Emancipation and the evolution of our Caribbean civilisation

by Hon. CARLOS JAMES, Esq. MP Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Sustainable Development and Culture AUGUST COMMEMORATES the anniversary of the abolition of African enslavement.

As we mark this historical period on our calendar, we recognise the tremendous sacrifices of those who came before us, laying the foundation for our now post-colonial socio-political construct—a thriving modern liberal democracy.

The recognition of Emancipation is an important time of reflection and awakening. The systematic unjust trade of over 10 million Africans, with a mortality loss of some 33 percent, spanned four centuries to enrich the economies of Europe.

We cannot overlook or understate the role of our forebearers and their sacrifices in shaping our post-colonial society, united by our similarities and differences; a cultural melting pot and a marketplace of home-grown ideas mixed with the creativity of our Caribbean people. A common experience of suffering and oppression gave birth to a common experience of resistance.

As Gordon Lewis describes, we have been shaped throughout by the same architectonic forces of conquest, colonisation, slavery, sugar monoculture, colonialism, and racial and ethnic admixture. All of [the Caribbean’s] characteristic problems of underdevelopment, economic dependency, social and ethnic rivalries are deeply rooted in those experiences.

Delivering reparatory justice means uprooting the legacies of colonialism, taking responsibility and providing the resources to support the social repair of legacies of underdevelopment. Our social development planners must focus on the repair and social engineering of popular attitudes and social behaviours on a large scale, paving the way for a more just and equitable future.

Caribbean governments, as in the case of St.Vincent and the Grenadines, continue to invest heavily in our human capital, providing opportunities for educational advancement and training. We have an obligation to produce a well-rounded,

productive and resourceful civilisation, and an enabling environment for our people to evolve into the best versions of themselves.

Emancipation does not solely symbolise the culmination of the struggles of our people, but a recognition of the evolution of our Caribbean identity from the period of colonialisation to creolisation.

As the distinguished Caribbean intellectual, the late Rex Nettleford opined, cultural identity continues to be a persistent quest by our Caribbean people for a place and purpose in a globalised world of continuous change.

Looking ahead, the world as we know it is changing. Today’s struggle is evidently about controlling, and exploitation of the world’s resources cloaked in neoliberalism. Consequently, we must build greater resilience among our people to navigate the evolving, fraught geopolitical landscape.

Despite the broken and rapidly eroding global political economy, our eyes are filled with a spark of hope and optimism of the transformational potential of our emerging Caribbean society centred on social justice, solidarity, equity, and equality.

The time has come for us to use every available resource at our disposal to retool, upscale and build our reservoir of Caribbean change agents.We must tailor our responses to confront the modern challenges ahead.

We salute our freedom fighters for paving the way and their countless sacrifices.