately nrodify these trends and attenuate con-

transnational corporations in the arrangements for "the new world order" which should, to follow the 1992 United Nations

chargesbasedon ability topay andthe use of targeted subsides to the poor nrust

Conference on Environntent and Development(UNCED), but the President has publicly declared that he will not accept any policy which constrains US growth. Inspite of the cunent recession, the US is one of the materially richest countries in the world.

In the Caribbean, redistribution to facilitate sustainable development will require that the poor be given access to reasonably fertile lands, water, education and technology.Clive Thonras,in his paper to the Conference on Sustainable Development, estimated that, in the Caribbean two-thirds of the famt holdings were less than two hectares and together occu-

pied only 14 percent of total farm acreage.The lands occupied by these famr-

ers tend, on average, to be of poorer quality. There is also, in cases, the issue of titles even for these snrall acreages.

Access lo education for the poor can only be nreaningful if the direct cost to them is nrinintal and bearable. The present policy orientation is away fronr universally free education to a systenr in which a higher proportion of the cost is bome by the recipient. Technology nrusl also be accessible. This irnmediately suggests a greater role for public sector research and development institutions in developing,

flicts. Selectivity in the application of again become instrunrents

of

-l'hc

l)rese

nt/Future Generation Conflict

There is also a distributional question between the present generation and future generation. The concepts of"being fair to lhe future", of "nraking the earth a secure and hospitable home for future genera-

tions" inrplies a rate of consumption in the present which leaves the resources in good condition for the future. Our current

concems about environnrent and developnrent stent from a fear, a fear which is increasingly being confirmed by our research, that our present generation has overdrawn the environment account. We are consuming the capital. This, despite the fact that three-quarters of the world's population live modestly or in poverty. In this situation of an overdrawn account, exhortation that the present generation slrould live off the interest rather than off the environrnental capital is no longer strong enough. Public policy nrust not only curb our current rate of consumption, it nrust divert or allocate a part of crlrrent resources to anreliorating past excesses and rebuilding the environment in areas such as re-afforestation and ozone

cover.

delivery of technology. While activities could be partially self-financing tlrey are unlikely to reach the poor as full-fledged

for these longer ternr activities.

conrmercial activities.

The current approach.to access to the

against the current wind. Furtherntore, the poor currently has little voice while the rich not only has a loud voice, but also a strong intemational lobby.

resources Iisted above - fertile lands, water, education and technology - involves a nlovement to full cost recovery or free nrarket operations. There will be signifi-

public

policy.

accessing, packaging or re-packaging and

bally and in the Region is to withstand the trauma of the rich and deal firndanrentally to avert the catastrophe of poverty.

This is a major challenge since, it sails

Page 62

cant scope for conflict between the affluent and the poor. Public policy, in order to promote sustainable development, must

Public policy must provide resources These

resources nlust be nrobi I ised and deployed by the public sector. This takes usagain to. taxation. Public policy must increasetaxa-

tion to provide resources for long-ternt projects which will have linrited short(Cont'd on page 64)

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER, I992

POVERTY

AND

VIOLENtrE

Social patterns in the Caribbean -*Gerard

Pantin

By the time the child reaches primary school age, the personality and behaviour pattems are so well established, that school has only minimal value for better or for worse.

o Again, with the increasing concem being shown with the startling increase in juvenile violence, hurried consultations are being summoned to see what the teachers of secondary schools can do to help stem the tide,

while silently, a new tidal wave is beginning to emerge among the 0-3 year olds of the present generation, one that, if not attended to, will un-

leash is fury on our society in the year 2fi)0. That is why Penelope Leach, in her book Who Cares, is perfectly consistent in saying that it would be, in the long term, financially and socially profitable to Govemment to pay mothers to stay at home and look after their small children up to the age ofthree, rather than to build expensive and unsatisfactory day care centres for these children

o It is only necessary to compare the portion of the budget of any country, First, Second and Third World, which is allocated to Early Childhood Education as compared to that set aside for primary, secondary and tertiary education, to illustrate the point that is being raised.

o That a high quality early childhood education programme which is community based, parent oriented and administered by trained teachers is the only way to bring about desirable fundamental change in our society.

Into 'l-hc Valley ol'Dcath It is a well documented fact that in almost every society, social problents are neither acknowledged nor attended to until they affect the nriddle class. One example is that of substance abuse and drug trafficking in North Anrerica and the Caribbean. Once this was confined to the ghettos and innercities, govemnrents and social agencies tended to close their eyes to its existence and ensure that the concomitant violence did not spread beyond

investigate the level of stress under which these people are living. So if here and there the newspapers report that somewhere in the bush or in the ghetto, yet anotlrer nrale (and it is usually male) slaughters his wife and children and then kills hinrself, we just shrug our shoul-

ders. But when gifted, talented young men and wonlen who appear to have everytlring to live for give up on life in a dranratic fashion, then it's tinre to take to the streets.

these areas.

Sonreone IIas Bluntlercrl

It

The Rcason Wh.y would appear that the erroneous per-

ception that large nunrbers of people and, in particular, young people were comnritting suicide, rose fronr the un-precedented nunrber of upper class and middle class people who had given up on life in this tragic fashion. Hence the national hysteria.

Only fleeting attention had been given to the incidence of otlrer or self-inflicted

violence when it occured anrong grass-

roots people. There is no urgency to CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER, 1992

Wlrere lrave we failed our people and in particular our children? By not averting to the fact that the world in which we ask

thenr to live is not the relaxed, easygoing, friendly world of yesteryear. It is a harcl, touglr, conrpetitive world in which children are subjected to four plus exanrs to get irrto select prirnary schools, eleven plus exanrs to enter prestige schools and lernrinal exanls to get out of schools.

And wlren they ernerge frorn school, whal is tlreir firture? Are we willing to admit Conr'd on page 64) Page 63

to start a process of empowerment of our citizens which will make them more able to cope with the harsher realities of life; straight forwardly that almost halfof them will neverfindaregularjob? So that their final exam is indeed a terminal exam for many of them; and we are surprised when some of thenr terminate-their existence.

This is neither the time nor the place to attempt a critique of the education systenr or contemporary society other than to say that there seems to be an uncomfortable allianc e between Gove rnnre nt, ent ploye rs and trade wiorts which is destined to ettsure that a third of the population will

live very contfortably, anotlrcr third will nanage with considerable dfficulty, while others will lnve practically nothing.

It is curious that such a situation

appears to create a sense of powerlessness among everyone, a feeling that there is

nothing we can do about it and it could well be that this feeling of powerlessness trickles down from the highest echelons to the humblest citizen and exercises an over-whelming paralysing effect on people in general. llhen people feel po'tverless itr a particular sinntiotr, they very

ofietr resort to violence: tltey uay kill otlrcrs or kill thenselves, because utterly powerless people feel they might as well be dead.

Out of thc Vallev of l)cuth There are two important steps we, as a society, can take in leading our people out of this cycle of violence in which we are trapped. Thefirst isto reduce rhe level of stress under which they live and the second is ro help thern cope with stress.

If parents who are themselves stressed

out by economic and enrotional circunrstance continue to batter children physi-

cally and psychologically;

if

teachers, sinrilarly pressured continue the process, then we will contintre to see large nunrbers of children grow up to inflict vio-

lence on society or on thentselves. If fiscal policies and psychological awareness of these simple facts can be conrbined to ease the pressures on people, this

will constitute an inrportant preliminary step.

However, it will take us a long tinte to change our people into a caring, sharing society which looks after and supports those

of our citizens who have fragile

egos. While this is going on, we have got Page 64

and, we cannot say it often enough or strongly enough, this ntust begin from the moment a child is conceived. There is no crash course, no ten days programme which can help. We need an arnry, not of highly trained social workers - that would be overkill - but of conlmunity workers who have been trained to work in their neighbourhoods and to help young people understand what sexuality, pregnancy and parenting is all about. If eighry percetrt of personality developnrent takes place by the tine a child is three (3) years of age and tlnr by rhe age of five (5), tlrc child is resistant to change, why are we spendittg so tttuch ntoney on the top of tlrc

educational lodders and so linle at the bottottt? Until we begin guiding adolescetn parens-to-be wc ore spittrtirtg top itt nrud!

One Suicide too many Studies have shown that for a variety of reasons which are not clearly understood, certain individuals have a greater

propensity to violent crime or suicide than others. The sintple fact is that we are not able to single these out at an early age

and give them the special attention they require. As a result, we have no choice: the only way to ensure that these psychologically vulnerable individuals do not develop into walking tinte bonrbs of self or other inflicted violence is to ensure that every single child receives the understanding and attention which will gently turn them, at an early age, fronr any latent

tendency to anti-social behaviour. We have to cast ournet of life wide so that not a single child wriggles tlrrough. Even a single suicide is one too nrany.

The conventional parenting practices of the Caribbean in wlrich the snrall child is severely disciplined and the growing adolescent allowed to run free was never psychologically correct but we could get away with it when tlre urriverse was nlore user friendly and the extended fantily propped up the systenr. Now that each enrergent adult has to face up to lhe stress of nrodern society, we cannot afford to continue nraking the sarne nristake.

It is thisprocess of enrpowennent which

will lead our young and not so young

people out of the valley of death. Needless to say, it should be combined with the

social empowerntent

of

conrnrunities

which are encouraged to take and inrplement clecisions which affect their everyday lives.

[Gerard Panlirr, C.S.S.P. is Executive

Direclor of SERVOLI.

O

ternr nleasurable economic benefits.

The public policy challenge here lies in two directions. First, there is the current objection to taxes, especially taxes levied in relation to ability. Present orthodoxy emphasises that such taxation reduces the incentive for investment and hence retards econonric growth.

Second, there is the argunrent that, in a situation of scarce resources, resources shoulcl lr allocated to activities with greatest short-ternr yields. This is our project with highest net present value approach.

There is also the argunrent that, wilh a large proportion of the present population under-provided for, priority should be given to their needs.

Public policy, to ensure sustainable developnrent, nrrrst confront these issues.

It nrust recognise clearly that the first of these argunrents is one of power, while the second is one oforganisation. Investments in long-ternr environmentally supportive activities can be organised to yield short-lernr benefits to the poor through enrployment, etc. One technical factor in the inter-generational distribution issue which nrust beaddressed by public policy is the rrse of discount factors to reduce both costs and benefits as activities stretch

into llre future thereby giving present short-term activities an advantage in decision-nraking. We nrust ask the question, why should we discount the future.

This concept of discounting the future must be challenged, both technically and in our thinking. The true cost of resorrrce degradation and depletion, long-term inrpacts of current activities and the high future cost ofrelrabilitation nrust be taken increasingly into accounl.

IExcerpt of o paper eiltitled "Public Policy ltnplicotions of Sustainable Developuetrt", presented by Byron Blake,

& Ittdustry at the CANCOM Secretariat, at a Setninar on Caribbeatt Ettvirottntern Matmgentent,

Direcror Ecortontics Soirtr Lucia,

April,

1992.1 O

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE. JULY. DECEMBER, I992

,:'r-

:1,:

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:

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':i'.-ai1,tj.rtsrrtiii:.

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*Gregory Rabess

Attractive Agro Food products on display at 'Survival Foods'

It was Hurricane David in 1979, which launched Nathalie Andrew career in food development, food technology. The food

shortage brought on

by the hunicane;

destruction of agricultural crops got Nathalie thinking of ways to promote interest and awareness about nutrition and food security among the most affected group - the low income population.

The food crisis underscored the crucial relationship between self-suffi ciency in food production and upgrading the nutritional status of poor people. Of the various ideas generated, the self-help approach seemed most useful and appropri-

ate. Against a background of limited research information pertaining to the uses and preservation of local foods, the

need to discover/determine the processing potential of local produce was strongly indicated. Andrew sought out techniques and approaches which were locally available and "do-able" by an average person regardless of literacy level.

Initially, small-scale experimentation began in a home kitchen setting with the utilization of agricultural produce which

usually went to waste such as excess bananas, breadfruit, mangoes, guavas, plantain, coconuts, etc. From these flour, cereal, snacks, wine, vinegar, raisins and animal feed resulted.

Assistance and supervision from local

food technologist/ scientist of the Government Produce chemist laboratory provided a grouping in the approach to food

processing, quality-control, toxicology,

complementarily and other nutritional principles. Nutritional testing and food analysis was conducted in Dominica and

Trinidad.

In 1983, Nathalie was hired by Plenty - Canada in the capacity of Programme Officer, Soya Education Programme.

Between 1983-1986, she worked to win Dominicans over to Soya. Her basic strategy was to integrate soya into the traditional and common Dominican recipes - accra, pelau, bouljaw etc. She had very positive results.

By 1984, Andrew had formed several women in her neighourhood into a group called the Health Action and Research Committee (HARC). In November of that year the Committee, with the joint assistance of CARDI, (Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute, SPAT (Small Projects Assistance Team) and the Ministry of Agriculture mounted a three-day national exhibition.

A landmark in Dominica's EAT-LOCAL movement, the display set forth a highly successful showing of4 I 2 agro-products developed from local raw materials in varying categories.

This exhibition sparked wide-spread community interest. Here, for the first time were concrete examPles of how food previously dismissed as waste could be transformed into tasty nutritious edibles. At once, Dominica's amazing potential for agro-processing began to at-

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMB ER, 1992

tract new recognition. Small grants donated by local and regional organizations continued to further facilitate new cycles of experimentation. The Andrew's home in Fortune became the site of a semipermanent display of locally processed products with step-by-step processing information detailed in charts visuals - a factor that provided much stimulation for the establishment of several self-employed agro-processing units now operating on the island.

HARC's major pioneering between 1985-88 centred mainly around innovative pilot type community programmes with the assistance and collaboration of supporting agencies such as Community Development Division (Local Govemment) and Plenty Canada/C.I.D.A. With project activity mainly directed at research and production, training, promoting and marketing, the projecr llroduced at broken intervals for a lirnited clientele. Regular domestic produ;iion on a commercial scale was hampered by the absence of certain types of advanced machinery, and sufficient investment

capital. It was also felt that initially, investment capital be kept to the barest

minimum compatible with producing quality mdrketable products with new and more efficient implements being purchased with the returns as the project indicated.

Further grant financing in 1989 bY (Cont'd on page 66) Page 65

Save The Children Federation enabled the project to acquire a new improved processing siteanda mini outlet in Roseau,

the capilal, and to further upgrade its levels of operation efficiency under its newly acquired name: Survival Foods.

At present the honre enterprise entbodies a solid base for expansion due to its long standing record/reputation in pioneering activity in product developnrent.

Conseqtrently at its current stage and status tlle project now seeks to establish a sound viable self-srrpporting agrornterprise in Donrinica.

For several years the project has pioneered the developntent, production and scale of a variety of agro-products. Fronr a stand point of conrnrercialization the range ofsuch products is relatively vast.

The project has therefore selected a subset of these products for commercial products, reliability of raw material, relatively

lost-cost

of production and significant

nutritional and econonric inrpact.

The product lines selected are:a) alternative weaning foods b) altemative snack foods Recent surveys and analyses have enabled the project to conectly identify:a) appropriate (start-up) scale ofpro-

duction b) requiredrangeandtypeofprocessing equipment

Over recent nronths pledges of concrete support towards the successful developnrent of the project have been forthcoming fronr two Public Service Units in the Ministry of Heahh, notably the Dominica Food & Nutrition Council and the Departntent of DentalHealth. The Dental Health Department has already activated the inrplenrentation of a one-year public awareness progranrnre geared lowards the

proper sensitization

of certain

target

groups (namely nrolhers, fathers, children, teachers, retailers and snack ven-

dors) to the rapidly increasing rate of health problenrs affecting Donrinican children and prinrarily caused by inrproper post weaning infant feeding and a high intake of inrported junk snacks.

Recenlly the project received funding fronr OXFAM - Arnerica and the Canada fund (Barbados) which allowed thenr to secure floor space al the Canefield Industrial Zone, and launch into full scale conrmercial production for lhe donrestic nrarket and for export.

Natlmlie Andrew, Matnger

of Sur-

vival Foods is a ttterttbcr of the Food & Nutririon Council, att ittstitutiott which is presetrtl)- involved itr tlte plantting of an "Eat Local" scttsitizatiott progron,ilc etilitled " Foodfor thertttilre " to uark tlte observance of Nutritiott Mottth (October

reel).

o

BAtrK TO NATURE

A BU5INE55 IN HERB5 AND BU5H

MEDICINE

Janis Baines and Robert Turner live and work out of an "A" frarne house at Tropical Park which is about sixleen nriles West of Belize City. They both lived in the United States for a while. There thev discovered a perfect contbination between God and Nature -and brrsiness. Recentlv

they canre back hortre, to stay, witn

I

Garden-of-Eden approach to living. They

are now Nathalie Andrew

in the business of

producing

blends of "bush nredicine" ancl about to launch a natural food restaurant in Belize

City.

Janice does lhe talking over a cup of richly blended herbal tea. "We are botlr naturalists and we have done a lot of research on traditional healing and the application of herbs and barks." She hastens to add that "we are not herbalists

but we continue to consult with local traditional healers and others who have done extensive research into the applications of a wide variety of flora, herbs and barks, for good and healthy living.

Their "lab" has nrore that fifty varieties of dried herbs and barks which they blend and package for the local and export nrarket and others under the label "Agapi", which Janic says is "the Greek word for unconditional love."

She gives a tourof the lab taking down half gallon bottle filled with dries hibiscus flowers. A revelation: "Hibiscus tea is good for stress." then she ntoves on.

This bark is good for your virility... sage, a

this is dried sage. It nrakes a good tea and it provides food for the brain..."

The products sold under lhe Agapi label are also tested for certification front

the D.:partnrent of Agriculture, ancl for any intemational Cuslolns

clearecl

inspection.

"We have a special advantage on ex-

ports", Janice commented, "as all our herbs are dried to perfection."

Agapi is seen presently in a nunrber of natural food nrarkets are being explored.

The key nrarket areas in the United States

are the ethnic nrarkets where there are fifty thousand plus Belizeans as well as Hispanics, Africans, Janraicans and other West Indians.

Major super nrarkets in Belize City as well as snraller outlets all over lhe country are now carrying Agapi products wilh labels strclr as "Fe de Man","Wonlan" and otlrers.

Janic and Robert have now operred

a

"100 percent vegetarian" reslaurant of Johnson Street in Belize City.

Janice asserts that although ..lhere are

a lot of

herbs

still out there growing

profrrsely, we are not only harvesting. ware also planting back these herbs."

This brrsiness venture has a totrcir of tuniqrrerress, and at a titne when the whole world wants to go back to basics.

"Chanrtrer UPDATE" Augrrst/Septenrber I 992

o

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECE[{BER, T992

BAHAMIANS VOTE FOR trHANItrE *A. Leonard Archer After twenty-five years as the Governing party, the Progressive Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Lynden Pindling, was voted out of office by the Bahamian electorate on August l9th. The Free National Movement, led by Hubert Ingraham,

formerMinister in the Pindling Govemment, captured 3l of the 49 seats in the Parliament, and Hubert Ingraham was swom in as Prime Minister on August

a

2Oth.

The critical issue in the election was

that the Govemment was not accountable

to the people for its actions, and was in fact engaging in wasteful, extravagant spending.

The issue of longevity was also critical, as the Opposition argued that the Government had been in power too long, and had in the course of the tinte, become arrogant and uncaring about the needs and wishes of the electorate.It was pointed out that the Progressive Liberal Party had been in power longer than the period

of

time that is considered "decent" in

argunrents of what existed before nrajority rule in 1967 - an issue ofcritical inrportance in previous elections - and were not persuaded that a return to those days was possible. The argument that appealed to the young voters was thal the Govemnrent lracl been in power too long, and that its policies were responsible for lhe con-

tracting econonry, and the Govemment was therefore unable to solve the youth unenrploynrent problenrs, by creating jobs.

Most of theyoung people eligible to vote, registered, and voted.

the economy. Starting in 1990, the Bahamian economy slipped into recession. The recession accelerated during the Gul f War,

suffering of the people, and was tltus

very issue oriented canrpaign. It produced

resulting in numerous business closures, over two thousand lay offs in the tourist industry, and a reduction in GoVernment revenues. In orderto maintain its revenue at budgeted levels, the Govemntent was

unable to devise policies that would soften the effects of recession.

It became clear as the cantpaign progressed, that the Opposition was better organized, and possessed a superior elec-

a conrprehensive manifesto, and highlighted sections of the manifesto at its

forced to raise taxes, increase the costs of most utilities, and institute credit restrictions.

tion strategy. The Opposition made a special issue of the date of the election, stressing that elections had always been called within five years of the date of the

The Opposition was able to successthese issues by pointing out that the severity of the recession was as much a result of the Govemment's mis-

fully exploit

management of the economy, as it was the result of Global Economic recession.

A companion issue to the econonlY

was the questions raised about the accountability of Govemment Ministers and possible corruption within the Govemment. Illustrative of the problenrs faced by the Govemment was the scandal over the construction of a new Airport Terminal Building. The Govemment had borrowed $55 million for the project but in June it discovered that some $65 million had already been spent on the project, and a further $15 million would be needed to

a

democracy, and was out of touch with the

previous election. The Opposition demanded that elections be called by June 19, the fifth anniversary of the previotrs election. When the elections were not

called, the Opposition announced on Jttne 20th that its nrenrbers would cease to accept their Parliantentary salaries, after that date, since to do so would violate the spirit of the Constitution. On pay day, the

of the Opposition collected

the appropriate amounts of tnoney fronl each member of Parlianrent, and deposited the

leader

sum to the Governntent's account at its bank. The Govemntent tried to cotlnter with legal and constittrlional argttntents, but the Opposition charged that the Government was afraid to face the electorate,

Another example was the Govem-

wasting money by renraining in office beyond its legitinrate tinre of office'

ment's cover up of the theft of over $32

A rnajor factor in tlre elections was tlte

million from the Public Treasury between 1982 and 1986, which was nol revealed until the leader of the Opposition raised

vote of the yorrng people. For tlre first

complete it.

questions about the theft in Parlianrent in 1992. The Opposition was able to successfully use issues like these, to show

tinre in a Bahatnian election, the nrajority of the voters were Jreople who had no real experience of any Govemment, other lhan

the Progressive Liberal Party Governnrent. The voters were not swayed by

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY. DECEMEER.' T992

The Free National Movenrent ran

a

public nreetings. The Progressive Liberal Party on the otherhandproducednonranifesto ancl refused to deal with issues. It decided lo n)ounl a very personal attack on Opposition leader Hubert Ingraharn.

Prime Minister Pindling led the attacks calling Mr. Ingrahanr a "delivery boy", a"rude boy" and described Mr. Ingrahanr as being unfit to hold the office of Prime Minister. Mr. Ingrahanr skilfully usedthe personal attack to advantage. He clainted

that he would"deliver the nation"

and

pronrptly renanted cantpaign offices

as

"deliverance centres". "Deliverancc" becanle a central thenre of the canrpaign.

Parlianrent began its new ternt on Septenrber 2nd. TIre Prime Minister declarecl

that the new Governntenl would be a "Govemnrent in the Sunshine", and to enrplrasize the openness of the new Gov-

ernrnenl, ordered that the traditional Speech fronr lhe Throne at lhe opening

of

Parliantent would be read in the Public Square. Large tents were erected, to accornnroclate the thousands who would attend theopening cerenrony. And in blaz-

ing sunslrine, lhe new Parliantentary session began, attd "Govemtrtent in the Sunslritre" was ittartgrtraled.

[A. Leonard Archer is High Contuissiotter (designnte) for The Balmuras to CAN(.OM otrd Director of Labour attd Ilttrnatt Resourcesl Page 67

ELEtrTIONS IN trUYANA *Ralph Premdas

The victory by Cheddi Jagan's PPP/ Civic Party in Guyana's October 5, 1992 General Elections was the culmination

of

nearly three decades of struggle by an anay of forces against the ruling PNC Government.

It is firmly believed in some quarters that since 1968, when the first elections were rigged by the PNC, in 1975 and 1980, under Forbes Bumham and again in

1985 under Desmond Hoyte, the PNC had ridden to power on the basis of elec-

toral fraudulence.

In 1992, however, the United States and the West abandoned their tactical support for anti-communist, authoritarian regimes for the sponsorship of democratic governments based on free and fair elections.

This extemal lobby was the key factor to the first free elections in Guyana, ac-

tively promoted by the Atlanta-based Carter Center which had been involved in

overseeing similar elections in Panama, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Zambia.

Shom of its Cold War shield of protection, the PNC found itself compelled in a new international order of human rights and democracy, to submit itself to the voice of the electorate.

When the count was called, the PNC rule, unbrokenfot 24 years, had ended.

Economic Collapse Ironically, President Cheddi Jagan was catapulted back into power by the same people who had overseen his removal

from office 28 years earlier. An unreconstructed Marxist-Leninist awk-

wardly adoming a new vocabulary of liberal democratic politics, President Jagan must be very amused by all this.

Except for the fact that over the course of the past three decades he had witnessed Guyana's destruction as an economically

viable state.

In 199 l, the Mclntyre Report declared Guyana the poorest country in the Westem Hemisphere, displacing Haiti. The 'paramount party' as the PNC deemed itself, had nationalised about 80 per cent

of the economy during its years under Forbes Burnham and there were wideof inefficiency and comrption. Within ten years, the economy was spread cries Pege

6,E

srnile of victory? cheddi Jagan (r) with Desnwnd Hoyte election debate.

shattered. About a third of Guyana's population voted with their feet, seeking refuge and residence overseas.

When Bumham died in 1985, many

optimistically saw in the successor Hoyte regime, a change for the better. Above all, hopes ran high for the return of free and fair elections.

This expectation was rudely frustrated when Hoyte oversaw yet another rigged

election in December 1985.

Ttrc 1992 elections were about the elections - its authenticity - and its honesty. Hoyte had argued that previous elections in which the PNC had anticipated were fair and honest and he had no

fear of another election retuming the pNC

to power.

It was this claim which stood at the centre of the elections: the PNC's claim that its power had always been legitimately acquired.

The opposition forces equated honest elections with the defeat of the pNC. The PNC argued that the electoral process was not the issue and that conceding the

role of extemal observers would notilter its tenure in office.

In a series ofprolonged but rigourous challenges to the electoral process, the

PNC progressively lost control of the

Electoral Commission to an independent electoral machinery and the Emory Uni-

1D

tnoki"g ho,"l"

b"ft;;i;-

versity-based Carter Center. Shred by shred, integrity was restored to the elec-

toral process through the insistence of such things as an acceptable voters' list, extemally printed ballots, foreign manu-

factured ballot boxes

etc. Hoyte was

being cornered by his boast that the pNC

had nothing to lose from free and fair elections.

Eventually, it was too late.

In the struggle for procedures to ensure free elections, the issue had become prominently intemationalised and Hoyte could not easily back out of his promises for fair electoral procedures.

The October 5, I 992 elections attracted

eleven contesting parties, of which the threemost significant were theppp, pNC and WPA. Both the PNC and rhe ppp had been tested at the polls before in the 1957, 1961, 1964 and 1968 elections. The WPA consisting of an amalgam of opposition parties was formed in 1973 unher ther.rmbrella leadership of Walter Rodney and hal never been tested for its populir support in free elections. It had, however, emerged as a major visible force on the Guyana political scene with an articulirie leadership.

In the 1992 elections, the ppp, pNC and WPA sought to define the partisan

contest in peculiar ways. The WpA

ar_

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER, 1992

gued that the PNC was so unpopular that the contest was really between itself and the PPP. The behaviour of the PNC and

the PPP suggested that they considered themselves to be the ntajor candidates.

As the campaign unfurled, racial po-

larisation of the electorate became evident because of the ethnic appeals of the WPA might have hoped for would be a three-way split that would give the party a chance as broker. Instead, it was thrashed and reduced to an insignificant electoral force.

The Guyanese electorate in 1992 consisted of 385,000 voters. Most had never voted, having lost interest because ofthe open rigging. In 1992, however, with a close contest in the making, citizens ac. tively cooperated in the re!istration process. Mostof thevoters werebelow twentyone years of age.

The voters were organised into ten regions and on elections day, the two elections were (i) national elections for the presidency

(ii) local elections for the regional councils.

These two elections were entwined because in the sixty-five member unicanreral legislature, fifty-three nrembers were elected in the national elections, while tlre rest were to be selected after the regional councils were elected.

Since 1964, voting had been based on a proportional representational system.

The canrpaign for votes was remarkably peaceful. Unlike previorts elections when it relied almost exclusively on party organisation and mobilisation, in 1992 the major parties relied heavily on n'lass nredia advertisements to commttnicate their message.

Elections Chairman Rudy Collins (l) with Jittttny Carter at the Electiorr Corrtntissiott Office.

paign was the record of the Hoyte Presidency [985-1992] and the acconrplishments of the IMF-sponsored Economic Recovery Prograntnte [ERP].

Hoyte sought to distance hinlself fronr the Burnhan.r legacy. He was critical of the many shortages of basic conrnrodities in slrops.

Under the structural adjustntent programme launched in March 1989, the Hoyte reginre had undertaken to nttrse the bankrttpt economy to health. The country lay in ruins. Its external debt in 1988, when Hoyte was negotiating with the IMF, was about US$1.5 billion

or four tirnes the country's GNP. Foreign reserves stood at a nreagreUS$ l0 million.

Most of the cottntry's hard currency eaming was used to service its external debt.

Guyana had defaulted on its previous IMF agreenrent ttnder Forbes Bumhanr who had described the IMF as "a recipe forriot". Guyana wassubsequently placed on an international blacklist of defaulters which nteant that its access to credil was severed fronr intemational lend-

ing agencies, foreign govenrments and cotnttrercial banks.

The ERP tlrat Hoyte negotiated with the IMF was intended to bring Gttyana

The two major parties, the PPP and the PNC, hired professional forei gn advertis-

ing firms to design their appeals to the electorate. Whether this made any difference in the outcome given the role of race

in determining voter preference is dottbt-

ful.

'l'he Canrpaign

The centre-Piece of the PNC can-

to checkthat up tlte Denterora Missiort sattta jourtrey tlte to a Above, were satisfactory. orrn,rgu,ru,,t,

No pictric this! Observers had to cover lmndreds of sqnore iltiles of territory River.

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY. DECEII{BER' 1992

Page 69

The Hoyte administration had boldly declared is unqualified commitment toi free, open capitalist economy which was a strong criticidm against the record of the old PPP government of l9S7 -63 in which various economic controlshad been practised.

The PNC stayed close to the IMF and World Bankdoctrines of economic growth which rejected socialist practices o1State

involvement in economic production.

Under the ERP the Hoyte govemment had also conducted a series of sales of State Enterprises in its divestment pro_ gramme under sharp criticism by the ppp.

It was on the verge of disposing of the State-owned sugarcompany, GUYSUCO, and

which the PPP severely criticised threatened to reverse should it win.

If, in the dramatic liberalisation of the economy the PNC had scored well, in other aspects of the austerity programme it remained vulnerable to criticism. Hoyte

was accused Checking at a polling statiott iu the city. back from the economic blackhole into

their task to supply additional funds to

conditionalities was stringent and severe so that when it was set forth in public, in August 1989, it evoked a storm ofprotest

facilitate the implementation of the IMF programme.

A hidden agenda was built into the ERP and the Support Group's activities

which

it

had skidded. The set of

and strikes.

The Programme required a steep devaluation ofthe currency by about 70 per cent; on the parallel exchange this was more like a 100 per cent devaluation.

Interest ratqs were hiked, taxes were raised and prices for rice, sugar and oil all skyrocketed by over 300 per cent. Included in this package was a programme of di-

vestment of money-losing public enterpnses.

The Federation of Independent Trade Union of Guyana [FITUG] which represents about two-thirds of Guyana's or_ ganisedunion workers, called a strikethat lasted over two months. Protests by hundreds of workers who were traditional PNCadherents hadto becontained by the

police and security forces. The stiikes

and protests compounded the difficulties

of attainirlg the objectives of the IMF

programme, almost totally frustrating it.

It was then, in these trying and

tumultous circumstances that th; ERp programme found a Support.Group of Donors composed of eighrcreditor coun_ tries and chaired by Canada. It was in part Page 70

of administering a

failed

Presidency under which the cost of liviing

entailing a prerequisite for political as well as economic reforms in Guyana.

More specifically, thePNC had to undertake to conduct free and fair elections as part and parcel of the entire economic recovery programme. Not to cooperate in the political programme would mean a retum toeconomic chaos and widespread suffering.

In the first two years from l9g9 to 1991, the ERP seemed to bring more dislocation and suffering than gain to Guyana. However, by 1992, some of the ERP programmes had clearly started to show signs of economic amelioration.

In 1991, the economy grew by about

6.1 per cent and projections were for

similar upward movenrent in the following years. Many associated changes had

brought fruitful relief to Guyanise in-

cluding the removal of currency controls, and import restrictions, etc.

As a result of this ERp_inspired change, a strohg element of optimism had at last descended on Guyana and it was in this atmosphere that the pNC felt it could capitalise to win the elections.

had skyrocketed. "The goods that cos-i &4.00 under the PPP government in 1964 cost$848.27 under Hoyte", read a ppp advertisement.

The general thrust of the ppp was to call attention to the evidence of the mire in which the country remained in the postBurnham years. The price ofgoodi and commodities, while now abundant, was

very high. Continuing power cuts, im_ pure and irregular water supply, ineffi_ cient public services and widespread cor_ ruption were all so palpable a daily expe_ rience that even the ERp achievemlnt could not mollify and erase them.

Another key message from the pNC campaign was that it represented law, order, and security. In arguing againsi change, it charged that underthe ppp rule the country suffered from chronic str.ikes, demonstrations and conflict and it. one notable occasion, virtual civil war had broken out between Indo- and Afro_ Guyanese throughout the country. . The PNC portrayed itself not only as innocent in organising these events but

also as having restored harmony and

peace. In its emphasis on peace and security lay the veiled threat ofa sugges_ tion that thealtemative to Desmond frJyte

would inevitably be disruption

and

destabilisation of the kind that had con_ tributed to the upheavals of the early

1960s: CARICOM PERSPECTIVE. JULY - DECEMBER, 1992

Tied to the issue of peace was the racial queston which was almost always present in the major directions that occurred. The PNC arrogated unto itself role of racial peacemaker, implicitly assigning PPP the instigatory role of racial stirrer: Hoyte however, felt that on the rational basis of his economic performance; the communal spell could be broken. Consequently, the media campaign focussed directly on him and his performance,

ffi

pitting him, as an individual, against Jagan: In the end, however, under conditions of free elections, it would be the commu-

prone thuggery section of the opposition. For some time, this will continue to be the source of destabilisation. In the longer haul, however, the greater threat will emanate from within its own ranks.

The disequilibrium is likely to originate less from the party's inexperience in govemment, than from its failure to define its political and ideological beliefs.

While Cheddi Jagan himself has not abandoned his adherence to Marxism-Leninism and the PPP apparatus continues to be organised along the model of the former

of the Soviet Union the PPP manifesto has Pro[CPSU],

Communist Party

claimed the party's commitment to "principles of freedom, equality, and solidarity where the paramount institution will be Parliament" and recognition of "the existence of a multi-party system."

At one time, the PPP did not seem to be different from the PNC in its approach to

one-party socialist rule. However, after its experiences with PNC paramouncy, the PPP has stated its respect for the Judiciary and for Government operating

I

{

n

nal impetus that would prevail, not economic statistics nor the power of individual personality. Ethnic identity would determine the final results. The Guyanese people given another chance to decide their future, would vote on the basis of race again.

Immediately after its victory, the PPPCivic party was beset by extemal threat to its survival emanating from a violence-

l]

Left: Rupert Rooprmrine and (right) within the limits of the law. It has pledged

a commitment to fundamental

human

rights.

It has promised to render the Burnham

Imperial Presidency more accountable.

In all respects, the political order on offer, copies the institutions of the Westem liberal democratic framework. But the reality of office may impose its own limits. The PPP is a personality-led party, whichhashad itsshareof internal schisms.

Many of Guyana's opposition parties are stacked with former PPP stalwarts who allege intolerance for the independentminded. At its nucleus is a small, enduring clique of loyalists.

The PPP's capacity to accommodate divergent views,not only among its civil sympathisers but the country at large, will test its ability to rule. It has given a fomral commitment to a democratic Guyana.

Anothercritical area in which the PPPCivic administration willbetested will be

Eus;i

Kwayana of the W.P.A.

ters lie ahead PPP supporters gain fronr

their own party now that when

it is in

power.

Below its top leadership the PPP is replete with conrmunalists out to settle old scores and who expect special attention.

The administration will have to ha ndle its own internal contradictions and tensions as well as cope with an array of opposition parties that include both the PNC and WPA. The challenge of restoring Guyana to health is daunting given the

level of deterioration over the past three decades. The main resources which the

PPP-Civic party possesses is a fund of international goodwill, especially front the US, and a large pool of talent. Many overseas Guyanese are willing to serve and invest. But above all; its greatest

will be the quality of leadership it will bring to the reconciliation of the

resource

inevitable internal tensions it will experi-

that of race. The PPP-Civic victory was essentially and overwhelmingly based on the support ofthe Indo-Guyanese elector-

ence.

ate.

watersfraught with nyriad dfficulties. It will be on the pivot of his leadership that the experineilt in reconstruction under the PPP will be decided.

The party's fielding of a multi-ethnic slate of candidates suggests the hope for ethnic non-bias in administr.ation. This will be difficult. Indo-Guyanese exPecl to receive redress from many years of

discrimination. For Jagan, difficult wa-

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE . JULY - DECEMBER' 1992

Presidetn Jagan will have to slrc',v that he can steer Guyana through very rough

o Page

7l

"ltr all our en<leavorrrs, I rcpclit, I):rrli:r tttctrl r'" iil be central as thc higlrcst lcgislativc arrtitority in the l:rnrl. At all tirrrcs

\\'llilt nllst be rtppcrnrost otr orrr tgr'rrcltr is tlrc trrrtional intcrest. Tlris is not lr pl:rcc 1'or sclf islrrrr'ss, pctty galr)r's :rrrtl vilrrlictivcl

)

t'ss.

I * lrrrt to take this opporlrrrritr lo rllkc lr spt'ci:rl anltoLltcentt'ltt ri'lriclr I lnr srrrr'

* ill t'irril favour u itlr all o1'r'orr rrrrrl lll of (itn rrra. First I ri ant to sav lltis. * t' llrvr' :r lot ot' difficrrltics lrt llrr' rrrorrrt'nl. I lrrn sttrc tltat *i{h tht- coopcr:itiorr ol'lrJl (ittratrcsc *e *'illbc ablc lo [ruilcl

;r

lrt'ilr.r

(lrn'lrna.

Irr orrr striving for a [rt-ltcr (irrr':rrlr u c irrspiration frotrr trrcn:rrrrl w()ll)r'n

clrtr rlrarv

ol' irrtcgritv u,ho havc corut' firru,:rrrl to assist. We also clrau' itrspirlrliorr l'nrnr Iturtrv o1' tltose r','ho tttatlc r':rl rurlrl r' corrl ri brrIions brrtr.r,ho arc not u itlr rrs Iorl111'. 11t,,'

ol'llrcrrr, a dear fricntl o1'rrritrr. is tltc Irri]irrrrt son of Gut'ana, Dr. \\'rrltr'r l{otlrrcr'. llv ncr* \\'alter rrorrlrl lln,' bct'rr 50 r crrrs olcl. IIislife *:rs srrul-ft'tl ()llt itl a lil)tr ri lrcrr lrc * as poiseci to rrr:rkr r'\ r.ll gr('ittr'r

lrc:rr['nric, cultural arrrl socirrl corrtribrr liorrs lo ltis corrntrv. In his lrorrorrr, I lr:rvc rlcciclcrl to initiate lt)r-itsurcs lo llrvt'ri W:rlti'r Rodney CIiair at tlrc IJnivt.rsitv ol' (i rrvl na ".

In its vr-ar end statcrrrcrrl,

llrt'\\'orkirr!

I'coplt"s Alliance (\\'PA), tlrr 1r:rrtr * lriclr I{ocltrcr lccl, said: "... lhrs is a first st('l) l()\\ lrrrls tlt,' f'rrll rccognitiott of this ortlsl;rtrtlirrr s()n ()f

(ittvrtttlt's ri orking I)('r)l)l('. I'll(' I,l)l)/ ('lVI('g()\r'rtliltr'nl is r'r\rrr'\'l rrr ilr,,r rilL () I)arl)ctuate tlrr- lnrtrrorv ol'lrll orrr 1'rr'rrkrrrr lnlrtvrs. Lanclnurrks likr' llris, irif

stc;rrl ol' lht- glctri ficat iotr

o1'

I

ltt'

Ii

v

i

rrg, :rrc

lrt'Jpfirl iIthe country's nlrtiorr;rI crrIIrrrr is to bc lrcalecl antl irrslrirc<1".

e r pt fro nt Ad d rc ss bt' I I s E.tc c | | c ttc,, D r. C h c cl c! i ct qrt tt.

-l Presidett of thc Co opcretivc Rcpublrc of Gtt.tarrct, at tltc cererronial opctting of tlta Firsr Scssrorr of rhc Si.trh [,rtrlia nrent of Guvona, Daccntl,tcr I 7, I 992, partiantcttt Btt ilding

I E.tc

t

f

l)r I):rgr 72

CARICO\I I)I,RSI}}-(.

(-lrcrlrli Jagatt I rVr_ - JI.

L\' - DEUI]IIIIF_R. l eel

EARLY trEORtrETOWN -*Albert

Rodrigues

After the capture of Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice by the British in Janu-

ary 1781, Stabroek, the nucleus of Georgetown was sited by Govemor Kingston. When the British surrendered to the French

in

1782,

it was laid out towards

the East Coast to what was later Vlissengen

Hand-in-Hand

Road and along the Demerara River, cre-

ating land for sugar, coffee and cotton cultivation. Comte De Kersaint's, the

ings were to be built of sto'ne or brick and

French Commander, ambitious plans for

covered with slates, tiles

a city began with a small strip

of land of

about one mile eastwards by a quarter a

milewidealongthemiddledam, laterto

become Brickdam, the first paved road.

When the Dutch possession resumed in 1784, Longchamps and Newtown, as it was known, became Stabroek and in I 8 I 2 was renamed Georgetown by then British rulers in honour of George III .

The plan was founded on the principle of a main access dam for each plantation with a network of drainage canals to the Demerara Riveron the West. There were in 1789 about 88 houses and 780 inhabitants. By l8l2 Stabroek, the central ward

of the town took in La Bougarde

(Cummingsburg) and Eve Leary to the North with Werk-en-Rust and Le Repentir to the South and later the adjacent plantations such as Vlissengen and Thomas, which had been subdivided into lots and sold off.

While the drainage canals and dams determined the layout of the city in the making, the major fires greatly influenced the construction of buildings and land use. As early as 1785 the use of thatched roofs was prohibited, kitchens had to be of masonry construction and stores could not be constructed outside of the town excePt for woodcutters' After

the great fires in Charlestown and later Newtownin l828,thelatterwasreplanned with wider streets and lots, the front build-

or

metal.

Bu i I di ng.

openings in the walls to the East and North. Masonry Construction was too

Rumshops and cooperages were prohibited in that district. There followed an-

heavy and massive to satisfy these condi-

1864 in Robbstown which resulted in the widening of Water Street and the opening up of Hincks and

1828 introduced limited change to masonry construction. Timber construction

other great fire

in

North Streets.

Transportation was mainly by boat and horse and carriage or cart. Arottnd I 8 I 9 there was cycling (the celocipede), in 1838 the ontnibus and mttch later in 1877 nule tram carts. The railway to Mahaica was contnlenced in 1847.

The main source of water suPPlY was the rain water collected off the roofs and stored in brick cistems or timber vats.

The Lamaha Canal was started in l819 and the piped water supply system inaugurated in 1876.

Buildings up to the 1830's predominantly in timber, an example being the British Guiana Bank Building (1836) which later became the Royal Bank of Canada (1846). An existing majorexample of an early nrasonry building is the Public (Parliament) Buildings (1834) on the original Stabroek site, designed by Hadfield. The governing conditions for building in early Georgetown were poor drainage and flood level, the soft sub soil and the cool North East tradewinds to reduce the high effects ofthe high tent-

tions, but the fire safety regulations of continued on a grand scale with such buildirrgs as Sacred Heart Church in the Spanish American style by Fr.Schenrbri

in l86l

- the facade

by Castellani in 1877

and the Alms House (Palnrs) in 1874 1875 by the latter.

By 1879 the use of cast iron structttral nrenrbers was beconring popular irr the conrnrercial sector with the construction of the Hand in Hand Insurance Company building ( I 879) followed by the Stabroek

Market 1881.

It was about 1834 after the emancipation ofslaves that the exciting period ofbuilding began, producing some of the finest timber architecture, the subject of nluch in depth study by others.

Sources The Making of

Guyana

:

Vere T. Daly

Essay

-

Building Under Our Sun

:

R.O.Westmaas

Notes - Originand Very Early Deve-lop' utent of Georgetowtt N. Anreerally '.

perature and hunridity. The buildings were

Albert Rodrigues is a Chortered Archi-

therefore mainly off tlre ground on stilts, of light construction in tintber and many

o

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER, T992

tect, Gu\atm.

Page 73

trARItrAD -Upgrading tlre Public Sector *Nortnan Faria

In these days of heady talk about "privatisation", "divestment" and "selling off public companies", the work of the little known regional agency helping to upgrade the public sectors in place like Barbados seems an anomaly.

With the centrally planned economies of the former USSR and other Eastem European countries all but changed over to the capitalist way of doing things, are the technocrats at the Barbados-based Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD) about to pack their bags?

All the hoopla doesn't seen to bother Dr. P. I. Gomes, the newly appointed Executive Secretary of the twelve year old body. Guyana-born Dr. Gomes and his less than a dozen staff are in fact busier than usual. A "renewed thrust to strengthen managerial capabilities and systems in the public sector" was in fact

the rallying cry coming out of CARICAD"s l2th Board of Directors Meeting held in Antigua last May. The I 992-93 Work Plan includes beefing up its publications programmes. Slated

for September is "A Report on Management of Public Enterprises in the Carib-

bean" by Cecil Rajana, Courtney Blackman and Burton Gajadar. Another study by Rajana, "The Impact and Management of Structural Adjustment programmes" will follow sources on public administration is also on the cards with assistance from the Barclays Development Fund.

Headquartered

in an unpretentious

converted office block which once housed British troops for the nearby St. Anne's Garrison, Dr. Gomes tells you privatization isn't the panaea to solve all of the woes of the sub region.

"There are two main dimensions here.

One is that there is still a need for the setting of policy and overall guidance, and this include private investntent coming in, so that it is beneficial to society as a whole. The second is to ensure that co-

operation between countries do not become subject to or undernrined by a few Page 74

nrentation in support of sustainable developnrent progranrnres in the Region."

Anrong other CARICAD objecrives: to generate ntanagentent developnrent training programmes and to enhance regional administrations abilities to carry

out their own activities. Significantly,

another ainr is to "serve as a catalyst for regional co-operation and co-ordination in the area of public administration anrong

national, regional and international organisations for the purpose of promoting greater efficiency and effectiveness in the public sector."

Dr. Gomes, a sociologist by training

Dr. Potrick Gotttes

powerful interests. We mention this against the backdrop of continuing operations of trans-national corporalions together with global trading blocs."

"I think," he continues,

"that

CARICAD should be with those within the Region who are showing concern for equity and enlarging the sphere ofoppor-

who was fornrerly a training policy advisor witlr the Trinidad office of the Econonric Conrnrission of Latin Anrerica and the Caribbean (ECLAC), noted that it was irrrperative for "new methods ancl

directions" to be brouglrt into play for public adnrinistration and personnel rnanagenrent to inrprove productivity and ef_ ficiency. "There ntust be public service refornr which will benefit from the Caribbean experience. this was in fact noted al

tunities for our young population to par-

the last CARICOM Heads of Govem-

ticipate. As you ntay know, some 50 to 60

nrent Meeting. A preparatory work on the setting up of a regional tasks force dealing with this is now underway. What we are saying is that while CARICAD's programntes will concentrate on improving

per cent

of the working population

is

under 25 years."

However, there are changes to reflect the on going challenge. Present circuntstances both regionally and intemation-

ally call for "new enrphases and re-orien-

tation of approach" as the June 1992 CARICAD Newsletter put it.

CARICAD, launched in 1980 after CARICOM Heads of Govemnrent approved the basic concept at a parley in St. Kitts and Nevis in 197-5, now refers nrore

frequently with its willingness to co-operate where necessary with the private sector. Indeed, anlong its objectives is to provide consultancy services to both tlre public and private sectors. However, it still has a decidedly pro-public secror leaning. It's "Role and Mission" as de_ fined in official literature is "To prontote, strengthen and upgrade the ntanagerial capabilities and systerns in the Cari6bean for public policy fornrulation and inrple-

capabilities

in the public sector, i.e-

antong civil service personnel, in public enterprises and statutory bodies, the effi_

ciency productivity dintension will also be nrore carefully looked at."

The current structural adjustment pro_ granlnles facing a nunrber of ntenrber countries are also inrpacting on CARICAD's work. "We have to taie the consequences of such adjustnrent irrto account. There are, for exanrple, najjor disruptions in social services and social instrrance schenres. The consequeltce of

public policies have to be studies ancl effectively addressed to ensure econonric growth with social equity."

(Nonttatt Faria is a Barbodian jourttal_ isr).

o

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE . JULY - DECEMBER, T992

ENIRD

CARIBBEAN PARTNERS IN DEVELOPMENT Now, more than ever, there are blatant international forces in ascendancy that are dividing the North and the South, the rich and poor, the strong and the weak.

The challenge for the Caribbean region therefore, is to "arm ourselves with information and knowledge to find solutions of our own and not those imposed by the agenda of others. We must Pool our resources,network to mobilize the popular sectors without whom no genuine development can take Place.".

So said Dr. Gomes when he addressed participants at the opening ceremony of

the Third Assembly of the Caribbean Network for Integrated Rural Development [CNIRD], which was held recently at the St Augustine CamPus, UWI. As partners in Caribbean development, non-

govemmental organization, like CNIRD' had a very important role to play in moving the region forward.

Feature speaker at the assembly, Head

of Govemance, IUCN Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland, Angela Cropper, challenged the representative NGOs to cooperate with govemments and their national communities in the matterof raising public consciousness, public policy formula-

tion and programme implementation.

CNIRD was specially challenged as an NGO directly involved in rural development to make advocacy for and on behalf ofthe rural sectors, a key component ofits work. Cropper saw this as essential since rural communities are often relegated to "second order status."

Cropper, who is also a Caribbean citi-

zen, said CNIRD was well placed to create and experiment with various types of

partnerships, indigenous skills, resources and participatory community approaches so that new experiences could emerge that would lead to a better life for Caribbean people - already unified by the same environment: climatic, economic and so-

cial and similarly disadvantaged within

the existing intemational political and economic order.

Here, CNIRD has alreadY broken new ground. Incollaboration withthelnternational Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA), CNIRD has embarked on a major programme entitled Regional Rural Development Strategy (RRDS) so

that the limited financial resources are available for rural development can be properly maximized.

CNIRD's Director, Regina Dumas said that RRDS came out of a workshoP on rural development strategies held in Dominica last November when it was felt that such a strategy could help in a number of ways. These included improving national plans and policies that impacted on rural development; enhancing the capacity of

rural communities for self development; and the effi cient useof available resources.

Under the RRDS Programme, a total of five task forces comprising specialists in specific areas have been named to oversee the implementation of projects.

They are: New Private Sector; Case Studies; Food Security and Nutrition; Alter-

native Farm Production and Marketing Programme; and PolicY AnalYsis and Rural Institution Building.

In other areas of networking for Caribbean development, Dumas reported that the 1990-1992 period saw a deepening of relations with both regional and intemational partners. Significantly, it was at the

historic inaugural CARICOM Regional Economic Conference, held in Trinidad, March 1991, that NGOs were declared the fourth partner in development joining govemment, business and labour. At that ionference, CNIRD joined regional counterparts in offering to Heads of Govemment what has been termed "alternative models of development" for the Caribbean.

CNIRD has also launched an Informa-

tion Service for Caribbean Rural Devel-

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER' 1992

opment (INCARD) a documentation service to be used by regional and intemational communities. INCARD, and its companion publication, Network News, gives regular updates of abstracted material obtainable from the network's computerised data base. CNIRD is also linked by modem to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) another valuable source of in-

formation The network, based in St Augustine, Trinidad, has launched a series of publications geared towards informing regional and intemational communities on aspects

of integrated rural development appropri-

ate to the Caribbean. There is a Who's Who Directory of skills available in the region; a cartoon booklet on the handling and application of agro-chemicals; and the recently launched regional newsletter, Rural Link-up, has replaced Rural

Info.

At the grassroots level, CNIRD has sought to bring the Caribbean partners in

development closer together. The past two years saw several exchange visits among the farming community - the Windward Farmers Association and the farmers of the Dominican Republic; women

farmers of Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Lucia, Dominica and St Vincent;

rural, female agro-processors of Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago.

In the face of the creation of

mega

trading blocs and a worsening global economic scenario, agriculture will continue

to play a decisive role in the economic fortunes of the countries of the Caribbean. At the conclusion of the third assembly, CNIRD demonstrated its readiness to tak6 up the gauntlet to propagate

new approaches and construct new models in the quest for a better quality of life for all the partners in Caribbean development.

o

Page 75

A REtrIONAL 5ECURITY REtrIME For the Caribbean?

David Granger

In the wake of the devastation wrought

on Montserrat by 'Hurricane Hugo' in September, soldiers of the Barbados Defence Force arrived on the island in less than 24 hours; those from the Jamaica Defence Force were there within 36 hours.

The CARICOM Secretariat activated rhe

CARICOM Disaster Response Unit (CDRU) made up of elements of four of the largest and closest defence forces in the Commonwealth Caribbean - Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago - to provide logistical, transport and construction assistance. The previous year, the defence forces

similarly had

gone to the aid of Jamaica which was badly damaged by 'Hurricane Gilbert'.

The prompt response, joint action and

rapid restoration of essential services to these disasters became the hallmark of

Photograph shows soldiers of rhe Trinidad

Afterthedisbandmentofthenew.West India Regiment' in 1962, to form the defence forces of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, there was no longer a single force available toserve thesecurity needs of all thestates.Indeed, between li62 and 1983, 12 Caribbean colonies became independent states and ten of them chose to set up their own national defence forces. Two States - Saint Lucia and St Vincent and the Grcnadines - never established defence forces, and three States - St Kitls-

Nevis, Dominica and Grenada (which called its force an 'army') actually disbanded theirs for various reasons. iherc are now seven defence forces remaining but no mechanism exists for their coordil nation and cooperation for common obPrgc 76

Tobago Defence Force

at work in

jectives.

rcgional military cooperation.This is a rather rcrentdevelopment and might well be the first fruit in a hitherto neglected, but fertile field of Caribbean integration.

&

Jamaica in the afiennath of Hurricane Gilbert.

Preserving Integrity Most of the attempts aimed at mititary collaboration in the past were focussed on nanow security issues but, with one exception, no lasting security regime emerged. Twenty-five years ago (1962), when the Anguillans voted to secede from St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla, representatives of the four then independent Caribbean states

-

Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and

Trinidad and Tobago reached an agneement to sent up a'Peacekeeping Force' to help preserve the integrity of the threeisland state. The force never materialized and, for several reasons, the secession succeeded.

- Another step was taken in October, l98l soon after the independence of Be_ lize. By the 'Comntonieatth pact, the Caribbean states of The Bahamas, Barba_ dos, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and

Tobago, together with Britain and Canada, agreed to meet and consult .regarding appropriate action to be taken' in thi event of a threat to the independence of Belize. Although this 'pact' has never been activated, it was a significant step

towards conceptualising the collectivl security of the Caribbean.

Twootherefforts were made

at

thediplo_

matic level to create a Caribbean security

regime. The first was the Scheme fir Mutual Assistcnce whichwas mooted as

early as 1973, even prior to the signing of theTreaty of Chaguaramas. Theidea was revived eightyears later by the Stanrling Committee of Ministers Rasponsible foi Foreign Affairs, but it was overtaken by other events. The second was the pro_ posal that rhe Caribbean be declarid a '7.one of Peace'. This proposal was ad_ vanced by the People's Revolutionary Govemment of Grenada and was actually

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JLrLy

_

DECEMBER, 1992

of the OAS General Assembly atLaPaz,

USA in the invasion of Grenada on Octo-

Bolivia.

ber 25,1983, one year after the RSS was set up. This Force was an ad hoc body which was disbanded after it was with-

The 'Zone of Peace' idea, together with

an examination of the implications of

drawn from the island when elections

CARICOM states' adhering to the Inter American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, was pursuedfurtherwith CARICOM by the Standing Committee of Ministers Responsible

for Foreign Affairs.

wereheld. The US and UK governirents, however, intensified their military assistance to the region by financing, training and equipping several paramilitary Special Service Units in those islands which did not possess defence forces. An annual series oftactical exercises was con-

The

Working Group which was set up to formulate measures to give effect to the declaration, however, was unable to complete its assignment.

The main thrust towards a regional security regime came out of the Eastern Caribbean States. In 1981, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States was established. Article 8.4 of the OECS Treaty made provision for the setting up of a 'Defence and Security Committee' which inter alia was charged with the '....responsibility for coordinating the efforts of peace and security against extemal aggression ...' No machine was ever put in place to activate this committee and Article.4 was never invoked until the occasion arose for the invasion of Grenada in October, 1983.

War'l'actics Of greater long-term security significance than the OECS TreatY was the signing ofa Me morandum ofUnderstandAntigua and Barbuda, Barbados, ing -by

Don'rinica, Saint Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines on October 29,1982.

The extraordinary exclusion of revolu-

tionary Grenada and the inclusion of Barbados, a non-member of the OECS, mir-

rored the contemporary Cold War 'containment doctrine' of the Westem pow'Memoraners. Under Article 2 of the '...to assist agreed signatories the dum,' one another on request in national emergencies... and other disasters and threats [onational security.' This'Memorandum' provided the legal basis on which the Regional SecuritJ Systerl was established.

Destabilisation

A

Caribbean PeacekeePing Force

made up of about 350 soldiers and police-

men fronr Barbados, Jamaica and the member states of the OECS, joined the

ducted to train the soldiers and militarized policemen of the region.

The most serious security crisis to erupt in the post-invasion period was the violent revolt of the Jannat al Muslim ee n in Port of Spain, Trinidad andTobago, on July 27,1990. A small ad froc regional peacekeeping force was assembled and deployed to the island where it contributed to stabilisation operations after the violence had subsided. More important, .

of the Heads of Govemment, embodied in the 'Kittgstott Declaratiott, to the establishment of a regional security mechanisnr aimed, inter alia, at'...assisting Member States in clearly defined situations which threaten their sovereigntY...'

At the Eleventh Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government, out of which the Declaration emerged, the Prime

however, was the contmitment

Minister of Barbados called for

existexpansion and consolidation oftlre "..the ing Regional Security System in the Eastern Caribbean to include as manY CARICOM states as possible' and urged '...that the RSS be invested with the au-

thority and resources to deal with all

aspects of regional security...' A Committee was set up to look into the matter and to ntake recommendations to the Heads of Govemment. The final report has not been presented, but it would be safe to say that Conlnronwealth Caribbean States are now closer to creating a collective security system than at any other time in the Past 30 Years.

The structure and role of any security system will be deternrined largely by its alms and objectives, the threats to its

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER' 1992

member states, the resources at their disposal and the geo-political environment in which they must subsist. In this regard, the past 30 years of independence have provided abundant evidence of the dangers to the security and sovereignty of Caribbean states.

The most grave threats have been tenitorial claims against Belize and Guyana (prior to 1962), secession from St KittsNevis-Anguilla (1967), mutiny in Trini-

dad and Tobago 0970), coup d'etat in Grenada (1979), foreign invasion of Grenada (1983), armed insurrection against Guyana (1969) and Trinidad and Tobago (1990), destabilisation against Grenada (1979 - 1983), Guyana and Jamaica (1976 - 1980), conspiracies formercenary incursions against Barbados (1976) and Dominica (1980) and the penetration of Antigua

(1e79- rese).

Nlilitary Threats In addition, threats to the stability of States may also be posed by illegal immigration, contraband - smuggling, narcotrafficking, poaching in fisheries and exclusive econonric zones,, environmental

pollirtion and various natural disasters such as large fires, floods, volcanic erup-

tions, earthquakes and hurricanes. Small island states are especially susceptible to these threats.

Most of tlre Conrmonwealth Caribbean States lrave populations of fewer than half a nrillion people. Their econonries are weak and over-dependent on tourism or on one or two agricultural conrmodities. Their landspace is limited and, in sonre island groups' highly fragnrented and widely dispersed. As a result, incidents have widespread and exaggerated etf'ects on the econonly, on the livelihood of the majority of people and on the country as a whole. It would be extrenrely expensive for each state to at-

tempt to nraintain a security or relief organization sufficiently equipped and trained to nreet its own perceived needs.

Tlre nature of disaster relief envisaged by lhe Caribbean Disaster Ernergency Respotse Agency and the fornrs of security

(Cott'd

on Page 79) Page77

LETHAL CARtrOT -The Earibbean at Risk PLUTONIUM: A highly toxic radioactive elenrcnt.

Nature: Synthetic - created by man since the 1940s.

Purpose: The most important transuranium element used as fuel for nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons; used in Nagasaki in World War II.

Half-lifu : 2 5,000 y ears (the tinte take n for the activiry of a radioactive sample to decrease to half its original value).

Side effects: Extrenrely dangerous to human, animal, marine and plant tife

forms. One of the nost long-lived radiotoxic elements, its separatiott, transport and use threaten the environnrcnt, hunnn health and the gene pool.

Resuh of plutoniunt contantinatiott: A single nicrogramme, smaller than a

of dust, could cause fatal cance r Even a snnll leak of plutoniunt could cause thousands of deathsfrom lu ng cance r. Land spec k

if inhaled or ingested.

affIicted by plutonium radioactivity could remain uninhabitablefor terc thousands ofyears.

miles WSW of Monrovia, Liberia, according to a Greenpeace report. The direction in which it was travelling took it away from the Caribbean.

If the "Akatsuki Maru" had followed the same route Japanese inadiated nuclear fuel transport ships had taken in the past, the shipment of highly toxic pluto_

nium would have crossed the Atlantic, passed, through the Mona passage be_

tween the Dominican Republic andFuerto

Rico, cross the Caribbean Sea, through the Panama Canal and travel across tf,e Pacific to Japan.

of 30

planned over the next decade to import almost50 tonnes of plutonium intoJapan Page 78

Danger The plutonium was transported as plu-

tonium oxide particles, i.e. in a fine powder. This is especially dangerous, as it is easily inhaled and easily taken up into the food chain.Plutonium also remains a radiological hazard for tens ofthousands of years.

The sea transport ofplutonium raises a

number of serious problems. Ships are particularly susceptible to on-board fires or collisions, and as the shipments will pass through the open sea as well as coastal waters, a release of plutonium could affect both the marine and terrestrial environments.

In either case, plutonium could easily enter the food chain and endangers life over a wide area. An accident near a population centre could cause widespread

contamination and would render large areas uninhabitable

of

Late November 1992 the Japanese plutonium-laden ship, the "Akatsuki Miru" was located 840 nautical miles NE of Cape Sao Roque, Brazil and 825 nautical

The shipment was the first

for use in fast breeder reactors for that country's nuclear programme.

Liabitity According to Greenpeace, despite the tremendous risks posed by the transport of plutonium, no one country wants to take responsibility. Despite repeated re_ quests for clarification, authorities in Japan, France, Britain and the United States have remained mute regarding who will take responsibility should an accident occur.

In its release on this issue, the Carib_ bean Conservation Association (CCA)ask questions concerning the reaction of Car_

ibbean authorities to such an accident occurring and asked whether the Carib_ bean has the required response mecha_ nism to deal with nuclear contamination.

The CCA noted that in the eventuality of such a nuclear accident

in our waters, the

extent of the contamination of both the marine and the terrestrial environments could be disastrous, and most likely ir_

reparable

Reaction.

Taking the opportunity presented at its 26 Annual General Meeting last August, 1992,the CCA passed a strongly worded resolution which was sent to its l9 Gov_ emment members. The resolution called on the governments of the Region to request that Japan, the United Kingdom and France terminate all acts and plans to separate plutonium and transport inadi_ ated nuclear fuel, plutonium and nuclear waste across international or national waters of boundaries. It also called on the governments of the Caribbean to use the

forum of the United Nations and any other relevant body to prohibit the move_ ment of these materials. The Resolution also pledged to mobilize other NGOs to

work against the production and movement of these materials.

CARICOM Heads of Govemment on October 30,1992 unanimously passed a resolution which called for a complete ban on "shipments of plutonium and other radioactive or hazardous materials." The twelve Heads of Governmentpromised to

bring the resolution before the United Nations and pledged to get support and co-sponsorship for the resolution from all countries bordering on the Caribbean Sea. Opposition had also come from Indo_ n_esia,

Malaysia, Chile and Argentina

(South Africa, Malaysia and Argentina barred the ship from their territoriai wa_ ters). And on November 12, panamr;nian President Endara

told

news conference

that he opposed the shipment going through the Panama Canal-

The Future While political protest has managed to tum the plutonium shipment ,*"y from

the Region, three ships - the ..i?acific Pintail", "Sandpiper," and the ..pacific

Teal" are currently in Japan loading nu_ clear waste which is scheduled to be tians_

ported via the Panama Canal and the

Caribbean sea during the next one to two months. Anothership, the..pacifi c Swan,"

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE. JULY - DECEMBER. T992

carrying irradiated nuclear fuel left Japan in late October and could be transiting the Canal and the Caribbean Sea as early as

threats envisaged by the regional Securiry System, suggest that a multi-state,

late Novenrber.

Despite several reports suggesti ng that

requirements.

Japanese officials are reconsidering their plutonium programme. Japan continues with its plans to transport its inadiated nuclear fuel from Japan to France, and

multi-role force could satisfy regional The Regional Secttrity System was conceived and created in the cauldron of Cold War conflicts in the Caribbean Basin. The Special Service Units, which became its typical conlponents, were or-

the region; this would facilitate rapid response to emergencies.

It is a/so essential to develop a high degree of commonality in organisation and equipment, and complenrentarity in training, to facilitate joint operations. h-ourth is the need for cooperation with intemational and regional agencies such as the Caribbean Emergency Response Agency; once an emergency erupts, there could be a concentration ofeffort and the provision of resources by all relevant agencies, to the people and areas affected. h-inaIIy, is the need to develop the principle of collective security to involve the largest number of Caribbean states and ernbrace the widest interpretation of se-

Britain in order to have even more plutonium produced in the futttre, Consequently, it was expected that irradiated nuclear fuel would be transported through the Region on board the

ganized, equipped, trained and ntaintained to perfornr particular roles relevant to the

ships "Pacific Pintail," "Pacific Sandpi-

confrontations, pttblic concem has re-

per," and "Pacific Swan" and Pacific Teal" before theend of 1992. This nuclear waste was bound for the Sellafield (UK)

tumed to basic econonric issues such ds

and la Hague (France) reprocessing plants at which plutonium will be produced for transport back to Japan. As nruch as 45 tons of plutonium could be produced at these factories for transport back to Japan

though there has been no haste to hanrmer

before the year 2000 alone.

Nuclear waste which arises fronr the nranufacture ofplutonium is also scheduled for transport to Japan beginning as

and developnrental purposes.

Present econonric inrperatives have not displaced passing strategic interests en-

which now pose grave dangers oi the

early as 1994195. These transports are expected to follow the same route - via

Muslbneen in 1990 dispelled any doubts that military threats to state security, aris-

possible, and tradesmen's tools and con-

the Caribbean and Panama Canal - as the

inadiated nuclear fuel shipments.

Action The Caribbean Conservation Association is urging Caribbean Heads of Governments to stand by the Caricom Declaration and take all necessary action to ban these dangerous cargoes fronl transiting the Caribbean Sea. (Compiled from infonnatiotr from tlte C o nse rvati o tt Assoc i o t i o t ).

Caribbean

r

o

unique conditions and concems which prevailed in the post-invasion period. With

the virtual cessation of these strategic the unending war on poverty and the struggle against natural catastrophes. Al'swords into plowshares,'

it

should be

apparent that it is safe to place much more enrphasis on the peacefttl entploynrent of security and defence forces for economic

tirely. The revolt of the Jauat al ing out of non-ideological grievances, still persist; they existed before the conring of the Cold War and will continue long after it has ended. Equally, the enor-

mous danrage wrought by Hurricanes Gilbert and Hugo reinforced the need for disaster preparedness, response and relief. The architecture of the new regional security reginre should therefore accol'llnrodate a variety ofresponsibilities, roles, relationships and strttctttres.

I-esseins

The experience gained by the RSS in its ten year (1932 - 1992) existence has several useful lessons which can provide a good basis for planning the proposed new regime. l'irsl is the necessity of having a permanent coordinating centre or headquarters which is equipped to renrain in continuous contact with the defence forces and SSUs in all the states. Second is the importance of an excellent conln'ltlnication systern which is capable of relaying information instantaneottsly all around

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEI\{BER' T992

curity to include its military, political, econorr'ric and environmental aspects.

Such a reginre

will offer the opportu-

nity of deploying the defence forccs of the region to wage war on disaster, urtderdevelopnrent, disintegration and povcrty

well-being of the Caribbean people. In that war, conventional military weapons and skills should be put away whenever struction techniques, taken up by our soldiers and (SSU) servicenlen, whenever necessary. In that war without weap-

ons, a new security regime will be required to organize and mobilise the econonric energies of our security forces.

It is all too clear that the scale and scope of the existing RSS are limited; if the security of the region as a whole is to be safeguarded, changes must be nlade.

The problems of the past provide sufficient evidence that a collective sectrrity reginre is a sine qua non for econontic integration and developntent. There is every reason wlry, at the present cotrjtrncture of geo-political developnrents. eco-

nonric refornts, political transforntations and the intensification of the CARICOM integration process itself, the menrber states should contbine their resources to create a new and necessary regional secu-

rity reginre for the Caribbean.

(David Grattger lectures at the Uttiversitl^ of GuYana).

Page 79

WINFA POINTS THEWAY FOR BANANAS -* Four farmer organisations in the subregion who are members of the Windward Islands Farnrers Association (WINFA) recently concluded activities for the observation of a first ever 'BananaWeek'.

The week was organised by the WINFA

as a response to the most recent developments and uncertainties surrounding the future of the banana industry. Recognising the significance of bananas to the economies of the

Windward

Islands and the extent to which banana farmers in particular depend on income

gained from export of the fruit for sustainance of their livelihood, WINFA thought that the staging of a 'Banana Week' would assist banana farmers in better understanding the issues and challenges facing the industry as well as to determine their role as nrajor players in shaping its future.

The organistions which participated in the observation ofthis novel undertaking were the National Farnrers Union (NFU) of St . Vincent, Grenada Cane Farmers Association (GGFA). Dontinica Farmers Union (DFU) and National Farmers

Association (NFA) of St. Lucia. The objectives outlined for the week were as follows: l) To highlight the issues surround ing the future ofthe banana industry and the need for diversification; 2) To heighten public awareness of the importanceof bananas tona tionaland regional economies; 3) To boost the confidence of famrers in regards to the future ofthe industry; 4) To focus on the need for top qua

lity and inrproved

Damley lrboume

signatures fronr farmers and concerned citizens fora WINFA petition expressing concern over the future of the banana industry. This petition was tabled to the European Council of Ministers.

In St. Lucia the National Farmers As-

sociation (NFA) staged a week long Banana Information Exhibition. The Exhibition was organised in col laboration

with WINBAN and the local Banana Growers Association who apart fronr providing personnel as attendants at the Exhibition also provided exhibits i.e. posters, inrplements, inputs, I iterature etc.

The three major areas highlighted in rhis

exhibition were: Bhnana Quality,

Productivity and Processing. the latter was a special and interesting feature of exhibition given the uncertainties over the Marketing of bananas as a prinrary the

product. A range of processed (food) products as well as craft itenrs were

of the public.

The creation of bi-products from the banana fruit and tree is an area that has been spoken about for as long as the industry has existed in this region. The

strong potential for these exploits has been well established in the past through nunlerous studies and surveys which have been conducted. Through these studies it has been proven that ba nanas could be used as a base for the production of a variety of bi-products such as: Rope, Paper, Baby Feed, Animal Feed a well as those already identified elsewhere in this

article. Unfortunately these findings have been left to accunrulate dust within the offices ofour governments, research in-

stitutir,ns and other authorities. this situation dramatises the saga of an industry which has been taken for granted and has

renrained largely under-developed over tlre years in so far as the exploitation of it

displayed. the products on display under theaspect ofProcessing were: Post Cards, Wall Hangings, Banana Wine, Banana

s agro-industrial potential. After

Chips, Banana Rolls, Banana Cake,

in any significant way beyond printary production for export. Thus we have

Banana Discuits, Banana Jant, Banana Chutney, Green Banana Cheese Pie and Banana Tea Bread. Copies of Recipes on

the various preparations were

nracle

available at the exhibition for members

son.le

fifty (50) years ofbana cultivation in the

Windward Islands we still have not moved

placed all our banana eggs in one basket, hence the haunting dilemna over the runcertainties for the future viability of

the W.I. Banana exports into a Single

WANTED NOW!

production/

management practices; and 5) To promote the use and consunrption of banana in the islands themselves.

The programme for 'Banana Week'

included .activities such as: Church Services, Panel Discussions, Radio Talks

&

Interviews, Exhibitions and a Rally

which marked the culmination of the week in each instance. During the week also WINFA memberorganisations concluded

a nlass campaign ainred at collecting Page E0

CARICOT! PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECE}TBER, T992

BANANAS A. THE OECS 2O% duty. Each month, the DePartment of Trade and Industry (DTI) issues licences for a quota of dollar bananas de-

How important are bananas?

European Market.

When one examines the banana indus-

particular its - its structure and in orientation towards primary production for export, one discovers that it in many wayssymbolisesa continuingself inflicted colonial legacy. The predicament of this legacy is that we have, through lack of

try

enterprise, resigned ourselves to being producers of raw materials (primary products) which have fueled industries in the north and from which large multi-nationals have gleaned large profits. The challenge therefore facing the banana industry at this conjuncture is for it to be restructured in a manner which will ensure maximum utilisation of its wide ranging agroindustrial potential. Within the Windward Islands a number of small entrePreneurs and rural residents have undertaken small scale operations for processing bananas and the manufacture of bi-products.

How-

ever in many instances these persons have not rereived the required support from the

relevant authorities.

WINFA member organisations have agreed, as part oftheir continued work on issues related to the banana industry, to

provide support

to small farmers in

developing projects geared at establishing agro-industries from bananas' The Carib-

bean Network for Integrated Rural De-

velopment (CNIRD)

is

PresentlY

publishing a study which examines the potential viability for diversification of the W.I. Banana Industry. This report

once again confirms the tremendous possibilitias which exist, for broadening ihe industrial base of bananas beyond

Bananas were crucial to the OECS economic performance in the 1980s although only the four Windward Islands

pending on the shortfall from duty-free countries.

produce them. A banana boom was one of two reasons why OECS economies did better than other Caribbean economies in the last decade. The other was grants given to OECS countries following the

Grenada invasion. While other

CARICOM economiqs shrank, the OECS grew by 5.5% between 1980-90. In that period real per capita income increased

by 3O%, average annual inflation

was

overall and the EC dollar became the most stable in CARICOM.

What is current trad6 betrveen OECS and EC? Despite this terrible history, the EC is still the OECS'main trading partner. About 6O% of exports go to the EC. The OECS sells all exported bananas and sugar as well and most nutmegs, mace, and cocoa to EC countries. Other smaller-scale agricultural exports are mangoes, cut flowers, christophene, dasheen, sweet potatoes.

What are the sources of EC bananas?

At present EC bananas come from three sources, namely domestic, ACP and 'dollar' (Latin American) sources. In 1990 the EC imported 3.3 million tons of bananas. ACP countries supplied

2l% and

How is the EC banana nrarket organised?

out banana farmers and national

small developing countries.

(Darnley l.ebourne is General Secretary,

as

Each EC country has itS own rules to control the sale of bananas in its market.

The UK, France, ItalY, SPain, Portugal and Greece have restricted markets.

*The UK has an annual import requirement quota. This is determined by the quantity themarket may absorb in a given year. Bananas from the Windward Islands, Belize, Jamaica and Suriname are

duty-free National Farmers Association, Saint Lucia' CARICOM PERSPECTIVE . JTJLY . DECEMBER' 1992

while "dollar" bananas pay

The semi-private Comite Interprofessionel Bananier (CIB) controls the market. Should supplies from DOMs and ACP countries fall short, a state body, the Groupement d'Interet Bananier (GIEB)' purchases dollar bananas to fill the gap.

GIEB then sell to CIB at the same price paid to DOMs. *Somalian bananas have unlimited dutyfree access into the Italian market. ACP and EC bananas can enter duty-free but must obtain permis. Dollar bananas are subject to a quota and must pay a consumer tax and a2O% tariff .

*All

Spain's bananas come from the Canary Islands which are considered tct be domestic by special arrangement. Portugal gets part of its supply from the domestic source of Maderia. Dollar bananas make up any gap.

*Germany is the biggest consumer of bananas in theEC. In 1990 itimported l. I

million tons

All

as against 469,000 tons by bananas enter duty-free and

are mostly from Latin America.

what presently obtains. It is therefore now

economies. What is at stake is our very survival as small island economies and the credibility/quality of our nationhood

Coast in proportion of 67% to33%.Dollar bananas must also pay a 2O7o tariff .

the UK.

domestic production 19%.

crucial that the various players i.e. governments, financial institutions, research institutions and farmer organisations develop the will to support the successful advancement of a process aimed at establishing a via ble and sustainable banana industry in the interest of

*The French market is divided between the Departements d'Outre Mer (DOMs) and ACP countries of Cameroon and Ivory

*Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Ireland allow any quantity to enteraccording tonrarket demands.

Bananas are subject to a20% duty tariff but all are from dollar sources.

Ge o r ge

Lo ttiso n was M iniste r of Ed u'

cation and Minister of Agriculture in the People's Revolutionary Government of Grenada, i,979-/,983. He is now a barrister.

a Page 81

AIRTRAN5PORT OPPORTUNITIES -VENEZUELA Therecently concludedAgreementbetweenthe Caribbean Community and the GovemmentoftheRepublic of Venezuela on Trade and Investment demonstrates thecommitmentof the parties to collaborate closely to improve transportation between their respective countries. The Agreement provides an important mechanism tlrough which the govemments of the sub-regions can provide new opportunities forregional transport entrepreneurs and thus facilitate the expansion and diversification of trade and the movement of people between the Community and

the Andean Pact countries in South America.

Article 14 of the Agreement provides that the CARICOM-Venezuela Joint Council on Trade and lnvestment shall keep the provisions of the Article under review and identify measures, including the negotiation of air and maritime transportation agreements between the Member States of CARICOM and Venezuela, whereby transportation services may be improved. It further provides for the parties to explore thepossibilities of creating joint enterprises in the area of transport and the promotion of the establishment of freight consolidation centres.

The size of the Venezuelan population issignificant when compared with that of the Caribbean Community of 5.5 million and it offers many opportunities for the

expansion and diversification of

CARICOM markets. Venezuela, a memberof theAndean Pact Group, comprises a population of 19.2 million or 22% of the total population of the Group of 87.g million.

Pege 82

IT.

trARItrOM

The value of CARICOM trade with the Andean Group has been increasing constantly over recent years. Imports have increased overall by 48% from EC$474

million in 1986 to EC$701 million in 1990. Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados

and Jamaica accounted for 95Vo of the total in 1990 of which 87 % and lO% were from Venezuela and Colombia, respec-

tively.

Domestic exports from CARICOM States on the otler hand, which in 1990 represented less than l/5 of the imports from the Group, grew at a faster rate, having increased by 4OO% from EC$24 million in 1986 to EC$132 million in 1990. Morethan9O% of thetotal exports went to Venezuela and Colombia.

During 1990, 7 O% of the commodiries imported consisted of mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials and 15% were manufactured goods. Of these commodities Trinidad and Tobago received 36%, Jamaica 49% and Barbados 13%.

On the other hand, as much as 98% of the exports, comprising food, live animals, manufactured goods, chemicals and related materials, werealmostentirely from Trinidad and Tobago. Manufactured goods and other non-fuel items are more suitable for transportation by air.

In essence, the analysis suggests that the demand for air transport services for the movement of commodities between thesub-regions, having regard to the forecast performance of the regional economies, is likely to be influenced mainly by

the level of manufactured and non-iu"l imports from Venezuela to Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and, to a less extent, the

other CARICOM States; and the level of exports from Trinidad and Tobago to Venezuela.

In addition, there is thegrowing poten-

tial for passenger air travel between the sub-regions. The most important gateways have traditionally been Caracas in the Andean Pact and Port-of-Spain and Kingston, in the Caribbean Community.

National data have indicated that the number of visitors from South America (excluding Guyana) to Trinidad and Tobago wer-e 7,303 in l99l of whomTS% were from Venezuela. The anivals from Venezuela to that CARICOM State had increased by almost 24% between l98Bl99l whilst the number of Trinidad nationals who visited Venezuela remained at a high level, but had actually declined during the same period by 2O.5% from 8O,O27 to 63,653. It is significant to note that apart from the large number of Trinidad nationals who visit South American destinations (except Guyana) 99% visited Venezuela. The number of stopovers in Jamaica from South Americi have been increasingovertheyears. In

l99l it

stood at 'l ,23O, an increase of 144% over the 1988 figure.

Trinidad and Tobago is the most im-

portant CARICOM trading partner for Venezuela and Port-of-Spain, Kingston

and Caracas are strategically placed gate_ ways for direct access to the sub-regions.

The highest level of passenger move_

ment, and, consequently, direct air serv_ ices between the Andean Group and the Caribbean Community, exists between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago. At

the beginning of October 1992, five

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER, T992

CARICOM States were served by direct services to and from Venezuela. The greatest capacity in terms

of flight frequency

and the number of airline seats was provided on the Venezuela-Trinidad route in

a ratio that reflected the imbalance of traffic flow. No CARICOM carrier shared in that capacity.

LIAT, our major regional carrier on other routes to Venezuela offered an insignificant amount of capacity with propeller aircraft. More than 4000 seats were available on a weekly basis between Caracas and Port-of Spain whilst less than 1 000 were available on the other routes. It appears therefore that the greatest impact

on the improvement of air transportation services can be achieved by improving access by regional operators at the strategic gateways and upgrading ground-handling and passenger facilities and procedures for terminating and transit traffic.

Against this background an opportu-

nity exists for greater participation by CARICOM States in the development of the air transport infrastructure between the sub-regions. Given the thrust of inte-

gration of the wider Latin America and Caribbean regions, the Member States of CARICOM could expedite the negotiation, either on a joint or individual bilateral basis, of liberal air services agreements or arrangements with Venezuela for the carriage of both passenger and cargo. The Intemational Civil Aviation

markets on the less dense air routes. Liberal agreements, with suitable safeguards against unfair competition, would enable

conrmercial operators to respond in a timely manner to nrarket forces and offer our consumers inrproved services with regard to price, desired destinations and frequencies. Liberal transport policies are being pursued in North America and Europe and in the latter case it is proposed that some protection would be maintained for'public service rotttes'and low traffic routes.

A similar policy can be adopted in the region to ensure that as traffic becomes more concentrated at 'hub' airports, the opportunity exists for snrall conrmunities to be provided with an acceptable level of service. In Latin America the Andean Group has been pursuing liberal policies.

The Group has adopted recently an 'open skies' agreement which provides for all the freedoms of the air to be granted on an unrestrictedbasis toairlinesof the Group.

Italso provides that Member States would grant reciprocal fifth freedom traffic rights, that is, rights to carry cargo and passengers between a second and third contract-

ing State; and establislt the

necessary

conditions for non scheduled passenger flights between countries of the sub-group and third countries.

It is recognised that one of tlre consequences of tiberal policies is the growing donrinance in the Caribbean of the mega-

of North

Organisation, with whom contracting

carriers, American Airlines

all aeronautical agreements, has indicated that, with the possible exception of Jamaica, no fornral airservice agreement was in force between any CARICOM State and an Andean Pact country at the end of 1990.

It is believed that Jamaica currently has an air services agreenrent with Venezuela in force. Negotiated agreenrents would enable the formal exchange of rights that could enable our regional carriers to ex-

America and Iberia and British Airways of Europe. Tlre nloventent away from protectionisln has intensified competition, improved the market position of the foreign carriers, vis a vis, the regional carriers and threatened to nlake Caribbean Tourisnl ntore dependent on, and vulnerable to, the policies and fortunes of the foreign carriers. At the sub-regional level govemments should nrake arrangements that would guarantee the continued operation of regional carriers.

Miami has been an ideal point for the

States are required to register

pand their operations to and beyond Caracas, and smaller operators to develop niche CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY . DECEMBE R, 1992

transshipnrent of air freight carried between South America and Europe and South America and North America because of the frequency of air services, available capacity and ground handling facilities at Miami. The opportunity exists for regional carriers to promote strategic regional gateways as alternative, cost effective, transshipment points. Special local arrangements can be made for freight originating in and destined for the sub-regions to be consolidated at these strategic gateways at minin.rum handling and storage costs as an incentive to shippers.

Joint Venlures Within recent years, foreign equity has been a nrajor source of much needed

capital for the maintenance and expansion of national airlines of developing countries. It has also been acquired as a strategy to expand the markets of the foreign airline investors. In this regard our established regional carriers or new operators may seek joint venture relationships with their Venezuelan counterparts. These relationships would enhance the opportunity for regional operators to access nrarkets in Venezuela and possibly beyond in other Andean Pact countries.

Now that the Community is targeting South America the conclusion of the Trade and Investment Agreement is a positive step towards giving focus to the essential

role of transportation in facilitating regional integration. The Agreement provides a framework for closer collaboration between the govemntents of the (laribbean Comnrunity and Venezuela and the challenge for these governments to create the environment in which regional transport entrepreneurs can operate. An

improved infrastructure and expanded opportunities for niche operators will renrove nrajorconstraints to increasing trade

and the nlovement of people within the wider re8ion.

O

Page 83

RENDEZIIOUS

oF

VItrTORY

after Structural -The Caribbean Adjustrnent *Nevillc Nichols It appears to me, that sonretimes the appropriate economic policies have been conectly understood by govemments, but they have not been implenrenled because those governments have feared lhe possible negative electoral consequences of those right policies. In nrany fora, I have spoken about this syndrome and have positively identified it as part of the price we pay for living in democratic societies.

But there is some limit to how far we can be sanguine with this defence. We must guard our democracy and expand its bounds. I

will say more of this later. But

we must also all assume the full responsibility of democratic citizenship. anr

I

unrepentant in asserting that we have carried conrpetitive politics too far. And in all our countries we must restore a sense of balance to how we conduct our civic affairs.

There is no point in blanring any one side in any of our countries for this. It seems as though we have all trapped ourselves into something of a "prisoners' dilemma" and we must evolve a coopera-

tivesolution thatbenefitsallof us. This is much needed in this era of structural adjustment. For there can be no sustained adjustment in the absence ofsocial consensus. We therefore need to derive new rules for political contests, and for the

negotiation of stabilization and adjustment prograrnmes with institutions like the multilateral lending agencies. I have my own ideas about what sonre of those new rules should be,but there are several possible arrangements that would retain

the essence of what

I desire. Basically,

this is that there be some areas of national interest that are not invaded by partisan bias and intolerance. It heartens nre, that sonre of our pronrinent regional politi-

cians are beginning to argue sinrilarly.

This is certainly one of the lessons that over a decade ofadjustnrent initiated by various governments in our Region, must by now have taught us all.

Page E{

r\l'ter

.lustice One last important lesson we can dislil fronr this experience concems the distribution of the cost of adjustnrent. Not only

Sl

ructural Atl.justnrenl

I have already tried to give

a

hint of the

political environnrent I should like to see in the Caribbean. We shall have main-

in our Region but elsewlrere, the evi-

tained our dentocracy. For that is what has

dence appears to indicate that structural adjustnrent prograntnles acquire nrore acceptance and are likely to be more sustainable, the more the cosls associated with their implenrentation are perceived to be fairly distributed. This requires that we approach struclural adjustntent as a conrnrunity in which there is a sense ttrat in the language of John Rawls,"Justice is fairness". There is no automatic nrechanisnr lo bring this about, unless we take a very long view and are prepared to tolerate a very hostile social environnrenl in the short run. This option, is hardly available to a Region in which tourism is so inrportant to the whole econonty.

I think we should nruch rather, when we are faced with episodes of reduction in our general living standards, in order lo

given a cerlain unity to our Region. No

correct problenrs brought on by either donrestic policies or external circuntslances, devise ntechanisnrs for spread-

ing that reduction fairly throughout our society. In particular, adjustnrents policies, fronr the start, nrust have built into them, nteasures to cushion their effect on the nrost vulnerable. These, ntust however, not encourage on the part ofany of ourcitizens, sloth and dependency. I think we have seen elsewhere how excessive

dependence on social welfare without any accontnlodating nteasrlres to raise the dignity and industriousness of the recipients can leave the poor worse off.

That is not what I have in nrind. Ancl certainly not beyon<l tlre genius of tlre people of this Regiori lo use their history and present institrrtions to fashion a rrrode

of caring, that does not create a pernlanenl under-class in our society. Let us challenge ourselves not to have such a class in the future.

tenrporary econonric gain nor reversal in our good fortunes should divert us front this path. The Caribbean is now and will renrain afterstructural adjustment a democratic sociely.

However, it nrust beconre a ntore lolerant society, in which political antagonists lislen nrore carefully to one another than they have done before. We nrust also try to understand each other's foibles a little rnore tharr we are inclined to al present.

And as I said earlier there nrust be things

that are beyond the cut and thrust of ordinary political contest. Our denrocracy is enlrenclred, but it is far fronr nrature. To nrake it so, is one of our challenges beyond structural adjustment.

Tlre Caribbean beyond structural ad_ justnrent nrust become more responsible for the production of the resources that support our standard of living. After adjustlllellt. the Region will have larger debts, particrrlarly foreign, to repay. To do this we will have to produce nrore and to do so in the nrost efficient and conrpetitive nranner possible in order to eam the foreign exchange to repay these debts. In order to do this we will have to increase our agricultural productivity so as to produce an agricultural surplus. For this to happen we nlust change our present eco_ nonric policies so as to provide incenlives for our farnrers lo produce more and we can only do this by providing appropriate price signals, and other supporting incen_ tives for our farnrers. If this policy were pursrrccl in CARICOM after adjrrstnrent it

would nol be sontething unique.

Eco_

nonric lristorians have always pointed out

(Cottt'd on page 86) CARICOM PERSPECI'IVE - JULY - DECEMBER, I992

CARTBBEAN FORtrEs ON REFORM *Gordon Draper

Here in the Region, we have seen over the last 20 years, attempts to reform the Public Services. More recently in Guy.ana, we noted movements which led to a reduction in the number of Ministries as an important part of the restructuring of their Public Services. Also in Dominica, St. Vincent, Grenada and Janraica we have witnessed movements towards reforming the Public Services.

In February this year, in recognition of the work that has already been done in the area of Public Service Refornrs and, recognising the inrportance of placing Public Service Refomr ever higher on the regional agenda, a roundtable was held in Jamaica, which brought together Minis-

4.

The need for govemnrents to inrple-

ment a new managerial orientation and to strengthen conrpetencies in the Public Sector.

The Roundtable argued that there needs modemisation of training, curricula, material, methods and to encourage reto be

sponsiveness, creativity, and new orientations.

At the end of the roundtable,

a

decision

was taken to approach govemnrent within the Region, with a view to placing Public

the agenda of the next Caricorn Heads

The govemment of Trinidad and Tobago agreed to sponsor such a nrotion at the Heads of Govemnrent nreeting. What this means therefore is that the issue of Public Service Regional Public Sector managenrent is now going to be placed centre slage of the Region and an agenda item that regional leaders need to reflect

l.

The need for governnrents to acknowledge that the developnrent of the Region's human resources are

the most important developnrental input. Design and inrplenrentation of a regional developnrent plan nrust be

integrated within the entire socioeconomic developnrent progranrme.

2.

A call on govemnrents to confront structural inefficiencies and to determine the proper dinrension of ad-

ministrative machinery.

3.

A need for govemnrents to evolve a nrore pro-active role in design of nlacro-economic fi nancia l nlanagement policies.

l.

2.

of

and Tobago.

The roundtable produced a docunrent that has been called the Kittgstott Docuntent dated, February 2lst 1992. In that docunrent 4 significant areas ofoperation were identified as needing continued enrphasis in our refornr:

Let us recognise that the question of enrpowennent itself will callfora nunrber of things to take place:

Govemnrent Meeting in July in Trinidad

tries with responsibility for Public Ad-

front Public Servants to review the work and activities that have already taken place in our Region.

()rr lhe rlttcslion of Enrporrcrntcnl:

Sector refon.ll issues on the agenda of CARICOM leaders and, in particular, on

ntinistration with representatives of Uni-

versity and other regional bodies and

Our own vision is one of client orientation performance, of involvement; our own vision will ensure and has been ensuring that Public Servants at all Public Sectors have the opportunity to buy in, and take ownership of the process.

on, side by side with their discussions relating to econonric developnrent and other issues.

What is also interesting is that if you reflect back on all of those approaches by the U.K., Canada, Australia, and even the regional approaches, there are a nunrber of things which are conrnron. Increasingly the Public Service is called upon to establish very clear perfonnance standards and nreasure itselfagainst those stand-

ards.

Here in Trinidad ancl Tobago, in the last 4 nronths we have experinrented in a new round of irrrplenrenting Public Sector Refornr, carrying out a clear conttnit-

ment by our govemnrent that the Public Sector needs to be refornred and, that this tinre around, our enrphasis will be on inrplenrentation.

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE . JULY - DECEMBER, T992

3.

4.

Developnrent

of

accountabilily

sytenls.

Developnrent of conrnrurrication systems.

Training and development Structural change

Enrpowerrnent itself speaks to the is-

sue

of

teanr work,

it

also calls for

a

recognition of the inrportance of celebration, becarrse I will argue that as we talk aborrt clrange and we seek to inrplement change we need to pause periodically ancl reflect not only on wlrere we are but to celebrate our achievemenls, particularly at a tinre when we are changing a diverse and contplex organisation such as the

Public Service when we need to identify small increnrental changes and pausrr to celebrate those.

If I retum to the Canadian environrnent, the 1988 Report of the Au.litor General identified that a number of attributes those organisations which they felt pronroted enrployee enrpowernrent.

The representative characterised those organisations as follows: Tltere was...

- errrplrasis on people - participative leadership style - innovative work styles - strong client orientation (Cont'd on page 86) Page 85

VINCENTIANI

trARTFUNA -

that the basis of self-sustaining economic development in most countries has been an efficient and vibrant agricultural sec-

and a nrind set that sought optinrunt pay or more.

tor.

We therefore see teanr work as enrpowenlrent's key features of the contenrporary approach to inrplenrent change in lhe Public Sector.

The fact the Refornr Efforts are continuing in even the developed countries points not only to the ongoing need to refornr and inrplenrent Reforrn, but also

The logic is that when it provides

a

surplus in agriculture that can buy more industrial output of domestic and regional nranufacturers as well as increase na-

tional savings. The improved condition of the agricultural population will help to the drift to urban areas thereby dampening the required per capita outlay on social infrastructure which is nrore expensive in urban than rural areas. Con-

retard

of the national saving can be devoted to directly productive sequently, more

investment. Thus a cumulative effect can evolve with greater productivity not only to service our debts but to also improve the personal well-being of our people.

This must be the basis for whatever dig-

nity we intend to bequeath to our children.

In a slightly different sense, I think we become more comfortable with otrrselves

will not happen if we continue to hark back at the negative aspects of our history always as a polyethnic culture. This

implicitly blaming one racial group or other for the worst of everything that has happened to this Region. It was wrong to denigrate (no pun intended) the contribu-

tion of the forebears of the nrajority of citizens in the past. No less so it is wrong to deny the many positive things we have inherited from our various ntinorities, not least the tradition of this very lecture. In the beautiful language of Aime Cesaire that C.L.R. James made the title of one of

this works, "There is roonr for all the rendezvous of victory".

Excerpt ofa lzcture delivered on Fri-

day, July

3,

1992

by Sir Neville

Nicholls, Presidenr Caribbean Developnrcm Bank at tlrc Institute of htertntional Relatious enritled "The Caribbean - After Structural Adjusnnent "

o Page 86

to the fact that, throughout the world there is a continuing search for nrodels for

appropriate structure, appropriate styles,

even an appropriate nrethodology to change our Public Sector.

In this context, I woulcl agree thal our

region, placing itself alongside other changes taking place, has the unique opportunity to provide to the whole world a

nrodel

of

irnplenrenting Public Sector

Refornt. We need to recognise tlris, we need lo grasp it, we need to see it as an opportunity, we can do it, we nrust do it.

IHon. Gordon Draper, Mittister responsible for Public Inforntotiott, O.P.M.,

T&Tl.

Yurunrein or St. Vincent is home to thousands ofGarifuna and to ancestors of those scattered in other areas of the Caribbean. The inhabitants of St. Vincent in the 1700s who were the Black Caribs or Garifuna were shuffled between the Brit-

ish and the French seeking ultinrate dominion.The "Carib war" between l789 and 1796 was a result of their power thirst. It took place over the whole mainland (fronr Sion Hall, Berkshire Hill and Dorestshire Hill in the south, to Morne Roude and Owia in the North West and East respectively). The Black Caribs fought under the skillful leadership of Paranrount Chief Chatoyer who was killed on March lTth 1795 by Major Leith. He was succeeded by his brother Duvalle; however he was defeated and the people subsequenlly forced to surrender.

The puzzle of the history of the Vincentian Garinagu is far fronr conrplete. Most of the infornration which has been published has been screened by the Europeans and the facts have been slanted.

Very little inrportance, if any has been allotted to Vincentian history. This has led to tlre uncertainty which underlies the

heritage of the Garinagu

of Yuruntein.

The far-reaching efforts are evident in the fact that llre ternr Garifuna is hardly used

nruch less known among the peopltr o[ Yunrnrein. The desire to wipe out the

aspects

of the Garifuna culture

on

Yurunrein has been satisfied as the language, tlte nrost powerful link for a people has been long extinct. That there was after the death of Chatoyer in 1795 linle accurate records about the Gariftrna is evidence enough that the British forbade any cultural practices after the defeat of tlre Black Caribs. The traditional positions of leadership have degenerated. Yet, there are Garifuna people like Comelius Sarn, writer of a paper "Looking at tlre Vincerrtian Garifuna" (tlre source for this article) who recognize their true identity but arc also willing to help in the rcbirth of their culture even as they continue to contribute to tlreir country's national clevelopnrent.

"ICOIP Indigo-Notes" t

-

l/o1.6. Jon.

ee2l.

CARICOII PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER,

T992

THE BUTtrH INTTIATIVE A New Ballgalrte *Debra Anthony

In the weeks after Jamaican hotelier, Gordon 'Butch' Stewart announced and inrplemented his initiative to slow the devaluaiton of the Jamaican dollar, there were many sceptics.

Even financial gurus such as former Prime Minister, Edward Seaga, insisted that the initiative would not work.

Seaga said the premise on which it was

one million U.S. dollars into the local banking system weekly, at the rate of 25 Jamaican to the U.S. dollar.

ll. Ball Ganre "' Jamaican dollar stood At the time the at around 28.50 to the U.S. dollar with some banking sales going over 29 dol-

based was false.

"The assessment that the dollar is be-

lars.

There was a kind ofnradness going on that was unbelievable... a sort of feeding

ing devalued because of conrpetition

frenzy.

among purchasers, including thebanks, is

Since Stewart's initiative, the local currency has been revalued. It rose steadily

wide off the nrark. Devaluation is due to excessive demand offoreign exchange to meet the supply," he said then.

Other economists and opinion makers thought that Stewart has somehow hit his head and became a little unstable.

"Unworkable" "unrealistic", "gimmickry" were some of the conrments as many, whose voices were respected in the society, panned the idea.

But Stewart was not surprised by the scepticism.

"In everything yott do, there will be people who will scoff at your ideas," he

told Caricom'Perspective'.

And even if the plan failed in the long

run, Stewart said he could have been satisfied that at least he had made an attempt to halt the slide "into eventual social chaos."

Pcace and Stal)ilil,v Stewart believes that if the dollar had continued its rapid decline, it would have skyrocketed to 40 Jamaican dollars, perhaps as high as 50 to the U.S. dollar by

June. The accompanying high cost of living would have led to social unrest, he says.

"Rementber the gas price demonstrations in 1985? TheY were PlaYed uP as riots overseas, and it tooktl"re hotel industry a very long tinte to recover from that.

"If you are to live in a society, if yott are to make nroney in the society you have to have peace and stabilitY." To achieve the necessary peace and

stability, Stewart announced nlid-April that his Sandals Hotel chain would inject

in the weeks followaing the

implementaiton, particularly as the diea captured the imagination of several other organisations within the country and they

joined in.

The first to have taken hold of the Stewart idea was Dr. Leachim the night doctor Semaj, popular late night radio talkshow host.Sentaj has listeners to take their foreign currency to the banks and sell it there instead of on the black market.

His goal was to get 100,000 Janraicans to sell at least l0 U.S, dollars to the banks

each week at the 25 to one rate, introduced by Stewart.

To the surprise of many, the initiative, in Septemberwas working up the time of

writing this article (in late 1992): But

many are attributing its sttccess as nruch to the gumption of Stewart and the courage of the Jamaican people as to several tough fiscal and monetary policies which the government introduced at the same time the initiative was intplenrented.

In mid-April the

government an-

nounced plans to implenrent all steps to enhance revenue and at the sanle tinre reduce the liquidity in the system.

In June, said Finance Minister, Hugh Small, the liquid assets raito would be raised to 50 percent instead to the 45 percent, set for April I 5. The cash reserve ratio, then l9 percent, would be set at 25

percent, increasing by two percent each nronth which was the maximum provided by law.

The effect of these actions, Small said

CARICON{ PERSPECTIVE . JULY - DECEMBER' T992

Butclt Stewart

would be to take a further 800 million dollars out of circulation.

In the area of foreign exchange, each authotised dealer would establish its own rate and do all transactions at the quoted rates each day of trading.

Previously, banks would conduct business using different exchange rates depending on the amount of foreign exchange the customer had.

Conrbined with Stewart's initiative, analysts here say, the government nreasures lrelped revalue the local currency.

But no nratter whether it was the government policy, the Stewart initiative, or a conrbination of the two. Butch Stewart adnrits to being satisfied at the results of the initiative.

If, in the long run it

Proved

unstrstainable, Stewart says, he would not feel he has failed.

"Nothing can take away from the incredible success of the initiative, it did what it was supposed to do...stop the feeding frenzy, force a revaluation and capture the inragination of Jamaicans.

This is the kind of patriotism that will transform Janraica.

IDebra Atnlrctry is attaclrcd to I'P.5. Jantaical.

o Itage 87

trLAUDE MtrKAY Jalrtaica It8...-t3|4BJ Claude Mckay was an important poet and novelist identified with the revival

Morocco, to live quietly and write. In 1928 he published his famous novel, Home to Harlen, which was a national best-seller in the U.S. and created a liter-

of

Black literature, art and music in the United States known as the Harlem Renaissance.

Though he spent all his adult life abroad, he was bom, and grew up in Jamaica and he never forgot his native island, as many

ary sensation. His last years were spent in

illness and poverty, and his great talents seemed to be unappreciated. In 1942 he was converted to Ronran Catholicisnr;he had always been a deeply spiritual man.

Mckay died in 1948.

Mckay's best legacy is his poetry. He was a leaderof the Black literary revolt of the 1920s and 1930s, an authentic voice of the American and West Indian Black.

He was also a fine lyric poet: nrost of his poems are short and lyrical, often son-

of his poems show.

Mckay wasbom in Claredon, Jamaica, the son of poor peasants of pure African descent. He came to the States in 1912 and entered the Agricultural College of Kansas,

intending to study scientific farming

and retum to Jamaica to give practial help

to his people.

He studied there for two years, thinking less and less about agriculture and more and more about literature. As early as l9l2 he had published his first volume of verse, Songs of Janraica, which had been widely praised and had won a medal for poetry. Gradually he abandoned the idea of returning home. He left college in I 9 1 4 and decided to be a poet, supporting himself in a variety of menialjobs typical

nets.

Many of his poenrs express the longing of the exile in the Northern city forhis island home. Thinking of Jamaican fruits, he writes: "A wave of longing through my body swept/And, hungry for the old, fanriliar ways/I tumed aside and bowed my head and wept."

of the Black in the Northern cities of America at that time. At different periods he worked as wheelright, porter, dishwasher, waiter, longshorenran. Mckay didn't take his jobs very seriously - rhey were just a matterof eaming enough cash to quit for a while and write. . Mckay was acutely interested in politics and like so many thinkers and aitists in this period he became a socialist. He was associate editor of The Liberator, a socialist U.S. joumal of art and literature. ln 1923-24 he was in Moscow to exanrine the Bolshevik Revolution in action. As a black, Mckay was useful to the Soviets to demonstrate their contmitment to racial equality, and he was lionised, being lav_ ishly entertained and exhibited on plat_ forms with the most famous revoluiion_ ary le-aders. But Mckay renrained scepti_ cal of all this adulation, though ,ynipo_ thetic to the Revolution. Aftei o y"ui ln Russia, he went to France, ancl ihen to Page E8

'l shall retunt' he says.

Stealing nty breath of life,

-f"r"

I love

youth.

I

wiII con-

this cultured hall that tests nry

Her vigour tlows like tides into

nry

blood,

Giving nte strength erect against her hate.

(America)

The poenr which first brought hinr fanre in the U.S. was Harlem Shadows,a deeply conrpassionate lyric about black prostitutes in Harlem

Most of Mckay's finest poems

are

pervaded with the sense of being a black

in a white nran's world. They

express

hatred, pride, defiance - the Black revolt.

His nrost fanrous poem is cerlainly If we ,ttust die (1919) which has been called

'perhaps the ntost quoted and reprinted

poenr of this (i.e. Mckay's) generation..

If

we ntust die, let

it not

be

like hogs

Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,

I shall return to hear fife.

the

fidtlle and

Of village dances, deer delicious tunes.

That stir the hiclden depths of native

tifr,

Stray melo die s of di nt-re ne ntbe re tl tunes.

again

To ease nty ntind of long, long years of pain.

(l shall return) Hisattitude to Anrerica, the lancl of his

exile, is anrbivalent. He hates her as

she feeds nte breatl of bir_ terness, And sinks into nr! tltroat her tiger,s

looth,

If

we must die, O let us nobly die,

tlrct our precious blood n,ay not be shed

In vainl tlten even the

monslers we

delv Shall be constrained to honour us tltouglt dead!

a

land of oppression, and yet...

Althouglt

hungry dogs, Making their ntock at our accursetl lol.

So

I shall return. I shall return

'

While round us bark the mad and

Like nten we,ll face the nurderous, cowardly pack Prcssed to the wall, dying, but fight_ ing back.

(Contd on page g9)

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE. JULY - DECEMBER,

T992

THEWHITE ROBED ARMY The Jordanite movement is pecttliar to Guyana, yet its beginnings can be traced to Trinidad and Tobago, if not to Grenada.

Conversations began around the 'eighteen eighties between a young Grenadian

working in Trinidad and an East Indian musician residing on that island whiclt led to the birth of the new religiotts movement that was developed into the "White Robbed Amry" in Guyana. The Grenadian was Joseph Mc Claren. He worked as an

overseer of Indian indentured labottrers and was probably coloured' This latter

factor would partly explain his enrployment at a time when tltere was a general reluctance on the part of the plantocracy

to appoint blacks to supervisory positions. This factor would explain why he was baptised or nicknamed Lalu Das, Lalu being a Hindi derivative often used 'little fair one'. in the sense of my Mc Claren's interest in Hindu practices, no doubt encouraged by the fact that he worked with lndians, led hinr to cultivate the friendship of the imnrigrant Bagwandas. Mc Claren was Anglican by religion, but the dialogue between Das and himself led him to starting a new faith which was to contain sonte elenlents of Hinduism, as that religion was popularly understood and practiced by East Indian Labourers.

Bhagwandas was also called Chatoo

Maraj, i

nunl" which indicates that he might have functioned in a priestly capu"ity un'tong his countrymen, seented.to irave taugltt his countrynren sonre the tenets of popttlar Hinduisnl. In any case, Mc Claren cane to Guyana to propagate his faith which boasted the nanle the

'Church of the West Evangelical Milleniunt Pilgrims'. He worked in Berbice, with the resrtlt that itt a sltort

tinre, some 65 persons were converted to the new faith.

One of his converts was a Barbadian named Bogin who was appointed Elder of this new gathering of Millenuiunr Pilgrims. Bogin later ntigrated to Chateau Margot on the East Coast of Denterara.

Little is known of the fortunes of the fledgling ntovenlent down to 1917. In

that year however, Nalhaniel Jordan, a field labourer on the East Coast of Denrerara becanre a nrember of the ttrovenrent' For the next ten years Jordan labotrred in the cause of his new faith on the East

Universal Negro Improvement Conservationist Society. UNIA was founded in I 9 14,

by the great Janraican, Marcus Josias

Garvey.

The Guyana Chapter of the UNIA fl our-

ished in the 1920's and the early 1930's, but declined in importance after that period.

["Livittg History"

produced by the

History Departntent, Universiry of Guy-

atnl.

o

Coast in the Chateau Margot area. He also preached on the East Bank Demerara around Agricola. Sttch was Jordan's inrpact on the trtoveltrent that it catne to be called by his nanre. Though illerate in the

Errglish Language, Jordan was undoubtedly a nran who was a charisnratic leader'

He was dtrbbed a 'seeing; ntan bY Elcler Bowen, after the Buxtonian had iclentified the elder as the bearded nran of a dreanr vision which he had had' In addition to revelations which he received iri dreants, Jordan had also heard voices fronr tinre to tinle. One of his most remarkable predictions was that of the day, date and tinre of his death, an event that took place on APril 7, 1928.

By the tinre Jordan died, the beliefs of the movement reached

ancl practices

their definitive fornl. Tlte ntovenrent was sufficiently organised to service tlre death

of the nran who had led it for sonte 12

years. It survived as well, the ridicule and persecution of the larger society.

The leadership of--the Pilgritns de-

But probably a finer and deeper p.renr

is Boptisnt, which expresses the Black nran's ability to endure anguish and grow stronger:

Into the furnace let nte go alone: Stay you withor.rt in terror of the heat.

Desire tlestroys' consunres nty mortal fears,

Transfornting nte into a shaPe of fianrc.

I will come out, back to Your world of tegrs,

A stronger soul within alinerfranrc'

volved on Elder James Klein' Under

(Baprisrtt)

Jorclan, K.lein had been conrnrissiotted a

captain and senl ottt to Preach H: Yl: alio designatecl 'Defender of the Faith' atrcl,

in that capacity fttnctioned as an

apologist of the beliefs and practices oi tlre Pilgrints.

Before joining the Pilgrims Klein, a menrber of the Guyana Clrapter of the

1992 .

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE JULY - DECEMBER'

" Cotibbeort Enratrcipators ", a publicotiott of tlrc G.B.U. Public Rela-

tiotts Division, Office of thePrinte

Mittiste r, Trinidad and Tobago, 1976'

o Page 89

SAINT tUtrIA MUsItr strHOOL - Case Studg in

trollaboration

*Patricia Charles

The Beginning

skills and time. By April, 1988, difficulties in sustaining the guitar training lecl the President to seek financial support front the Ministry of Education ancl Cul-

Miracles still happen in Saint Lucia!

Orso it seems to those associated with the Saint Lucia School of Music, for the story of this dream which became a successftil reality, still has the "feel" of a miracle

ture in order that the School nright recruit

full tinre tutor fronr overseas.

The Governnrent's response was a Subvention of $30,000 EC and, on its a

today.

In April 1987, a group of eight individuals, concemed with the dLarth of

own initiative the granting of the Status of a"Governnrent Assisted School" to tlre School of Music. This in tum entitlecl rhe School to assistance witlr staffing ancl prenrises.

In Septenrber, 1988, at the start of the

music education, nret to discuss the estab-

lishment of a school

of Music. Initial

decisions included the formation of a Non Profit entity; close ties to the Ministry of Education and Culture to be forged; invitations to be sent to individuals and conr-

new school year, the Governnrent

paniessoliciting membership; and a search

for suitable quarters for the School to contntence.

By August 1987 , a venue , the fornter Tapion Craft Shop and Restaurant, was identified. A quiet, semi-isolated location theentrancetoCastries harbor, it boasted good parking, potential for development and reasonable proximity to the city cen_ tre. A five year lease with option to pur_ chase was negotiated with the owner and the prenrises were rented fronr October, 1987 The founder mentbers, now 14 in nunrber, pledged financial contributions totalling $24,000 EC to cover the first two years of rent.

Donations of materials were obtained to commence renovations and a basenrent storage area was sublet to a local conr_ pany for warehousing.

In November,1987, the first of a series offund raising benefit concerts was held with Saint LUcian LutherFrancois as guest artiste. This series ofconcerts continued to provide supplemental funding. .

The School opened in January, lggg

als, several Page 90

of whont volunteered their

increased to 123 students and eight courses were offered. By April, 1991, the govern_ nrent contribution was $180,000 annually

and included salaries of four staff

($120,000), the operaring granr (g30,000) and the sponsorship ofthe teachers course also 930,000 In Septentber, 1991, the School opened in Vieux Forr at the Southem (opposite)

ries. The British Governnrent donatecl

end

Conrprehensive School premises for Sat_ urday classes.sixty-seven students regis_ tered, four part tinre tutors were enrploled

Award forcontribution to the perfornring Arts which carried a cash prize of $t,500 in addition to a rrophy.

Negotiations with the Ministry of Eclu_ cation and the Sir Arthur Lewis bonrnru-

nity College resulted in a decision in February, 1989 to have the School of

Music award,

one year course for nrusic teachers leading to a Certificate in School a

Music endorsed by the Sir Artlrur Lewis

Comnrunity College. Fifteen teachers

enrolled for the first such course, whiclr was sponsored financially by the Minis_ try of Education, whose ultinrate goal was to ensure one specially trained nrusic teacher in each govemnrent school In April 1989, Honda Caribbean do_ nated a Honda Accord for a Raffle which realized $62,000 for the School. Tlris fund was used to inrprove the instrurnen_ tal resources at the school and to establish

Music Scholarship Fund forrrnclerprivi_ leged children.

During the next two years, the School a

held, standards maintained, and the caliber of tutorial staff attracted to the institution front abroad, as well as locally, continuecl to rise. In January 1990, the National Conrnrercial Bank provided a five year grant of $250,000 EC.

By January 1991, the enrolment had

books and percussion instrunrents valued at $10,000 EC and in Novenrber, lggg rhe

School was awarded the prestigious Minvielle and Chastanet Ltd Fine Arts

at

with_s5 students studying keyboaicl, gui_ tar, flute and voice. The staff conrpri-sed one full tinre and five part tinre individu_

in_

creased its support lo include the annual subvention of $30,000 ancl two staff sala_

grew slowly but surely. Concerts were

of the island using the Vieux Fori

and the centre was self financing f-nl inception. The Castries facility thln of_ fered I0 courses to an enrolnrlnt of IOS strrdents.

By January ll992, joint concerts by students and staff fronr both centres were a quarterly feature and Castries had 197

students. A Director of Studies on part secondrtrent fronr Sir Arthur Lewis Conr_ nrunily College was in place supervising a staff of four full tinre and twelve pai

tinre trrtors, five

of

whont were

past

students of tlre School.

The rnultiplier effect of private sccf or and donor agency support following fhe governnlent response and initiatives of the School itselfcontinued at an unprec_ edented rate during the l99l_1992 period.

Ftrture plans inclucle expansion of nrusic teachers courses to oiher OECS

countries with OAS sponsorship; devel_ opnlent of a. String Studies Departnrent;

Certificate

in Piano technology and

nrajor library expansion projecl-

a

(Conr'd on page 92)

CARICO]\I PERSPECI'IVE - JULY. DECEMBER, I992

DUBARETTA *Frederick Hickling

Just what is a "Dubaretta"? where and how did the concept develop, and fn" what is its musical form a'nd "ont"nii idea developed out of my interest and background in music particularly classical m"usic, As the son of the weli-known Jamaican music tutor, Mrs. Kathleen Bond-Hickling, I grew up in a musical u!", Lmily and *i'i, rr-orn

1 variety of Jamaican music - fronr

reggae, auU and dancehall through to reggae/raP

I and mento - with a bit of lambada, disco, I and opera thrown in for good I disco/rap | measure' the production, the audienc,e I alsoThrough gets an introduction to the dancehall I I scene'aglimpseinto,a*"tldl]i"-hTlJ would never normally experience. In its

"*- | lT"d:T;9:19'lllT.*i:"-i:]]:1::i::: tlran two iaeas J a nuUaretta I shape of two or sometimes nrore sound.y:l:l:

";;;it p"'",it""utypoof'uri.unakp"""iuttv '1'fre !o,

from conrpeting I selectors a competition to see whose selecstaging music.

I tion of music pleases the crowd ntost' I winner' Fusion I Crowd response determines thebeen the I On" development on this has "ride to sound tfi" t:t I have understood and loved operas I iaea of I DJ "pll Out of that have conle sonre anJ oferettas and I always felt thai our I the rhythnr".

Jamaican music could ,i*J up a tt'" I gttngfa-lgusdancehallkingslikeSlrabba ntu- | Ranks' Yellownlan' Papa San' Lieutenant nurop"un same rigours "tut.i"ut ", form same this we use sic. So-why can't I Stchie' and many others' of operetta to express something which is Lessuns frtlnl thc Rcal Worltl t^--:^.i' culture' ar,ltrrre I ---:,.--r-. ^..- - our ^.'- Jamaican uniquely ours

"lassical. came out ofthis background in

classical

I

Thq two can fuse to create something of dub music. rr," black people

utJtt''""n,*i | a.n"Jt;iil;;;;y;i I

tn". Dubaretta

:.ltTP]l l ::":T' triunlpt" but unqu_estionably so far a fi.

tlt-l':' Tll':'::,li^ 9,:-t:l"tl: . II X":lll the Liltle theatre in crurn" opened at

"^pr"rring'tt"i, "uttu?".

Jia i,ffi##;"i";ffie"r"p""", *" ifine u'L through opera. so *r,ut

i' I x,i"c'1"1forTereven L1i":11.^t-:l|^l?t1fl"1 perfornrances. Most rr^r"a #;ffi;';i;;"-;i;;'| ;L,;,r"#"ffi **:l:"11t',?:::: marrying the traditionai""i;"1;i ;;"' | "^1:*illl::*::j attempted fusion of the dance hail and

cr;i I :1il:l;i:##;;;# ;,Gil i"e iuti.n. We fused th! foim of $e I theoperetti:::dtT-"::i:*::T'::il successfut. one reviewer, Ronald " *, il;;;#"u ","rr" r"i" I was ;;ilt,tl M" L"un.- explores the creative experia.n

i" "*ri" I

an elaborate drama stagJi. which the actors commu'nicate with

each

I other and the audience thr'o-ulrt ;t'itl" tt | -

--"-'-. I express somerhing 'Y--'J i;;;;t.;; ""1;;"i; ", as the dancehall.

I The Dubaretta is thus a fusion of

two I

nrent of the prodtrction:

"tn ttt"utre today.pe-opl",i::^l'::,:l::19 more and more creative in developi'g the

technicalitiesof theperfoTtllg:_f:l*: nrost current factor of this experinrental

.."ir"o'- I :J-Y""1i:l :1ll::"11i:":::i::::1: experiI Theatre this weekend. This new ry".1-i"!::-::,*,t:::t::l,i"o"'.0"T; '"rli"r" II y"t:] ttrte fronr the nortilal plays which have ." of"Ktott.oi,ls-deCtrlchaclash"'anditsa " | $:l-:::t::':li:li::1,".11,,':i;il::

seemingly different "ur,*.i tions - tlre form of a troaiiio}iiurop.on u'"J';' (opera) u"ing *"'";;;;;";i;t;;l musical r'usiuar \uPera/' " for the expression of a Jz " prrenomenon(danceharti u"?;r"l;::'";#;:'j'*fiu,ttr", are

| feredisanrusicalf"asttltilugh'*f,i"f-l,ut I gt, tf*y experience the eiposure to a I "."

CARiCOM

unique blend of dance ltall ntttsic theatre arts"'

PERSPECTIVE - JULY. DECEMBER' T992

ancl

But rrot all the reviewers were as chari-

table. Michael Reckord in his review in the Gleaner suggests that the attempt at fusion nray not have worked:

"A colleague at the Jamaica School of Dranra neatly sums up "Krossroads" the "dubaretta" (dance hall operata) now playing at LittlerTheatre. Hecallsit a "staged concert". The conceptualization Fred Hickling,

and his

co-writer "Blacka" Ellis

wanted it to be nrore than that. According

to Dr. Hickling "What we are doing

is

marying the traditional classical operatic style to the dance hall style and creating a fusion," and Ellis sees the production as "a dancehall/reggae stage show which is also a dranra: something which will be able to satisfy the regular theatregoers and the dance hall crowd".

But the two have not taken the work far enough into dranta. It is still basically a show for dance hall fans."

It is Reckord's last sentence which reveals his own unconscious prejudice to dance hall. To argue that a show is 'still basically a show for dance hall fans' displays a nrind set which denigrates the clance hall culture as essentially an inferior one worthy of being appreciated by

hall fans 'basically' and cannot considered as a part of'real be really culture;. there is no doubt that the dance hall is Jamaican cultttre, and has conte

clance

unclerseriotts attack mainly from the nrid-

dle classes in Janlaica. Sintilar

class biases ancl prejudice enlerged in the early clays of reggae nrusic before Marley et al

took it to its present dizzy intemational heiglrts. So Recorcl's negativity reflected

nrore his own class prejudice to dance lrall culttrre than to a real analysis of tlre strengtlrs and weaknesses of "Krossroads Culcha Clash". We intended that the show be appreciated by fans of nrusic, and not sinrply 'dance hall fans'. Conl- cle

nrents which have been nrade by persons of varying ethnic and class backgroirnds certainly confirttr our intentions, and nePage

9I

Reckord's class-bound perspective.

Clearly, the lack of response from the traditional middle-class theatre-going gates

audiences of the Little Theatre have vindicated Record's comments, and as the traditional dancehall fans did not venture

into the Little Theatre, we have not yet been able to gauge their response. 0ndoubtedly the production suffered fron.r some serious business weaknesses which

have to be addressed for the process to move forward. Here are some of the lessons from the real world which we have identified: Lesson one: Artists must be hungry, motivated, and be prepared to kick down the doors.

Lesson two: Be excited and informed

by all forms of criticism.

Lesson

three:

Secure adequate

fi-

nancing in the production of experimental theatre. Undercapitalization is the first sin of the entertainment business.

Lesson four: Entertainers must understand marketing and the marketplace. Employ a marketing expert if you

must, but ignore correct marketing to

your peril.

We are very much aware of the signal ,lessons found in the lyrics ofour origlnal song from the Dubaretta - MIND

CHAINS:

Its very hard to tell of enslaventent of the mind

Ifeel to screant an shou an yell of what I htow tto solace I can find ,to peace within nnnkind u,ttilfirst you slntter the chains that bind

Chonts slavery of tlrc nind Free but blind slavery of the mind slavery of the mind slavery of ilte mind itt the saneness of history and in blackntess coues the ntystery

Under their guidance and direction the

other factors that were so inlportant to

How did this "miracle" happen in times of reductions in aid general ly, constrained govemmentspending, and given theusual

perception of the Arts as a ..luxury" beyond the means of developing

"oun_ tries?

The answers appear to be several; but the case is clear. The founders were the key. They not only had a vision of what

they wished to achieve, but they also were prepared and contnritted to that vi_ sion to the extent of putting their hands in theirown pockets. That the founders were all persons of considerable profile within the community, respected for integrity Page 92

yell

and

ofwhat I know our experience is unique but here comes the clique wlrc turned first strong ittto last week Chonts We'll pilot we ow,t wagon and burn down the plantatiotl your tnotrey syste,n is an alien creatiott designed to keep us poor we're sleepirtg otr the floor

you're giving less

Cash or kind

and achievements in other areas, was ob_ viously a plus factor.

Anal.vsis

I feel to screant and shout

sustain the growth of the School were put in place and nraintained. These were piin_ cipally high standards ofexcellence in the artistic skills and the business manage_ ment of the School.

As the old adage goes"Success breeds Success" and certainly governments, pri_ vate Sector interests and donor agencies wish to be associated with successFul ven_

tures. They will "Latch on to a good thing" for their own inrage, rather than

support a venture with dubious results.

The response of the Govemntent was a critical factor and indeed a turning point forthe fledgling instilution. That the bov_ emment of Saint Lucia was able to re_ spond witlr financial support is a result of lts own pnrdence in fiscal and nlonetary policy over a period of years. That the Govemnrent chose to respond was an

and taking so much ntore

IDr. Frede rick W. Hickling, is a con_ sultattt Psychiatrist, and Managing D i rec to

r of M usic al Assoc iates Ltd-,

Jauaical.

o exceptionally insightful recognition that private venture was more likely toachieve a- result desired by Governnrent, in a

shorter period and at less cost to Govem_ nrent than if it had proceeded to attempt the establishment of such u progrurnnrlT

institution itself. The resources and re_ sourcefulness of the artistic community made the venture an attractive on. fGovemnrent investnrent.

One cannot expect to find exact situa_ tions replicated elsewhere. However, as a case study, the Saint Lucia School of Music offers analysis of the factors which can conlribute to success in an Arts/Busi_ ness venture, or by their absence, present obstacles to be overcome by othei inno_ vative nteans.

(Presentatiott made at a ,,Sympo_ siuttt ort Matmging the Arts for Eco-

ttotttic Developmen4 held

Lucia,1992). O

in

Saint

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER, 1992

AIDS UPDATE TB tr. HTV

-A Dangerrrus

Liaison

An alarming epidemic is

sweeping across the developing world - a partnership between TB and HIV, the virus which

causes

AIDS, the latest issue of

WorldAlDS nagazine reports on the situation.

TB is spreading fast throughout the Third World. In Uganda confirmed cases of active TB doubled between 1984 to 1987, and in Zambia, the MinistrY of Health reported that the number of TB cases had more than doubled from 7,000

in

1986 to 17,000 in 1990.

The established TB epidemic and new

epidemic of HIV are coalescing and coinfecting individuals. There are now around 4.5 million people, 98% of thent in developing countries, co-infected popu-

lation is concentrated in the region.

Although TB has not become a major problem in the developed world, some disturbing trends are en'rerging. In the United States, TB has been rising significantly since 1986. The arrival of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in the past l8 nronths has been greeted with alarnt, according to the report. There have also been reported outbreaks of MDR-TB in parts of Europe.

TB is both preventable and curable, but flourishes where there is poverty, malnutrition, overcrowding and inadequate health care. Giving anti-TB drugs

MYSTERY VTRUS sTEALs SHOvv There may turn out to be a third virus that causes AIDS. But if such a virus exists, it is not related to HIV-l or HIV2, and is probably very rare. In its halfbaked state at Amsterdatl this unidentifi ed vims (dubbed MTV for Media-Transmitted Virus) created far nrore attention

than any of the major scientific issues such as tuberculosis at the Conference held there.

The takeover of the conference began with an article in Newsweek nragazine about a dozen people who had syntptonrs of AIDS but no evidence of infection with HIV- I orHIV-2. Accordingtothereport, Jeff Laurence of CornelI University, New

York, had some evidence of a "new"

retrovirus in some of these patients. The article forced an enlergency session for Laurence's findings, part of which have

was continuing his analysis. He wamed that his findings were not proof of a virus,

and condemned the fiasco at the conference as"science by mass nedia".

Although, the CDC is aware of up to 60 cases of non-HIV immune deficiency since 1985, there is no solid evidence of any single cause.

I Excerpr from " WorldAIDS

" September

19e21

The latest report on the international inrpact of AIDS, published by the Global

AIDS Coalition at Havard University,

Laurence was no nlore infornrative to his colleagues than he had been lo Newsweek, the session was useful because it revealed nlore cases seen by other doctors. Janres Curran of the US Centre for Disease

last January indicate that the Caribbean is one of the latest areas at risk from AIDS. The report on the Caribbean said that heterosexua I transnrissions have beconre the major way in which AIDS is spreading in tlre Caribbean. lnthe22 countries counted as the Caribbean, just one-third

Control in Atlanta was sharply criticised

of AIDS

since been published

Il].

Although

for not publishing the cases that were known to the CDC. Later in the week, another scientist, SudhirGupta fron'r tl're University of California, annottnced at a news conference in the US that he had found a "new" virus in two people. This forced the scientists in Amsterdanr to hold a 1.00 a.nt. press

cases was caused bY holno-

sexual transntission five years ago. However, by 1990, nearly 314 AIDS cases in the Caribbean were the result of sex between men and wonten.

Acconrpanying the signifi cant increase in heterosexual transmission is the drastic decrease in people who caught AIDS by the hontosex.ual act. The report said that Caribbean countries ntay be quoted where some of the highest cases of AIDS occur in the Antericas, with the rapid increase of the virus anlong wonlen.

There is a wide range of cases in the

to HIV-positive people could potentially save thousands, or tens of thousands of lives, says the WorldAIDS rePort.

"The four most inrportant steps we should take to tackle this epidemic of TB are: pronrpt diagnosis, pronlpt treatnrent,

conference, at which they expressed

chemoprophylaxis for people with TB and HIV infection," saYs Dr Mario Raviglione of WHO's TB prgoramme.

"The Panos ltrstitute, London".

imnrune deficiencY. Ho, who treated some of tlte earliest AIDS patients in the US, says the enzynre is not related to

Montserrat to Haiti's 3,086 cases reported up to January, 1992

HIV- l, HIV-2 orSIV, tltenronkey oquivalent. As WorldAIDS went to Press, Ho

o

BCG vaccination, and

TB

strong scepticisnr abottt Gupta's report, published since [2].

But, a third scientist, David Ho, at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Centre in New York, has found sonle evidence of a viral enzynre in other patients with

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE . JULY - DECEMBER' 1992

Caribbean, with just one case in

Page 93

ANTItrUA E BARBUDA

trRENADA

4th CARIBBEAN CRAFT FAIR The fourth Caribbean Craft Fair was successfully held in Antigua last November. This year's fair was co-hosted by Harmony Hall and the newly fomred

Antigua and Barbuda Sntall Business Association and attracted considerable nredia coverage. Sixteen islands were represented, which was a record, and the reported sales and contacts nrade were very gratifying.

Local companies such as LIAT, Dennoes and Geddes car hire conrpanies and hoteliers, among others, gave invahl-

able and vital sponsorship.

The event provided a vital link between buyer and seller. It also provided

'

the opportunity for craftspeople to beconle more business oriented and also provided buyers with reliable wholesale prices since many craftspeople sell di-

rectly to the public as well as to gift shops.

Craflspeople have begun to realise that no buyer will stock their goods if they can be purchased down the road at half the price, and that buyers want consistent quality and reliable supply.

The Fair acts as a single forum for lhe interchange of ideas and suggestions.

Buyers can discuss their individual requirements with craftspeople - whether they want the itents personalised in sonre way, of if they have a particular itent they wish to comnrission.

Timing the event in Novenrber plays a large part in its success since it gives

producers the opportunity to stockpile itens during the quieter suntnrer season ready for the busy Christmas nrarket and the main tourist season. Buyers at this time will be on the lookout for new itenrs and will have budgets to play with.

The first Caribbean Craft Fair was held in Antigua in 1988 in the beautiful setting of an old plantation house overlooking the sea - Harnrony Hall, an arts and craft gallery and restaurant at Browns Bay Mill near Freetown. Harnrony Hall organised and hosted the event.

The organisers had long realised the need for the essential interchange ofcontactsand ideas forsmall burgeoning businesses involved in art and craft. No artist, for exanrple, hopes to get the exposure Pege 94

5UtrAR

for his or her work without exhibiting in a gallery,and the sanre is true with craft Because of the nature in which nrany craftspeople work - often alone and as a

FACTORY ON THE MOVE The Grenada Sugar Factory has be-

secondary inconre earner - they need that

conre the first Grenadian company to be

same kind of exposure to ensure their work is marketed and sold successfully

logo.

thus offering them the opportunity to expand and develop Harntony Hall is owned by Peter and Annabella Proudlock and Graham Davis, recognised pioneers in the intemational pronrotion of Caribbean arts and crafts.

The idea of the fair had its roots wlren Annabelle started ntaking decoupage boxes for charity fairs. With encouragement, herskills developed into a business and the Annabella Box conrpany was founded. The charnring boxes and other newcreations are now sold in both galleries and in quality craft shops around the entire Region and further afield.

Travel around the Caribbean, both as buyer and seller brought her into contact with craftspeople who were often clisorganised and offltand in their business

dealings and had no quality control or consistency to their work. Many of the people regarded what lhey did as "not a business". The other side to nrany of these "sntall businesses" was that often they did not realise the enornrous poten-

tial nrarket they had in the Region.

Tourists who contribute so nruch to the Region's econonric I ifeblood, dernancl

quality souvenirs and gifts nrade locally, by local people. .How could a craftsrnan from one island nreet potential buyers fronr neigltbouring islands. The answer was sinrple - hold an intemational craft fair in the heart of the Caribbean and invite buyers and craftspeople to attencll The goal of the Caribbean Fair is then to provide a single international nlarket place for craftspeople and buyers, whiclr is professionally organised ancl to whiclr the public are welconre.

With this in view Harrnony Hall will continue in its efforts to prontote the excellence of indigenous art and crafts of the Caribbean through the organisation offuture Craft Fairs - subject to the continued support of both govenrnrent ancl the private sector alike.

fomrally awarded the 'Buy Caribbean'

The firnr, which bottles rum and related products, received the award from the Grenada Chamber of Industry and Conrerce (GCIC) in January 1993 after nreeting the qualifying requirements.

Presentation of the logo reflected a mark of achievenrent and nreant that the conlpany will have to keep the quality

established. Marketing in the wider CARICOM nrarket will be easier since

tlre logo nleans a nrark of a certain qual-

ity.

The cornpany diversified from sugar production eight years ago because of a decrease in production of sugar cane and currently distils spirits for the intema-

tional nrarket.

The conrpany uses locally-produced nrolasses following an increase in output by farnrers.

As a result, lhe sugar cane industry, _ which has been on the decline, is recording a nrodest increase in production.

The Grenada Sugar Factory this year ground 8,400 long tons ofcane,600 nrore than last year and increased produc iion ofalcohol by l5 per cent over the previous year. It nranufactured 6-5,000 gallons of runr tlris year conrpared with 56,000 in

l991.

Sales slrowed

a l0

percent increase

over the previous year, from about 4.6

nrillion tlre previous year up to 5.4 mil_ lion (dollars) E.C. (one EC dollar - 47 cents US).

The increases were nroderate, espe_ cial ly as they related to the supply ofcine to tlre faclory.

The product is 90 per cent Grenadian and the conlpany is alnrost self-sufficient at this tinre. With a good raw nraterial base, tire contpany is concentrating on nrarketing in the next year and a half.

The Grenada Sugar Factory has plans lo produce vinegar and runr punch.

c

CARICOI\{ PERSPECTIVE - JULY. DECENIBER, T992

BELI7ZE Shrimp farming is a growing industry

in Belize despite high energy costs and some labourproblems which place a premium for efficient management and pro-

ductivity on the labour line. The world demand forshrimps continues to increase asnatural stocks, mainly fromthe oceans,

continue to deplete as a result of overfishing.

The market demand for those crustaceans is expected to exceed the ocean's ability to produce sufficient supplies. As a result, during the past ten years there have been large investments in shrimp farming, especially in Central and South America. Consumption is expected to increase gradually for at least another twenty years. Industry sources have said that, after being in the cellar for a while, market prices for shrimps, which now range between US $3.00 to US $ 1 1.35 per pound, depending on size and quality, are likely to remain "very'strong and with an

sHRIMP FARMINtr including China and Indonesia, which have more than one million acres of shrimp farms, have been taking full advantage of

technology and have not been farming shrimps using "primitive" methods. The result has been low yields and poor qual-

ity.

The United States of America, on the other hand, which has been one of the leaders in shrimp marine culture, is also

limited to a single annual harvest

in

1990 Produced 633 thousand metric tons of farmraised shrimp. But this record of shrimp harvest was again broken the following year, when, in 1991, production went up by more than 57 thousand metric tons to 690,100. Projected worldwide production for this year is expected to be more than752 thousand metric tons, with the Americas, for the first time clinching 37 percent of this, while production in the Far East has been on the decline. This is a turn around, as up to 1990 the Westem hemisphere accounted for only 15 percent of the world's production of farmraised shrimp.

Cost-effective Production in Central Anrerica One reason for this turn around in output is that there have been considerable investments in shrimp farming in

this region while investors have been taking advantage of many years of research in what has been dubbed as marine culture, in the jargon of the industry' On

as

weather conditions allow for shrimp production only at a certain time of the year,

andthis is confinedto thehigh

seas

earlier

this month. Theirmain outlets in the United

fOIDO ffiINCI

States of America come through their biggest customers "Red Lobster" and

"Olive Gardens", a General Mills chain of restaurants.

Map of Belize

f)iescl and labour cost

upward trend."

World shrimp farmers

'l

or$â&#x201A;Źâ&#x201A;ŹYrrtl( t

but at a very high price which is nine While the market potential is likely to hold with competition growing from other

investments in the region, investors are stretching management skills to the limit, causing some inhibiting factors which are constraints to their investments.

Nova's Bob Phillips said that "Labour production must be based on high efficiency, and while we are not suggesting a

reduction in the minimum wage, these wages must be tied to productivity".

Phillips added however, that there are "positive changes in the attitudes of our

times as much as what it is costing other countries in the region.

["Chamber UPDATE" - A monthly publication of the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vol.4 No.7 July 19921.

o

employees and we are getting the cooperation of the Ministry of Labour."

But, the big fly in the ointment is the high cost of diesel which is used to tum the generators forthe pumps and freezers.

At about 85 percent import duty on diesel, industry sources feel that is stifling their

potential for growth, given the market demandfrom an environmentally friendly industry. The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been approached to seek the govemment's approval to lower the exorbitant duty on diesel which is virtually the life-blood of this industry,

the other hand, countries of the Far East, CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER' 1992

Page 95

5T. KITTS tr.

NEVI5

Map of Sr. Kitts

&

Nevis

Brirlge Openerl Tlre College Street Ghaut Bridge was cleclarecl officially open on July 29 last.

At the cerentony,

LOCALLY WRITTEN TEXT BOOKS The first set oftext books,produced as

tlre quality of life of the Federaiion', citizens. The bridge was designed and supervised by the Public Works Depart_ nrent, built by local contractors Heyiiger

part ofa Guyana Governnrent/United Na-

tions Development Programme (UNDp) project were handed over to the Ministry ofEducation on January 28,1993.

and Heyliger Construction Ltd., and funded by the British Governnrent at a cost of $350,000. It provides safe access

The texts, covering English Language,

Mathematics, Integrated Science, Agri-

cultural Science, Spanish, IIonre

drrring heavy rains, and facilitates traffic conring fronr Wades Garden, College ancl

Econonrics, Industrial Arts and Social Studies are for first fornters in secondary

Market Streets, St peter's Road Taylor's Range.

schools.

Otherbooks, forsecond and third lbrnters, will be produced before the $ I mi I lion IUS] exercise is contpleted.

Ongoing projects include the

Seventy-two teachers and other

educationaists and four graphic artists the

House, and a road improvement pro_ granlnte for Basseterre to Sandy pbint

production and comprised mostly secondary school teachers chosen frorir the University of Guyana IUG] and the Cyril PotterCollege ofEducarion ICI,CE]

The teachers began work in Se ptenrber,

t99t.

Page 96

East

will begin shortly. The Govemnrent has allocated $3.5 nrillion towards the nrain_ tenance ofroads and buildings, and this is arrgnrented by funds fronr international donor agencies.

A new Prinrary School at Dieppe Bay, reconstruction of the Basseterre Corirt

Centre for Educational Resource Developn.lent [UCERD] in G eorgerown, rhe Capital.

in

ancl

Basseterre Bypass Roaci and the recon_ slructiorr of the Frigate Bay Road. The resurfacing of the Taylor's Range Roacl

All the texts are printed in Trinidad and Toba go frorn locally written nranuscripts cornpiled at the National

and illustrators were involved

Prinre Minister Dr

Kennedy Sinrnronds said that the briclge was parl ofan infrastnrctural prograntnre being irnplentented by Govemment to assist with clevelopnrent, and to intprove

will begin irr the near future.

Map of Guyarm

(Newsletter, Vol. 13, No. 7, July 1992.

Public Relations Office, Govt. of Sr.

Kitts/Nevis).

CARICON{ PERSPECTIVE. JULY - DECEMBER, T992

THE BAHAMAS --- ta: ----

JAMAICA

&{HMS

+

Map of Janraica

Movements towards a review of Jamaica's Constitutionbegan last May, with

the inaugural meeting of the Constitutional Commission at the Jamaica Conference Centre, Kingston.

"The mission of economic independence, the fostering ofentrepreneurial spirit and the regulation of the equality of opportunity has tocharacterize thenew Con-

stitution", Prime Minister the Hon. J. Patterson charged the members of the Commission in his address.

He pointed out that the exercise "should not be a partisan political exercise".

"The instrument which

HE

will finally

emerge front this far-reaching exercise will establish the parameters within which Jamaica enters the twenty-first Century", said Mr. Patterson.

The main mandate of the Commission is to, receive and examine proposals from the public, relating to the form and content of Jamaica's Constitution, both with respect to an Electoral Comnrission and

other aspects of constitutional refornl.

The Commission will submit these recommendations/proposals for conslitutional change to the Joint Select Committee for consideration by the end of De-

cember, 1992.

The Prime Minister renrinded the menrbers of the Commission that this was the

first constitutional exercise, "over wltich a sovereign Jamaica had complete con-

trol". The consideration and basic principles should include, "no reference to any third party, no aspirations as a people", he said.

"It must be the suPreme law - not subordinate to laws which predate Independence... There must be easy and direct access for the breach ofour constitutional rights and appropriate sanctions for the breaches. All discrinrinatory action ntttst be outlined, for exanrple those based on gender grounds", lte pointed otrt.

The Prirle Minister stressed that the Constitutiion, "mtlst engender a clinrate which pronrotes greater parlicipation of our people in the denrocratic process, not only in the political splrere, but in the econonric area as well".

The Commission is nrade uP of

38

representati ves front the People's Nat ional

Party; the Jamaica Labottr Party;the Jamaica Bar Association;the Press Association of Janraica; University of the Wesl

Indies; Trade Unions; church, teachers and wonren's organizations; private sector interests; farnrers organizations, tlte Jamaica Agricultural Society ancl yotrtlr organizations.

"Janrpress News", |47 5192

Section of The Review Teant' CARICOM PERSPECTIVE . JULY - DECE}TBER' I992

1-N

*.f

_! ***:f

*-d, Map of The Bahantas

The Conrnronwealth of The Bahamas has received a loan of US $15,791,000 fronr the Caribbean Developnrent Bank lo assist in the urgent rehabilitation of

infrastructure, parliculalry in the roads and seaport subsectors, which was severely danraged by hurricane Andrew in Atrgrrst, 1992.The hardest hit areas by

Andrew were the Fanrily Islands of Eleuthera, Berry, Chub Cay, Cat Cay and Binrini, with Eleulhera being the worst affecterl.

Tlre loan will assist witlr the rehabilitation in Eleuthera of roads, sea defences, bridges, docks, an airport and the water supply systenl. Urgent rehabilitatiolr and/ or reconstruction of this infrastruct:tr'e is reqrrirecl to obviate tlte isolalion of settlenrent and to ensure thc continued econornic rlevelopnrent of Elettthera.

' l:rrt1r,.s

Page 97

MONTSERRAT

Radio Antilles is again serving the Caribbean.

Antilles Radio Corporation Ltd which operates Radio Antilles is owned by the Govemment of Montserrat.

THINTNATI &.-5-ruBAffitr

On

3l December

1989, the ownership

of Antilles Radio Corporation passed to the Governnrent of Montserrat.

The transmitting facilities of the Station "Radio Antilles" were destroyed by Hurricane "Hugo" in Septenrber of that

year.

Sonre of the conditions altached to the

acquisition of the facilities were that:*a transnritter should be replaced with an effective radiated power of not less than 135 Kw;

*that a Caribbean progranlnre should be put in place. These conditions ancl others would have to be fulfilled within a given period of time.

All

conditions were satisfied in the

extended tinre given, and Radio Antilles is once again broadcasting to the Caribbean and countries bordering the region.

or due as replacement, the ubiquitous

nature ofenergy costs in all activities, the security of supply etc., and this stipulates that serious evaluation and planning must be a feature of government and public

policy.

"This policy paper is the first step in suclr an exercise.

A Draft Energy Policy Paper was presented in Trinidad and Tobago last November, 1992. The Foreword to the Policy paper said:-

Map of Monrserrat

fests itselfthrough several factors such as the huge investment volumes already sunk

"The state of current econonric affairs, both globally and at honte, nrakes it inrperative that all national strategies be

carefully thought-out and fine tuned as far as the constrainls and uncertainlies facing a country allow. This is particularly applicable to the energy sector.

"A

stated energy policy is of great relevance in Trinidad and Tobago, not only because energy use, per se, is a vital factor in econonric developntent and the quality of Iife, but also because the energy sector is the single largest conlribu-

tor to the country's GDP, govenrnrent revenues and foreign exchange - with no

Iikely alternative in siglrt.

"The huge weight of the energy systenr in tlre society and lhe econonty rrrarri-

broadcasters, as was done previously, the

i

progranrnte philosophy ofthe station provides for progrannles developed by Caribbean systenls and NGOs to be aired on its facilities, keeping in mind the neecl to nrake Radio Antilles financially viable, and the need to enhance and augnrent the dissenrination of infornration in the Region and to assist in the cross-fertilising

seeks to demystify

could be proper airing of all the issues and that there could be wider participation in the fornrulation of a policy."

Included in the areas identified were, e.g. Exploration and Production in which Taxation and decision ntaking were seen as the two areas that would require speat that stage. The petroleunr

cific policies

tax reginte had been restructured to take into account the distinctive features of the technical and economic environnrent in which the domestic industry operates.

It

ntust also provide for flexibility to

function under a variety of market conditions. And antong the policies outlined was a tax reginte restructured to provide investors in exploration and production, a choice of contracts.

Adnrinislration and Decision Making called for a Standing Contnrittee on En_

NHDTD & TOETGO

While tinte is sold to intemational

It

energy and place in into the national focus as a real activity with a history, problenrs and prospects - so that there

Cl*rn*rn

@

c^Hâ&#x201A;Ź^rsEr

U

of ideas.

Since the Caribbean cannot exist in isolation, Radio Antilles also provides infornration from outside the Caribbean

with daily broadcasts fronr Gerntany (Deutsche Welle),Great Britain (rhe BBC)

and the United States

voA).

of Anrerica

ravages of hurricane "Hugo".

t'-tf lda

h

I

rt3

-;ildqb*

lFm"' e{+r$d}lqrr

(the

Caribbean News is schedulecl three tinres daily including the wiclely known NEWS AT SIX which has been a fixed newscast for the past 25 years (with the exception ofa break of2 years due to the Page 98

1

Sr b

Frn6

lir

Mop of Trittidod

&

Tobago.

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE. JULY - DECEMBER. I992

5T. LUCIA

the West Coast Road Project involving the complete rehabilitation of the road fronr Anse-la-Raye to Canaries. So far, advanced earlhworks fronr Anse-la-Raye to Anse Galet are alnlost contplete and the contract for the rertrainder of the earthworks has been awarded. Conre March l, that section of the West Coast

The second is an institutional strengthening conrponent which involves the train-

Road will be closed to all vehicular traffic

spent rrnder the progranrnre and lenders will be invited in the next two weeks.

With the expected conrpletion of the upgrading of nrost of the nrajor roads on the islancl by the end of this year and lhe corning on streanr of the RIMP, motorist will no doubt breathe easier at the prospect of taking their vehicles on the road.

It is hoped that, like the roads, the reprrtation of our roads will be nruch inrproved.

for five nronths to enable lhe contractors

to work unhindered. Officials of

the

Ministry of Connrunications, Works and Map of Sr. Lucia If you mention "Roads"" to the majority of St. Lucians you are liable to get nrore than a nrouthful on how bad our roads are. No doubt this is by now a conditioned reaction based entirely on a bad reputation earned over the years.

However, the evidence is there to support

the claim that in the last two years the condition of our roads has improved significantly, perhaps not to the point where they may be called perfect, but at the very least, allow us to say "Not bad".

In 1990, Prinre Minister the Rt. Hon.

John Compton, in his budgel address, nrade a comrnitnrent to the inrprovenrent

of road conditions on the Island. In that sanre year the first phase of the West Coast Road Project, fronr Ti Colon to Anse-la-Raye Village was conrpleted at a cost of ten million EC dollars,wlrile repairs were nrade to the Castries - Vieux Fort nrain road, lhe Castries - Gros Islet Highway and nrost ofthe secondary roads on the Island.

The following year, the La Toc Highway was resurfaced, the Mome Road rehabilitated, and nrajor works began on the section of road fronr Cul-de-Sac to Dennery. At present, work on that section of the East Coast Road is alnrost conrplete, one drawback being the construction of a new bridge at Thonrazo. Another is the resheeting of the section of road up the Barre D'Isle which will take place as soon as Cable and Wireless are through with the current excavation works.

It is expected by the end of March this year that the entire section of the East Coast Road - from Cul-de-Sac to Dennery

-

totalling sixteen nriles will be completed. It is also expected that tlre reha-

Transport say the closure will ensure that the maximunr anrount of work is done during the dry season, and that the project is competed this year as the tinre frante is

vital to its overall cost. Funding for the project, sonre twenty nrillion dollars, is being provided by the Governnrent of Saint Lucia and the British Developnrent Division.

In l99l too,

the secondary road reha-

bilitation progranrnle began. Under tlrat progranrnre the Marisule - Grande Riviere Road has been cotnpleted and the extension of that road fornr Grande Riviere to

Union has began. As well, upgrading work is continuing on the Millet road.

It was during 199 I too that upgrading works on srrburban colnrnunity roads began. So far, the La Ressorrrce - Aux Leon road, the Anse Ger - Desnrisseaux road, the roads in Mon Repos, Dennery village and Anse-la-Raye have all been conrpleted. Vieux Fort Town, Micoud Village and Canaries are yet to be done.

Clearly, the above indicates the trenrendous efforl that has been nrade tobring the road network to an acceptable standard after an all tinre low in 1989/90. The resources, financial and otherwise, expended in that effort slrould not be wasted by allowing the newly built roads to fall into a state of disrepair, and the governnrent has taken steps to ensure this does not happen. A Road Inrprovenrent and Managenrent Progranrnre [RIMP] has been conrnrissioned involving three cotnponents.

The first is a road cornponent, whiclr nrakes provisions for the upgrading of sonre twenty lour kilonretres of secondary roads round the island. These include

the Choc/Union/Babonneau Road,

the

Aupicon/Peirrot/Bel le vrre/Desruisseattx Road, and the road leading fronr tlte Vieux

bilitation of the section of the East Coast Road front Dennery to Patience will be-

Fort Highway through La Ressottrce,

gin in March.

Black Bay, Augier and on to the Vieux

Fort - Laborie nrain road. l99l also saw the start of phase two of 1992 R, DECE}'IBE CARICOM PERSPECTIVE JULY.

ing of personnel fronr the Ministry of Comnrunicalions, Works and Transport, and the third component involves tlre procurenrent of special ised equipment for

the nraintenance

of the road network.

Sonre lwenty three nrillion dollars

will

be

Trinidad & Tobago (Cont'd) ergy under lhe chairrnanship of the Prinre Minisler to be established by Cabinet to

nronilor the inrplenrentation of tlre energy sector policies.

The private sector will be allowed to develop non-conventional energy, brrt the cost in foreign exchange will be ntininrized, according to the Energy Paper.

The strengtlrening and perhaps, even survival ofthe energy sector depends on active and brroyant progranrntes in science and teclrnology, the Paper indicated,

and anrong the nrany policies advocated as a

single institrrtional franrework to be

assigriecl lhe responsibility for the scientific and technological activity in tlre energy sector. Tlris will be one or a colrrbi-

nation of existing institutions which will consolidate all the available intental resources and also be the R & D arnt of tlre conrpanies of the energy Sector. These conrpanies will have an active role to play irr policy forrnulation, the deternrination of priorities and the funding of the programnres of this Institution.

Other areas identified included the Refining IndLrstry and Conservation. As a priority and urgent nreasure, the Refinirrg Irrrlrrstry called for, tlre Govemnrent to seek a partner in the restructuring ofthe refinery industry in order to secure a sorrrce of cnrde and to ensure nrarketing

opportunities So far as policies relating, to conservation, tlre goven)nrent intends to inrplenrenl, 'where feasible, progranrnles to

pronlotc increased efficiency in encrgy

rrtilizatiorr.

t.*-.

i

I

]

LOIAL BANKS Two interesting topics, the Monetary Union in CARICOM and Managing the Bank's Investment Portfolio, highlighted

The Inter-Governnrental Task Force may also request the assistance of any institution of the Community in the performance of the functions assigned to it by the Conference of Heads of Govem-

the 1992 Annual General Meeting of the

ment.

Caribbean Association

of Indigenous

Banks, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines last November.

During the nreeting, two new nrember

banks, the Island Victoria Bank of Jamaica and the Caribbean Banking Corporation of Antigua and Barbuda, were admitted to membership of the CAIB. The panel discussion on the Monetary Union in CARICOM involved representatives of the Eastem Caribbean Central Bank, the Central Banks ofBarbados and Trinidad and Tobago. The discussion on the Topic 'Manning the Bank's Invest-

ment Portfolio' involved a wide cross section of representatives from the inter-

national banking conrmunity, and covered business risk, strategies for managing risks and portfolio managenrent.

Panelists included representatives fronr theBankof America in New York, Crown

Agents in the United Kingdom, Eagle Unit Trust National Bank and Vantage Securities.

TASK FORCE Member States

of the

Caribbean

Community are identifying representatives to serve on an Inter-Govenrmental Task Force which will exanrine a nunrber of proposals including developnrent of a

Charter of

Civil Society.

During the first Meeting of the Bureau of the Conference of Heads of Governnrent fronr Decenrber l5-16 at the CARICOM Secretariat it wasagreed that the Inter-Govemnrental Task Force shall be composed as follows:- one representative or an altemate foreach of the following Menrber States, nanrely, The Bahanras,

Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago;

-

three representative or an alternate for the OECS as a group of

-

States;

representativesoftheCARICOM and OECS Secretariat.

Page 100

Among the first tasks expected to be tackled by the body is developn.rent of a Charter of Civil Society.

The Charter will deal with nratters such as a free press, a fair and open democratic process, the effective functioning of the parliamentary systenr, mo-

rality in public life and respect for fundamental rights.

LABOUR NEW5 The regional Labour Administration and Industrial Relations Programme is int ended to encourage and assist Member States in developing and applying sound

labour policies for the achievement of a greater nleasure of equity and social justice. This approach is critical for the orderly conduct of labour relations. It also corresponds to the major objectives of national policies which commit themselves to socialjustice, improved quality

of life, the

development

of hunranr

The Task Force is also expected to prepare the groundwork for revision of the Treaty of Chaguaranras.

esources, open channels of communication among social partners, and recognition ol-the link between economic growth and social progress.

WOODWORKING

[,abour La* l{cport A Study ofa Survey ofLabour Law, ainring at a conlparative analysis ofthe detials of Labour Law in all Member

5KILLs

States of the Caribbean Community was completed last October, 1992.

The study was contracted by the UWI, The CARICOM Secretariat has conrnrissioned a study to assess tlre availability of skills needed to upgrade the re-

gion's woodworking industry.

The study, conducted by the Industrial Development Unit of the Conrnronwealth Secretariat, includes visits to furniture andjoinery establishprents, Ministries ofEducation training boards, nlanufacturers' association and technical colleges in the Region, to deterrnine what

they have achieved and suggest additional courses for apprentices and other workers in the field.

Public and private sector ideas are expected to be taken into account in tlre developnrent of a long-ternr viable wood-

working skills training progranrnre for lhe industry.

Field work is expected to be cornpleted early next year.

The project now being execrrted includes a plan to describe what skills we need and the capability of regional trairring institutions to provide such training needed now and in the future.

CARICOM Ministers responsible for Industry last year agreed to the condrrct

of a study which would inforrn a progran)me for the developnrent of the regional woodworking industry and nrake recomnrendations to the next nreeting of

tlte Ministers.

Faculty of Law, Cave l-lill and has been circulated by the CARICOM Secretariat to Menrber States enlisting the views of the social partners in national states. The reporl. will be discussed at the upcoming Meeting of Ministers of Labour.

Social Sccu

ritr

A third Draft Agreenrent on Recipro-

cal social Securities Benefits was examined by

a

Workingparty ofsix heads

of Social Security organisations irr Region last Decerlber. arrrendrrrents

will

A

the

number of

be now incorporated in

a Final Draft Agreerrrent which will be presented to Social Security Heads for concurrence before submission to regional nrinisterial bodies.

-I'ra

in in g

The Secretariat has also started a threephase traini ng progran.rnre for the training of trainers, fiont line and rniddle level

stall. Attachnrents lorsenior ntanagers at regional institutions will also form part of this training.

The lirst of the two-week Regional Traini ng Ski lls Workshops was conducted last Ar.rgust in Trinidad and Tobago and rvith assistance fronr the Conrmonwealth

Secretariat. Other elements of' the rvorkshop have been arranged for February, 1993 and are being financed by national Social Security Organisations.

CARICON{ PERSPECTIVE. JULY - DECEMBER, 1992

NEWTITLES VIDEOS Season of Excellence on Review '9L

Directed by Winston Hewling

A CPTC Production

the dramatic music of Carl and Carol

Pop Heritage Show

nrtiss - Chalice -

The Unique Vision

Band, Gen Myers, Fag 5 Band, Lovindeer,

Stitchie, Cynthia Schloss, Freddie Mc Gregor, Boris Gardner.

The Seawall

- Tales of The GuYana

Coast Directed by Ray

Kril

script by Rupert Roopnarine Staning Marc Mathews,

Neil Isaacs, Venda Radzic, Ron Robinson The old man of the Wall is a traveller

on time who tells the tale of murder, mystery and everyday life along thecoast.

Guyana's coast is 3 meters below sealevel. ilhis progra-m alerts the world about global wamings.

And The Dish Ran AwaY With The Spoon (1992)

A Banyan Production [trinidad & Tobago]

An irreverent, engaging and politically pointed look at the phenomena of US television penetration of the Caribbean. Tony Hall and Enol Sitahal travel to St. Lucia, Cuba and Miami investigating some of the effects of this electronic imperiatism and the fight back through endogenous Productions.

Carnival Is Colour (1987) Directed by Judith Laird/ PeterMinshall flrinidad & Tobagol The video covers Minshall's Carnival *Carnival is Colour". Produced by band Judith Laird the video was commissioned by the National Museum of Trinidad and iobago Leice.ster Museum in England

accompanied an exhibition of Minshall's work.

wnere

A Mas presentation on Camival Monday night at the National Stadium, Port of Spain by Minshall, magically captured here by Banyan with powerful visuals and

it

SantimanitaY (1989) A Banyan Production

ftrinidad & Tobagol

Jacobs.

Hola Minshall (1992) T. T. T./N. B. C. [Trinidad & Tobago] The opening and closing of the 1992 Olympic Gaines in Barcelona featuring the work of Peter Minshall, acclaimed artist from Trinidad and Tobago.

Kaiso For July 27th

Kutumba Directed by Embert Cherles Produced by Folk Research Centre [St. Lucia] The survival of African traditions in the Caribbean is dependant of the survival of African communities and social organisations. African dance forms such as Kutumba, Debot, Yon Bot, and Bele have survival in the Caribbean because

of

their relevance to the daily lives of the people. This film set in the community

of

Coast of St. Lucia, explores the relationship between these art forms and the people who per-

Paiye in the South West

petuate them.

Producer Karen Martinez

[Trinidad & Tobago] The July 1992 CouP attemPt bY the Jamaat Al Muslimeen - Trinidad's black muslim movement - surprised the people of Trinidad and Tobago as much as it surprised the world. In looking at the movement, this film explores why such a group violently intervened in the coun-

try's politics and asks if political

and

Carol's Mirror Directed by SelwYn Jacob Produced by Ritco and Wolf Koeningg

Written by Cheryl Foggo and Clem

Martini Carol's Mirror challenges the use of Eurocentric materials and show how prejudice, racism arid cultural expectations place limited on what people can do with

economical change has occurred since the

their lives.

coup bid.

The Battle For Bellaforma Directed and Produced bY Ronald W. Shannon, An Infovision Production Division of Information [Trinidad & Tobago]

Women In Reggae Directed by Michael BrYan A CPIC Production Judy Mowat and PeP -

All - female

band and Sophia Fisher discuss their careers in the Music industrY'

Miss Amy & Miss MaY Directed by: CYnthia Wilmot Produced by: Sistren Research Script by: Honor Ford-Smith, Cynthia Wilmot, Joan French Starring:

Pauline Crawford, Honor Ford-Smith [Jamaica] This docg-drama produced by Sistren Research, combines "real life" interviews with Miss AmY BaileY and Miss MaY Farquharson and dramatised scenes fronr

their childhood, their meeting in the turbulent 1990's,andtheir60 yearsof friendship.

1992 CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER'

In ihe lTth and l8th

Centuries the

islands of the Caribbean weremerepawns

on the struggle for supremacy between the Maritime powers of Europe. None moreso that the Island christened Bellafroma was conquered and colonised

by every major European powere of the d"y. This engrossing half-hour documentary takes a look into the turbulent military history of the now serene sister isle of Trinidad'

Iis A Long Memoried Woman A Drama & Dance Video based on the collections of poems by Grace Nichols with Leonie Fobes, Adjoa Andoh, Djanet Sears

Producer: Ingrid Lewis Director: Frances - Anne Solomon [Trinidad & Tobago/ UK] Page 101

BOOKs Eileen Thomas: The Last Room (Virago Press,, London l99l) Abigail B. Baker: Ideology and Class

This tape tells the story of a young African woman transported from her homeland to servitude in the West Indies.

Interweaving drama, relevant archives and

Conflict in Jamaica - The Politics of Rebellion (McGill Univ. press,

an interview with the author, the video charts the thoughts and emotions of that nameless black woman, and of a celebration of her endurance and vitality.

Mami Wata Produced and Directed by: Sonja &

Robert Ramesar [Trinidad & Tobago]

Mami Wata is the first in a series of

experimental documentaries

on Trinidadian culture produced and directed

by Sonja and Robert Ramesar. Since its 1992 release, it has won the Global Africa Film Festival (San Franciso) and the paul Robeson Award for Cinematography (Washington).

Montreal,(1990)

E. Clement Bethel:Junkanoo - Festival of The Bahamas (McMillan, Caribbean,1992)

Fred Phillips:Caribbean Life and Culture-ACitizenReflects (Heineman, Caribbean, Jamaica, l99l) ed. Delisle Worrell et al:Financing Development in the Commonwealth Car_ ibbean (Warwick Univ. London l99l) Mark Kurlansky:A Continent of Islands - Searching for the Caribbean Destiny (Addison Wesle Mass, USA 1992)

Rob Nixon:London Calling: V.S.

Naipaul, Post colonial Mandarin (Ox-

ford University Press, 1992) Neville Hall:Slave Society in the Danish West Indies, ed. B.W.Higman (UWI Press, Jamaica,1992)

Barbara Glondon: Stella Seh (Institute NewTitles NewTitles

NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles

NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles

NewTitles NewTitles

NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitIes

NewTitles NewTitles Page 102

of Jamaica Publications Ltd., Jamaica,

NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitle.s

NewTitles NewTitle.s

NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitle.s

NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles

NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitlss NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles NewTitles

leel)

ed. Hilary Beckles &

Verene

Shepherd:Caribbean Slave Society and Economy - A Student Reader (Ian Randle Publishing and University,

London,1992)

Paule Marshall:Daughters

- A Novel (Atheneum, New York, l99l) Basdeo Panday:An Enigma Answered (Chakra Publishing House, Trinidad, le9l)

Nelson Mandela and Fidel Castro:How Far We Slaves Have Come -South

Africaand Cuba in today'sworld (path_ finder Press, USA, l99l) Kathy McAfee:Stern Signals - Structural Adjustment and Development Alter_ natives in the Caribbean (Zed Books Ltd., London, Oxfam America, Bos_ ton)

Zee Edgell:In Times Like

These

(Heinemann Educ. Books Ltd. UK l99l Alecia McKenzie: Satellite City and other Stories (Longman Group UK, 1992)

_

Lawrence Scott: Witchbroom (Allison

& Bushby, London,1992)

Zeno Obi Constance:Tassa, Chutney and Soca - The East Indian

Contribution to Calypso (Zeno Constance,

SanFernando, Trinidad&Tobago, le9l)

Peter Bakker and Peter Hayter:England v. West India - Highlighrs since 1948

(BBC Books, London, l99l) Rod Nicholdon & Tom Prion:Ashes to Ashes - Touring the West Indies with the l99l Australian Cricket Team (An_ gus and Robertson, l99l) Short Stories Stewart Brown:(selected by - Caribbean New Wave - Contem_ porary Start - Heineman Educ. Books Ltd.London,1990 Rene Depestre:The Festival of the Greasv

Pole (Univ. Press

of Virginia,USA,

le90)

Eds. Norman Girvan and David Simmons: Caribbean Ecoloby and Eco_

nomics (IISER, UWI, Kingston. Ja_ maica, l99l) Christopher Adam et al:Adjusting pri_

vatisation: Case Studies from b . _ veloping Countries (Heineman Educ.

Books, USA and Ian Randle, publish_ ers Ltd. Kingston Jmaica) ed. Errol Miller:Education and Sover_ eignty in the Commonwealth Carib_ bean (ISER, UWI, Jamaica, l99l) Janet Higbie:Eugenia: The Caribbean's Iron Lady, 1993, Macmillan, London

Oliver Benn

Lennox Honychurch [Text]:Caribbean Camera: A Journey through the Is_ lands

Viv Richards: Hitting Across the Line lV1a19l, produced by Alan Grindley

and Chrissie Eyles [1992 West Vision

Ltd.l

.o Books Books Books P*!* Books Books ili; P"+" Books P*f" Books Books B""[ F.l.t Books Books B;k Books ilk P""l,t Books B;k" P*F Books P""!n Books Books B;k" P*lt Books Books B;k :"of Books Books Books Books Books B;k P*1" Books Books Books ili;

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY - DECEMBER, 1992

CONTRII}TITOR.S Archer, A. Leonard, Directorof Labour

General, CARICOM (page 103 and

& Human Resources High Commissioner (designate) for

48).

Rabess, Gregory, Member of S.P.A.T.,

the Bahamas to CARICOM Member

Dominica Rodrigues, Albert, Chartered Architect,

States

Anthony, Debra, I.P.S. Jamaica Beckles, Dr. Hilary, Head, Dept. of History, U.W.L Cave Hill

Carrington, Edwin, Secretary-General, CARICOM Draper, Hon. Gordon, Minister responsible for Public Information, O.P.M.,

T&T

Guyana

Soomer, June Departnrent

C.,

Part time Lecturer,

of History, UWI,

page 50,51, and 103).

DuncanrDr.NevilleC., SeniorLecturer,

CARICOM Secretariat Staff

Dept. of Govt., U.W.I. Cave Hill Faria, Norman, Barbadian Joumalist

Blake, Byron Lewis, John

Goodison, Lorna, Jamaican Poet

Gonzales, Dr.

Anthony, Senior Lec-

turer, IIR, St. Augustine Granger, David, Part-time Lecturer, University of Guyana Hickling, Dr. Frederick, Consultant Psychiatrist, Managing Director, Musical Associates Ltd., Jamaica Jackson, Dr. Rashleigh, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Guyana James, Dr. Carol, Head, Wildlife Section, Forestry Division, Government of Trinidad and Tobago Le Bourne, Darnley, General Secretary, National Farmers' Association, Saint Lucia

Lee, Robert, Librarian

&

Poet, Saint

Cave

Hill.

Prof. Karl Theodore, Lecturer, Dept. of Economics, UWI, St. Augustine, (on

Grateful thanks for: Stories on: Page Page Page Page Page

2O

23 26 28 90

- An Island Experience - Pat Cumper - Thom & Cicely Cross - Prof. Rex Nettleford - Patricia Charles

Page 78 - Dr. Calvin Howell, CCA,

Barbados

CARIFESTA

Peter Minshall, George Lamn.ing, Dorbrene O'Marde, Chantal Monique

Esdelle, Dr. Joseph Palacio, Lisa Wickham-Branche,'Mighty Pep'

Lucia

Dr. Arnold Mclntyre, Country Economist, C.D.B. (on page 50,

5

l, and 103).

Mesa-Lago, Carmela, Distinguished Service Professor

of

Economics &

Latin American Studies, University of Pittsburg

Moore, Fauzya, Asst. Director, NorthSouth Institute, Ontario

Nichols, Dr. Neville, President, C.D.B. Palacio, Dr. Joseph, Resident Tutor, School of Continuing Studies, U.W.I.,

Photographs:

p.l p.23 & p.24 - Bemard p.27 - 40

Jankee

p. 65 - Gregory Rabess p.72 - Eddi Rodney p.73 - Albert Rodrigues p.74 - Norman Faria p. 80 - Darnley LeBourne

Belize

Pantin, Gerard, Ex. Director of SERVOL Premdas, Dr. Ralph, Lecturer Department of Govemment, UWI, St. Augustine.

Rainford, Roderick, Govemor, Jamaica Central Bank and former Secretary-

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE - JULY. DECEMBER' 1992

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CARICOM PERSPECTIVE. JULY - DECEMBER, I992