Rise You Mighty (Caribbean) People, RISE !

-
The Caribbean Is One Nation.
                                                   
Caribbean Nation Flags
Rise You Mighty (Caribbean) People, RISE !


The peoples of the Caribbean especially those in their 60’s and older must be baffled by what they see daily emerging in their individual islands. It is not all negative, but the shootings muggings and the many wayward youth must be a great source of pain for them. The islands now lack seriously progressive thinkers and the few that still advocate radical change are privately admitting that the task is harder than it was in the sixties. The mental baggage from slavery and colonialism persists. Political independence and mental independence are not easily disentangled.
We have the physical trappings that we are told are provided by free education. That means that we are apparently educated to be nothing more than consumers since we are measuring progress by conspicuous consumption. We are no longer using the wholesomeness of communities and the ability to display our creative talents because ,they for the most part, are being driven into oblivion and our young citizens cannot even participate in a foot ball game unless gunshots climax the evening.
So Carnival in its various reincarnations is nothing more than simulated sex in the streets and we are already exporting vulgarity as culture if we take a very candid look at what passes for culture on Eastern Parkway in New York! Half naked women and men in the streets with all their goods exposed. This is how we party and festivals that were once judged by exquisite costume design that saw Peter Minshall (Trinidad) being contracted to put his creative genius on global display are quickly being reduced to tee shirts and beach wear.   The majesty of Sir Garry Sobers has never been surpassed on the cricket field. Not to mention Walter Rodney’s vision; Eric Williams’ insightful intellect or the extraordinary mind of Lloyd Best especially his thoughts of the Caribbean civilization. While we marvel at the productivity and creative minds we have produced, we still seem incapable of truly exploiting our greatness. For a region that gave the world Bob Marley, we seem reluctant to tap into the creativity and positivity that he preached through song.
We have a date with reality and the persistent attempts to deny and rewrite our past, will not save us. We have to show up and it’s not the time to be overwhelmed by all the negatives that seem to engulf and envelop us. We need to stop baffling ourselves and take the advice of another great Caribbean thinker, Marcus Garvey: Rise you mighty people, RISE!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Task Force on Food Security Needed

-
Image
One Caribbean Nation. We need a task force on food security. Here's why. Dr. Chelston Brathwaite By Chelston Brathwaite In June 2022, I brought to the Senate a Private Member's Resolution to discuss the issue of food security in Barbados. The objective of my efforts was to bring to the attention of the Senate and indeed to the attention of Barbados society, the precarious situation of food security in this nation. The bill was grounded in the fact that we only produce about 20 per cent of our food and was presented in the context of the proposal by the CARICOM Heads of State to reduce the food import bill of the Caribbean by 25 per cent by 2025. With that date being months away from today, in my view, the goal is unlikely to be met. The economists of the world have predicted increases in the cost of food in 2024 due to global shipping challenges and volatile climatic conditions. They have indicated that due to the war in Gaza and climatic challenges in the Panama Canal, ships w
Read more

Me and V: a personal introduction to gay tolerance

-
Image
One Caribbean Nation. By William Skinner Me and V: a personal introduction to gay tolerance I must have been around nine or ten years old. V was a well-known gay citizen, who lived in my beloved hometown of Britton’s Hill, in the parish of St. Michael, Barbados. My earliest recollection of V was his apparent penchant for dressing in white. I seldom saw him in a long pants, and he walked with an amazing rhythm. Even at that early age, I realized that he was very effeminate. He always seemed busy   out and about in the Brittons Hill area and it was obvious that everybody knew him, and his notoriety was island wide. I also noticed that he was always exceptionally clean. Later, I would learn that he was also known as a popular pudding and souse vendor, who carried on his trade in the vicinity of Nelson Street, in the city. He was well loved and respected in Britton’s Hill; along with that respect came good-natured heckling. One day, around midafternoon, about three of my childhoo
Read more

International Women's Day : Our Caribbean Women, Our Hope

-
Image
One Caribbean Nation As we celebrate International Womens’ Day, we are cognizant of the role our Caribbean women have played in the cultural social and economic growth of our region and evolving Caribbean civilization. They , like our men , have risen from the depths and decadence of slavery , to the highest political and corporate ladders in the region. They have given birth, to millions and have made and continue to make significant contributions to those in the Diaspora. In many cases, where they were not the biological mothers, they nurtured, cared and developed those , who were deprived of parenthood , and socio-economic hope. They are in our classrooms, directing young and fragile minds , how to navigate a world that we in the region , must forever avoid being dragged into conflicts of the so-called super powers. They are pursuing all the opportunities of our tertiary educational institutions, including the University of the West Undies, often in higher numbers than our men. I
Read more