VISION August Issue 2020

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The Butler Group Mission Statement

Formed for the purpose of advancing the economic liberation of the Grenadian populace, The Butler Group, comprised of patriotic Grenadians at home and in the diaspora, deems it vital and strategic in the solemn interest of national development and security that a comprehensive home ownership programme (as outlined in the proposal: A Viable Plan for Grenada) be adopted by our national government and sustained with the use of the commonwealth of the tri-island state, as it will literally and figuratively give workers and their families a floor to stand on and a roof over their heads, in an increasingly complex and precarious global environment.

Such project stands to be our most immediate economic engine, with the capacity to create 100% employment and boost the spending power of workers/citizens in dramatic fashion. Empowered workers are the true wealth of a just society is our mantra.

To effectively and efficiently engage and thus give greater life to this plan, members are principally tasked with the mission of informing and educating the Grenadian public as to why it is vital that workers of limited means be afforded a home using the commonwealth of the tri-island state, in a global environment as it is: rife with strife; thus, only aiding the precarious socioeconomic environment in which workers and their families find themselves.

The generation and dissemination of literature utilizing various media platforms, including online and traditional formats, is crucial in the effort to sustain a protracted grassroots campaign, to ensure such conversation that we are seeking to have with our people will advance the social conscience and consciousness of the nation at large.

In engaging the Grenadian populace, the principle of non-partisanship and nonalignment will be adhered to by its leadership team when carrying out the identified aims of the group, in order to prevent and rebuff possible attempts to dilute and misrepresent the aim of the Butler Plan & Project by potential non-supporters and distractors. The backing of The Butler Plan & Project by ordinary Grenadian citizens is the initial aim of our campaign, for there is no movement (literally and figuratively) without their support, as well as its protection from potential distractors at home and abroad.

Withstanding that there are numerous angles to view national development and security as there are conceivable plans, The Butler Group conceives of workers and their ability to have a greater stake in the ownership and governance of a democratic society to be of supreme importance in the shared task of national development and security.

Our relationship is directly with the Grenadian People, and thus the general posture of a pressure/advocacy group is key when engaging in dialogues with other representative bodies and actors, namely politicians and their respective parties, trade unionists, and the national government.

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F EATU R E D 09

Editor’s Note

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Where Do We Go from Here? by Yao Atunwa

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The Need to Legalize Marijuana by The Herbs Man

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Reclaiming and Developing Agriculture in the State of Grenada by Yao Atunwa

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The Power of Cooperatives for the Caribbean: Beyond Credit Unions by Aaron Moses

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Whiteness and What it Means by Yao Atunwa

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Pure Niceness: Interview with Creative Winnielle Pereira

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The Search for Hits: From “My Boy Lollipop” to What We Hear Today by Yao Atunwa

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Najee Creations

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The High Price of the Pandemic for Grenada’s Creatives by Susan and Asher Mains

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Ways of Coping during the Pandemic by Leslie Carrington

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Great Quotes

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The Making of the Jambalassee Documentary by Dexter Mitchell

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The Growth of Carnival in Carriacou by Dexter Mitchell

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Poetry by Hílda Davis and Sherry E.A. Hamlet

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LaVanda Mireles Art

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Book Feature: The Energy of Gouyave by Fitzgerald “Naka” Joseph

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Around the Globe and Back: Kirani, The Slinger, Lewis Hamilton, and Leslie Hutchinson by Yao Atunwa

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Poetry by Bassanio Graneau VISION MAGAZINE

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EDITOR’S NOTE I hope this issue of VISION finds you and your loved ones safe. Much of the planet is still in the midst of confronting the COVID-19 pandemic, even though the precious protests against racism and white supremacy by tens of thousands in the US and perhaps even larger crowds around the world might not quite fit what is expected.

Social distancing certainly has gone haywire, and for a good cause. I am confident a great many have recognized that to be the case, in fact. If it was not, so many would not be expressing their bitter anger and frustration in the streets in the manner that they do.

The show of solidarity with the Black Lives Movement (BLM) by people of varied nationality in almost every major city and province in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by police officers of the Minnesota Police Department on May 25th has not been anything imaginable. It is as though the ugly truth about the US oppression of people of African descent has finally touched a nerve with folks who would otherwise remain silent and pretty much turn a blind eye to another routine killing of an unarmed black man pleading for his precious life. The danger of keeping silent in the face of blatant racism and oppression is now on trial, resulting in no sentient individual of a conscious mind and likewise institution is allowed to remain silent without being assigned shame and disgust by sympathizers pleading for justice and a stop to police brutality. Silence is betrayal, as once echoed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the great Civil and Human Rights leader who himself was murdered by his own government while seeking to bring about social and economic justice for those targeted by an oppressive economic system.

Without delving deep into a much-needed discourse on the long-lasting relationship between racism and capitalism, particularly on US soil but not limited there by any chance, for it is widespread, I wish to say that for a more just US society and world to come about, the real focus would have to be aimed at capitalism for its orienting qualities, not so much racism as such. Racism is only an insurance policy for capitalism. It is meant to serve as a guarantor of the continuation of a system designed to stratify society by any means necessary, at the expense of the great majority of people whose lives are shaped by that system. Therefore, inequality is the real issue being played out in racial terms, without of course much investigation of the processes of a system that is responsible for the disparities in wealth, income, healthcare and all else. In this financialized stage of capitalism those disparities are growing not only along racial lines. Such is especially pronounced in the general population in the US, the epicenter of the order, whereby the top 10 percent of the economy possess 70 percent of the wealth and more than 2/3 of the population live paycheck to paycheck; many of whom are without a meager $500.00 to address an emergency situation. But debt is what the US economy runs on, as is the case with economies in the region which are heavily reliant on funding from the IMF, World Bank and other international creditors situated to maintain a particular geopolitics and economics.

The picture that I am seeking to reveal is that much of the world population is not free. And that will continue to be the case until the US Federal Reserves and all the other central banks around the world are owned and controlled by their respective populations, and not by private interests. The peoples of the world will not be free until the people of the world rise up against US imperialism in all its manifestations. I am afraid it is the only instance black and brown lives in the US and around the world will matter as they should. The aim to validate all lives in their sacredness will matter when government leaders demonstrate a keen willingness to dismantle the current order bent on valuing capital accumulation over human life and the environment. But that, of course, would require a deep consciousness. We certainly have our work cut out for us (those of us organizing and mobilizing for change).

Let us join hands to organize and mobilize for the overthrow of an oppressive order, my brothers and siters.

To turn a blind eye to this vital mission is to continue to miss the real issue with the blatant and not-so-blatant victimization of people of African descent in the US and elsewhere.

Stay safe, stay vigilant, stay proactive!

Respectfully,

Yao Atunwa Editor New York City, July, 2020 9

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WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE WRITTEN BY YAO ATUNWA

The unprecedented event that is still unfolding in the region and globally, the Covid-19 pandemic as it was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11th , 2020, will no doubt leave an impact unmatched by any event in modern world history; thus, notwithstanding the brutal destruction of the lives of millions of Africans at the hands of European colonizers/enslavers, or the annihilation of the Tainos and other indigenous peoples in our part of the world from outright slaughter in conjunction with the ravage of foreign diseases.

As Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados and the current Chairperson of Caricom [when the article was penned], summarily stated in

an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour (April 29th), “It has been the most destabilizing event for our countries.”

The impact of this virus on the lives of people in the region — one that is very dependent on travel and trade and in particular tourism — has been horrendous thus far; more so in the form of an economic slowdown directly resulting from the shutdown of most of the commercial activities, as well as the borders in our little Grenada (and similarly across other Caricom states). Reports are in from economists both in the region and those situated at the United Nations and elsewhere that the region is set to lose greatly from the absence of a viable tourism sector precisely because of the region’s

Photo credit: Gettys Images/Paulo Costa

heavy reliance on that sector, accounting for near or over 50 percent of the GDPs of many Caricom states, including Grenada’s. These economists have also highlighted a contraction of over 20 percent for many economies in the region, a conservative estimate, for the more realistic figure is more in the neighborhood of 30 percent and more due to the direct and indirect role that tourism serves in these economies, as it tends to boost other sectors and businesses such as construction and food and beverage, and an array of service-based and auxiliary businesses.

I should add that the projection is that tourism will not return for the remainder of the year and most of 2021 for a number of factors all

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stemming from the ongoing pandemic and the economic fallout faced by workers in the developed countries in North America and Europe, the major tourist markets for the region.

For Grenada, tourism has been the primary foreign exchange earner for more than two decades, causing it to be the number one sector in our economy followed by education and construction. Agriculture, which used to be the largest sector and foreign exchange earner as late as the 1970s and 1980s (in spite some clear challenges and deficiencies on many fronts during that reign), has been relegated to the fourth spot because of lack of vision. But as we have come to realize in a most obvious manner, our heavy reliance on tourism is not justifiable, not when it actually exposes our vulnerability in the event of economic shocks brought on by economic or health/environmental conditions such as this most glaring one on our hands that originated beyond our shores (as most have).

Moreover, the unsustainability of this sector is reflected in the very structure of tourism as an industry, with most of the investment made is in the form of foreign direct investments in the first instance; not to mention the posture of these establishments with their own reliance on sourcing their food and other supplies from foreign shores, which of course is facilitated by major concessions from our government in the form of tax holidays that last 20-plus years. The arrangement in no uncertain terms is extractive and exploitative for our economy and the region’s economies, when on average around 80 to 90 percent of the profits generated leave our shores and that of other Caricom states (Jamaica, a much larger destination, only lately started retaining 35 cents on the dollar). With tourism clearly holding the most important place in our current economic model at the moment, it is no surprise that it was uppermost in the minds of government leaders as they sought to provide financial support to businesses during this downturn, so much so that the sector was highlighted as the government was launching the stimulus package and in particular its income support to hoteliers in maintaining payroll for their staff during this disruptive period; as well as workers in other areas of the economy that are being negatively impacted.

As announced on March 20th, 2020, the

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identified hospitality-based business persons are particularly intended for the income support, including public bus operators, taxi drivers, and tourist vendors. $10 million for unemployment benefits would be provided through the National Issuance Scheme (NIS), as well as the expansion of soft loans to small businesses through the Grenada Development Bank.

Equally interesting, at the same token, is the government’s attitude towards farmers and fisherfolk in the midst of its planning for the lockdown. These workers’ general inability to directly benefit from the stimulus package demonstrates quite frankly the challenge with why we are so dependent on tourism in the first place. It starts with our mindset.

The Covid-19 Task Force, which is comprised of the Acting Commissioner of Police, medical personnel, along with other senior government officials, and other stakeholders from the public sector and civil society, is tasked with administering the Emergency Powers Regulations. As the reality bears itself, the statutory rules and orders therein failed to declare farmers and fisherfolk as essential workers. The government’s reason for not deeming farmers and fisherfolk as essential workers, as was explained by the prime minister in several press briefings, is that such decision will lead to, in essence, a turnover

or compromise of the intended statutory rules and regulations; citing a challenge in identifying such persons or anyone for that matter as farmers or fisherfolk, since there is no database with readily available data to verify the identity of the nation’s famers and fisherfolk and hence the government’s cited challenge with providing income support to this same category of workers. The plea for farmers to attend to their livestock immediately surfaced after those pronouncements by government.

And it was ignored until weeks later, as was the case in the granting of fishermen the opportunity to ply their trade.

This apparent misstep by government in this instance in particular one can attribute to the overall ill-informed approach to development by government, because in no country where self-reliance is a guiding mantra would farmers and fisherfolk not be deemed essential workers, so food can be produced continually as a priority, as well as to ensure the protection of the very assets of farmers, given the very vulnerable nature of those assets. I recall the mention of one provision with respect to farmers made during those press briefings in late March and early April, which was the purchase of produce by the Marketing and National Importing Board (MNIB) supposedly as a support mechanism.

I supposed the farmers ought to harvest their

produce on the days designated for shopping for the general public in the various parishes, given that they are not considered essential workers and to add, provisions were not spelled out in the Emergency Powers Regulations under no section. This nonchalant behavior on the part of the government would eventually pose an obvious challenge to particularly livestock farmers and those responsible for the nation’s chief export corps, namely nutmeg and cocoa.

The situation came to a head at the ending of April after representatives from both the Grenada Cooperative Nutmeg Association (GCNA) and the Grenada Cocoa Association (GCA) issued their grievance to the public regarding their interest in government allowing for the purchasing of these crops for processing, so that they do not go to waste and farmers stand to lose. After the public shaming with the issuance of a joint press release on April 27th, finally a decision materialized on May 1st to allow for the commencement of the purchase of nutmeg scheduled for May 4–8th. No

Agro-Industries Ltd. (by the Ministry of Health due to several workers being tested positive for Covid-19): the principal supplier of processed feed on island. The frustration that farmers were having stemmed directly from the need for both the minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Yolande Bain-Horsford, and the Trade Minister, Oliver Joseph, to ensure the granting of an import license in light of their inaccessibility to the feed in stock at Caribbean Agro-Industries’ plant and thus the emergency need to order feed from neighboring Trinidad (and Barbados to arrive at a later date), after not being able to obtain feed for one week. But the import license was not granted at 8 am on Saturday, May 2nd, 2020 when the feed arrived on port to facilitate urgent dissemination to the farmers that were stationed at various points. 900 bags of feed were being held up at the St George’s Port because the import license that was applied for some three days prior and supposed to be fasttracked with the promise from Minister Oliver

was issued by Government Information Services sometime around noon that “Collaborative efforts between the Government of Grenada and the Grenada Association of Poultry Farmers, resulted in a shipment of emergency feed arriving on Saturday, for immediate distribution to farmers across the country.”

This lukewarm disposition displayed to farmers and agricultural production in general (in all actuality) by government says a lot about our prioritization of fundamental principles of development or rather a lack thereof, in this peculiar case. How can a nation that is laden with a grossly imbalanced food import bill truly seek to reverse such trend, to begin to put to better use of the nation’s foreign reserves and attain greater reliance on locally produced foods? Is self-reliance even a priority on the minds of our government leaders, when they have much difficulty acknowledging that our ability to provide our own food sources as a nation is vital and strategic in confronting a pandemic such as this one, as is in the interest of the overall health of our economy in light of the overall impact?

Nutritious foods at that!

This awkwardness or flatfootedness, if you will, exhibited by our current government denotes its leaders’ very value system. I am moved to declare that what matters most for them is seeking to essentially continue with business as usual, though the opposite sentiment is being echoed by the administration at this juncture. Yes, the current pandemic is resulting in new approaches to the regulation of the public, to avoid the spread of the virus. In that respect obviously it is not business as usual but rather extraordinary and unprecedented maneuvers. On the other hand, the government’s approach to national development I will contend has not changed one iota, even as the prime minister launched his task force to come up with recommendations for an economic recovery, with a target date of May 15th to provide the first report.

Photo credit: Laureen Redhead word as of yet regarding the purchase of cocoa.

In similar vein, the nation’s poultry farmers were plagued with red tape or more so indecision or perhaps delayed action (in any regard, let us call it inaction, to be most general) in addressing an immediate need for processed feed for over 70,000 birds, after the closure of Caribbean

Joseph on Friday night, to allow for clearing of the bags, was being delayed without clear or stated reason.

Apparently, after the dispatch of a statement from President of the Grenada Poultry Association, Jason Phillip, to The New Today newspaper and circulated, the feed was cleared, and a statement

One can only anticipate a continuation of the lopsidedness with government’s reliance on foreign direct investments, IMF and World Bank loans in the immediate and long-term periods to supplement the very little surplus on hand in spite the boasting of economic growth of 5 percent for the last several years. For one, it is difficult to have reserves in substantial quantity when the servicing of those same loans we seem addicted to as an anemic patient remains a central feature of governance. Hence, the reason VISION MAGAZINE

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why we have resorted to selling our nation’s passport to wealthy foreign nationals seeking a second or third passport for them and their relatives.

All indication is currently present that the aim is to protect the tourism sector the way we ought to be protecting our natural environment and farming; and that government still intends to develop the rural parishes with foreign direct investment in a manner that is reflective of the described current economic development model, as we are witnessing happening in La Sagesse, St David, with an even bigger project slated for the Levera National Park, in St Patrick. In La Sagesse, we have already witnessed the total destruction of mangrove trees around the salt pond in that vicinity with the clearing of the lands in preparation for construction of a supposedly environmentallyconscious luxury brand hotel, Six Senses, owned by Range Development. The outcry came from concerned citizens and the Willie Redhead Foundation about the devastation of those trees and the eventual adverse impact to the ecosystem of that environ reported to be a principal site for various migratory and local species of birds to nest. With that being said, would we now see a shift in the approach to development of the natural environment because Covid-19 has changed the landscape for sustainable development, as the prime minister had expressed as he rolled out this task force, which is comprised of some seven sub-committees responsible for key productive areas of the economy?

What will take place with unemployment returning to over 35 percent (a conservative estimate in all actuality)? Is the government planning to use the US$22.4 million in loans recently secured from the IMF with immediate disbursement to directly create avenues for employment? One is not suggesting that loans and grants are not needed from time to time, especially in the event of an emergency such as this one. Needless to say, the challenge with securing concessionary loans from the IMF and the World Bank has been major for small developing states such as ours absurdly deemed to be middle (and high income) states.

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from economic, health or environmental events, all because we have yet to overcome the deprivations entrenched and sustained during the colonial epoch. This point about the prime minister’s lack of interest in educating the public on these matters may not seem to be a critical one, but it is, because a leader who is seeking to truly transform a nation for economic prosperity, overall security, and a more just reality will seek to educate the population about these realities on the international scene, as they are linked with those on the regional and national scene.

To not protest and call attention to the treatment of our civilization as Grenadians and Caribbean people by the dominant forces is to appear complicit and/or bamboozled to that order, i.e., the Washington Consensus. Perhaps because one thinks that there are rewards for not speaking out against those stark realities on international platforms such as the United Nations. Specifically, as the disposition relates to the local population, the current government leaders simply interpret no responsibility on their part because they do not see the value in doing so. I say, to not inform the Grenadian people of such realities, is to grossly handicap them if they should be mobilized for the development and transformation of the economy and society, to benefit all citizens of the tri-island state.

The motif of the People’s Revolutionary Government headed by Maurice Bishop was a straightforward one, by contrast. They made it a duty to keep the masses informed about these realities as they were being mobilized for a reorganization of the productive capacities of the nation, principally the people themselves and the natural resources of the country. The productive capacity under the auspices of such leadership boomed to the extent that the Grenadian economy grew throughout that 4-year period, reporting some 15 percent cumulatively by 1982, while a world recession was happening and hostility from the US Government, I might add.

To do differently as it relates to the first step of informing the masses, I would like to stress once again, it is too big a compromise of the democratic principles and ultimately our intelligence and dignity, which consequently will only result in our compromised security economically and otherwise. If one looks

carefully and analyses the neglect highlighted on this occasion on the part of the current government, it very much has to do with their over-reliance on capital and in particular foreign direct investment capital as an instrument for national development as compared to reorganizing the great potentiality of people, the workers in the society with mobilizing the little we have at our disposal, as was done during our revolutionary period, the period in our history we had witnessed the most social progress. You see, my friends, through our ostensibly accepted role of being a dependent state, we have actually accepted a passive posture, and that is transmitted throughout the population by those charged with providing leadership. Consequentially, as a nation, we are hardly seeking to handle our problems the way a freedom-loving/seeking people tend to preoccupy themselves, in all earnest. In fact, we have to desire to build a new socioeconomic development model to replace the one afforded to us by the architects of the Washington Consensus; and everyone has to be on the same page with such intent. If we are not sincere in our engagement in the outlined process, we will not be able to break the cycle of dependency manifested in over-reliance on loans and foreign direct investments and tourism – all parasitic in nature under the current global economic model/order.

As you would have gathered thus far, I do not have confidence in a genuine transformation by the current administration, which is desperately needed, simply because I do not have confidence in the leadership of the prime minister and his cabinet. In my assessment, he does not possess the consciousness nor sensitivity and thus the disposition to inspire and nurture the climate for the reconstruction of our economy, because that is what it will require to transform our economic and social realities, to place us on a solid course for selfreliance as an independent state. Obviously, I did not pose the question demonstrated in the title and throughout this article solely because I can gauge the response from the current administration. The question is one for all Grenadians to contemplate and activate: Where do we go from here? I ask it in all earnest, which by the way facilitated a critical view of the current leadership in government.

We certainly have a lot of work to do!

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The Need to Legalize Marijuana WRITTEN BY THE HERBS MAN

“Legalize it, and don’t criticize it; legalize it, yeah, yeah, and I will advertise it.” Those are the lyrics of Reggae freedom fighter and cannabis activist Peter Tosh. This famous song titled ‘Legalize It’ was released in 1976, 44 years ago.

predict the Legal Marijuana Market size is set to be worth $73.6 Billion USD by 2027, a country like Grenada, which has severe cash flow problems as well as amazing climatic conditions and virgin fertile soil suitable for growing the plant, is yet to make any steps to tap into that industry.

Even when leading economists

It is actually absurd when you think of it, that a plant with so much known benefits, uses and commercial potential is still being criminalized in Grenada and many other islands in the region. Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are the only countries so far in the region that have decriminalized the cannabis plant, with Barbados and St. Kitts and Nevis in the process of putting

Photo credit: Getty Images/digihelion 15

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in place frameworks to legalize and begin commercial cultivation of the herb.

There have been heated debates for years on what is the best way to go about dealing with the marijuana situation in Grenada. Many members of the religious community have spoken out strongly about the decriminalization of cannabis -- citing and predicting further decay of our social fabric. Pro-cannabis groups, including the Rastafarian community, are calling for the herb to be freed up. Progressive economists and lawyers have also been clamoring for steps to be taken to get Grenada to become a major player in the legal marijuana industry.

Back in 2018, at a press conference in Grenada’s capital, Prime Minister Mitchell’s then-press secretary, Kisha Alexander-Grant, when questioned about Grenada’s position on St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ recent initiative to move towards decriminalization, she declared that Prime Minister Mitchell has indicated that while he respects the St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister’s intent for his country, he has no intention to support this cause in the interest of the Grenadian people. Nothing has happened to indicate otherwise on the part of Prime Minister Mitchell, Grenada’s longest serving political leader, to date.

At the same token, there has also not been any strong cohesive effort by advocates to consistently lobby and apply pressure to the legislative arm of government, to get the ‘herb’ decriminalized. One of Grenada’s strong voices over the years has been Syisha Williams. In a recent interview with him, he emphasized that the legalization of cannabis has the power to bring liberation to the people of Grenada: “This one plant has so much economic potential. The day we start tapping into that is the day we are liberated from depending on other countries and the IMF.” Williams said he hopes the Grenadian citizens would have a say in the drafting of legislation for cannabis reform. He was adamant in expressing that he doesn’t want the law to be written in a way that sets the criteria to get licenses to enter the cannabis industry to be

out of reach for average Grenadians.

Many activists in areas of North America like Denver and California have spoken out about big corporations having an unfair advantage based on the criteria set out in terms of the application process to obtain a license in the marijuana industry; from application fees, annual renewal fee, cultivation license registration fee etc., the challenge is a sizable one for small investors.

Grenada has to be very vigilant in crafting legislation with a wide view and thus sensitive to the plight of small farmers/ investors, in ensuring a balanced playing field. Moreover, it would be economic suicide to decriminalize marijuana and hand it over to foreign interests. If Grenada is to decide to decriminalize cannabis, the citizens of Grenada must be the greatest beneficiaries.

Syisha Williams stated, “Just the smoking and medicinal aspect of marijuana will not provide a job for every Grenadian and will not make our entire country prosperous, but it will make certain people with vested interest in Grenada very wealthy. But for us to produce marijuana for medicinal purposes, we need to have very controlled areas: meaning you need land, factories, and laboratories.

However, I and the Grenada Herbal Foundation will not advocate pushing just recreational marijuana because that doesn’t hire 5,000 youth every year and gives them a well-paying job. However, like we have cane being reintroduced in Grenada right now which is detrimental to our soil, we can have the male cannabis plant called hemp which grows the same way like cane but needs 90 percent less pesticide and enriches the soil, and then the materials that come from it can be used to produce concrete to plastic and everything in between, which will guarantee that children can get a viable job and be the master of their own destiny.”

expected to reach $73.6 billion USD by 2027, according to a new report published by Grand View Research, Inc. It is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 18.1 percent during the forecast period. Increasing legalization of cannabis for medical as well as adult-use is expected to promote growth.

On the basis of category, the medical segment held the leading revenue share of 71 percent in 2019, owing to the growing adoption of cannabis as a pharmaceutical product for treating severe medical conditions, such as cancer, arthritis, and Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease among other neurological conditions. Moreover, increasing need for pain management therapies, along with the growing disease burden of chronic pain among elders, is expected to boost the product demand.

It may be just a matter of time before countries like Grenada jump onto the bandwagon. The sooner, the better. How do we even afford to imprison citizens for planting, smoking, and trading the herd: a plant that was only criminalized in our region and North America less than a hundred years ago for dubious reasons?! The truth of the matter is that we can’t afford it, not in monetary terms or otherwise.

Grenada, as many other countries around the world, is in a tight spot financially.

Fragments of the society are looking towards decriminalizing cannabis and opening up the revenue streams of the industry as a good way to save our economy.

The global legal marijuana market size is

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Reclaiming and Developing Agriculture in the State of Grenada WRITTEN BY YAO ATUNWA

Photo credit: Ezra Graneau

That which our nation tragically failed to develop for the longest while, our agriculture sector, is positively back on the radar for many concerned citizens throughout the length and breadth of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, and of course the government which is caught grossly illprepared for what can be decade-defining, if met with the broadest commitment led by

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government, or such is not the case, in fact.

Any maneuver or lack thereof, be it correct or not, will be amplified in this period. Because of the magnitude and gravity of the state of affairs worldwide, it is a defining moment in many respects or endeavors for our citizenry and those of other nations; and the arena of governance matters most because it is most needed.

Thus, gauging the discourse amongst nationals at home and in the diaspora surrounding the limited role agriculture has been assigned in terms of its contribution to the nation’s GDP, one can confidently and positively report that we are definitely beginning to make acknowledgement that the need to improve and moreover transform our agriculture sector has probably never

been so “in-your-face obvious.” The true and ugly reality of where we have found ourselves economically as a nation spells EXTREMELY VULNERABLE and BADLY INJURED. The unfolding Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant economic malaise with the absence of a viable or functioning tourism sector, which accounts for over 50 percent of our GDP (directly and indirectly), in conjunction with the situation of a great many persons unemployed at the moment, has made this urgent issue of reclaiming and developing our agriculture sector one that simply cannot be ignored or treated as a stepchild – not by any single individual citizen with the responsibility to feed oneself and perhaps a family.

It is a conversation that we needed to have and should continue to have until we get it right. That question does not start with the people’s holding out and asking the private sector what it has in store. I recall thendeputy Prime Minister, Bernard Coard, at the launching of Grenada Agro-Industries reminding attendees and the nation on a whole, that 400 years had elapsed and still the private sector did not seek to process the mangoes and guavas and other fruits rotting on the ground. It should be noted that the private sector’s interest is proverbially a narrow one. This mission calls for the broadest commitment, so without a doubt government has to lead.

With all its utility intact, the long-evasive question has been for as long as the need to reclaim and transform agriculture in the State of Grenada: How do we as a nation go about investing in agriculture to yield gains that would seek to bring about a transformation of not only agriculture but the socioeconomic reality for our people?

And to further qualify such, how might we begin to formulate or give scope to this intended question of great significance in a way that will lead to how we will ultimately come to see and define ourselves as a nation, with economic freedom as a true goal attainable in this lifetime? There is frankly no inkling that we have earnestly picked up this question since the demise of the People’s Revolutionary Government (1979-1983) and its undertaking of this great developmental

question over 40 years ago.

One can simply offer the argument that if our leadership in government had seriously grappled with this question over the last 25-plus years, the nation would not be in the current state of affairs, where we are outsourcing much of our nutritional intake to our detriment while we could barely balance the nation’s budget (as indicated with the dismal balance of payment records for that period). The grave reality is that we have never been as dependent as we currently are on foreign creditors since becoming an independent nation-state (accounting for anywhere between 63.49 to 108 percent of GDP within the last two decades, after making the initial jump 19 years ago from 41.6 percent in 2001 to 79.09 percent in 2002).

This means the general welfare of workers is a precarious one, as is becoming more obvious with the very policies of government as they correspond to the truncation of contractual arrangements of health care workers, resulting in their denial of full-time employment in such a vital sector for newlyhired nurses, leaving them without the typical fringe benefits afforded to full-time nurses; or the ongoing situation with public officers being denied the level of gratuity initially promised by the current administration of 25 percent; or the more recent episode of a great number of workers having to do with $330 a month during the current downturn as a flat rate offered by government under the auspices of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) because that is all it can provide to the nation’s workers at this juncture.

The picture is one that highlights the realization by many that our nation is merely surviving on cyclical payday loans, very much as an anemic patient constantly in need of iron. Those loans serve as a principal means in which government has been seeking to grow the economy for the entire period postPRG, boosting particularly the construction sector with the undertaking of capitalintensive infrastructure projects over the last 20 years. It should be most obvious also that this approach is merely manageable; it is not a sustainable one for a nation. This, more than ever, is the moment to get our priorities

in order; it is the moment to get our priorities right for once.

Central to the question earlier posed is the definitional role of agriculture. What role agriculture ought to play for our nation is a simple way to put it. Agriculture’s role in nearly all societies, given the availability of arable lands and climatic conditions, is to serve as the foundation of that society and its economy. Agriculture is what launched and fueled the industrial revolution in Europe in 1700s and in the US thereafter, albeit with slave labor. The mechanization of those factories in Europe was powered not so much by steam but the agricultural output of the colonies in the Americas.

As diverse as the US economy has been in its modern history, its agriculture sector remains the largest in the world (as is its economy), and it is highly buttressed by the US federal government, to the point where these US corporations can dump their highlysubsidized produce and products in our region. Contrary to the perception of many, the vast majority of the US is not occupied by cities and other urban centers but rural lands where agriculture is vigorously and seriously engaged, though less and less by familyowned farms compared to conglomerates, especially in the manufacturing of foodstuff.

And that is proving to be unsustainable and destructive to local economies in that country, as it has long proven to be the case for small developing nation-states such as ours when we come in contact with all its illeffects. The point nonetheless is having an appreciation for the incomparable role that agriculture plays in the health of an economy and its respective population, heuristically.

Of course, the methods employed by those with a vested interest in agriculture as a business can begin to tell a whole other story insofar as the wholesomeness or lack thereof of that industry.

Therefore, in this immensely changing world where precariousness for the multitude seems to be growing in sync with the corporatization and monopolization of agriculture and agro-processing, to where seeds are being patented and governments are being asked to facilitate the prosecution

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of farmers for not abiding by stringent regulations associated with this new regime, or else face penalties themselves, vigilance and self-reliance are crucial. Farmers in Asia (India being the epicenter) and even in the US are finding it increasingly difficult to avoid the adverse implications set in motion by corporations that could care less about the physical and mental health of Americans or any other or the overall economic sustainability of those nations. Their chief concern, as demonstrated by their actions, is profiteering and exerting dominance and control on populations world-over. It is no mystery that the vast majority of the noncommunicable diseases afflicting our citizens and those of other countries stem from the quality of the foods produced by these corporations (with government support, as is the case in the US). From all perspectives, the need to take agriculture seriously could not be more alarming.

The Covid-19 virus/pandemic has given us as a nation the opportunity to re-think in particular our position when it comes to agricultural output, which requires a recalibration of the current approaches to cultivation and the manufacturing of raw materials for food consumption and other uses.

Like the US, which was once the colonial outpost of European principalities, the Caribbean region has a rich agricultural heritage, albeit not designed to benefit the laboring populations of the region, in producing the raw material for the factories of England, France, the Netherland, etc. A mono-culture is the term academics have used to describe the sanctioned and standard practice of these colonized territories as they were being organized to produce selective crops in the raw or near-raw state for export to Europe to be converted into value-added consumer goods which were/are then exported to our shores: The legacy of which we still live with today.

This is the reason why our farmers sell their produce in a buyers’ market, and as a result, have a mounting challenge to receive just compensation for their nutmeg and cocoa.

That reality in itself will incessantly stifle

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growth in agriculture, as it is not one to inspire members of the younger generations to want to labor as their parents did with little rewards. Thus, an initiative as the formation of the Grenada Chocolate Company and the cooperative model adopted by founders Mott Green, Doug Browne, and Edmund Brown, proved very much to be the best thing done for cocoa farmers since the establishment of the Grenada Cocoa Association (GCA), as they are now receiving a better value for their beans domestically and are themselves members of the cooperative.

Now, Grenada boasts three additional chocolate-manufacturing companies, including Diamond set up by the GCA. These companies have given shape to a niche market for their chocolate products, with most of it being exported to international markets. Organic dark chocolate sustainably produced using the best-tasting beans on the planet (with high fat content compared to lesser grade beans from larger producers) is making its mark in an industry valued at $100 billion. Africa collectively, with Ghana traditionally being the top producer, is said to produce 75 percent of all cocoa in the world, but only reaps a meagre 2 percent. I think we all know why that is. Simply put, they have yet to organize themselves around the idea of producing actual chocolate.

Therefore, the solution to the low price for cocoa beans is not to cut down cocoa trees or not replant what was destroyed by hurricane, but to organize around demonstrating greater ownership of one’s labour, and that only happens when value can be added to the natural resource by the actual producers of the raw material who have long been shortchanged. The other critical aspect to take away from that revolution led by the founders of the Grenada Chocolate Company is the need to make wider use of the cooperative model, especially in a labour intense industry as agriculture. Such model seeks to provide a better way to not only pool capital but labour as well. In fact, it is the best model to revive many of our nation’s large estates which are grossly under producing for a number of factors, including the devastation of the banana industry and the overall unattractive prices for traditional

crops. The advantage is that collectivism has a built-in dynamism that allows for greater latitude for those involved, which serves as an automatic and direct incentive for devoted involvement, to want to get involved in the first place, which stands in the space usually occupied by much of the risk associated with sole proprietorship or other business models with a need for a greater concentration of private ownership.

We as a people have not invested much in the cooperative model because it is not the model naturally or historically promoted in our society by and large. But in it, the answer lies to reverse the legacy of monoculture and the existing mischief of neoliberalism, with corporations from the economically powerful nations seeking to have greater say in what we consume and the price we ultimately pay.

No country wishes to be dependent on foreigners unless they wish to maintain a power relation with the dominant countries which comes with the effects of selling your labor rather cheaply. Thus, your citizens cannot adequately sustain a quality of life that is dignifying. It is time we wise up and take serious action to reverse those unhealthy trends that only spell vulnerability and potential calamity for our people. Hence, I will seek to propose that the government seeks to purchase Dougaldston Estate which has been on the market for well over a decade for some US$12 million. Dougaldston and other historic estates ought to be designated as farmlands as a matter of law, to prevent further encroachment by developers for home developments and hotels. Those sites are strategic in ensuring that we have the utmost capacity to provide food for ourselves first and foremost, and secondly to fuel the development of a viable manufacturing base.

The current posture by government as it relates to these farmlands is too nonchalant and loose and frankly detrimental at that.

Government itself, I come to learn, is involved in seeking to covert fertile lands of a historic estate on the sister isle of Carriacou to build a housing scheme.

Utilizing the cooperative model that is incentivized by government and perhaps even orchestrated by government, soursop,

mangoes, coconuts, and other food and medicinal crops can be cultivated on a massive scale. This could then lead to the establishment of agro-processing, be it the drying of mangoes or extracting and bottling mango juice and that of the soursop and coconuts. There is an expanding market for these items, and need I state that they are more profitable than the traditional export crops. Even the flowers that we export to Europe and North America, more can be done, if their cultivation can be brought to a similar scale. Flower growers in Clozier and other interior parts of the island should be leveraging Grenada’s success at the Chelsea Flower Show, when it is being won

by Grenada routinely with wide appeal. A branding campaign not only for tourism but the species of flowers we have come to be known for, and are actually rare, is warranted.

Why don’t we at present have contracts to distribute our flowers to every international airport around the world, as well as a great many convention centers and luxury hotels?

I envision our flowers being handled as any exotic product from France or Italy, where the utmost care and branding is adhered to.

And while we are seeking to put such in place, we also will have to revamp our scholarship program, in redirecting what students venture outside Grenada to study. We ought to put emphasis on fields that will have immediate and practical use to our nation.

Hence, focus is needed in areas that will give direct support to our investment in the agriculture sector. Food science/chemistry, agroeconomics, agronomy, horticulture, botany, entomology, microbiology, and the like. This, along with the cooperative model, is what will get youth interested and vested in agriculture, especially the many without farmlands or presently have any attachment to agriculture. I, personally, have always love agriculture, both as an academic subject and direct indulgence in the community. I am sure there is a great number of students and young people in the tri-island state with a similar experience. I would imagine that the situation to be no different from a boy/ girl honing his/her skills at soccer throughout primary and secondary school without a professional league on home soil to take

those skills. The great majority will not seek to continue to invest their time beyond a certain point when the much-needed facilities are absent, such as a serious professional league.

The potential to manufacture a wide array of products providing employment for nationals is promising within this articulated framework of collectivism in ownership and thus approach to engaging markets.

There is absolutely no reason in this day and age for the cocoa growers around the world to not have a cartel in the same manner oil producers have done, traditionally.

Caribbean, South and Central American, and African countries should be setting the value for those beans should they be sold as such, not the buyers. Perhaps Grenada’s Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries (with support from Caricom) could provide leadership on that front. It would endear my heart to see Grenada produce an assortment of medicinal products from nutmeg, as exemplified by the efforts of the late Denis Noel, innovator of Nut-Med Spray and Nut-Med Cream (among other products made from local plants). I suppose the Grenada Cooperative Nutmeg Association could either duplicate such an operation after it would have sponsored scholarships to the best scientific-minded students, or even directly invest in such company, to help it expand and grow.

The other frontier in seeking to transform the sector and with it the socioeconomic reality for our people is one that is long overdue because it is costing the society too greatly and it has enormous opportunities for huge investments and rewards. That is the legalization of marijuana to harness its healing powers and versatility as a plant.

When we begin that process, we will relieve ourselves of the social and financial cost that is being maintained by the criminalization of the plant and those who use it. We already started witnessing countries around the world and in the region benefiting from such change in attitude and policy. I am not sure why we have not started that process. The government needs pushing on the issue. It currently appears that nothing will happen if we leave it up to government to move the needle. Again, the cooperative model is

most applicable to ensure wide interest in investment and ultimately wide sharing of the proceeds.

To witness HM Prisons at Richmond Hill promote reparative justice with the implementation of a training institute for the cultivation and marketing of the herb – to have the herb side-by-side with the typical vegetables grown on the surrounding lands – would be a great boost for the spirits of our young people and all those who currently have to live in fear of being caught with herb. Agriculture desperately needs a lift in spirit. The decriminalization and eventual legalization of a versatile and highly beneficial plant that is a high earner will surely serve to improve our socioeconomic standing. Weed is the Caribbean’s green gold. It only needs to be actualized. Government has to be on board to make this happen. There is no way around that!

To reclaim and develop agriculture in the State of Grenada, those are measures and processes that we ought to be undertaking with solid and wide commitment from all stakeholders, with government laying the foundation as highlighted herein. This is where the grant monies and loans the government seeks to access should be invested, to reduce our dependence on such loans and foreign aid, not to mention the unhealthy position of our people consuming foods that are not of the best quality. Grenadian households should find it imperative to invest in a kitchen garden, especially those situated in rural areas. We surely should seek to introduce more mechanization in the agriculture sector, and I trust such will come into play when our people’s attitude shifts and a seriousness about reclaiming and transforming our first industry is operationalized, so it can play the foundational and vital role it needs to play. Without such an approach, I do not see how we will survive much less thrive in an increasingly precarious world, especially for small developing states.

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The Power of Cooperatives for the Caribbean: Beyond Credit Unions WRITTEN BY AARON MOSES skills, as they gain mastery of their lives in their own communities.

Cooperatives function in virtually every sector of the world’s economy. These include electricity, water, education, housing, agriculture, forestry, fishing, manufacturing, purchasing, banking, other financial services, wholesale and retail, marketing, renewable energy, health care and social services. Currently, there are one billion members in three million cooperatives around the world. Two hundred and eighty million persons are employed in the sector, approximating 10 percent of the world’s employed population.

Photo credit: Getty Images/Azmanjaka Cooperatives are value-based, user-driven and people-oriented organizations whose formal origin is attributed to the era of post-Industrial Revolution (post-1840). Formally recognized, as research has clearly indicated, that similar types of structures and organizations existed in different forms in many traditional societies around the world. While the cooperative model is quite pervasive in most modern societies, its role and contribution to the socioeconomic development of many countries and the enhancement of people’s lives are largely unrecognized. However, many are now rediscovering the uniqueness and relevance of this model as an appropriate response to socioeconomic changes and development.

The Industrial Revolution, while transformative and correspondently accelerating the evolution of agrarian societies to a structured industrial production mode, has exhibited many shortcomings. One such, was the exploitation of labor as a factor of production.

The masses during that era were overworked, marginalized, poor and excluded from enjoying

the fundamental amenities of life. This scenario ushered a search for alternative structures, including what is now known as the cooperative model of business and governance. This was viewed by many as a better vehicle for socioeconomic advancement of the masses of people and commensurately the growth and development of countries.

Cooperatives are people-centered, democratic organizations owned and run by the members for their mutual benefit. They follow seven operating principles that define them. These include voluntary and open membership, democratic-member control, membereconomic participation, autonomy and independence, education and training, cooperation among cooperatives, and concern for community. Essentially, these principles empower people to develop answers to their needs and expectations while demonstrating wider concern for their communities. It further builds institutional, human and societal capacity as members are trained to develop management, leadership, technical and social

Many of the products consumed regionally and locally are produced by cooperatives, but this is unknown to many local consumers. Brands such as Anchor, Sunkist, Ocean Spray, Ace, True Value that are available in Grenada are just a few of well-known cooperative brands. However, the most notable cooperative brands throughout the Caribbean are financial cooperatives known as Credit Unions. Credit Unions were introduced in the region in the early 1940s by a Jesuit priest, John Peter Sullivan, who moved from the USA to Jamaica in 1939. From there, the movement spread across the Caribbean rapidly, particularly in the ensuing decade.

The role, capacity and relevance of credit union were quickly recognized by the policy makers as they expeditiously moved to enact enabling legislation; what became known as Cooperative Societies Acts across the region during the 1940s to 1960s. These Acts embraced the cooperative model as a viable development option as cooperative departments were commensurately formed to guide and support the development of cooperatives in various sectors. The ensuing three decades witnessed considerable growth in cooperatives in various sectors, particularly the finance and productive sectors of agriculture and fishing. This focus by VISION MAGAZINE

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significantly to their communities in support for many social, community development, environmental and sporting activities. They build human capacity through training and member activity and the deepening of the democratic practice and process. These are tangible outcomes as they are rooted in the communities they serve. They understand their communities, members’ needs and their challenges. Most critically, decisions are made locally, and not driven by outside influences.

Photo credit: Getty Images/JonGorr many Caribbean governments represented a search for new options against the backdrop of a decline in the importance of the region as a commodity-production center and a movement towards independence and selfreliance. In fact, the critical importance of the model is exemplified in the adoption in 1970 by Guyana of the official name as “The Cooperative Republic of Guyana.”

What has happened since? Why is it that financial cooperatives blossomed while nonfinancial cooperatives declined in our region and in Guyana in particular, the cooperative republic? It is clear, that policy focus has changed resulting in less support and focus for the sector in the last thirty years. One can argue that geopolitical shifts, including the decline in communal approaches and a focus on the neo-liberal model emphasizing individualism, played a major role. Given the central and pivotal role of finance in our economic structure and daily lives, financial cooperatives endured.

So, what is different about non-credit-union enterprises? To appreciate such question, let us view the role of credit unions in the region, with such sterling legacy.

Currently, there are 85,400 credit unions serving 274 million members in 118 countries with US$ 2.2 trillion in assets around the world. In the Caribbean, there are 397 credit unions in 17 countries serving 2.7 million members across the region with approximately US$ 7 billion in

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assets. The Caribbean also boasts the highest level of penetration in the world, with nine of the Caribbean countries within the top ten.

These include Dominica, Montserrat, Barbados, St Vincent, Grenada, St Lucia, St. Kitts, Trinidad & Tobago and Belize in descending order.

In Grenada, out of a population of 110,000, 70,000 are credit union members. Collectively, the credit union movement is the third largest financial group after Republic Bank (after merger with Nova Scotia) and Grenada Cooperative bank.

The impact of the financial cooperatives in the region is quite significant, a fact that is now being recognized by administrations and regional and international financial organizations. When one compares the total assets of credit unions to the GDP of individual countries, it ranges from as much as 39 percent in Dominica to 5 percent in Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica. More importantly, the impact is seen when one looks at the transitioning of the poor, who previously had no access to established financial institutions into the growing middle class in Caribbean societies.

Many farmers, teachers, public servants and small artisans and entrepreneurs have been empowered and enabled to realize their dreams and aspirations. Dreams of educating their children, building homes, taking vacations and starting small businesses. The impact is also felt in the actualization of the principle of concern for community. Credit unions also give back

The resilience of cooperatives particularly in challenging periods are well established. In fact, cooperatives grew out of difficult socioeconomic conditions. A 2013 International Labour Organisation (ILO) study concluded that during and after the 2008 financial debacle, cooperatives outperformed traditional investorowned banks. Employee-owned enterprises fared better, were more responsive to their members’ needs and had greater levels of employment continuity. The fundamental reason for this performance is anchored in the practice of the cooperative principles, and that people who have a personal or communal stake, are more committed, driven and motivated.

The post-2008 economic meltdown has witnessed a major shift of consumers towards people-friendly, community-oriented, ecoconscious, sharing and caring organizations: attributes characteristic of cooperatives. The loss of trust in established institutions and the embrace of traditional values by people searching for purpose and connection is evident.

The evolution of sharing businesses such as Airbnb, Uber, Lyft and other like businesses, in some respect responds to this shift. I would argue that in a sense, it is the insertion of some cooperative principles into the capitalist model.

This wave has resulted in greater attention towards cooperatives, particularly credit unions and resultant growth.

These foregoing trends yield opportunities.

Opportunities for increased awareness of the cooperative model and its inherent potential for new governance and a vehicle for transforming lives via improved social and economic development. It clearly indicates that the time is opportune for a revisit, a recommitment and an embrace of the cooperative model as a viable, relevant and appropriate model for social and economic development in the Caribbean Region.

folks wanting or demanding justice for a local man of African descent visibly traumatized by the aggression witnessed at the hands of a caucasian family when they learned the cause of their beloved dog’s death (as the incident is reported)?

Whiteness and What it Means WRITTEN BY YAO ATUNWA

The recent incident in Fort Jeudy, St George of a local businessman allegedly attacked by a caucasian family after their dog was accidentally killed by the said man sparked a major protest by nationals wanting and demanding justice; no doubt in similar fashion (with exception to the looting) as the protests prompted by the other very recent tragic incident, of the death of African American George Floyd at the hands of police in the US. What did Grenadians — exposed to international news coverage of what can be described as a routine incident of a black man being killed by US police in uniform — take away from such misfortune, and did the mass protests in the US and globally that immediately followed impacted their own manner of addressing what they interpreted as white privilege or simply white aggression, in the local incident?

If such question should serve as the entry point in which we seek to examine Grenadians’ relationship to whiteness or white privilege (as it is starkly called into question by many at this juncture) and in so seeking the legacy of colonialism and exploitation of people of a darker hue, namely people of African descent, would we arrive at

To adequately investigate the legacy of slavery and colonialism and whiteness as it exists in the contemporary, we ought to first exercise our first responsibility in assessing any matter of grave importance, which is to define reality, i.e., racism and thus whiteness (in this case), and to ask ourselves how do they correspond to our economic and political governance. This approach, I trust, will aid in better revealing the context in which attitudes take shape in the first instance, before visuals of what might be transpiring on foreign soil and thus irrespective of the attributes (shared or not shared) that those visuals or news coverage may hold, intrinsically.

I think it is fair to say off the bat that Grenadians automatically or intuitively know that the legacy of colonialism remains in their society in spite the absence of an immediate or formal colonial government, i.e., one that is visibly orchestrated or controlled by white faces, as was the case for most of Grenada’s history, when the brutality of such a system scarred the psyches of the great majority of Grenadians — relentlessly so. Arguably, the dehumanization would have lessened after chattel slavery would have been abolished in 1834 (really in 1838). However, the subsequent generations that experienced the indirect rule of their society by Britain and the continued exploitation of its resources vis-à-vis the monoculture (of producing raw materials for the industrialized nations) and the underdevelopment that that socialization process/feature left the country in, even after political independence was attained in 1974, were generally impacted by the gross

underdevelopment of the country over that period without much open debate by those wielding power.

So, here we are as a nation still faced with mounting socioeconomic challenges in an increasingly precarious and unstable world 46 years after obtaining political independence as a poor country that has not received any compensation for the hundreds of years of servitude and dehumanization, where our regional leaders are now attempting to command the courage to seek reparations from colonial powers such as Britain and France who by the way would have provided European estate owners compensation after slavery was abolished for their “loss of property.” And for the latter, bold direct taxation from its crown jewel in the Caribbean, Haiti, for eons, because the Haitian people won their revolutionary war for independence.

In a sense, we do have a colonial government in Grenada that adheres to a system of stratification, namely capitalism. And that too, the people intuitively know; and from various vantage points, I might add.

They know that the legal system upholds laws that are very oppressive, such as the criminalization of a 4-letter word, or the cultivation and use a plant that is beneficial in so many ways. They know that the government is colonial when it gives major concessions to foreign direct investors at the great expense of citizens; when hoteliers, for instance, can receive 20-plus years in tax holidays and expatriate over 83 percent of their profits, and workers receive subsistent wages in that industry. When tourists, the great majority of whom are classified as whites from North America and Europe, are enjoying the luxury catered for them in a very economically poor country such as ours, the locals would have witnessed white privilege, though not in a vicious or hostile manner such as the lynching of a black man or woman in a racist society. But it is, in fact, a very violent occurrence nonetheless, when one realizes the degree of the exploitation in economic and social terms that is at work.

So, no, Grenada is not a racist society or a society in which white racism as an immediate

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system is practiced in a full-fledged manner, with government creating laws to put one group over another predicated on race, at least not consciously or with such blatant intent. However, if the endpoint to racism (as it exists) is to ensure capitalism remains in place and flourishes, in creating and maintaining an unequal society (wherever it is adhered to) in terms of opportunities and the rights of citizens thus privileging some over others based on race and other markers (class being the most applicable one in a Grenadian context), we ought to ask ourselves, how whiteness continues to reflect privilege in our lives in Grenada itself and in the Diaspora?

While we may not be witnessing racism in the most obvious of forms, the privilege historically and tactically associated with whiteness can certainly manifest in the differential treatment that people of obvious European descent are afforded. And is that reality not evident of a system of racism at work? In other words, does the notion of whiteness, in effect, equate racism at play?

Whiteness and racism have the same DNA; they have the same functionality.

They are principal instruments of a metasystem of stratification and dominance, i.e., capitalism. Therefore, racism or whiteness can visit the shores of Grenada or any other Caribbean nation at will, especially when the relationship of these nations with the industrialized nations of North America and Europe is a disadvantageous one, and one that reflects a legacy of servitude (of master and servant). Racism or whiteness dominates geopolitics. It is the reason for America’s hegemonic posture vis-à-vis the Monroe Doctrine, the Washington Consensus, or the white man’s burden. However it is termed, the manifestation is one of economic and cultural dominance, in its earnest attempt and history. The role of a programme such as the IMF’s Structural Adjustment Programme that has been notorious for ushering greater privatization and austerity measures that adversely impact very vulnerable populations, or the continued application of policies by the same IMF and World Bank, institutions controlled by the US, in denying small developing states the ability

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to access concessionary funds, because they are deemed to be middle and high-income nations when the reality is that most of these populations are barely eking out a living in an environment that has been historically deprived development and is prone to severe weather patterns, routinely, which global warming has only exacerbated.

Sometimes the slap in the face can be in the form of a seating Prime Minister of the United Kingdom visiting the Caribbean to spotlight the need for development in the region yet seeking to blunt the advocacy for reparations that is gaining momentum: someone whose own family would have received compensation for their “loss of property” from the UK Government and as a result, directly benefited from the wealth slave labor created many times over. Aid to the Caribbean and African nations under a system that unfairly treats people who have been historically targeted by Europeans for theft and overall exploitation does not remove white privilege or the class hierarchy that is promoted by the very economic system that has exploited our ancestors during slavery and colonialism in the Americas and elsewhere; it reinforces the imbalance that exists, for it maintains an asymmetric relationship that propagates not interdependency but dependency by design.

My appeal to those who failed to recognize the continued mischief of whiteness and racism in our lives is to be more earnest and honest in assessing where we are as a people; that we are not free until we are free economically as a group and can affirm our identity separate from other groups. Perhaps the cadre of leaders in Grenada and the region will be more proactive in the wake of these events, in eradicating racism and whiteness from our shores, as we seek to liberate ourselves from the shackles of oppression and exploitation, to reclaim our knowledge of self and thus our proper identity. Whiteness was invented for the divisive function that it has always served and will continue to serve.

The fortunate thing is that many persons around the world in increasing numbers are beginning to realize this apparent mystery.

The great untangling has begun.

A solidarity movement of workers to reclaim their power as the rightful producers of wealth is what needs to follow the current protest movement for justice and equal rights of citizens/human beings. There will be no justice and equal rights or opportunities when workers the world-over continue to be exploited by an immoral and undemocratic economic system. It is what ultimately colors our relationships with each other, though it is rarely viewed in that manner.

Capitalism represents a white power structure, and it is inherently a system of exploitation of labor and of human lives.

Wherever whiteness is categorically afforded privilege, racism is activated or rather is made visible as a system “No chains around my feet of socioeconomic and but I’m not free cultural dominance. It is oh, I know that I am bound like having an insignia here in captivity, yeahhh on a crest given by I’ve never known what happiness is the British Monarch to I’ve never known what sweet caress is her representatives in Still, I be always laughing the region depicting a like a clown…” supposed white angel with its foot on the neck of what – Bob Marley & The Wailers appears to be a black person Concrete Jungle (1973) and those given the object, the various governors general, are only now realizing what it is and represents, allegedly.

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Winnielle Biography Winnielle is known by many for her magnetic love, positive energy and is an inspiration to many. Born on the beautiful island of Antigua, Ms. Winnielle Tamika Pereira relocated to St. Kitts with her mother at a tender age. She attended the St Theresa’s Convent School, where she excelled in the art of sports. At age nine, her love for modeling began to illuminate, creating an unstoppable passion for the arts with her.

Ms. Winnielle has represented St. Kitts in 21 model competitions and beauty pageants locally,

regionally

and

internationally,

capturing seven crowns, including the National Carnival Queen title in 1997. She has modeled for

numerous

fashion

designers and professional photographers

Caribbean, USA and two African countries,

from around the world, gracing many runways,

Ghana and Nigeria, Winnielle has not ceased in

photo shoots, print ads, and magazines.

making invaluable contributions to the arts and

She set the standards very high by curating and producing the first, most elite fashion events hosted in the federation that brought forth fashion designers and media from around the world, contributing to the awareness of St. Kitts & Nevis through the fashion industry.

the Liamuigua Youth Legacy awards in 2005 for her humble contribution to the empowerment of youth during her years as founder and director of Winnielle Model Management, where she hosted development workshops, coached, guided and provided opportunities in the art of modeling for young men and women in the federation.

A former host of the St

young people. Awarded Legacy of the Year by

Kitts-Nevis

Visitor

Channel, a model coach who has traveled and trained young women across

the

A few years ago, Ms. Winnielle launched her very own all-natural luxurious skincare and hair brand named Pure Niceness, which is resonating with its users locally, regionally and internationally for their benefits and enjoyment.

Forty-one years young and mother of three children, she is humble, spiritual and very loving. Her energy and her love for girls would have set the foundation for the grassroots movement created by her daughter and herself, Girls Illuminated, a Health & Wellness, nonprofit, community-based girl empowerment movement in St. Kitts & Nevis that curates unique, stimulating, inspiring and enlightening programs designed to empower, love, uplift and transform girls. Each program is designed to foster positive emotional, mental, spiritual and physical development.

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Interview with

WINNIELLE PEREIRA,

founder of Pure Niceness

Vanya Hinkson, social service administrator in New York City and recent graduate of University of Chicago Graduate School of International Relations, on behalf of VISION, had the opportunity to interview another Caribbean

that existed. My

sister who has been making an impact on

sons experienced an

the health and well-being of her Kittitian

issue that was very simple

community as a creator of a hair and skincare

to heal, but I was unaware at that

line, as well as establishing an organization

time and depended on doctors and their

to help mentor and nurture young women.

prescriptions to help my boys. I spent hundreds

Winnielle Pereira, our interviewee, embodies a

and hundreds seeing doctor after doctor,

sense of responsibility that resonates widely, as

prescription after prescription, and it only

demonstrated in this interview and the things

made my sons worse. After re-approaching the

that she is involved with.

last doctor as my son was experiencing scary side effects, the doctor’s response and energy towards me hit me so deeply that I decided

Vanya H: What inspired you to start your

enough was enough. Somehow I figured out

business? Who were your mentors?

for myself what to do. I did it, and healed my

Winnielle Pereira: There were quite a number of inspirations that elevated my decision: My love for nature, my love for people, being mother and the duties to be the one to care for and nurture my children first. There was definitely one particular disheartening experience that took me down emotionally and financially. That was the final push for my real eyes. I must no longer depend on others for the safest care; I needed to release this part of me

boys using nature’s gifts. I also needed to heal, all the more reason to become a healer.

My journey then began in the creation, from spirit, mind and the physical existence of Pure

spiritual and

mental

journey of self-development, gaining the knowledge vital to ensure that what I would eventually create would not only benefit myself and my family but those who chose to support my brand. I began working for a nutritional store and gained much knowledge. I then decided to sell a brand of natural products first, so that I could experience what people felt about selfcare before fully investing in my own, and then one day it was my time to create and launch my own beauty and wellness brand.

Vanya H: How did you build your team and

Niceness hair and skincare wellness. Allowing

brand?

my people access to simple curated ways to

Winnielle: In the beginning it was me, myself,

heal themselves through non-toxic products, products made with good intent and love, made all the sense.

No mentors; I tapped into myself and began my

and I. After my brand launched, my partner became my handmade soap cutter and more recently my daughter began to assist with making business rounds and helping

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also created what I call.

off well, end up being available world-wide,

Set-Up Shop, inspired by

making tremendous financial gain, then, one

Damien Marley. I decided

day, customers begin to realize the quality has

on a few days of the week

declined. I would assume that such negatively

I will sell to my people on

affects their brand highly. I prefer to stay in

Fort Street, Basseterre,

my own lane, do things small if it means I can

one of the busiest streets

maintain a brand that resonates with those that

in St. Kitts. There, I

choose to use it.

interact, introduce, teach and sell my handmade creations and share lots of love, hugs and good vibrations to everyone who takes a moment to stop at my Set-Up Shop.

Referrals

have

been

precious also to Pure Niceness, so quality of goods and vibes has to be high.

me wherever I need. Family ting, keeping it wholesome…too easy.

Vanya H: Did you experience failures? If so, what did you learn from them?

Winnielle: I am blessed to have been curating my brand with no failures, just growth and more love. I am not connected to failures, have never even thought of this word connected to my brand, until now answering this question. (smile) I intentionally focus, envision and speak

to do wholesale. While it is a good feeling knowing your brand is loved, my love for my brand will keep me grounded to ensure IT remains manageable. I love being a small batch company. It is just where my vibe is right now in my life. Change is inevitable. That, I have learnt many lessons from helping others to grow their businesses; that now with my own, I am doing things my way. If it doesn’t feel right or look right, I don’t care for it. My pursuit is spirited, and so I do business differently. Nevertheless,

you

your

it is my intent to add more products to my line

success? Which have

attribute

to give customers more benefits from Mother

you found to be the

Nature’s many healing gifts. My vision for my

more rewarding, making the business

brand is solid. I want real connections to those

successful or maintaining its continued

who may be interested in carrying my line; I

success?

desire to connect with genuine people and

Winnielle: My success is because I love, love what I do, every single aspect of it. Both are equally intertwined. Balance is key!

Vanya H: How do you stay motivated and

other brands that uphold a similar or same vibe as mine.

Vanya H: What is the one product of which you are most proud and why?

encouraged? What are your future plans

Winnielle: I couldn’t choose one, I have 3

relative to scaling and expansion?

products and all of them make me proud when

Winnielle: Wow, love is powerful energy yes,

which I desire to reap. While past works have

indeed. I love myself, I love my family, I love my

experienced what could be called failure, I saw

people, I love nature. All these ignite the power

them as lessons, and those lessons raised my

within me.

continuous elevation.

websites, in other territories, even being asked

Vanya H: To what do

what I desire to manifest. I give power to that

vibration higher to a state of Pure Niceness, with

I often get approached to sell my brand on

My vision for Pure Niceness thus far has been to ensure I don’t grab more than I can eat.

I use them and when I get amazing testimonies.

It’s like food to my spirit. My love and nature’s gifts created each one; therefore, I am equally proud of all, just as I am with my 3 children. (smile) Vanya H: If you could tell your customers one thing about your products that they may not

Vanya H: What is your approach to marketing

You see I am not interested in expanding to

and how has your skincare (beauty)

where it affects the quality and energy of my

philosophy shaped this approach?

brand, because I want the world to have Pure

Winnielle: Pure Niceness is a spirited brand.

Niceness and be financially rich. I must uphold

For me, this means all the goodness of my

this love of mine to where I can manage all

spirit is infused. My intent is for my customers

aspects well, keeping quality high, keeping my

to enjoy, benefit and love Pure Niceness. I never

energy well because I AM not overwhelmed by

create if my spirit isn’t feeling well. I work with

everything I need to do daily to keep my brand

high vibes and nothing less, because everyone

being impactful. I have seen beauty brands start

deserves goodness.

Winnielle: Truth is, my love for what I do guides me 100. I harness all I can from within me and express through my work. I love social media for the reach and freedom to be creative.

It’s my main medium for sharing my brand. I

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know, what might that be?

Vanya H: What advice would you give to a

Vanya H: How do you balance your

Vanya H: Also, what’s your connection to

young entrepreneur also trying to establish

entrepreneurial life with your social life?

Grenada?

Winnielle: Truthfully, I’m not sure how to

Winnielle: Nine years ago, I met my twin flame

Winnielle: You must love and be passionate

explain how, as I just flow, no forcing. I move

who is a Grenadian who visited my island to

about whatsoever you do, nothing good comes

with my vibes, and it comes naturally....

work. Through our loving connection, I decided

easy in this world for most of us. Always look

balancing. They are well balanced to my liking.

to source spices from his homeland to use in my

within yourself. Harness your innate power;

So no issues there.

soap making.

Vanya H: Perhaps I should take the

I am looking forward to visiting Grenada one

opportunity to ask: Do you also engage

day to meet his family and friends, enjoy the

in farming of some of the plants used in

wonders of the spice isle and join in Jab Jab for

producing Pure Niceness products, or do you

carnival, as I play Jab Jab every year here in St.

source them from local farmers?

Kitts.

their own brand in the beauty industry?

continuously seek to evolve; be intentional with every step of your life and let those intentions be pure. Listen to yourself, do everything with great love and always stay positive, and when things don’t seem to be right, don’t lose faith. If you are spirited, you will achieve with style and grace. That’s the Pure Niceness energy. Love &

And, yes, I use the bush herbs from my garden

Nature Heals.

and my mother’s garden.

PURE NICENESS REVIEWS The lemongrass line is to die for. It is absolutely invigorating. My fiancé loves the soap, so much so when I bought it the first time, he asked why I only bought one. My son has requested another bottle of the coconut lemongrass oil. Winnielle I’ll definitely be back. Keep up the good works.

Loving it ~ Tessea Nero I cannot get enough of this amazing Pure niceness LEMONGRASS OIL. The scent is refreshing, and it doesn’t feel heavy on the body at all. I decided to use the oil on my stretch mark due to the natural ingredients it contains. And to my greatest surprise it worked like magic. I noticed results in just a week and am loving it. ~ Patricia Ngozi Morah Pure Niceness products are simply amazing, and you receive service with a smile by the lovely Winnielle. The handcrafted soaps give you an outer body experience and the scents are long lasting. The hair and skin oil produces growth, moisture and a glow. I’m so excited to use the Shea Moisture cream when it is back in stock! I’m truly happy about my purchase and highly recommend. It is a wonderful feeling shopping local.

Thank you once again Winnielle. ~ Sasha Boncamper Dear Winnielle, your products are the best! You cured my little one!!!

My daughter had serious eczema problem and after I’ve been using in vain everything ( Aveeno, Shea Moisture, Cetaphil, etc) This time, the doctor recommended to use a natural skin oil and I decided to use Pure Niceness oil....that I had bought few days ago and voila!! It worked perfectly!!! Your products are magical. ~ Anabel Newman

These products worked good for my daughter’s head. It relieved her itching and here scalp problems, it helped the growth of her hair, it was a big help to my daughter’s hair health problems, and I thank Winnielle for helping me with her amazing products. ~ Miss Henry “Winnielle Pereira lemongrass oil helps me sleep better too. Rub it on neck, shoulders and arms right before bed. Gave it to Miguel to try because he has trouble falling and staying asleep and he slept right through the night. First question in the morning was “wha obeah you work on me?” ~ Jihan Williams

I’ve been using the products 6 days now. My skin is much softer, looking more youthful, not too oily, its clearing up & seems to be getting more even. Will keep you up to date with its progress queen. ~ Mel

I bought the small bottle of lemongrass oil about 2 weeks ago and gave my daughter to use on her skin, she has been suffering with dry skin for years now. It has done wonders to her skin, it is glowing!

I went to Kiwie Dan Boutique to buy the bigger bottle. It feels good to find something that works and is locally made. ~ Miss Wilkins

My goodness, beautiful energy all around. When I bathe with that cinnamon soap! My skin feels fresh, I feel so light and rejuvenated, the scent is therapy. ~ Carèsse Hanley LOVE IT. Got it when I was on a cruise to St. Kitts. Wish I had bought more. ~ Rey Phillips

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THE SEARCH FOR HITS:

From “My Boy Lollipop” to what We Hear Today WRITTEN BY YAO ATUNWA

The Ska legend Millie Small, whose childlike high-pitched vocals captivated the United Kingdom, North America and frankly the world with the hit single “My Boy Lollipop,” passed away on May 5th, 2020 at age 73 as a result of a stroke. The announcement of her death was relayed by major news outlets around the world.

When one is truly an international sensation, as she was, one is recognized and honored in a manner befitting of such stardom, even long after the concerts’ lights would have been turned off. The petite woman from Clarendon, Jamaica, is truly a music legend.

Apart from touring the world and sharing her nation’s love affair with music and winning the hearts of many, Small would have received many accolades in the process. This includes being presented with her nation’s Commander of the Order of Distinction (2011) for her contribution to the Jamaican music industry. But perhaps the utmost distinction in all would be the fact that she was the first Ska or Jamaican recording artiste to score a number 2 hit on the UK Singles Chart and later duplicated the achievement on the US Hot 100 Chart (1964). The single became the largest grossing Ska song, with over one million records sold. To date, it has sold over seven million records.

The aim has been for some time to take the local musical product international, the way bauxite, bananas, and rum will leave the island for larger markets in Europe and elsewhere. Chris Blackwell, founder and owner of Island Records, has been most instrumental in introducing to the UK and by extension the world such great talents as Millie Small and the Wailers, which he would re-brand Bob Marley and the Wailers

Photo credit: Getty Images subsequent to Small’s noted arrival, as they were seeking to make their début in England in the early 1970s. The representation of a larger market means the greater is the potentiality to reap bigger financial rewards for such products. And that has not changed, not since Millie Small officially launched that campaign as a Ska (forerunner to Reggae) singer one year after her arrival in England in 1963. Before her appearance and that of Ska, there were Jamaicans and other West Indians

who would have been making a name for themselves as cabaret and Jazz singers and musicians in earlier periods.

Most notable would have been Grenadaborn cabaret singer and musician Leslie Arthur Julien “Hutch” Hutchison (1900-1969), who abandoned his father’s plans for him to become a physician when he quit his studies in the US to take his musical talent to a more racially accommodating England in 1927; a

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prove to be the ideal genre for its versatility, with its one-drop rhythm pattern that some have described to be in perfect timing with the people’s own rhythm to life. The slowing down of the entire musical arrangement with a notable emphasis on the bass guitar and the drums would serve as the winning formula.

Such was consequentially the reason why Ska, the dominant genre in the mid to late 1960s, was supplanted by Reggae. Reggae basically incorporated them in its fold.

Photo credit: Getty Images talent he had started honing as a young lad playing the organ at his local Anglican church in Gouyave, St John and would refine whilst playing in the party circuit in the US. Though he would meet his demise almost penniless, he was solidly a fans’ favorite during the musical scenes of the 1930s and 1940s in England; however, he eventually faded at the onset of the 1950s with the advances made by the growing popularity of more contemporary genres and his own falling out with British high society that manifested in the form of a shunning, resulting from his salacious affairs with members of the British Royal Family. Unlike Small’s, there hardly was much of a fanfare at his passing. His loyal fans for the most part mourned his passing privately, as reported by several sources. So there certainly can be exception to the rule as far as celebration of one’s achievements and overall contribution made to the arts, in this case. But to be most fair, Hutch reigned as England’s heartthrob, however, his appeal was not as international as Small’s.

particular managers or record labels. My objective in penning this article is to illustrate the impact of wider market forces originating from the greater economic life of a society as it is influenced by external forces, namely market-society or market-based society. Such forces will eventually come to rest in both the music and value system in the society; thus, seeking to shift the cultural landscape. The Jamaican story is most demonstrative of this dynamic, of the convergence and impact of these wider market forces, which I will seek to delineate momentarily. A similar trajectory to that of Jamaica’s is the evolution of Hip Hop culture in the American context. As the history goes, Reggae/Dub itself is foundational to Hip Hop music; they both were music created by members of the lower rung of society in their plight to protest the suffering and injustices in those societies. Unmistaken is the representation of a son of Jamaican soil being principally positioned at Hip Hop’s inception in the mid-1970s in the Bronx, New York, DJ Clive “Kool Herc” Campbell.

Music, we are often told, is a business, and can be a cutthroat enterprise for those artistes and musicians investing their time, energy, talent, and material resources. But more interesting to note is the marketorientation or forces that pervade the industry, irrespective of the disposition of

As mentioned earlier, Ska, a more upbeat and faster-paced rhythm pattern to Reggae, served as Reggae’s forerunner. Ska’s successor is Rocksteady, a mid-range rhythm pattern compared to both Ska and Reggae, with a bit of Jazz flair and overall a subtler of a difference to Reggae. It is Reggae that would

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The music industry in Jamaica in the 1960s and much of the 1970s and 1980s, though it had an eye for the international market, was primarily sustained by the local music industry – a testament to the industrial base of that society. Every aspect of the production process was being facilitated to put out the proper product as far as vocals and musical arrangements by local producers and studios; not to mention the island’s many radio stations (these stations were not always embracing of Reggae and its predecessors), its own billboard chart, and a marketing machinery to ensure heavy rotation of those sounds on the radio stations, in bars, and other social venues were vital to the elevation of Reggae. No Eastern Caribbean country has ever come close to that achievement, in spite of the downsizing of that vast infrastructure, as the large vinyl presses started disappearing or reducing their capacity in later periods due to market forces from within and outside the country. As more artistes gain traction in the UK and US markets, and started signing recording contracts in those markets in the 1990s and onwards, less pressing of vinyl was done on the home soil. To make matters worse for the industry in terms of productive output and ownership was the advent of new and more portable technology such as CDs and at this stage electronic-based file sharing using a multitude of formats and platforms such as iTunes and Sound Cloud.

Sometime the influence of the market is obvious, especially for an individual artiste or group attempting to enter a genre or particular market, or seeking to promote a particular song. It is much harder, on the other hand, to grapple with the wider market influence on the overall culture. One of the reasons for the difficulty is that often we as observers employ the same individual level of analysis utilized when seeking to gauge the

success rate of artistes and thus their impact on the genre vis-à-vis fans’ general acceptance of that particular song, album, or genre. There is absolutely no question that the artistes, groups, management companies, and record labels through their own navigating of the industry get to influence the said industry in shaping the taste of fans. Nevertheless, the superior influence no doubt emanates from market-society itself, which is to say that the existing market-orientation of the society is such that through its heavy reliance on markets in regulating social actives and interactions that little is done outside such influence. In other words, an order that prioritizes capital and capital gain trumps or influences virtually all other interests. As such, the music industry represents a machinery that creates interests in those who come in contact with it from all standpoints, both directly and indirectly, in a very keen manner.

Artistes instinctively understand such demand vis-à-vis the music industry; their job is to maneuver the spaces and contours of that environment where more than a song is given life but the introduction of values and value systems embedded in those songs.

Admittedly, a great many fans and artistes can be unsuspecting of the values or value system being transmitted or their true destructive capacity, especially when one has already adopted the sentiments and messages of certain songs or genres as their own. The obvious lines of demarcation between genres and even cultures can become blurry in a person or artiste’s mind; again, due to his/ her own personal interest or investment in a particular genre. After all, there is an accepted normalcy that is insisted by each genre. Such an important feature can be attributed to the identity-forming process that is engaged within each genre in relation to others. The genre itself is a regulatory and therefore a validating mechanism that artistes interact with, in producing the kinds of music that they do. Each genre has its own motif insofar as rhythm pattern, general musicality, and overall posture towards lyrical content, among other things. Therefore, genre serves to limit the creative process as much as it provides spaces or opportunities for artistes and production companies. Moreover, genres are reflective of the time periods they were given birth, musically and socio-economically speaking. The very popularity of a particular

genre speaks to the current outlook of a nation in terms of the socioeconomic welfare of the people and the dominant values in that environment. The wider its base audience, added emphasis is given to that genre by the music industry, in realizing the faster horse in the race, so to speak: adding to the efforts of individual record labels.

By no accident, the preeminence of market forces remains where it belongs in a market society, as the appointed engine of productivity. The rise of Hip Hop music first in the US and now globally has much to do with the great hijacking of the mission of Hip Hop culture by vulture capitalists waving the banner of neoliberalism and its chief value, rugged individualism, in a society that is historically and deeply stratified. But I rather not spend much time analyzing the American music scene and socioeconomic context, for the intent is to stay in the Caribbean region.

Their parallelism is not lost, though the contours of those lines (if you will) would vary as far as one having a closer and more direct relationship to market-society and thus the manner transactions are manifested would differ.

Before the eclipsing of Rhythm & Blues by Hip Hop in the 1990s in the American context and similarly Reggae by its offspring, Dancehall, in that same era, Ska and Rocksteady were seeking to gain space in a Jamaican market dominated by American music with little success until the arrival of Reggae, and equally important to mention is the prevalence of the portable stereo and radio. Vaster access to music through those means significantly assisted in tilting the scale in favor of the local artform, as more laypersons could now afford what was a luxury. The biggest push, however, would come from the advent of the large soundbox as part of the sound systems used by disc jockeys in parties and other live events. That phenomenon got exported to the UK in the 1960s and throughout the Americas. Roots man or rebel music had surely set its sight on the international market, in infiltrating the UK market where a sizeable number of Jamaicans had taken up residence starting after the Second World War with other West Indians to aid in the rebuilding efforts of the then mother country, as it was proclaimed.

If for one thing, in the local market, the

commercial success of Reggae was recognized by capital investors in control of the music infrastructure in Jamaica: it would mean doing more than seeking to remake or mimic the songs from the US. For those investors, nothing could or would prove to be more ideal than having an authentic sound embraced by the local population, with a growing export market as Reggae became more prominent and eventually part of the UK mainstream in the mid-1970s. During this period, Reggae would be recognized as an international genre with the growing popularity of Bob Marley and the Wailers, as well as England-based groups such as Steel Pulse, Aswad, and Matumbi. Reggae remains quite relevant even in the current era, though its offspring, Dancehall, has the wider market space and influence. How that comes to be is most revealing of the impact of marketsociety on a population and the music it seeks to produce.

Dancehall would not only come to be heavily influenced by synthetic sounds with the use of more contemporary and electric instruments, its motif and in particular its lyrical content would be shaped in a socioeconomic reality that seems totally hopeless to people on the margins of that society. The generation of Dancehall artistes to come of age in the 1990s were the children of the 1970s and 1980s when the economic conditions on the ground were rather bleak, a period when the IMF’s Structural Adjustment Programme did very little for Jamaicans. Instead, it made the country more dependent on foreign imports, chiefly food products, resulting in many farming families losing their livelihoods. The sharp spike in violent crimes and the overall crime rate from the late 1970s onwards is a signpost of the increasing lawlessness and hopelessness experienced and continues to be experienced by poor and working-class people by and large. Partisan or garrison politics would serve to equally incite and galvanize the violence in the population.

In spite of the notoriety and international acclaim at that juncture of Reggae (and Dancehall), including having its own category in the Grammy’s Awards (1985), the country that gave birth to both was and is hardly any better off compared to when it had gained independence in 1962. In fact, it is worse off as far as social relations. The society had VISION MAGAZINE

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become evidently more divided in the midst of the economic strife that hardly seems to go away. One will think that Jamaica with all its endowments will be an economically developed nation as opposed to having one of the lowest income per capita in the western hemisphere. There is nothing in the people’s commitment to producing that we can attribute for the horrific reality witnessed on that nation; credit ought to be rightfully given to the economic development model that that country’s leaders adhere to in the current and for the greater portion of its post-independence history: neoliberalism, with its promotion of private interest over government social interventions. The value of competition is elevated in the culture and so is ruthlessness. In such an environment, both insecurity and violence run rampant.

Hence in the 1990s, we came to witness Dancehall’s embrace of lyrics that sought to further marginalize women and members of the gay community with song heavily laden with chauvinistic and misogynist lyrics. The rebel spirit and militancy of Reggae had officially been lost on Dancehall, which was very innocent in its inception (one must remember, keenly), as was reflected in its incorporation of nursery rhymes and childhood frolic in its early renditions and hits.

As its devotees unapologetically like to put it, gun and woman lyrics dominate Dancehall.

Today, in 2020, the songs being produced and exported are even bolder in both respects.

These lyrics are commonly colder and more explicit in their violent and misogynist fervor. The highly explicit vulgarity of the lyrical content of an inordinate sum of these songs leaves no question about the singer’s signaling posture or intentionality towards women sexually and otherwise. I am not particularly compelled to quote any of those artistes, in making this essential point. It is pervasive, to say the least! Another aspect of the shift that needs highlighting is the degree to which the individual singer has become not merely the narrator of a given story but himself the centerpiece of the story, with an obvious celebration of egotism, in recounting the proverbial exploits. This very quality is indicative of a major shift, as is the diminishment of large musical groups that once dominated the music scene in earlier periods. What we are witnessing

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is a grander presence of market-based or market-society in the culture and therefore cultural products: with its emphasis or high demand for the promotion of the individual over the collective. In other words, rugged individualism continues to have more sway with the masses as neoliberalism becomes more entrenched in Jamaica and other similarly-situated societies in the Caribbean and beyond. The best description for this macro process is cultural displacement. Such is the power of economics and ideology.

Unremarkably, that is precisely the process that certain Soca artistes from Grenada and elsewhere, whether cognizant or not, are seeking to speed up with their adoption of Dancehall at this juncture. There has been an interest in Dancehall and Reggae by nationals from the other Caricom countries for as long as those genres have existed, and a very few thus far have attained success for a number of reasons, one being the lack of local support. Dominica’s Nasio Fontaine, Trinidad & Tobago’s Marlon Asher, UK and Barbadosbased Guyana’s Eddy Grant with his fusion of Soul and Reggae, and the contemporary Natural Blacks also from Guyana have made the biggest splash, to date: all conscious artistes. It is fair to state that crossover interest is in tandem with the wide appeal of the current hit makers of Dancehall (by that token, no different than in the earlier period).

Consequently, nothing is off limit as far as subject matter or delivery. Explicit vulgarity is the new trademark.

Even before the cancellation of carnival for this season, I have noticed a marked interest on the part of a few notable Soca artistes in following that lead, which took me off-guard for two main reasons: one, the trend usually goes in the other direction for Soca artistes, as was the case with Tall Pree and Mr. Killa, who come to recognize and appreciate the bigger reward for them personally in embracing Soca after trying their hands at Dancehall. The other has to do with the fact that these current individuals already have huge fan followings as Soca artistes, albeit without the material success of a Tall Pree or Mr. Killa who have taken their acts regionally and internationally with wide acceptance.

My word of caution for these individuals whose name I rather withhold would have to be a simple and direct one: It is one thing

to be exposed to Dancehall and it is quite another to embrace it by seeking to engage it as an artiste, coming from a society that does not promote violence in the wholesale manner as is done in the Jamaican society and depicted in its dominant genre. The erosion of cultural practices meant to make members of the society whole again (which Mento, Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae, Calypso, and Soca represent), given the very traumatic experiences endured by our people from slavery and beyond, would serve to be the cost, which could then lead to engineering of an entire shift in the culture. Therefore, reversing what little gains were made over those decades and centuries in the West.

The forces of market-society are no doubt impacting the economic and social reality of the Grenadian society; however, not to the extent it has in Jamaican society.

Grenada is still very much a safe and peaceful place. Thus, the dramatizations encountered in many of these Dancehall songs is very foreign to the host country. It is not worth it imitating or embracing a genre that is existing at a wavelength that denotes that itself needs resuscitating. The current state of Dancehall and the overall situation facing a people made to be dependent on foreign cultures is perhaps best articulated in the lyrics of the song “Contradiction” by Alborosie featuring Chronixx. I leave you with its very poignant chorus: “Too many idolized badness And slackness Island in the sun Just falling in ah darkness One love and one heart Where the heart dey Nowadays to be cool You must be heartless.”

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NAJEE CREATIONS Najuma James or Najee (as she is called) is the founder of Najee Creations, a Torontobased interior/exterior design company that specializes in creating luxurious and timeless interiors and exteriors that are uniquely tailored to each client’s aesthetic appeal.

The Grenadian-born James realized at an earlier age a passion for the arts, and decided to pursue that very passion by attending the International Academy of Design in Toronto, Ontario, with a focus in fashion and interior design, where she had a full range of courses, covering every aspect of the discipline, from textile choices, color variations, textures, merchandizing, and fashion and interior design. She credits her scholarship at the said institution for shaping her career as a professional interior/exterior designer.

The wealth of knowledge obtained in her course study motivated her to launch her 37

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own company in 2012, providing services to clients that are keen about creating living spaces with high functionality as well as beauty. Speaking of beauty, being a true creative at heart, Najee has extended her service to include professional makeup – Glow by Najee.

Najee Creations’ design services include residential, commercial and home staging.

Their team is dedicated to delivering completed projects to meet the budget of clients in a timely manner. Founder James is known for her distinct ability to blend elements from different design styles to create spaces that are seamless and harmonious. The guiding philosophy is that every design should tell a distinct story that resonates with the client who will be living, playing or working in that space.

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The High Price of the Pandemic for Grenada’s Creatives WRITTEN BY SUSAN AND ASHER MAINS PHOTOGRAPHY BY ARTHOUSE 473

In March of 2020, Oliver Benoit, painter and curator, was in the midst of opening his long-planned sound installation of the Grenada Revolution. Years in the making, he and his assistants had recorded the voices of dozens of Grenadians, telling their own stories from the days of the Revolution.

Accompanying this were over 40 of his abstract paintings, giving a visual, emotional underpinning to those voices. Art House 473 41

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in Calliste was totally cleared for this exhibition. The set-up created a scenario whereby the voices playing all at the same time made it felt like a crowded room. It is an historic presentation of the Grenada Revolution on home soil, an attraction onto itself.

In that same month, March 12, another history-making event was about to sweep Grenada.

St. George’s University announced that in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, it would send 6000-plus of its students to their homes in the USA, Canada, and elsewhere throughout the globe.

The Government of Grenada did an immediate and decisive shut down of the country — no school, no business, and in the

immediate a near 24hour curfew.

It was necessary — no one knew how the virus would spread.

What was known was that the medical facilities in Grenada were not adequate to handle a nation getting sick all at the same time.

But what this meant is that the usual market for Grenada’s creatives was completely gone.

All the plans and preparation and personal investment for Oliver’s seminal exhibition fizzled. Only a few dozen people got to view and experience the exhibition.

Disappointment does not begin to describe the feelings of those involved.

In the weeks that followed, Susan Mains Gallery applied to the government to be able to receive the grants being afforded those in the tourism sector affected by the evaporation of that sector overnight. Even though 95 percent of sales of the gallery were

to visitors, supporting some 20 local artists, the response was that the business did not qualify for the grant.

The Positive Turn Outs when we Show Up

Many of the artists have no other form of income. Many makers of handcraft, including locally-made batik and clothing, jewelry, and agro-processing, are simply left out of consideration. One can glean from their denial of consideration that they are not seen as contributing to the economy or the tourism sector that was singled out for such vital support.

While Covid-19 has caused disruption, interruption, and an abrupt change in many of our lives, it has also pushed creatives into a state of innovation, creativity, and adaptation.

Many creatives flourish in situations like this, where new solutions are needed and outsidethe-box thinking is treasured. I know artists who would use the apocalypse as thought experiment: “How would you rebuild/ remake/reimagine the world if we had to start over?” With terms such as “the new normal” and “post-Covid world”, artists and other creatives are in a position to lead as there cannot be innovation without creativity.

Another sad fatality of the times was Chris DeRiggs’ new play, ‘Fedon.’ It was ready to open at the Grenada Trade Centre in March.

Young actor, artist, singer, and videographer, Samuel Ogilvie, was set to step on stage as the Grenadian folk hero Julien Fedon. Word from the director was that it would be the best performance of his career thus far. All of the preparation, time, investment, put on hold for a year. No financial support was available to sustain that hold.

Moreover, Grenada was also prepared to have its first presentation ever at the prestigious Biennale di Venezia Architecture Biennale. Bryan Bullen was the architect to be highlighted. The beautiful new Grenada Parliament Building completed in 2019 was poised to be put on display in all its commanding qualities. The Ministry of Culture had promised the most funding ever given, showing their full backing. Understandably, this was withdrawn. The Biennale ultimately postponed the exhibition; now to open in May 2021. Usually, the corporate sector, particularly the hotels are the first to support this international exposure. Going forward (in the immediate future), we do not know how the travel and tourism industry will be able to give support where it is certainly needed.

Their legs have been knocked from beneath them.

In my own work as an artist and an educator, I had to take my drawing class online for the last half of the spring semester. While there was a quick transition to an entirely different method of teaching and learning, I was impressed with the adaptability of my students in transitioning to working from home. As artists, we began to see galleries and museums around the world streaming events which is a huge advantage in a place like Grenada with limited access to places like

this. Artist talks and forums have also gone online, creating an almost continuous stream of conversation about art around the world: all available at our fingertips. Artists and galleries everywhere have had to reimagine how to show and distribute art in the new normal. This affects how we use social media and the internet to show what we are working on, but it also affects the type of work we potentially make. To keep up, many websites used by creatives, artists, designers, etc. have made their offerings more affordable as we all engage with technology at a new level.

The “new normal” will create more opportunities for our local creatives in Grenada to learn, explore, participate, contribute, and grow. Never before have so many galleries, museums, schools, platforms, organizations, and other artists become so available from the comfort of our own homes. Because we all are in a position where engaging an audience in person is unfeasible, we all benefit from becoming the disembodied audience.

As with any resource, these new advantages

Creatives are called thus for a reason — they are creative. They can think of doing the mundane in exciting, innovative ways. For Grenada to benefit from this crisis mode that we are currently in, creatives need support from government and the public at large.

Working for “exposure” does not put a roof over one’s head or food on the table.

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are only useful if we use them. A museum in your city is only beneficial if you go to it, the same way that an open Zoom conversation with curators is only useful if you sign in. I believe, in general, that this time of repositioning has turned up the “volume� on habits and processes of creatives pre-Covid.

There will be some who will not adapt and change and wait for things to return to normal.

There will be some who will find other things to do as many people find themselves anew after a lot of time with oneself. Finally, there will be ones who will embrace the change and look forward to continuing to innovate and adapt. Many creatives went into mask production mode immediately, showing a wide variety of approaches and styles and supplied their communities with muchneeded PPE. Some creatives immediately responded to the lockdown in their practice, whether spending more time painting, addressing the topic in their art, or picking up a practice with their new found time. With all the changes happening in the art world, being able to engage online is allowing a more inclusive environment full of potential, particularly for a place that has not had access at this level before. We will only benefit from it if we show up.

One of the advantages of virtually everything going online is that we in Grenada were able to participate in the recent NOVA Frontier Film Festival that was hosted by the Billie Holiday Theatre in Brooklyn, NY. Billy Gerard Frank, Grenadian filmmaker, co-founded the festival.

The entire event was streamed via Zoom.

Thus, members in the virtual audience had the pleasure of experiencing both the panel discussion and the 17 ground-breaking films showcased.

As it turned out, the festival was able to garner much attention, resulting in some 67 mentions in the press. This was surely an example of a creative being ready to quickly step up his game to meet the needs of the times.

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WAYS OF COPING DURING THE PANDEMIC

Photo c

redit: Ge tty Imag es/m-Im

agepho

tograph

WRITTEN BY LESLIE CARRINGTON COVID-19 is an unprecedented crisis impacting the globe. It has been both mentally and economically traumatic. The world community has not encountered a pandemic of this magnitude in decades. The coronavirus has affected 213 countries and territories, making the traumatic event and economic slowdown a shared experience.

However, although a shared experience, COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted minority and poor communities in the US, and has exposed the vulnerability of Caribbean countries, in having to adjust to a major shock to their economies.

One of the best ways to cope with the stressors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic is to take proactive measures. If you have always wanted to live a healthier lifestyle but always reverted to maladaptive behaviors, now more than ever you have cause to stay the course.

Individuals with no underlying medical

conditions have a better chance of staying COVID-19 free. In addition, as self-isolation escalates and people find themselves working from home and unable to socialize with their friends and family as they used to, we are likely to see more people feel lonely and disconnected.

Here are a few healthy lifestyle practices that can be used to help you cope with stressors related to COVID-19.

Plant-based Diet: The saying you are what you eat is true. Good nutrition is crucial for mental and emotional well-being. However, we sometimes do not pay attention to how our daily diet makes us feel. We can easily get caught up in a downward spiral of eating junk food to comfort ourselves. One should be mindful that foods high in sugar and salt with little to no nutritional value negatively affects our mood, mental health, and physical body.

Eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts,

legumes, and seeds help protect against many mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and stress.

Here are a few fruits and vegetables that can help improve your mood: Apples – The old saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away, rings true. The fiber, healthy nutrients, and natural sugars found in apples help boost serotonin levels.

Bananas – They are high in vitamin B6 which helps synthesize feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.

Spinach – This leafy green is high in folate which supports serotonin regulation.

Serotonin supports a variety of brain functions including mood regulation.

Saffron – This locally grown spice has been shown to have similar affects to antidepressants. Saffron is recommended as

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y

an alternative treatment for depression patients who desire natural homeopathic treatments.

Yoga: Yoga is a form of movement that incorporates physical poses, controlled breathing, and relaxation to facilitate better mind and body connection.

Practicing yoga regularly can help you achieve a sense of peace and balance; subsequently, helping you feel more relaxed and better able to manage stress and anxiety more effectively.

Physical Activity: Consistent bodily movement at any intensity is said to r e d u c e anxiety and depressed mood, whether taking a brisk walk, going for a swim, going to the gym, etc. Physical activity increases endorphins, which naturally improves your mood. So, get moving and get lifted.

Meditation: Meditation is a free simple practice that is accessible to most people.

This practice has been around for centuries and has been proven to help alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression. Especially during the current pandemic, many can become overwhelmed with anxiety, depression, and

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worry when things appear out of control. However, we all have the ability to take a few minutes to breathe deeply, be still, and present in the now. Meditation is a great coping practice for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Spiritual Practice: Having a spiritual practice can help you manage stress more effectively.

Spirituality can take the form of meditation.

Some practice religious faiths and find

solace in prays and other religious practices.

Spirituality or having a spiritual practice is different for everyone. However, the overall intention is to cultivate a sense of oneness/ connection, to gain a sense of purpose and freedom. When we engage in a regular spiritual practice, we are able to spend more time in quiet reflection and gratitude, relinquish control of how we think things should be, and be of service to others. This allows us to relinquish control to a higher power and faithfully assert that all things will work out for the good of all, which removes worry and anxiety about the situation. When we are able to surrender our fears and worries to the universe, you free yourself.

The COVID -19 pandemic makes for a very uncertain future. We are hearing about the second wave of infections, we are seeing the current upheaval of our lives, how we socialize, how we work, and how we educate our children, etc. Although we do not have personal control over how our government and policymakers enact procedures, we do have control over how we react. In addition to practicing good hygiene, self-isolation at home if you feel sick, and general social distancing, you can begin implementing some of the suggested practices to take positive and proactive actions to keep you and your loved ones safe, calm, and collected.

“

“

I’ve known rivers: I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

- Langston Hughes, Poet, playwright, novelist, social activist (February 1st, 1901 – May 22nd, 1967)

“

If there is no struggle, there is no progress.

Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful soar of its many waters.

This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle.

“

- Frederick Douglas, Orator, writer, abolitionist (February 1818 – February 20th, 1895)

“

“

You want to shut up every Negro who has the courage to stand up and fight for the rights of his people, for the rights of workers, and I have been on many a picket line for the steelworkers too.

Artists are the gatekeepers of truth.

We are civilization radical voice.

- Paul Robeson, Singer, actor, athlete, social activist (April 9th, 1898 – January 23rd, 1976)

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The most luxurious possession the richest treasure anybody has is his dignity.

- Jackie Robinson, Professional baseball player, social activist (January 31st, 1919 – October 24th, 1972)

“

“

“

“

A white face goes with a white mind.

Occasionally a black face goes with a white mind.

Very seldom a white face has a black mind.

We love because it’s the only true adventure.

- Nikki Giovanni, Poet, academic, social activist (Born June 7th, 1943)

The thing that makes you exceptional, if you are at all, is inevitably that which must also make you lonely.

- Lorraine Hansberry, Playwright, author, social activist (May 19th, 1930 – January 12th, 1965)

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Truth is on the side of the oppressed.

“

“

You can’t separate peace from freedom. because no one can be at peace until he has freedom.

The media is the most powerful entity on earth.

They have the power to make the innocent guilty And make the guilty innocent, and that’s power.

Because they control the minds of the masses.

- Malcolm X, Civil/Human Rights Leader (May 19th, 1925 – February 21st, 1965)

“

I am the product of the masses of my country and the product of my enemy.

“

There is no longer anything I can fear.

There is nothing the government has not done to me.

There isn’t any pain I have not known.

- Winnie Mandela, Anti-apartheid activist/Freedom fighter, politician (September 26th, 1936 – April 2nd, 2018)

“

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.

“

I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other.

I grew up like a neglected weed – ignorant of liberty, having no experience of it.

- Harriet Tubman, Abolitionist (Died March 10th, 1913)

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Making of the Jambalasee Documentary WRITTEN BY DEXTER MITCHELL

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MADE IN GRENADA

In addition to creating the sound, there were a couple of other innovations that were part of the overall story. The inclusion of the sound of a conch shell and a fully produced music video were both firsts for Grenada’s music industry.

The genius of the late Don Charles was also a crucial component of the overall development of Grenada’s music that needed to be featured, and it was certainly done in this documentary.

To further cement the urgent need for documenting and archiving was the sad passing of Garnett Williams, former sound engineer of Moss International, a few months after the recording of the documentary was completed.

Additionally, two very important cultural figures of that era have also past on, African Teller and Tangler.

Admittedly, one of the glaring deficiencies in the local creative and cultural industry is the ineffective documenting of Grenada’s rich and extensive cultural heritage. The need for proper archiving has become even more critical since very significant achievements of yesteryear are now being overshadowed by dubious facts and unfounded opinions.

Grenada’s most significant contribution to music in general and specifically Soca music – the Jab Sound —has its origins in Grenville, St. Andrew, and was a story available to be told by most of those who were part of this crucial undertaking.

Made In Grenada over the years has unapologetically championed the cause for the development of the local creative industries with an emphasis on looking back as we move forward. Ensuring the world knew that the Jab Sound, which is now a dominant musical subgenre, was an original and deliberate Grenadian

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idea, fitted with the overall agenda of Made In Grenada.

The sojourn into video documenting was new but made easy by a story that was ready, practically, to tell itself. Lennox Douglas — the Singing Mc and the lead singer of Moss International set the perfect tone for what the documentary was to be. He is an excellent story teller, with an impressive bank of memories to match.

The cooperation of the Charles family was also key. Leon and Ricky were able to provide the entire Moss International story, from the formation of the band and its various stages, the tours and eventually the creation of the Jab Sound.

Gratitude must be expressed to Gentle Benjamin of GentleBen TV for allowing access to his extensive library of videos that allowed the documentary to come alive. The initiative to secure those lasting memories on video allows for one of Grenada’s most influential eras of creativity to be available for viewing, listening and scrutiny.

The words of this article would hardly do justice to this rich piece of Grenadian history.

It is available to be viewed at: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=Gv8lW6DpIwc&t=2099s.

Do enjoy a great story from those who made musical history.

THE GROWTH OF CARNIVAL IN CARRIACOU WRITTEN BY DEXTER MITCHELL Photo credit: Shutterstock/Pawel Kazmierczak Before the onset of Covid-19, the last carnival celebrations in the State of Grenada took place in February on the Sister Isle of Carriacou. It is quite possible that the next time there are carnival celebrations in the State, those celebrations will be held once again in Carriacou.

After carnival in the State of Grenada was officially moved from February to August in 1981, the Sister Isles of Carriacou and Petit Martinique were left in a quandary. The new carnival schedule would mean back-to-back weekends of major festivals, with the extremely successful Carriacou Regatta taking place the weekend before the new carnival date.

Carriacou and Petit Martinique opted to let their collective focus remain on the Regatta Festival, and as such there was no carnival celebrations in Carriacou between 1981 and 1986.

A newly re-convened Carnival Committee, headed

by Bob Adams, met in late 1986 with the expressed intent of rejuvenating carnival, but at the original pre-Lenten date. These efforts resulted in carnival in Carriacou for the first time in 6 years, culminating on March 2nd and 3rd 1987. For the next 19 years or so carnival in Carriacou continued, for the most part, without any attention or interference from mainland Grenada.

However, during those 19 years, cultural expression in Carriacou exploded with the musical success of Skylark and Rhino, among others and the growth of the unique Shakespeare Mas. In fact, Skylark won the Road March title on mainland Grenada in 1989 and a troupe of Shakespeare Mas was invited to Puerto Rico in 1995 to showcase the their inimitable cultural expression.

A concerted effort to decentralize carnival

celebrations in Grenada prior to the 2004 season, led by the author, resulted in the initial involvement by the then-Grenada Carnival Committee in the planning and organizing of Carriacou’s Carnival.

With the passage of hurricane Ivan in September of 2004, carnival in Carriacou in 2005 was low key, but the celebrations came back with a bang in 2006, with full-fledged support from the Committee in Grenada. Two marketing strategies were employed to make carnival in Carriacou attractive to mainland Grenadians.

1. ‘For the price of an airline ticket to Trinidad one can experience an entire weekend of carnival in Carriacou – including transportation, accommodations and meals.’

2. ‘One State, two carnivals’ The celebrations in Carriacou in 2006 were buoyed by excellent music, with Pupa Leendi’s ‘Jouvert Jam’ (a little more rum) winning both the Road March and Soca Monarch titles. The quality and success of that song prompted an invitation by the author to Pupa Leendi to be a semifinalist in the National Soca Monarch competition in Grenada later that year. The rules of the competition were then amended to make provisions for the winner of the Carriacou competition to now be an automatic semifinalist at the national competition. The semifinal spot allowed the winning artiste ample time to promote himself and his song, not only to have a greater chance at making the finals but to also widen his fan base.

Former National Groovy Monarch, Shortpree, who was already enjoying success in Grenada, now had the added platform of Carriacou Carnival and he along with Pupa Leendi provided the impetus for other young artistes on the Sister Isle to flourish.

Those included the late Busta, Hunter, Boneless, Black Blingers and Skinny Banton.

Leadership of the Carriacou Carnival Committee was key to the growth of the festival, and the openness to work along with their peers from Grenada played a pivotal role in the sustained success. The late Adelaide Mills, Vinisha Cudjoe, and Ken Joseph among others spear-headed the movement admirably with heavy emphasis on growth and development that allowed for Calypso writing and judges’ workshop and trips to Grenada to further promote the festival. Nazim Benjamin, owner of the entertainment website PartyGrenada. com and journalist Rawle Paterson have provided additional selfless and relentless efforts in chronicling and promoting carnival in Carriacou Since then, the quality and popularity of music from Carriacou have grown exponentially and has spurred on with mainland artistes to take advantage of the additional outlet; and as such, the production of music outside the “Grenada Carnival season” began in earnest.

This growth also led to the emergence of studios such as Xpert Productions and MashWorks Productions. These studios have gone on to work with mainland Grenada & regional artistes.

Songs from Carriacou have dominated the musical landscape regionally and internationally – including ‘Soak It’ (Skinny Banton), ‘Shell Down’ (Cloud 5), and ‘Wrong Again’ (Skinny Banton).

As Carriacou Carnival continues to grow, the challenge facing those presently at the helm is to ensure the festival remains authentic and real.

There remains room for improvements that must be aligned with preservation of heritage and tradition.

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BLACK POEMS, WHY?

For mourning & I pray there’s enough bravery In my spit to tell my mother That her blood is strewn somewhere

“You focus too much on race. You write too many ‘Black’

On the streets of Chicago.

poems.” - some non-entity motherfucker on Facebook.

If God forbid, my brother is taken by gun fire, The media will try to make him into the monster he never was.

Response:

They never say that the Black person was loved, That they were so much love.

We send our boys to the playground

That they belong to somebody.

To greet the sun, police leave Them writhing on concrete

I write these poems because

We let them go

Even though in this country, my womb Is seen as a factory for targets

To the store, see their friends

One day, when I am big & bubbling

& they are seen as demons, made

With the brilliance of a Black child,

To use their own pooled blood as pillow

People on the street will look at me

Until someone white recognizes them as human.

Crazy as I walk around & speak in Haiku aloud over & over saying:

We send them to school, & they are found Dead, body empty, rolled up in a gym mat

Yes. Thank you God, thanks

Their face a malformed notion of what

For the best of miracles.

Their momma last kissed.

Now, please protect us.

Our kin fall in love, hold hands

Hílda Davis ©

With the same beloved for years Save up all they have to start college & they are still Shot at 40 plus times, police put a heap of holes In them. Maybe they were trying to see The light we see. There’s no other reason to make Them all lantern like.

Say, the boy Shot himself in the head with his hands behind his back.

Say, the girl Put a bullet in her skull by knocking on a door.

Say, the boy Emptied his own body with his fingernails.

Say, the young man Bludgeoned his own face in, through whistling.

They make Black youth, Black people The superheroes they never asked to be.

I write Black poems because any time my brother Does not pick up the phone, my body prepares

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NO ONE WILL GO SEARCHING FOR US

DANDELION DREAMER Dandelion dreamer,

After I denounced Jesus,

come sit with me a while.

I did not hear from my momma

The birds are serenading,

for three weeks, I stopped getting the missed calls,

the grass is thick and wild.

so I beg the man

And we are smiling up at a blue, blue spring sky.

who I beg to love me to drive me to Staten Island

We are high on now and then and when will you entwi-

to make sure my momma isn’t dead.

ne your pinkie with mine?

When I get to the door of my childhood home, she looks at me

Promise not to give it all away?

sad like she’s thinking,

All hope and faith and wish after wish...

why did you not come home even though

Come sit with me a while in this

I say this isn’t home anymore ?

moment of health and sunshine.

Didn’t you think of the ways I imagine

And let us inscribe the song of infinite maybes, in side

a daughter turns to sludge in this city?

walk chalk,

How I blame myself for teaching you not to scream

so that every passer by remembers too to live their life

Even when the blood drains out of you. I think of the ways

in forward motion.

a Black bone transforms to discardable pipe, & my pickney all folded &

Sherry E. A. Hamlet ©

turned over in a landfill, & there’s silence. about the Girl (whose name only her momma say right) & if no one else knows how to say her name right, does she exist at all outside of her mother ’s tongue?

We never discuss how we imagine one another’s funerals.

Hílda Davis ©

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LaVanda Mireles LaVanda Mireles is a visual artist who works in a mix of painting and drawing mediums. She deviates from tradition, and this is evident in her recent body of work, her cyanotype prints.

When LaVanda moved from Colorado to Grenada in 2016, she dedicated her newfound time to her art practice. Embracing the isolation of a small island meant embracing limitations and exploring the creation of art with non-art things such as objects discovered around her space, items discarded by people and stuff salvaged from the sea. LaVanda makes art because she is always striving to learn and challenge herself to improve.

Since her work is created in seclusion, she views her print-making process as a performance that no one ever sees.

Throughout

her

education,

her

mentors

encouraged and challenged LaVanda to take risks and push her creative boundaries. Her painterly application of cyanotype chemicals and exposure of found objects is a unique and unconventional approach to the traditional photographic medium. Since 2016, LaVanda has guided students through the creative process and shares her knowledge as a volunteer art instructor at Art School Greenz, in Calliste, St. George’s.

LaVanda exhibits in gallery settings in the US and Grenada, including Art House 473, The Waving Art Gallery, and the former Art Upstairs. In 2017, LaVanda’s solo exhibition, Contact Lens, at Susan Mains Gallery, explored human connection and isolation. Since then, her work maintains similar themes.

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Interview with

ARTIST LAVANDA MIRELES American expat LaVanda Mireles, a very

and especially one that stands out in his/her

work is very gestural and expressive. Over the

meticulous and unique artist currently residing

unique way. How would you describe your

past few years, my art has been various shades

in Grenada and relishing the experience of first

art? Where do you draw your inspirations

of blue and white due to the nature of the

time living on an island-nation in the Caribbean

from, in creating your pieces?

cyanotype chemicals.

LaVanda Mireles: Thank you, I appreciate

Inspirations are everywhere, so keeping a

this opportunity to share with you and your

sketchbook is crucial for me. I record ideas

audience. My work is a constant practice and

from my experiences. I practice the human

it is always evolving. I continue to build off

form in figure drawings. Sometimes I observe

of my life-long passion and training. I create

the landscape or the beach in quick sketches. I

two-dimensional work; painting, drawing,

note things I see or hear, I make lists, and plan

collage, and I experiment with relief print

things out. I reference my sketchbooks all of

and cyanotype print. My focus recently has

the time. I had the privilege of learning from

been collecting found objects and items from

great art teachers and I am inspired by my

nature and creating sun prints (cyanotypes)

artist family and friends. Artists motivate each

with them. I also arrange artifacts from my

other, and that is essential to me.

Sea, shares with us what that experience is like (for someone who is all new to the sensibilities of the Grenadian/Caribbean people in their many expressions, and ultimately having such take root in her art). An interesting perspective on art is what is revealed, and VISION is pleased to be the scene it is being convened on this occasion.

VISION: It is quite a privilege every time the opportunity arises to interview an artist,

collection into 3D collage or assemblage. My

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VISION: How have others described it?

LaVanda:

My cyanotype work was once

described as ‘spooky’. The vibrant blue draws people in. I was told that the exposed objects seem interspersed within explosions of organic patterns. In other words, “the beauty of the everyday.”

VISION:

Its abstract quality seems bent

on a relationship with a utilitarian quality while resonating gestures abound. The pieces convey textures almost in a deceptive manner, using contrasting grids, as if to suggest an elemental or foundational dynamism or relationship is at work, effortlessly. The medium/style, cyanotype, seems very intriguing. How popular is it?

And can you tell us a bit about its history?

LaVanda: Cyanotype was invented in 1842 by chemist, astronomer, and experimental photographer, Sir John Herschel. This process allowed for relatively quick and inexpensive copies of engineering plans and architectural drawings to be made, hence the term blueprint.

In 1843, Anna Atkins, botanist and friend of Hershcel, published the book, “Photographs of

British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions.” It is said

on and explored the complexities of our

to be the first book illustrated with photographic

relationship with the landscape. There, I was

images. The process was popularized again in

moved by works from Meghann Riepenhoff,

the 20th century when cyanotype was used as

who collaborated with the land and sea in her

an artform by Modern artists such as Man Ray,

cyanotype prints.

who surprised his viewers by taking ordinary objects from their everyday settings--he dislocated them. Contemporary artists Susan Weil and Robert Rauschenberg abstracted photography by creating large scale, life size cyanotypes of their bodies and plant foliage. Since then, artists continue to use this traditional process in new ways. New Territory: Landscape Photography Today, a 2018 exhibit at the Denver Art Museum, featured over 100 artists from around the world who expanded

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UV light, stillness, time and water are the elements necessary for making a cyanotype. In my home studio, I mix the cyanotype chemicals and apply it to a paper or canvas surface at night. I use a red head lamp because I do not have a dark room. The chemicals are somewhat translucent and light green at this point. It’s very hard to see where I am painting the chemicals, but despite this, I often create faces and figures.

I allow the pieces to dry overnight and in the morning before the sun comes up, I protect

the result is always somewhat uncertain.

VISION:

Do weighty subject matters get

explored in your artwork, or does the work tend to focus primarily on the imaginative and perhaps mundane?

LaVanda: My work is about the human condition and connection, in both real world and fantasy situations. I typically create images of figures and faces, with covered eyes.

The uncanny nature of my art is intentional.

Sometimes my abstract pieces focus on mark making and composition and the subject presents itself or becomes apparent only when the piece is complete and I have observed it for a while. I also make work in response to predetermined topics and themes for group shows, which always dares me to participate and engage in new ways. I allow room for others to see and interpret the work through their own lens, while connecting them to my own. The ultimate goal is to have a real connection with someone because of art.

VISION: How would you describe the art scene in Grenada, and the work that is being done by institutions such as the Grenada Art Council, and Art House 473?

LaVanda: Grenada is a creative community.

Sub-groups of artists, career professionals, performers, artisans, entrepreneurs, writers, teachers, musicians, and tinkerers, combine to them in UV bags or cover them with black out

ready. I take everything inside, remove all the

curtains. I gather the objects, practice layouts,

items and rinse the print in water until the blue

prepare a rinsing and drying station, and get

and white image is developed.

ready to print using the sun. I quickly lay out the treated paper or canvas and start to place and arrange all of the items. As soon as UV light comes in contact with the cyanotype surface, it starts exposing. I have to work quickly. As I go, I place things like coins, bolts, washers, shells, rocks, and coral throughout my composition so that the wind doesn’t blow everything away.

The amount of time I expose the print in the sun depends on the day and my surface. It can take less than 2 minutes on a bright day, or over 30 minutes on an overcast day. Once the green turns a blue-grey shade, I determine the print is

My work is busy, it contains a ton of movement and gestures. It alludes to a sense of effortlessness, although there is effort in the planning. Oversized work takes days of preparation. To balance out all the careful design, I allow randomness and chance circumstance to rule. At times, I force myself to work quickly and with objects I didn’t preselect. I will prepare up to 20 prints at a time and store them in the UV protected bags. Then, I pull a single print from the stack, not knowing which one it is. With unexpected rain, wind, and uncontrollable activity due to the environment,

make up the art world of Grenada. As a foreigner and newcomer, everything is in relation to my background; my lens. I notice the number of participants in the Grenada Arts Council (GAC) annual Pop Up Show increases each year.

Last year, the GAC offered one-one-one peer review for social media marketing, as well as writing artist statements and proposals. The GAC collaborates with the Airport Authority to support exhibitions at The Waving Art Gallery in Maurice Bishop International Airport. In this art space, the Godfrey Luke and Ashanti Footprints performance resonated with me. Also notable was the energy of the Independence Exhibit in January of 2019. The GAC is a volunteer organization

that

promotes

education,

encourages creative practice, and voices a

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need for more permanent physical structures

occasions the drums come out. It is a unique

art family. Art by Doliver Morain is all around

for the arts in Grenada.

space that attracts artists from all over Grenada

Grenada, and his arrangement of sculptures

to come and participate in the action. The

in Sauteurs is an experience. The Enchanted

gallery space holds both commercial displays

Forest Sculpture Park at LaLuna resort is an

and non-commercial exhibitions, with the

example of multiple artists coming together to

classroom and art studio space below.

show in an outdoor, natural space.

Susan Mains and Asher Mains are Grenadian artists, educators, and art advocates. They generate dialogue and produce positive growth in Grenada through their respective projects.

Together, they founded Art House 473. Curious

In a community where few art centers and

minds and art supporters congregate here. Art

museums exist, art in Grenada is explored in

House 473 schedules artists’ talks, hosts weekly

places other than a gallery setting. When I leave

life-drawing sessions and provides a learning

St. George’s, I keep an eye out for new murals,

environment for Art School Greenz. On many

especially work by Nashion Jeremiah and his

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VISION: Could you, expound more on your artistic influences from the landscape and cultural heritage of Grenada that are already making their way in your work?

LaVanda: Grenada influences my art in every

I am at all times a student when it comes to

LaVanda:

way. When I moved to the island, it was my

Grenada. A few years ago, I remember listening

Grenada. In 2016, my husband, Wes, and I

first time in the Caribbean. The landscape,

to Meg Conlon at her gallery, The Art Upstairs,

moved to St. George’s from Denver, Colorado,

language, cultural norms, buildings, food,

which closed its doors not too long ago. Hearing

United States. Wes is a Medical Illustrator in

music--everything for me was experienced for

the stories of the late folk artist, Canute Calliste,

the Department of Anatomical Sciences at St.

the first time. Documenting things from my

influenced me to create a mermaid piece for a

George’s University. I prepared for this transition

surroundings quickly became a way to capture

themed show called, Tales Around the Fire,

by purging almost my entire body of work up to

and analyze my awareness. One of the very first

organized by Renee Foster earlier this year.

that point. It was important for me to start fresh

Art and science brought us to

things my husband and I did when we moved

and to take my newfound time and art practice

here, was to take a drawing class at Art School

seriously.

Greenz. In class we met our neighbors, made

VISION: Might we ask, what drew you to the

friends, and connected with other creatives.

island in the first place?

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art or that they aren’t creative, I remind them if they want to learn a new skill or improve in one, it’s okay to be frustrated. It can take a lot of hard work to make something seem effortless. The ambiguity in art can sometimes be uncomfortable as well. I never really buy into the notion that you have to be somehow inherently gifted or born with an artistic talent or not. Art is practice. I understand there may be people who have not had much access to art in school. That’s where the art community, artists of all disciplines, can come together more: join an art class and connect with someone new who may need the support of a fellow creative.

VISION:

The

Covid-19

pandemic

has

disrupted all planned events and large gatherings, how are artists as yourself coping in these unusual times? And what can we expect to see from you and fellow artists when things would have simmered down?

LaVanda: In the first days of March, I was hanging artwork at the Waving Art Gallery and there was a feeling of calm before the storm. Since then, so many events have been cancelled. Of course, the cancellation of Carnival has an enormous impact on many people. And the Heritage Theater Company’s production of ‘Julien Fedon’, as well as the 1261 Film Festival, would have been held over the past few months had it not been cancelled. Musicians took to the internet and streamed live concerts, and larger events like The Grenada Chocolate Fest moved their activities online. I think the creative community VISION: You have been working with young

experience for me as well. For students, it is

is using this interference as a forced chance

people in Grenada, how is that experience

always fun and challenging. The reward is in

to try something different. Artist Stacey Byer

for both you and the young, aspiring artists?

generating enthusiasm and curiosity with the

illustrates the important role art plays as a tool

hope that it is carried on when class is over.

for critical thinkers, especially in this time of

LaVanda: I am now a volunteer art instructor at

home schooling. I expect artists will continue to

Art School Greenz. The more relevant approach to art education at this school fits with the way I approach my work. Although I cover both the elements and principles of design in class, the goal is to be great at problem solving and to embrace limitations in order to spark creativity.

Often, the young students are trying something for the first time. To witness them overcome

generate new work, even if it is in isolation. That VISION: What advice do you wish to share

being said, quarantine is difficult. No doubt the

with folks who may not necessarily have

current times are influencing Grenada with

an inclination towards art (as generally

intensity. As things move forward and we can

defined)? And while we are there, how can

gather again, I hope to see new and familiar

trained artists make art a more communal

faces in class, and all over Grenada wherever

activity?

our creative worlds intersect.

obstacles in new ways is amazing. Every

LaVanda: For people who say that they can’t

opportunity to teach is an incredible learning

draw, or that they aren’t naturally gifted in

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Foreword Nowadays the field of Sport is recommended

sports, and other endeavours in the parish

for

of St. John.

several

reasons

including

health,

recreation and entertainment. This book focuses primarily on the history and the expansion of sports and sporting activities in the parish of St. John. The author presents the development of character and personality of the individual, and recognition of sports administrators and communities as a whole. Highlighted in this publication are two themes - The History of Sports in St. John’s and the Energy that Sports generates.

In addressing the history, the book covers the evolution of sporting activities in the parish of St. John recognizing outstanding sports personalities and sports administrators.

The author skillfully makes the connection between sports in the Parish and the rest of the Nation. This approach links the themes of the book as the author moves the reader from a discussion on sports to one of interpretation of the achievements in

In the second theme, the author puts forward his theory for the achievements of the people of St. John’s in the field of sport. Notably, for a town of just over 8,000 inhabitants, Gouyave can proudly boast of having an Olympic Gold Medalist among its successes. The author claims that there is an energy source, tangible and intangible, which drives the people of Gouyave, and sports is one of the expressions of that energy.

For the people of St. John’s this book will

and again.

provoke nostalgia of the good old days, and

Its author, Fitzgerald Joseph, more intimately

indeed pave a path for the future involvement

referred to as ‘Coach Naka’, is an avid sports

and analytical work on sports. In addition, it

enthusiast. From his childhood days to

can be used as an example to review sports

present his love for sports is unshaken.

and sporting activities. Certainly, a sporting

In his hometown, Gouyave, his influence

reference to keep in your library, this book

can be felt in all sporting activities; be it

can be read again

Football, Netball, Chess, Karate or Basketball. But if there is one to choose from to demonstrate his love for sport, it will certainly be Basketball. He has spent tremendous time and money in developing himself to be one of the premier basketball coaches in the Caribbean.

He has published before on sports and there is no doubt that he will publish again.

Dunstan A. Campbell, PhD Retired Food and Agricultural (FAO) Representative

Peter Pounder

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Sharon Charles

Master Dab

reo

Kirani James

n

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Donald Pierre and Raymond Roberts

AROUND THE GLOBE AND BACK:

Kirani, Lewis Hamilton, The Slinger, and Leslie Hutchison WRITTEN BY YAO ATUNWA There’s no denying that St. John, Grenada is a remarkable place, and in more ways than one.

Its inhabitants are tenacious to say the least.

Tenacity is a good term to give description to a people wantonly deprived by and large by the socalled makers of history, i.e., those in control of resources and political power to make impactful decisions. In spite of those realities, geography has a way of weighing in on the argument as to who is ultimately denied a chance to demonstrate a greatness that transcends the bounds of a person’s milieu or society. I am impelled to lay attribute to geography foremost because it is unavoidable in the shaping of things, in how we come to interact with the physical environment and ourselves and others.

It’s fair to say that the French settlers on the isle of Grenada favored the central locations of the northwest coast and its counterpoint, the

Lewis Hamilton and his grandfather northeast, in that of St. John and St. Andrew.

Those were strategically solid headquarters, given the hostile atmosphere of the colonial epoch, as well as the modes of transportation of the time.

These areas were/are also rich in soil quality much needed to sustain a robust plantation system. The point of this piece is not to focus on the colonial history of St. John or Grenada per se, but to show the early rendering of the role of geography and its later consequences. In so seeking, the objective is to answer the question as to why this small location in a very tiny nation has spawned talents the like of a Slinger Francisco (the Mighty Sparrow), Calypso King of the World; Leslie Hutchinson, 20th Century cabaret icon; Kirani James, recent 400m Olympic Champion (London, 2012); and Lewis Hamilton, whose grandfather and father gifted him with the zeal for speed, to presently reign as Grand Prix’s king. The feats accomplished by these men are exceedingly brilliant. It is how they have been able to win the adulation of so many world-over.

Kirani James

Their awe-inspiring abilities lead one to wonder

what is in the soil of St. John, when these men backgrounds were/are modest at best and fraught with challenges as a result. Hutch’s family supported his education as a youngster, as it was their hope that their son would become a medical doctor, to give subsequent generations a “noselift” in a colonial and class-oriented society (as it was) from the small merchant business owned by his father on the Lance. But they, as it pertains to his father in particular, imbued a love for music in the young man, as his dad was the assigned player of the local Anglican Church’s organ. Hutch got his first taste of a big audience, if you can call it that, when he satin for his dad during a service at the said church. He would go on to the United States and Europe to fine-tune his craft and mesmerize audiences with his voice and ability as a piano player, commanding the attention of some of the world’s richest patrons, including several members and generations of the British Monarchy; even having intimate relations with princesses. In ironic proportions, this man who was supposed to

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Slinger Francisco remain a “boy” from the far-flung reaches of the British Empire (the one that inherited Grenada from its French rival) could have almost had his seed in line for the throne itself. But, as others have echoed, Hutch appeared to be too slick for such sterile existence; he had the music world to reign over. Eventually, his persona faded into the relics of music history for more reasons than one, which worth exploring by the way.

Luckily, for his fans, The Slinger is still around, after suffering numerous bouts with ailments. The Birdie, as he is affectionately known in the Calypso/ Soca world, is world renowned for his masterful demonstration of fine art. He is a remarkable poet above all his other creative attributes, and a fine storyteller at that. His melodic lines could sooth the angriest of tyrants. It is often lamented that Grand Roy or Roi was only befitting for the origin of a Mighty Sparrow. This king came from a workingclass family, as is the case with Lewis Hamilton, who also hailed from the same location. As aforementioned, his love for speed was first shown to the St. John’s community by his granddad, who would drive throughout the area with an ability unmatched by his peers, with a penchant for speed. Hamilton’s dad unmistakably spurred on his father’s legacy by nurturing in his young son the skill of driving at high speed. It goes without saying, race car-driving isn’t a poor man’s sport, given the level of resources and organization put into the business. But with talent like Hamilton’s recognizable from a tender age, he was destined to do great things on the track. Once again, the 67

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character of tenacity surfacing to demonstrate the spirit of a people and the jagged yet fertile soil that gave life to them.

The new king James, as he is lauded by fans, Kirani, one could say had destiny written into his very given name. He is named after his dad, Dorrani Marshall. Sorry for the let down, not in a dynastic sense, as in King James II. In fact, the residents of his hometown, Gouyave, St. John’s capital, prefer the name De Jaguar, for it best depicts his athleticism – his athletic prowess, a

Leslie Hutchinson

mysticism that is puzzling to many. It’s difficult for many to fathom how a stringy kid from Gunbattle of all places, an unruly section of Gouyave, could be so dominant at the quarter-mile event. Besides, he runs with a rather strange pair of legs, unlike that of any serious sprinter in the history of track and field, what is referred to in local parlance as K-foot (knocked Knees), a genetic maker passed on from his paternal grandmother, Faith “Faithie” Marshall. Her K-foot, should you know, were much more pronounced than those of her Olympian grandson. It’s interesting that she, too, hailed from the Great King (Grand Roi) to be most exact, as the French named it. Interestingly enough, there is another element in the mix that is hidden from plain view that is playing a key role in Kirani’s dominance on the track, outside of the nurturing, great food, and solid support from his community (being very communal in nature, attributes from its agricultural and fishing heritage), that is his lung capacity. How do I know so? It happens that the author shares in the genetic pool that produced his given biology and physiology (his paternal side).

I have utilized the same gift, though not as a sprinter, as is also the case with my dad, Kirani’s paternal uncle. As a boy growing up in Gouyave, I would demonstrate such ability by keeping my breath the longest, even against much older guys; reaching the sea floor in deep waters others could not or had greater difficulty in doing. By contrast, my dad’s exploits are widely known to the community, for there is no adult or person who could seriously challenge his knack for staying underwater. You see, as I earlier alluded, Kirani’s upbringing was not advantageous in a material sense. He didn’t even enjoy the strivings of the same paternal grandfather (a successful businessman of modest scale) from whom he most likely inherited the gene that added to his arsenal as a sprinter. Nonetheless, the marker of both biological trait and geography did not elude him in his mission to define himself and to create a world better than the one he inherited.

His feats as a sprinter are already translating into concrete benefits for his immediate family and Grenada. For one, he has surely contributed to the development of our pride as a tiny nation that has gotten nothing back from its colonial masters to compensate for its laborious duties. It would be wise, in my judgment, to seek to institutionalize some of that dynamism from his talent both on and off the field of sports, as well as that of the other stalwarts highlighted in this piece. Let’s keep their legacies fiercely vibrant!

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Photo credit: Troy Daysant

MEMORIES Do you not remember those days?

That were sweet as wild honey, when in gommier canoes we came To our virgin Camerhogne, risen from the sea and bathed in green An emerald gem, carved by the romance of callous Atlantic winds And do you not remember those days?

Memories of the agouti and the iguana strolling, Freely, along the banks of your crystal clear streams Where the manicou and the tattoo took a refreshing sip In the seraphic shade of the immortelles in the forests And the chicken hawk that would soar, like a gli gli, would sit on your shouldered cliffs, to sing to thee of thy resplendent beauty, your innocence, your sanctity...

dy Johnson

Photo credit: An

About the Author Bassanio Graneau was born and raised on the Caribbean island of Grenada, where he presently resides. For Bassanio, writing serves as the principal medium through which he can convey his ideas to the world. In late 2018, he founded Camerhogne Press, which has thus far published two novels and two collections of poetry, which includes his own collection titled ‘Camerhogne: Idyll of a Country Boy’. He hopes that Camerhogne Press will serve as a platform for other local writers to manifest their publishing dreams. He is an avid footballer who has represented his country at the national level. When he is not writing, he enjoys sailing, fishing, the arts (music, art, literature), astronomy, among many other cultural past-times.

And on mornings, should I ignore the Silk Cotton’s warnings The mountain’s timid hue, of fading memories that still haunt me Mist like the smoldering of ancient village fires, unraveled

By Mansa’s touch of lover’s spring; a searing golden spear That still promises wild flowers at the end of the dark season While wistful clouds from the Atlantic, the Pacific even Flee like doves, like prophets riding reggae rhythms Urging us to grieve, to weep, to forgive but to never forget And do you not remember those days?

Do you not remember how they stole us away?

Do you not remember those whips and chains?

Those freedom songs we sang on your black and golden shores Among the rotting sun scorched shoals, the shells, the corals To live forever, to one day return home For one day, we’ll remember our mother’s love Her warmth, the taste of her precious milk That had nourished us—that had made us strong And don’t cry oh Queens, all hope is not lost For a mother’s bond is sempiternal And her children’s love like a supernal flock That comes and goes after winter’s curse Though we nest in the warmth of the devil’s frock…

Bassanio Graneau ©

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GRAND PAUVRE Ole forgotten estate, in that valley of fertile banks Beneath the majestic stance of emerald crowns Where Duparquet landed from Martinique, in 1649 To plant their flags and crosses, and claim our fathers’ land To establish their estates and to tote those stolen ones Whose children remain lost in the wilderness, in the Black Forest Tangled in Anansi’s webs, in the lustful arms of the tempting vines Ignoring the hallowed prayers of the eerie bamboos, spooky chimes And the forgotten whispers of jumbie umbrellas, on fallen giants…

Grand Pauvre, what happened to thee?

Grand Pauvre, what happened to thee?

Weren’t you king of sugarcane, tobacco and cocoa To sweeten dey mouth and to flavour their tea?

And how poor?

The children of Grand Pauvre who have built ants nests Those brave fishermen with their beautiful bronze children Who face death in the early morn’—at night; their lives on the lines To feed everyone—big jacks, anchovies, titiri from the river mouth Warriors who have built sand castles of stone, wood and galvanize on the confused shoreline, wondering every single day where the next dollar will come from…

And how poor?

Those who farm the fertile banks—the abandoned plantations Working tirelessly to lift themselves from the sodden ground for their children to get a proper education, a better chance Along Grand Pauvre’s crystal streams, the playground of the herons And the Cabi-aye birds, that hold vigil from the nappy palms With the owls that stay up at night in the bacano’s palms Vibing to the meditative chants of the Rastaman in the winds

Offsprings of ancient warriors, who played in the ole green batey Those little children now playing cricket, football—team Hurricanes Marbles under Miss Hall’s plums, next to Smokey Boy’s house Children of many colours mixed, in the school house, the churches the Caribbean’s ancestral potpourri; nigger children, békés, coolies Offsprings with roots that run deep, leaves, fruits and branches Of the mahagony, the blue mahoe, the coconut, the cacabawi, the gommier—together entangled for all eternity...

Yes, all those immortal trees that had survived to modernity Still alive after endless hurricanes and the scorn of colonial curses Groves of coffee, cocoa and nutmeg, cinnamon and bayleaf vanilla, breadfruit, breadnut, mangoes, doubled edged sugarcane the ornate Silk Cotton, the sandbox, the bacanos, that very gommier Together their flaming songs, on the wings of the mountain breezes the nectar of their naive flowers, the rich laughter of their falling leaves, From the tip of their tongues rotting at their feet, during gru gru hours Their sincere prayers, their thanks, their sacred dreams Their orange, sun burnt despair on lonely evenings...

And these children, these trees, scattered across the West Indies Pliant yet defiant, with the enduring fragrance of turpentine With cracked barks hiding their dreams within, on the water’s edge Dreams passed down, that one day they’ll pass on to their own offspring That the chicken hawks the stairs of high whirling towers will climb Among the wistful clouds, like balls of cotton seeds to retrieve in time Stars who had fallen like ashes, lovers’ pumice from Pompeiis’ dreams During the night when with Morpheus, those to come remain sleeping Dreaming of the days when they will once again be kings and queens—

Yes, how poor?

All those trees in the Garden of Immortelles All the elders and the little children from the ghetto!

Those little children from the Pasture, Upstreet, Downstreet, the Villa, Bonair, Coast Guard, River Salle and Waltham

For cometh the day when Selene’s eyes will overflow And Okomfo Anokye, will call down the golden stool once more That fateful morning a new day will dawn, and the Garden will flourish And the flowers of those Immortelles will remember their purpose All those immortal trees must remember those sacred talents When those fateful blessings finally cross the salty desert Ancient spirits scaling the lush green walls of the mountains’ forts To descend upon the richest Grand Pauvre, in the purest drops A kiss from the Sahara to encourage life’s stream to go onwards To make Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage, all the ancestors’ sacrifices while worth…

For aren’t they the descendants of those they stole,

Bassanio Graneau © VISION MAGAZINE

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THOSE FROM BEFORE

How come the truth always shows its face?

How come they never told us?

Like morning, after night had laid the past to rest

Of the glory of those who came on the wooden camels with wings

And how come the truth always finds its way?

Shackled in massive bundles, broken families treated as ‘things’

Like Shango’s seeds planted in the bed of Oshun’s womb

That they grinded into thick molasses in the slave mills

How come they never told us

Next to the copper boilers where the scorn of Massa’s whip linger

really told us about those from before?

Boiling up from the heat of the campeche wood, their red fire Ebony hewed down and thrown into those pits, into a hell fire

How come they never told us

That created them same crystals they used to sweeten their tea

that they were our cousins, our aunts, our uncles,

To heavy the pounds they put on, as if—

our brothers, our sisters, our fathers, our mothers

as if blubber will save them from drowning in the rising seas

our grandparents they had murdered, in great numbers Those shadows I have always seen in the clouds, on evenings

I’m asking you, how come, they never told us the truth?

When the tired sun retires in a sea, of West Indian arms

Those lies they recorded instead, in their ‘His story’ books How come, it was the Atlantic one hazy, but golden morning That revealed the secrets time held, for had so long cherished Scathed by the turmoil of troubled souls, weary spirits that still suffer Like liquid gold scattered upon the water, the turquoise desert Where those who were murdered, who had jumped, became dunes became the voices that break on the reefs night and noon To echo in the conch shells sitting on La Resource beach and as far as into the Hillocks’ fortress, in Selene’s full moon to light up the heart of the Black Forest, where I found her weeping And where that little child I had abandoned, with his dreams was shackled waiting, seated on an obsidian stone in tears, waiting…

How come they never told the children about their roots?

How come they never told us about them?

How come they never told us the truth?

Bassanio Graneau ©

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SACRED NUTMEG OF GRAVID WOMB (For the comrade Jacqueline Creft) Oh evergreen, flourishing still in Mt. Qua Qua’s mist “They may cut the trunk of the tree, thinking they can kill it, But the roots run deep and will one day spring” Thundered Monsieur L’Ouverture on his black steed Ancestors who had crossed the Atlantic, the Lethe Who had ridden across the wilderness of time, in tears, with their cavalry of revolutionary spirits And could they not see?

Could these beasts not have shown mercy?

That the time of harvest was already at your feet Worst than a damn hurricane; praedial larceny Like they did the Banadanese, Hawaii, distant isles like these Looted, starved and slain to establish their vile monopoly…

Forgive?

Forsake?

Forget the bloody price you paid?

Oh gravid nutmeg, to cure their plague, your life you gave Collected, grated and sprinkled on their pease pudding And oh precious dame, for your fruits they came Your coat of gold, your solid jet black skin Your precious red petticoat of marmalade silk Your soft brown heart, of essential oils swole within Your revolutionary spirit rooted deep, in our ancestors’ dream That was only watered by your flesh and blood, though he pleaded Your comrades’ screams, even those who betrayed him…

And if one day, your memory should ever fade, and all the nutmeg trees in the Hillocks, disappear to form a glade, the sky will burn and the sun will melt; For your love for country, like life, was one the same A gravid nutmeg engraved—immortalized Draped in squares and pyramids, of red, gold and green Bassanio Graneau © VISION MAGAZINE

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WHO AM I? (Tribute to Grand Etang Lake) I’ve been lost so many times

Those voices from the thick of the Black Forest

Walking that stony path to make sense of my life

The shadows that swell when the sun departs

Looking into the broken mirror of the crater’s eye

When I am lost in the darkness

Beyond the windows asking the stranger I see there

Who am I? They ask

Who am I? Like raindrops that descend upon my broken heart And all I hear are echoes…

That descend to remind me that I am real

Like ripples on this lonely lake,

That they are real too, those taunting drops

An emerald lake on whose shores I stand

The voices that caress the shoreline of my hopeful heart

Some parts covered in innocent lily pads Surrounded by a fortress of mountains, clouds and sand

But every time I think I’ve found the answer The answer to that elusive enigma

And in the silence of the fog that engulfs me,

They remind me, life reminds me

I hear those voices, I hear them asking…

That I am the wind, that I am the changing seasons

Who am I?

That I am free to be who I want to be That I am no different to the birds and the fishes That I am no different to the rivers and the seas That I am everything and everything is me I am, that I am— life reminds Bassanio Graneau ©

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